The Unthanks

It was a crisp bright October day as I headed up to Northumberland.  I had been asked by The Unthanks to take images of them in their studio for their new album Mount The Air.  As the sat nav directed me closer, the sun was peeping from behind the clouds and illuminated the misty valley below.  I arrived at their studio and said my hellos over a cup of tea.  The light was just perfect as it streamed through the windows.  I documented their morning as they rehearsed and played along to the tracks, it was great to get a sneak preview of the new album!

There was a butterfly flitting around from one sun spot to the other, and it landed on Niopha's violin as she played..

Then we went outside and walked down some of the country lanes to take a few more images.

The album came out a few weeks ago (and went straight into the charts at 17!), and it's a truly wonderful collection of songs.  I love how they weave their interpretations around traditional tales, the way they tell stories and create a landscape in their music.  Mount The Air also has jazz influences and Flutter has a trip hop air to it -  you can listen to it here.  And here's Alex Petridis talking about the album.  There are many goose bump inducing moments. 

At the beginning of last year I had said to myself that I'd like to do a bit more music photography.  I felt quite overwhelmed when my vinyl copy came through the post last week and I saw it there in front of me. 

We're really looking forward to seeing them play in Manchester tonight, and from the reviews I've read, it's going to be one of those you talk about for quite a while after.

Elliot By The Seaside

We met Elliot last year on a windy Northumbrian beach.  Elliot likes windmills, and often pretends to be one.  He's not really into toys, but he likes lawnmowers, pressing buttons, helping with housework, and going in the loft.  When there is a bit of DIY going on in the house, he likes to help out and fix things.  He also likes to talk, and asks lots & lots of questions!  For our little shoot we had fun looking for treasures on the beach, getting sandy hands and building castles.  Maybe next time we'll see that windmill impression!

Taylor Made Pancakes!

I remember always looking forward to Pancake Day.  After the post Christmas lull, then the disappointment of Valentine's day, along it came, like a warm hug.  Belting back from school and the table was laid.   A mountain of lemon wedges and a pot of Tate & Lyle with the granules glistening were the central features.  We didn't really divert from this combination, maybe occasionally adding a spoonful of golden syrup into the mix.  I think now my favourite topping has to be bacon and maple syrup.  The smoky, sticky crispiness of it all, sat on top of those fluffy pancakes.  

So, we thought as it's Pancake Tuesday, we would do a little shoot with our lovely friend Taylor from over the road. Plus, we didn't need any encouragement to make and eat these tasty morsels! 

We decided to use the Jamie Oliver recipe for USA style pancakes and they turned out rather well.  Taylor whisked up the egg whites until they were stiff peaks - strong enough to turn the bowl upside down (although we didn't try this just in case).  The yolks, flour, baking powder & milk were mixed together in another bowl.  Then Taylor folded everything together and the batter was all ready to cook our pancakes.

We had a variety of toppings, some combinations more of an acquired taste than others!  We had the traditional lemon and sugar toppings, nutella, banana & butterscotch, raspberries, golden syrup, and my personal favourite bacon and maple syrup.

Our taster Lex certainly gave them the thumbs up, and he knows his pancakes!  Happy Pancake Day everyone - hope you have a good one.