CB1 Photography

02/03/2018

The Cambridge University Ballet Club's production of Swan Lake opens tonight at the West Road Concert Hall. I went to the dress rehearsal last night as a photographer and can tell you that it promises to be a wonderful show!

Tickets are available at https://www.adcticketing.com/whats-on/dance/swan-lake.

29/12/2017

CB1 Photography Review of 2017

2017 was a year in which I wanted to create and take a variety of new opportunities. Making myself available for commissions and commercial work brought fresh challenges and adventures, alongside my own creative portraiture projects. This led to a busier and more exciting year than I could ever have imagined.

Thank you to the clients, collaborators, and fellow photographers for the chances they gave me and for making this year so memorable. I have learned many things that will help me plan for the year ahead.

Here are just a few of the highlights from 2017 in pictures and words.

Happy new year to you all!

Jim Carrington.

01/12/2017

As the snow fell steadily over Cambridge last night, I wondered whether I would wake to see CB1 shrouded in white. Maybe something similar to the scenes in some of my Cambridge collection of photographs.

However, by sunrise the rain had washed away most of the snow and the sun was starting to shine. Maybe not a bad thing, as hundreds of local traders, entertainers, and artists had a busy day ahead preparing for the ever-popular Mill Road Winter Fair. Tomorrow, once again, this vibrant corner of Cambridge will become the focus of attention, as residents and visitors celebrate the diversity, talent, and character of the local community.

I will be exhibiting some of my Cambridge photographs in the art exhibition at the Covent Garden Drama Centre (CB1 2HT), just off Mill Road. Please come and join us if you can. We are open 10.30am-4.30pm and the exhibition has an amazing and varied selection of work on display and available for purchase.

22/11/2017

On Monday 4th December, I will be talking about my photography at an event hosted by JCI Cambridge at The Blue Moon pub in Cambridge, CB1 2LF.

Through a collection of my photographs, I will take a lighthearted look at my adventures and experiences as a photographer, reflecting on the new things it has brought to my life and lessons learned along the way.

The event is open to everyone and I would love to see you there :-). Please register at the Eventbrite link (free if you sign up by 1st December) or contact me directly to arrange admission.

Many of us have a dream, passion, or ambition. Too often it is held back by self-doubt, a perceived lack of security, or a clear way forward. It is all too easy to find reasons not to pursue that dream. Jim Carrington is very familiar with those feelings. However in recent years, his strong passion…

19/11/2017

He calls himself "Pirate Jack". Often seen busking in Cambridge city centre, he has a great repertoire of Bob Dylan songs and is always up for a request.

I have taken his picture on a couple of occasions now. This time we were vaguely trying to recreate a Dylan album cover, although I am not sure we both had the same album in mind. :-) Just before I took the shot, a friend of his walked by and Jack broke into this most amazing smile.

Maybe Bob Dylan could use this as inspiration for the cover of his next album!

06/11/2017

Congratulations to Rachael Anne McGuire on the launch of her All that glitters website, featuring pictures from our recent photoshoot on the home page and in the lookbook.

It has been great to work on this project and to have been with Rachael and the web team at the moment the site went live! I think it will be an excellent platform for her ladies fashion accessories business. The All That Glitters site looks crisp, classy, and professional, and I hope that it will bring in plenty of Christmas orders!

Please check it out!

https://www.allthatglitters.london/
https://www.allthatglitters.london/lookbook/

01/11/2017

A big "thank you" to Alex Signorelli for exhibiting a collection of my Cambridge photographs at his deli over the summer. It was lovely to see them on display every time I walked past Signorelli's Deli Cambridge, and there was always a smile and a warm greeting from the boss whenever I dropped in. It is great to see how Alex's business and selection of coffees, wines, and Italian cuisine has grown in the time that I have known him.

When I took down the pictures to make way for the next artist, I couldn't quite fit them all into my case. So I left one with Alex ;-).

27/10/2017

Behind the elegance, grace, and athleticism of every ballet performance, there are countless hours of unseen practice and hard work. I wanted to find a way to capture this in images - a behind-the-scenes look at the dedication and passion that goes in to preparing a dancer for the stage.

And so I was very happy when Isobel Smith, one of the lead dancers at the Cambridge University Ballet Club, agreed to come to the CB1 studio to help create a set images representing a private practice session. Please visit my blog post at http://wp.me/p7gw0C-KG to see the full set of photographs.

"It is only perfection in the foundations that can lead to mastery of the whole...Talent is Work" - Galina Ulanova.

15/10/2017

A thrilling day in the studio yesterday taking shots for Rachael Anne McGuire's wonderful All that glitters fashion accessories boutique. What an amazing team she put together! Four models (pictured), PA/stylist/extra model (Megan Edwards), makeup artist (Anna Fele), ... and me.

A fantastic day for all. Amazing talent, great spirits, and a wonderful team performance! I look forward to posting more pictures later in the year.

03/10/2017

A big "thank you" to everyone who came to my photography presentation at Francis House in Cambridge last week. It was a real treat for me to be able to show you my work and to tell you the story behind the images.

You asked some great questions! Some I could answer very quickly - "What was your longest studio shoot?" (8 hours :-o), "Do you ever like to be in front of the lens instead of behind it?" (No. I know my place :-)). Others I could have written an essay about - "What makes a good model?"

I look forward to adding a slight business twist to the story for the members of JCI Cambridge next month. I hope that they will find it entertaining and be able to learn something from my experiences and adventures. I would love to be able to inspire someone to follow their own dream or ambition, whatever that may be.

24/09/2017

I was browsing my image collection in preparation for a photography talk that I am giving tomorrow, when I came across this "behind the scenes" picture from a publicity shoot earlier this year. We had been taking photos to advertise the Cambridge University Dance Society "Poetry in Motion" production, using creative shot designs with poetry books hanging from trees behind the dancers. You can see one of them in an earlier post on this page.

But the colours of the outfits and the smiles of these Indian dancers were so vibrant that I couldn't resist asking for a quick group shot at the end. As a big fan of black and white photography, I occasionally need to remind myself that colour sometimes works best and this seems like the perfect example!

07/09/2017

Another photograph from the recent dance-inspired portrait shoot with Isobel Smith. Thanks to Isobel for coming to the studio on probably the hottest day of the year and helping to create some beautiful images.

I look forward to showing you more in an upcoming blog post.