RHS Wisley Contemporary Art and Craft Christmas Fair - on Now

The Craft in Focus Christmas Contemporary Art Fair at RHS Wisley is on now. Jan has set up our stand and is there on her own to run it. Our stand is just inside the entrance to the fair.

Here's a photo of the stand to give you an idea of what we have on offer, lots of framed and unframed photographs, both my black and white and Jan's colour ones. Around 400 prints in all from 20 x 20cm to 100 x 50cm, £5 to £500. There is even a rarity, a limited edition print from me (that's the £500 print, print 2 from a print run of just 10).

My 2 new books, Land Light and Snow Light, are on offer too. There's copies of City Light and Peak Light too. Details of next years courses are available too, they're on the website too.

Say hi to Jan if you visit! The show opens at 9am every day and runs until Sunday evening.

For more details visit www.craftinfocus.com

Last Christmas Shows of 2015 - RHS Wisley and Harrogate

We have done fewer Christmas shows this year than previously. Just 2 left over the next 2 weekends, RHS Wisley with Craft in Focus starts on Wednesday 25th and runs to Sunday 29th November. Country Living Christmas Fair in Harrogate starts Thursday 3rd and ends on Sunday 6th December.

We had to cancel our stand at Blenheim Palace after my bad back gave me serious pain and put me in bed for 3 days in August, unable to move. It's taking me a long time to recover but I will be fitter and stronger for the future. I have already lost 3kg through extra exercise, for example.

Here's the information on RHS Wisley with a discount voucher (RHS members get in free). It's the highest quality designer-maker show that we do, in fact we haven't found a better one! Full information on the Craft in Focus website: www.craftinfocus.com. Jan will be doing this one on her own, stand A04 near the entrance.

At both shows we will have lots of new photos, both my black and white and Jan's colour. Lots of framed pictures too. We also have a special show offer on my 2 new books Land Light and Snow Light, and there are still a few copies of my Peak District book Peak Light left (23 in fact!) in case you still need to buy one to complete your collection of my books. Lake Light and High Light are now completely sold out.

Christmas Contemporary Craft Fair RHS Garden Wisley 25-29 November 2015 Over 160 Stands - New Food Pavilion for a Taste of Christmas! - Live Festive Music! I will be showing my latest designs at Wisley, I hope you can come along and visit me there – A £2 off voucher is copied below, visit after 2.30pm and save even more.

25-29 November Open 9 am daily Until 6 pm pm Wednesday- Saturday Until 5 pm Sunday. Visit after 2.30 pm for £2 off admission prices. Adults:  £9 RHS Members:  Free RHS Member's Family Guest:  £7 Accompanied Under 16s:  Free Tickets Available On The Door.    RHS Garden Wisley, Woking,  on the A3, close to M25 J10.  Signposted on the A3. How To Get To Wisley Further information on RHS Garden Wisley      Connect With Us      Purchase direct from over 160 of the very best craftmakers and artists in the UK at our annual Christmas Contemporary Craft Fair at RHS Garden Wisley. Our wonderful Christmas event at RHS Garden Wisley will once again be held in floored and heated marquees in front of the main entrance, meaning you can shop in comfort whatever the weather.  Open from 9 am daily, this is an event not to be missed with over 160 exhibitors!  Visit and find out what makes this the UK's most popular event of its kind.    Craft In Focus selects only the very best British designer makers so you'll find a wealth of individual, original items that you simply can't find elsewhere.  Browse the fascinating work which includes sculpture, fashion, metal, leather, furniture, jewellery and much more.  Meeting the maker also offers a connection to the creative process, making this a refreshing alternative to shopping on the high street. In addition to the wonderful contemporary craft there is a range of delicious food products including handmade chocolates, Christmas cakes and puddings, truckle cheeses, olive oils, sausages and more..... An enjoyable mix of live music is provided throughout the event to create a festive atmosphere with mulled wine and other seasonal food available from Taste of Wisley.    Take A Look At Just Some of The Work That Will Be On Show Tel:  01622 747 325 Garden opening times differ from craft fair times.  Garden admission charged separately.  See website for details.

Here is some information on the Country Living Harrogate show which follows RHS Wisley.

The website has more information: www.countrylivingfair.com/harrogate. As this is the first time of doing this show we will both be on our stand - B82. 

Crafts for Christmas at Glasgow SECC Until Sunday

We are busy at the Crafts for Christmas Gift Fair at the Glasgow SECC. It runs from today, Thursday 22nd to Sunday 25th, 10 am to 5pm.

We have lots of new photographs, several hundred of my black and white ones as well as quite a few of Jan's colour ones.

Our stand is M18 in Hall 4.

The bonus this year is that the show is in the same Hall as Hobbycraft and Stitch Craft so you pay once and see 3 shows. Lots to see and do.

Here are a few photos taken before we opened this morning.

Ideas to Inspire You to Spend More Time Printing in the Darkroom

Here are a few ideas for what you can try in your darkroom.
Click the link for the YouTube video which lasts a bit under 19 minutes.

They include some examples of what you can do in the darkroom with a bit of time, practice and some patience. The video covers basic techniques of contrast, cropping and paper surfaces as well as pre-flash, split grade, toning, split toning, combining negatives into one print, making reflections when none existed in the original negative.

I hope it keeps you out of mischief for a few hours!

https://youtu.be/u6YgotbUQuk

New Images of Victoria, Canada

I have added some new images of Victoria, the capital of British Columbia in Canada, onto my gallery website; www.davebutcher.co.uk. These were taken in May 2015 on my Mamiya 7 film camera using Ilford FP4 120 film. There's a few more on the website.

Victoria Harbour at Night

Empress Hotel at Night

Empress Hotel

Fisherman's Wharf

Water taxi 'Ballet'

Parliament Building at Night

Parliament Building Reflections

Processing times for Ilford FP4, SFX and Delta 400 films

I have added a post to my DarkroomDave.com website with the processing times for the Ilford films that I use, namely, FP4, SFX and Delta 400. There is also a table of data to make it easier to follow. I added a pdf table too which you can download and print out if of use to you.

Wellington College, Crowthorne Art and Craft Fair This Weekend!

We are exhibiting at Wellington College, Crowthorne (near Bracknell) this weekend, as well as today! Jan is running our stand single handed as usual, my back has very painful recently so I couldn't help even if I wanted to. The show is run by Craft in Focus so high quality is guaranteed as they run the highest quality shows that we exhibit at.

There's lots to see of my black and white photographs as well as Jan's colour prints. We both have prints from £5 as well as a few other stock clearance reductions. My 2 new books, Snow Light and Land Light are available at this particular show for the first time too, good prices for these as well and 240 of my best landscape pictures between them.

Here are some pictures that Jan took this morning before the show opened.

As if this wasn't enough encouragement to come along here is a recent offer from the organisers to save money on the normal entry fee. Just print off the voucher and hand it over when you pay at the entrance desk to save £1.50.

A special deal for our e-mail subscribers! Contemporary Craft & Design Fair, Crowthorne 4-6 September Enjoy £1.50 off your next visit to this event If you were unable to make our fabulous event at RHS Garden Hyde Hall over the August bank holiday weekend you will be able to see the best British contemporary craftmakers at our Berkshire show from 4-6 September. The prestigious Wellington College provides a perfect backdrop to our event which features nearly 100 professional artists, craftmakers and designers.  Set in around 400 acres, this is one of the oldest independent schools in the country.  This is an indoor craft fair with ample free parking and full disabled access (disabled/elderly parking through the business park). View our Facebook album to see the type of work that can be seen here. Date:  4-6 September 2015 Times:  Fri 12 noon - 6 pm, Sat 10 am - 5 pm, Sun 10 am - 4.30 pm Wellington College, Duke's Ride, Crowthorne, RG45 6DY 4 miles from M4 J10 or M3 J3/J4.  AA signposted. Admission £4.50    www.craftinfocus.com Save £1.50 OFFER DETAILS Please present this voucher for £1.50 off the full admission price for one person.  Not to be used with any other offer.  Expires:  Sunday 6 September 2015.  Valid only at the Craft In Focus Contemporary Craft Fair at Wellington College. Craft In Focus Tel:  01622 747 325 info@craftinfocus.com STAY CONNECTED:

New Images of Vancouver

In May and June we had a trip to the Canadian Rockies and Northern California. This also included a few cities, one of which was Vancouver. I have now had time to scan some of the film negatives that I took and loaded them to my gallery web site. Here is a selection of them:

BC Place Stadium at night

Burrard Street Bridge at night

Canada Place Buildings

Granville Square fountain

Seaplane terminal

Vancouver skyline and boathouses

World of Science and skyline at night

A Stroll in Swaledale

Having just returned from Snowdonia on Wednesday we drove to Reeth in Swaledale for a couple of nights to meet up with some old friends.

On Sunday we walked west along the river to Gunnerside and had lunch at the King's Head pub. Black Sheep Riggwelter on Draught and in excellent condition, a rare pleasure!

We returned to Reeth on the south side of the river, much of the way in the rain. That's unusual!

Here are a few phone photos, I didn't carry my Mamiya 7 film camera as it was a dull day.

Walking to Buxton tomorrow, Saturday, for a day running Gallery in the Gardens in Pavilion Gardens. A walk without rain would be good, 8 of my last 9 days walking have been wet!

Snowdonia Trek The End

Tuesday 28th July 2015, our last of the 8 day trek in Snowdonia and the longest at 16 miles. As usual it was raining as we left the excellent Bryn Tyrch Inn in Capel Curig.

We needed to reach Conwy and our route was over the high moors then along the higher parts of the Conway valley to a pub for lunch. The rain persisted for the first few hours then becoming showers as we reached the more cultivated parts of the valley. The sun only came out a couple of hours after we finished in Conway! Over 8 days we had just 1 dry day and mostly it was persistent rain for many hours.

Finally, it's worth mentioning that we were jolly well looked after at the excellent Castlebank Hotel in Conway once again. The hotels for the last 2 nights plus The Golden Fleece in Tremadog and the Snowdonia Mountain Lodge were the undoubted highlights of our accommodation.  The Pen y Gwyrd Hotel near Snowdon was an experience as it was where the 1953 first successful Everest expedition stayed to train for their trip. In fact if they were to return there today I suspect they would recognise it immediately as you appeared to be stepping back decades as you wandered around all the nooks and crannies.

In total I took just 6.5 rolls of 120 Ilford 400 Delta film in 8 days, that's 65 negatives at 10 shots a roll. In Conway after we finished I took a further 2.5 rolls around the castle walls and harbour of the castle and town. I carried my Mamiya 7 camera for the first 6 days but my camera case, complete with it's all weather cover, was so saturated after day 6 that I didn't carry it for the last 2 days for fear of it happening again.

I will crunch some numbers and do a summary post as usual but not just yet.

Sunny Conway at Trek's End

We thought this was our first lunchtime pub in 8 days, unfortunately it was closed when we reached it at 1pm! The sign outside the door said Welcome - Open but Al's pose was a little premature. Our first pint of the day was actually after we finished, in The Albion pub in Conway.

Impressive waterfalls, a by-product of heavy rain!

All photos taken on Moto-X mobile phone.