Shouting silently about Cider & Photography.

Part of being a self employed freelance photographer is taking some time to promote yourself properly. You have to brand yourself, think of yourself as a business (up to a point), allow yourself to detach emotionally from your work in order to look at yourself objectively. Any self employed person will tell you, it can be hard, especially for us arty types who are not doing what we do because its a sound business idea, we do it because we choose to. Its not like I'm completely crap at those jobs when I get stuck in, I just can't get interested in all of it. I hate numbers and accounts etc, much of running a business is keeping an eye on that. However, one of the areas I do tend to enjoy more than others is the marketing. So after last years decision on needing a logo or similar to represent what IAMCIDER is about I had to ask myself: How do you convey that 'Cider' and 'Photography' combination in one glance?

You could, and I probably should, argue that why use anything other than the medium you are trying to promote? My answer was that one photo might be one mans cup of tea, but not everyones. An illustrated suggestion has a different appeal and brings in an element of design, which I like. Ironically, people that recognise the design-process-at-work are the same kind of people that like my photos. Here is my 2010 attempt, I took me longer to even conceive the idea than it did to draw it, which says about all there is to say regarding my expertise in design.

What do you reckon?

It has to accompany press releases headers, banners and adorn posters etc so I wanted it to be simple, engaging and a little bit stylish. It has to stimulate anyone who interest in photography or apples into delving further into whats happening there and vice-versa. I also wanted people who had no idea what it was about want to ask. I can't help but feel it looks a little dated already...

Any clever designer types out there got anything to add? Any suggestions for improvement?

So then I thought... what if I try and mix the two ideas together? Use graphic photography with the illustration ideas overlaid. Its important that a flyer/poster, any promotional material is eye catching. I like it when something I'm looking at stops me and makes me look harder at it to figure out why.

Feedback please...!

International Craft Cider Festival, Wales, 12th-14th August 2011

So you think you know about cider? Do you really? When was the last time you got the chance to try cider from France, Germany, Spain, England and Wales (and maybe Ireland) side by side all at the same time whilst listening to loads of bands and hanging out with lots of people that enjoy, and make, cider too??

Hmmmmmmm? Thought so. Time to open your taste buds up to something different..

In more seriousness, this is just a quick plug for a great event that I'll be attending and showing some photography at in about a months time. Set in deepest Welsh countryside, its more than just your regular cider festival, this is a chance to try some real cider from other real cider cultures all over the Europe. Esteemed writer and author Pete Brown and I will be doing a joint piece at about 5pm on Saturday 13th loosely titled 'The Secret Stories of Cider' where Pete will be reading from some of his newest notes and observations on cider whilst I will be slide-showing a handpicked selection of images to accompany his words. For those of you that don't know Petes work, do yourselves a favour and pick up a copy of one of his books- they're brilliant and a must for anyone that likes beer (everyone?)  He's been described as 'the beer drinkers Bill Bryson'- his tales recalling the characteristic, inquisitive, often harebrained and occasionally hapless adventures he undertakes into the beer world (in this case cider world.) Riddled with his trademark humour, cynical observations with a healthy dose of self-deprecation, its very English, slightly familiar, fascinating, hilarious and informative all at the same time.

Sounds like the only excuse you need to get a pint or three ready, find a comfy seat and listen up for 45 minutes of cider love (certainly more than any excuse I would need anyway.)

More details can be found at http://www.internationalciderfestival.com/ -get your tickets while you can, come along and say hi!

Bridge Farm Cider

Bridge Farm is one of those cidermakers you hear about long before you ever find or meet or taste anything to do it with it. That in itself is a step closer to legend status in my opinion and is always a good sign; word of mouth being the best way to find what you want and I tend to take the lack of discovery as a sign that someone there cares more about their product than the advertising and marketing.

Nigel Stewart makes traditional Somerset cider at East Chinnock near Yeovil in Somerset (good soil there for apples.) He’s quite an unassuming man with a fine militaryesque moustache and on the few occasions I've had his ear, he generally has informed and relevant to say about whatever the topic of conversation is at that moment.

Doing justice to something you are passionate about gets easier when you experience it firsthand and recognise the difference between an imposter and the genuine article. Bridge Farm has all the right ingredients for a decent cidermaker and is as genuine as they get: it feels right when you're there. The press rails laid into the floor, the detritus of production, the wooden barrels, the scent of the dark shed, the lush long grass orchards, the mix of fruit... these are all things that inspire you as a photographer and I've learnt to latch on to them as a source of that feeling, you can only try and capture it...

Anyway, he's supposed to have a website but I couldn't get it up (oo er) so am posting the important stuff here should you need it. Go along and say hi and buys lots, its lovely.

Bridge Farm Cider, Bridge Farm, East Chinnock, Nr Yeovil BA22 9EA

Tel: 01935 862387

email: bridgefarmcider@tiscali.co.uk

Wassails... and the Church of Cider

Wassailing is like impetigo- its really contagious, if a little less itchy. Several years ago there were only a handful going on, these days however, everyone seems to be doing it and quite right too. For those that don't know what it is, I shall enlighten you (get your cream ready.)

A wassail is a traditional pagan based celebration that takes place in the orchards of a cidermaker on old twelfth night (Jan 18th), to give thanks for a successful crop of apples. Cider is mulled and poured lovingly around the roots of the largest/oldest tree in the orchard before toast (that is soaked in cider) is placed into the tree for the Robins to enjoy for they are the traditional guardians of our orchards.  The whole night is pretty much a chance to stick two fingers into the miserable midwinter night sky and say 'Fuck you, we've survived'. Its a party to be proud of, often outdoors in the sheeting, icy rain of January where you can get too easily pissed on really good cider and have freer kind of fun.

'Waes Hael' is a Saxon term meaning 'Good health' or 'Be healthy' which could very well be our forebears advice for dealing with the consequences of getting entirely twatted. Maybe even, this legacy of optimism is where we Brits get our 'Best of British' and 'stiff upper lip' from? And possibly our propensity for binge drinking.

There is alot of crap written about Wassails, particularly by those who have clearly never been to one - a quick online search will confirm that, so please don't believe everything you read.
This year I went to 3 in one weekend (I was working at 2 of them!) but my favorite was at West Croft Cider - a truly raucous affair held in both the spirit of our times and those of our most lively ancestors. A Viking would feel at home there, even without his ale. There were badgers, stags, hippies, punks, fashionistas and ravers all under the same roof in the cowshed, all receiving communion in the church of cider. Glorious. (We did eat bread and cider is technically apple wine.)

Anyway, I'll stop harping on about it and let you see for yourselves how much fun it is.

Falling Apples, Sheppys Cider 2007

I won a competition with this photo in 2009 for which I received a fieldscope.... (e-bay loved it) and 2 nights at the Mount Somerset Hotel which was excellent and well deserved I think. The opportunity to take this shot came about when, on one sunny day off, I decided to take a trip to the fantastic Sheppys Cider farm at Bradford-on-Tone in Somerset  (described as a 'cider theme park' in the Naked Guide to Cider - who incidentally butchered my lovingly donated photographs.) I had no idea what I was going to get, but I was in the zone and hungry for something. After several hours or two of snapping the apples arriving, the pressing, the juice etc I sat in the sunshine, sunk a bottle of their delicious Tremletts Bitter Cider (a most underestimated single variety) and a pasty. Stuffed and woozy, I headed down into their orchards to stretch my legs, where I stumbled upon an old boy upon a tractor with an adolescent doing the donkey work. They're job for the day (probably the week) was to shake the remaining apples from the tree. Towards the end of the season I think this becomes common practice. Their particular method involved a canvas strap, a steel cable and the oldest tractor I have seen outside of a steam fair. I then had a satori and this was the result. Its earned me more than any other photo I have ever taken, more people comment on it than anything else and it sums up my feelings about real cider better than anything you can possibly express in words. (Unless you said:

'The power ov thit Zyde wuzz upon thee, zee?'

And then I said:

'Ap, reck'n twas son.')