Top Left

Just a tinge of pride and a modest ego boost was gained this weekend from an E-mail sent by RedBubble:

'Congratulations Richard! Your work is featured on the RedBubble homepage today. One of our homepage curators picked your image because they thought it was brilliant. Less than 3 in a thousand works make it onto the homepage – so that’s a great achievement!'

Sadly i didn't get to see the homepage (11th March) featuring my speedway photograph in the top left hand corner. Not that it matters, they did send me a great screen shot of it.

The feedback about my photograph from other RedBubble users was brilliant too. One guy described it as gritty (that is a compliment, yes?) also liking the tonality of the photograph. Another used the word awesome which is... awesome. :o)

I must admit that I've always liked the way that speedway photograph hints at the decisive moment of a sudden release of immense engine power. To me, it captures the essence of what motorsport is all about.

Podcast Progress

Certain issues with the podcast have come to light recently that have needed my attention.The podcast has been online nearly one year so it seems the right time to make a few adjustments to improve things.

The biggest change regards the podcast hosting which has been moved from PodcastMachine due to the lack of, for the want of a better word, bandwidth. The new host at jellycast offers a considerably larger data transfer allowance which is desperately needed to maintain podcast access. The success and demand for the podcast has, ironically, caused it quite a few problems.

Many people were unable to download any of the podcasts when the PodcastMachine hosting data transfer allowance  ran out. There was no point recording a podcast that no one could listen to. An efficient solution had to be found, so today i decided to move the podcast's home to jellycast. A new iTunes page for this feed should be available very soon.

Currently the February podcast is available to download from the new host. The PodcastMachine podcasts will remain online but no further podcasts will be added to that feed.

To subscribe to the brand new jellycast powered Richard Flint Photography Podcast go to: http://richardflintphotography.jellycast.com/

The tale of two routers

Burnham Overy Staithe - Norfolk, UK

Yesterday evening the Internet suddenly went dead. Nothing. Zilch. Kersplat. The router just needs restarting i thought to myself as i wandered into the living room where the troublesome Belkin router was located. Oddly it appeared to be restarting itself over and over again so I unplugged it. From then on my Belkin N1 router failed to light up at all. My WiFi router was dead...gone... or so i thought.

One aspect of dealing with tech problems is that they seem to catch me out nearly every time when it comes to how simple the solution can be. It's a box not ticked or just a number or letter out of place that causes no end of problems. Being a bit of a tech enthusiast, i always tend to over-think problems. No power means that the electronics have fried and my router is dead. That theory concluded my brief post mortem of my electronic device. How wrong I was.

Yesterday afternoon, i buy a new WiFi gizmo, get it home and decide to just try the  new power adapter included with my new router on the old 'faulty' Belkin N1. Power! Lights come on and hey presto, the old router is back up and running. Bah! A simple faulty power adapter was the culprit for all the hassle.

A simple answer you see. I never seem to learn. Still, at least I have a backup WiFi router now.

Richie's Memorial

Richie's Memorial - Hunstanton, Norfolk, UK

The above photographs has resided on my computer hard drive for years and yet I've never been inclined to post it until now. Taken in 2004, the story of how i came to make the photograph is typical of how photographers can come across images.

The photograph was taken in Hunstanton on the North Norfolk coast. The town is a typical seaside resort, but it does have a darker side. Due to the height of the cliffs and easy access, these seaside places usually become suicide areas. Posters offering telephone help to those thinking of ending their lives is often seen in seaside resorts along the coastal paths.

Dotted along the cliff top are memorials, erected by families to loved ones lost. Some of them feature just flowers (often dead) with a hand written note, to more established memorials with forlorn weather beaten cuddly toys that add an extra layer of vulnerability and sadness to the scene.

I was walking along the cliff top back to the car when i  suddenly remembered that i seen a memorial, the previous year before, at a point in the walk i was coming to. At first i thought i had gone too far but then, among the cliff fencing appeared the cross and the cuddly toys. Someone had been back and rebuilt the memorial.

Richie. Who was he and what was his story?

Settling Dust

February 28th marked the fourth birthday of this very blog which, i must admit, fills me with both a feeling of pride and regret. The blog has suffered from neglect over the last few months. Yes, neglect is the right word to use, as events, places and people have got in the way, however that is about to change.

Tomorrow i will start posting regularly again and in a month's time the photographer profile series will start again with the photographer Lee Miller. For those of you subscribed to the podcast, I'll be recording the February edition tomorrow and i have some brilliant website links for you.

Until tomorrow...

Green to Go

Good news! After a mighty effort to get the main website back online, the hard work has finally paid off. The site went live online, after a few technical issues, via its new hosting home on Wednesday night. 

The website works and looks great, the business E-mail addresses are working again and the lesson has been learned that these days we should take NOTHING for granted - especially when it comes to regarding our website hosting arrangements. 

Anyway we are green to go. All i can say is phew... what a relief! 

Website Down

Yesterday saw the demise of my website. At around 1pm the site lights went out only to return some five hours later for another two hours before finally sinking. It looks like the hosting company i'm with, Web-Mania, have finally succumbed to the current tough economic situation. There was no indication of any problem until yesterday,and in the five years of using the hosting service i only ever encountered one issue.

So it's hosting hunting for me. For the next few days at least, all of my links will point to my Facebook page. I'm currently looking around to see what's on offer. Backups of the new website were made quickly when the website reappeared last night. As one of my Twitter followers rightly commented, I was the 'luckiest photographer in the UK'. Maybe, but i don't feel lucky.

Ready, Steady....GO!

Speedway start at Wolverhampton, 1997

Speedway. Powerful motorbikes with no brakes. Just awesome.... and the sound was just out of this world too. A roar would be the best description. I'm still going through work for the portfolio and this project is definitely staying in.

It's not a sport flush with money, unlike many others, but all involved, from the teams right through to the fans, have a passion for Speedway. I might have another go at photographing a team this year.