As in any job, a photographer is constantly put in new situations where experience is key, and if you don’t have it, you can be left feeling a bit of a plum. Cue my first formal engagement at City Hall where the new Mayor was being sworn in and ‘robed’. The brief was simple enough. Get in there, get some pictures, and get them to the picture editor as soon as possible. Easy. Well, not quite so easy. I will share my experience with you here in the hope that you can learn from my mistakes.

After parking my bike outside I went into City Hall for the first time. In part, this was the first mistake. If possible, always visit a venue before you photograph it. Had I done so, I could probably have spoken with the press officer at … Read More »

I am currently exhibiting two of my latest projects at the BigLittleCity Exhibition in Cardiff. This is my first exhibition and hopefully the first of many to come. There are 12 prints for sale and they are the same prints that were used in the exhibition. The photographs are printed on Matte based paper and are landscapes sized at 12×8 inches. Each image will be signed and include the name of the exhibition, date, and edition number of 1. I would like anyone to have the chance to be able to afford a print, so instead of setting print prices there will be a bidding process whereby you offer simply what you can afford. Please see the terms below.

Terms:

Interested parties will bid the highest price they are willing to pay, with the winner being the highest bidder.
Bids begin at £10.
The … Read More »

So I began officially with the Cardiff Guardian this week and Hannah suggested I come up with some ideas myself as to what would make a good visual piece for the website. I had just been reading a report on the BBC about British soils drying out due to the hot weather, and it made me wonder about the local farms supplying Cardiff businesses with their food stock. Taking it upon myself to find and visit a farm in Leckwith, I plotted a root to my destination through the ever-reliable Google Maps. One failed mission later (and a long and sweaty ride up the biggest hill I’ve ever seen), it was suggested to me that I may want to check out a Cardiff based local community project known as the Riverside Community Market Association.

RMCA is a local social enterprise … Read More »

So I know most of you will have had it up to here with with all this Royal Wedding coverage so I will forgive you for possibly wishing death upon me for inflicting more on you, but please give me 5 minutes of your time to tell you about my day covering the street parties in Cardiff on Friday.

I came up with a plan late on Thursday evening to attempt to cycle round 22 street parties in 11 hours. I had been suffering with acute back pain all week and, as hindsight would have it, it was a bit of an ambitious proposition that I had laid on for myself. This was my hastily assembled, Blue Peter style plan of action:

Aptly, I woke up in loads of pain so in a last minute change of plan I decided to walk the … Read More »

I took a visit up to the Welsh town of Merthyr Tyfil today to shoot a protest about proposals for the building of an industrial waste incinerator. Residents are concerned that they will not be fully consulted and that their health could be at risk should the proposal be granted, and not without reason if this report is correct, so approximately 100-150 people marched through town towards the Civic Centre where, using a loud-hailer, they fought to get their voices heard. Here are pictures of how the day unfolded. I would write more but I’m in danger of waking up tomorrow with a keyboard stuck to my face.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE Copyright © Tom Ashmore (United Kingdom), All rights reserved. This artwork can’t be used without written consent from its author.

I will be exhibiting a range of work at the BigLittleCity exhibition in Cardiff Old Library from 16th May – 19th June, for anyone that’s interested in Street/Reportage photography.

“BigLittleCity celebrates the people, places and talents that make Cardiff special. We have work on display from established names and emerging artists and will be launching a number of interactive projects which are open to all.”

You will also be lucky enough to see the work of the renowned Magnum photographer,David Hurn, as well as Maceij Dakowitz, who has become well known for his Cardiff at night series.

This is the 2nd part of the series. View the 1st part here. All photographs were shot in and around Cardiff City centre over the past week or so. The best will be added to the final portfolio later this year. Hope you enjoy! Oh, and if you like what you see you can add me on facebook here.

A selection of photographs taken over the last few days in Cardiff City centre. This is going to be a continued theme throughout the year so this is a first peek, and draft, of something much bigger. I’ve decided to work in colour this time – last years can be viewed here.

Southerndown, is a village in South Wales mostly known for its beach (officially named Duncockraen bay), which is a popular tourist destination during the summer months and since 1972 designated a Heritage Coast. When the tide is out there is an expanse of sand and pools. The cliffs are an example of sedimentary rock. It has been used in the occasional UK Television production, including Doctor Who and Merlin. (Source: Wikipedia)

I ventured down there to photograph the area in an abstract format, specifically looking for interesting textures and shapes. When I arrived the weather and light were poor, and stayed that way until I left. Images were shot on a Canon 5D MK2 with a 24-70mm f/2.8 lens.

Shot in Sidmouth, Devon, UK. Feb 2011. This may end up as a continued theme – I enjoy observing the behavior the sea brings out in us.

We also went for a walk along the cliff’s and for a short period of time I was fortunate enough to get some interesting winter light.