Press Release - Black and White Spider Awards honours Plymouth, UK photographer

Here's the press release I issued yesterday/today

Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
BLACK AND WHITE SPIDER AWARDS HONORS PHOTOGRAPHER HIGHTON RIDLEY FROM PLYMOUTH, UK
PLYMOUTH 24 FEBRUARY 2010 - Amateur photographer Highton Ridley of Plymouth, UK was presented with the 5th Annual Black and White Spider Awards Nominee title in the category of Nature at a prestigious Nomination & Winners Photo Show attended by 35,000 online viewers who logged on live from 154 countries to see the climax of the industry's most important event for black and white photography.
Thousands of images were received from 68 countries worldwide. The awards international Jury included captains of the industry from Magnum Photos, The Armory Show, Fratelli Alinari, Contrasto to Tate and Hamiltons in London who honored Spider Fellows with 84 coveted title awards in 28 categories. The judges reviewed the entries online for eight weeks before making their final nominations and Highton Ridley's "Haystack and Tracks" an exceptional image entered in the Nature category, received a high percentage of votes overall.
"The Spider Awards celebrates photographers who operate at the highest levels of their craft," said Basil O'Brien, the awards Creative Director. "Highton Ridley's work represents black and white photography at its finest, and we're pleased to present him with the title of Nominee."
You can view the 5th Annual Winners Gallery at www.thespiderawards.com/gallery5 and Highton Ridley's Nominee image here http://www.thespiderawards.com/gallery5/gallery.php?x=a&cid=45&g=n
BLACK AND WHITE SPIDER AWARDS is the leading international award honoring excellence in black and white photography. This celebrated event shines a spotlight on the best professional and amateur photographers worldwide and honors the finest images with the highest achievements in black and white photography.
Contact: Highton Ridley (Mark)
Telephone: (removed)
Email: Highton.Ridley [@] gmail.com
Website: http://www.highton-ridley.co.uk/monochrome

I sent it to the local newspapers and local tv news. If anyone knows of other good places to send it, I'd love to hear...

comments / critique / feedback always welcome :)

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See my award-winning shot - now in official Spider Gallery

I announced a while ago that Haystack and Tracks reached nominee status, one step before winner, in the 5th Annual Black and White Spider Awards...

Official Notification

Well, yesterday I got an email from the Awards Team giving me the official Nominee Button, telling me that my Nominee shot is now in their official gallery and that my certificate would be sent in the post sometime in April

Great news and it gave me such a lift. I'll definitely be framing and hanging the certificate in pride of place on the wall!

Haystack and Tracks

You can buy cards, posters and canvases featuring this image from my online store...



comments / critique / feedback always welcome :)

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To Zazzle store owners...

Find out how to promote your Zazzle store's gear more widely

Getting greater exposure

No, not in the camera sense of the word! I've written a promo page on my site specifically for featuring the best of the best designs on t-shirts, cards an more, by some fantastic artists and funny folk in the Zazzle community.

Storekeepr? You can find out how to take part and find out what the immense benefits are by checking out my post about it on my other blog HintsNtips.info


Good luck promoting!

comments / critique / feedback always welcome :)

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Curve Of The Neck published by the BBC

Part of my ongoing publicity push...

Getting published by the BBC

I regularly submit to the BBC News, In Pictures site—Your Pictures section.

This time I submitted a selection of my shots to the "minimal" category and they published Curve Of The Neck, one of the favourites amongst the followers here.

Curve Of The Neck

I guess it's limited to UK folks, but anyway, you can see the upcoming set themes and details of how to submit on their Viewfinder Blog. The themes over the next four weeks are:

• Autumn
• Seven
• Sparkle
• Grey
  

If you enter, good luck!

comments / feedback always welcome :)

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Char needs...

two more followers...

Back to two hundred...

Char over at Ramblins was delighted to reach 200 followers—but then a couple left. She's a lovely lady with a great eye for composition and a gorgeous and appealing style to the photos she takes.. ...and her writing is from the heart.

So get on over there and follow her! Let's see if we can get her up to 225 followers, as she deserves a boost :D

..and I'm back from Rambunctious

...where Lee loved the projected vid (see my last post) and has asked if he can use it over the next few weeks. (Yes, of course the answer was "yes"!)

Unfortunately there weren't that many folk there—actually anywhere—I don't know why but everywhere I passed tonight was dead. Plymouth is much more of a university city than it ever was but you wouldn't have thought it!

So anyone from Plymouth—let's meet up at Rambunctious next Sunday evening (around 10:00pm).

comments / feedback always welcome :)

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Off to rambunctious...

Lee, who helps / organises this night of poetry, comedy, video art and general frivolity, has been after showing something of mine for a while now.

Showing The New Consonance / Urban Ugly

I burnt a dvd of the vid of my photo essay that Gordon Charlton (Beat Frequency) put together (leaving out the menu, you'll be glad to hear, Gordon, Valerie, Imac and Melania!) and Lee will be showing it tonight at rambunctious social club.

So I'm just posting this before setting off with some give-away dvds and flyers. Wish me luck for a great reception down there :)

comments / feedback always welcome :)

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Making progress...

It's been a busy few days... nice busy :)

September draw update

• dbg: is in... (Encroaching Rubble)
  
• f8hasit: is in... (Winter Seafront Stroll, Mindful Of Storms)
• imac: is in... (Mooring In A Grass Sea)
• Melania: is in... (Churchyard Sentinels)
  
• Valerie007: is in...(Hot Air Balloon Stack)
• MuzaChan: is in... (Fuel Terminal Railway)
• A scattering: is in... (Constable Thatched Cottage)
• Emma in Wonderland: is in... (Welcome To My Parlour)
• AlmightyHeidi: Lots of recommendations but couldn't find a post. Do you want in, Heidi?
• Ooglebloops: no post but recommended The Dragon Fights Back and Curve Of The Neck. Do you want in, Ooglebloops?

So that's 8 successful entries—and with three prizes you folks stand a great chance of winning!

If you think your name should be here, see the rules for how to enter.

Pony Triptych

I collected the framed "Grazing by Light" triptych yesterday. It looks absolutely stunning and all credit to Graham at Armada Framing for doing such a great job. Plan for the next few days is to visit some galleries and see if they want it. If they don't, their loss!

Radio interview

The chat with Sparksy at BBC Radio Devon on Tuesday morning went really well—I've had quite a few folks saying that they caught it and how well I came across. Just got to work out how to get on the telly now :)

comments / feedback always welcome :)

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Radio interview and POTY pre-shortlist interest

An eventful last couple of days...

BBC Radio Devon interview

Martin Bush (good man!) spoke about me to one of his contacts at BBC Radio Devon yesterday and I got a call today inviting me on to the Gordon Sparks Plymouth breakfast show, next Tuesday.

The show runs 6-9am and the plan is that I go on around 7:15 for 5 minutes and then again for 10 minutes or so around 7:45am. Lets see how it goes!

Photographer Of The Year competition

Digital Computer magazine runs this world-famous competition each year. I was short-listed once before, for One Two Three, Snow! and I've just been contacted asking for a high resolution version of my entry in the Man-made category for this year's competition—Walking The Dogs.

It's not short-listed yet. Prior to that, the judging team looks for any submissions that catch their attention and then they request a high-res version, I guess so they can better assess the shot. No need for me to get carried away, though ...at this stage mine is only one amongst probably dozens.

Wish me luck with both!

comments / feedback always welcome :)

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BBC Devon lead story - Highton Ridley photo essay

Yaaay!

Moved up to lead story today!

My photo essay "Plymouth - Intimate glimpses of a hidden and changing character" is featured as the lead story on the BBC Devon web site.

As a result (or just coincidence?) I've had enquiries from two galleries already! And I've still got to send an email to a whole bunch of them in Devon, so maybe should get some more interest.

Wish me luck!

Update: The link I gave was to the front page of the Devon site where it was the lead story but only for one day. Anyone visiting the link after that would see whatever was the next lead story

comments / critique / feedback always welcome :)

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Highton Ridley photo essay used in relaunch of BBC Devon website

Here's the unveiling of the photo essay :)

Secret squirrel project...

Regular followers will know that I've had a secret squirrel project on the go for a while. I was approached by the BBC and commissioned for the relaunch of their Devon website to produce a series of images of Plymouth that would embody its character in some way.

The resulting photo essay, Plymouth—intimate glimpses of a hidden and changing character, is the lead story in their Arts and Culture section.

I'm sure you'll share with me my delight at this great publicity coup! You can help me get this story out—use the tweet or stumble-it buttons below. Your loyalty and help is greatly appreciated as always :)

comments / feedback always welcome :)

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New rules for September freebie prize draw

As I said in a recent post, I need to rethink the rules for my monthly freebie prize draw, starting for the September draw.

As easy as...

The freebie prize draw is open to all blog owners who are followers of this blog and also my friend. Their will be three winners each month (assuming I get enough participants).

• to let me know you want in, you'll need to leave a comment on the announcement post
  (I'll post the announcement in the next few days)
  
• make a post on your own blog announcing it and linking to my main site (http://www.highton-ridley.co.uk) and to these rules
  
• visit the galleries on my main site and and find which image you'd like if you win
• click the "Recommend it" button you'll find under the image (on the image page, not the thumbnails page)
  

By recommending in this way you'll be helping other visitors. That's because the most recommended ones bubble up to the top of the Your Top Choices gadget (see the right hand column).

What do you think? Is this a reasonable balance to help me get publicity for my blog/site while still rewarding the winners for their efforts?

comments / feedback always welcome :) ...even more so this time!

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Another published by BBC

I'm really pleased with myself again... the BBC news channel has published another of my b&w photos via their In Pictures blog for the theme "Dancing". It's the sixth in the series - the only black and white.

Blowing your own trumpet

This sort of publicity is good for any artist trying to break into mainstream recognition. It's the third time I've had work published by the BBC and am wondering how else I can use the fact to do more self-publicity.

If you've had any experience or have any thoughts I would certainly like to hear them and I'm sure so would the other artists who follow this blog.


comments always welcome :)

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Yaay—got published by the BBC! (again)

I was really pleased that one of my photos has been published by the BBC on their In Pictures site.

I submitted it for their Time theme—mine's the graceful old ladies of the sea shot.

If you've been following me for a while, you'll also know that the BBC featured me and my Urban Decay, Lost Spaces and Urban Ugliness photo essay on their website.

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Help requested...

Please vote for my entry in the Saatchi And Saatchi head to head competition - no registration required.

I'm looking for wider recognition

Like many artists I'm looking for wider exposure for my work. Right now and in the near future, the Saatchi And Saatchi Online Gallery is running a number of rounds of voting for the artists taking part.

If you've enjoyed my work, please take the time to vote for my entry and help me get that recognition / exposure. It should only take a couple of seconds — no registration required.

Thanks everyone for helping me out :)

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Another feature in the Evening Herald

Thanks to the Evening Herald for doing another piece on me and my fine art. (I'm sooooo photogenic!)

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Whew - manic-ness is dying down

Well, what a great success my "meet the artist" salon was. I had fewer people attend than I hoped for... but more than expected, which was nice :)
Many thanks to the people who made it possible - Tamar Science Park, for supporting local artists, Katie Thompson (aka Tokus) for the PR and Martin Bush / John miles for organising Parkart in the first place.

For posterity, here are a couple of related items. The Evening Herald has been very supportive, as these two cuttings show. I've also included some comments left by visitors to the salon
'Fascinating photos. Great to see places you know from different angles!' ...Debbie Rees-Williams
'Great, striking images Mark' ...Bill Wroath, artist
'Fantastic images. Very graphic and moving.' ...David Williams, Redrok
'Mark makes you see life from a different perspective. Even inanimate objects have character.' ...Katy Thorpe, Formedia
'Really dramatic images - very cleverly observed and beautifully printed.' ...Joanna Swift, BusinessLink
'Excellent photography - some stunning images but a similar number left me cold. Personal taste I guess.' ...Norman Holmes, Kaya Gallery
'Great images. Would look fab on any wall in my home.' ...Paul Slater, Evening Herald Photographer
'Extraordinary! How beauty can be everywhere, even in a pile of junk. These pictures show the individual life at its best!' ...Thea Reade, Tamar Science Park
'Beautiful work, brightens up the working day having a browse around all the pictures on the walls. Keep it up!' ...Tony Williams
'Great pictures and tranquil settings. It proves that there is beauty in everything.' ...Claire Edgecombe, BusinessLink
'Outstanding photography, Mark - timeless imagery that stays in the mind.' ...Dave and Debbie

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Hair cut and something for the weekend

Went to the barbers today for a #2 all over and while we were chatting, he said he knew someone who was into monochrome fine art. So after I'd had the chop I went back to my car and got him one of my Urban Ugliness slideshow CDs. Here's hoping... :)

He hasn't been down to Royal William Yard yet but might give the Masa Gallery [Update: now out of business] a try at the weekend now I've mentioned it.

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