Event

Tough Mudders

21st October 2017 By Mike Barrett Leave a Comment

A good friend of ours hired me to photograph her sons birthday bash. No probs I said.

This was a brilliant and fun photo shoot. Although I hadn’t quite anticipated just how difficult a shoot it was going to be until I got there. This delightful muddy course is the Fitness Success Obstacle Gym, Wakefield Road, Oulton, Leeds, West Yorkshire. Their motto is ‘Think Outside The Gym’. Well, we were well and truly outside the gym, that’s for certain and for sure.

My task was to follow over 30 lads around the course and get some decent shots of the action. That was the remit. Simple right? Nope!
I didn’t have time to recce the site before turning up for the event, so getting into the optimum positions to get the prime shots was difficult at best and a veritable nightmare for the rest of the time, certainly when you consider the ground conditions. It’s not that I was particularly concerned about getting muddied up either, that much was a foregone conclusion. I was, however, much more concerned about my kit. If I had dropped my camera in the kind of mud that I was surrounded by for most of the duration of the shoot, it would have been the end of camera and lens. So slipping and falling in was not an option at all. To further compound the issue I was wearing trainers; an old pair, as I don’t currently own a pair of wellies, and for much of the course it very much felt like I was walking on an ice rink made of wet dough.

That said, I did manage to survive relatively unscathed with all my kit in tact, even though there were some hairy moments, and also managed to get some cracking shots of the event. It was a lot of fun to photograph to say the very least. In fact, a fun time was very much had by all.

Success Obstacle Gym’s Website: fitnesssuccess-obstaclegym.co.uk

Arts Council Collection and Gomersal Primary School’s own Arts Council

8th September 2017 By Mike Barrett Leave a Comment

Gomersal Primary School’s own Arts Council recently visited the Arts Council Collection at the Longside Gallery at the fabulous Yorkshire Sculpture Park. The visit was devised in order for the young artists of Gomersal Primary School to get an insight into how major artworks are looked after and cared for when in transit, in storage and indeed when on loan in selected galleries or buildings when out on display to the public.

The school council members also got a taste of what it is like to devise sets of questions, lead interviews and to also film the process in order for use in certain media environments.

The day was full of questions from inquisitive minds and everybody got a fascinating insight into what goes on behind the scenes concerning the work of many of our famous artists, both the past and present.

The day was a lot of fun and it was great to spend time with and photograph Arts Council England and Gomersal Primary School’s very own Arts Council.

All Stars Performing Arts – Annie – Bradford Playhouse

13th July 2017 By Mike Barrett Leave a Comment

I recently had the great pleasure of playing President Franklin D. Roosevelt at the Bradford Playhouse last week on the 6^th 7^th and 8^th of July. I joined the cast from the All Stars Performing Arts group who are an extremely talented bunch of young performers. The show was a massive hit and had 4 standing ovations. I can’t remember the last time I had this much fun performing. Usually I would have had my camera kit on me to document proceedings, but as I was part of the show and there were time constraints and various logistical issues, I was only able to take a few shots in and around the place with my iPhone 6s and the very handy Canon G16 compact.

The Bradford Playhouse is a gem of a theatre nestled in the centre of Bradford. It’s a stunning and quirky building that has a wonderful feel to it. Almost everybody that was involved with the show said similar things about the place. I tried to capture the essence of that quirkiness in the photo’s that I was able to snap in the time we spent there during the rehearsals and the duration of the show.

Retro Ford Meet at Tennants Auctioneers, Leyburn, 2016

28th April 2016 By Mike Barrett Leave a Comment

During the Easter holidays my family and I headed up to Wensleydale for a short caravan holiday. It was the second trip out this year for our beloved old van Doris. We thought that the weather had been sufficiently nice enough to kick start this seasons camping escapades. Wensleydale is such a stunning part of the world. The abundant natural beauty in this part of North Yorkshire is literally breathtaking.

We got settled in a cracking little camp site called Craken House Farm.
Website here: www.crakenhousecaravansite.co.uk

We were greeted by the proprietor Richard who was super helpful. So much so in fact that as soon as we had arrived he gave us a personal guided tour of the site and the facilities. He even unhitched our caravan at the site entrance, attached it to his tractor and towed it up to our pitch and set it up for us. Legs down, levelled up, the lot. A terrific guy with a tale or two to tell.

After having got settled we started to look at the local attractions and plan where we were going to visit while we were there. On the camp site notice board there was a flyer for a retro Ford car meeting in Leyburn that was taking plave the following day. Both my wife and I are Ford fans. Between us we’ve owned quite a few Fords over the years, old and new. We had come up to this part of the world to kick back, relax and enjoy some of the beautiful countryside in the surrounding area, but this event was far too good to pass up. Especially when we found out that the meeting was literally a hop, skip and a jump away from where we were staying.

It’s always good to see old cars kept so well and in such great condition. There were some truly stunning Fords on display. Although cars are not my usual subject matter where photography is concerned, I couldn’t help myself and fired away at these fabulous specimens. The beauty of these old cars speaks for itself. Here are some my photos from the event.

Click on thumbnails below to view full image or open image slideshow:

Funzi and Bodo Trust with John Archer

9th March 2016 By Mike Barrett Leave a Comment

On Saturday 27th February my wife and I attended a fund raising event for the Funzi and Bodo Trust. The Charity was set up in 2006 by one of my wife’s colleagues to help provide schools, clinics and other much needed resources for the people of this specific area in Kenya. You can find out more about the trust here www.funzi.org.uk

The entertainer that had been booked for the evening was John Archer (Comedy, Magic and a bit of Ukulele) www.john-archer.com

The evening was a lot of fun with some much needed funds being raised for a really great cause. I can honestly say that I was in pain by the end of the evening from laughing so hard and for so long. John Archer is quite simply one of the funniest and talented showmen I have seen in a long time. If you ever get the chance to see him perform, grab the opportunity with both hands. You will not regret it for a moment. This guy held the audience in the palm of his hand and didn’t waver one iota. His magic was outstanding, his comedy was hilarious and his demeanour on stage was captivating.

I wasn’t there in a professional capacity by any stretch of the imagination, but I was asked to take a couple of shots for the event organisers. Here are a few snaps that I took from the table where we were seated. A brilliant evening indeed.

The BBC at YTA

8th February 2016 By Mike Barrett Leave a Comment

This morning I went to do a photo shoot focusing on the BBC, who were filming a documentary at YTA Training & Assessment Ltd in Bradford. www.ytatraining.com

YTA specialise in quality construction training programmes, such as: tiling, plumbing, plastering, bricklaying, joinery and carpentry. They are an approved training provider and have accreditation to offer nationally recognised qualifications, on behalf of CITB (Construction Industry Training Board). The BBC were there to focus on specific aspects of training and retraining. They were looking to capture footage of certain individuals participating in some of the courses on offer.

YTA is a Bradford based company who offer quality training to those who are starting out in a chosen profession and for those who need to retrain due to changing circumstances.

The BBC and all the staff at YTA were a pleasure to work with.

Below are some of the images from the shoot.

Emma and Steve – Wedding Day

16th October 2015 By Mike Barrett Leave a Comment

The Wedding of Emma and Steve – Cave Castle, East Riding of Yorkshire.

Emma and Steve are a truly fab couple and are extremely down to earth people. I liked them both a great deal from the moment I met them. They have always been up for a bit of a laugh; which was reflected in the engagement shoot that I did with them, their wedding day was no different. Set in the grounds of Cave Castle in the East Riding of Yorkshire, the day was blessed with wall to wall sunshine, even though it had been forecast extremely heavy rain.

Time sauntered along seemingly without a care in the world while the sunshine beat down relentlessly with such enthusiasm that even the hardy perennials seemed to wilt. It was blisteringly hot, but no one was complaining, least of all Emma and Steve.

The whole day was a brilliant, relaxed and fun affair. Everybody wore a Cheshire grin and spirits where high. It truly was a pleasure to be their photographer and to meet and spend time with such a nice bunch of folk.

Emma and Steve, I wish you both all the happiness in the world.

Mike Barrett.

All Images are copyright:

Elizabeth and Stuart – Wedding Day

24th September 2015 By Mike Barrett Leave a Comment

Elizabeth and Stuart’s wedding was a fabulous day from sunrise to sunset. There was a mass of balloons, jugglers, a fire show, stilt walkers, amazing costumes, two wedding dresses, a bbq, many smiles, a few tears and a great deal of laughter. Set within the stunning grounds of Oulton Hall, the day was a lot of fun indeed. There was also a casino for the evening’s entertainment. I lost everything on Blackjack!

Over and above the splendour of proceedings, it was really lovely to see two friends who are very clearly in love with each other, become Mr and Mrs.

I wish you many happy years together.

All Images are copyright:

Color Me RAD, Harewood House Estate, Leeds – 2015

16th May 2015 By Mike Barrett Leave a Comment

Last year was the first time I had been to this event and it was a lot of fun watching hundreds of people run 5k then get totally covered in paint. We went back again this year. I was once again armed with my camera kit, while my wife ran the 5k but this time with our daughter who is two and a half years old. I think my wife carried our daughter around the whole course to be honest, which is like a double workout, so hats off to my wife for that effort.
The day was a lot of fun and as promised, full of colour. I am of the opinion that as much as people love to run the 5k, most people turn up just to throw paint at each other. Fun? Oh yes! It’s brilliant to see so many people letting their hair down, getting absolutely drowned in paint and dance to funky vibes. The day is full of laughter, smiles and pure joy. A fab spectacle indeed and great to photograph!

Check out their website here… COLOR ME RAD

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“Don’t tell him pike”!

13th March 2015 By Mike Barrett Leave a Comment

My wife and I have attended the Haworth 1940’s event for the last three years running.

It is a fantastic event set in the heart of Bronte Country in West Yorkshire where local people along with many visitors kit themselves out in 1940’s get up in celebration of an era past.

The entire village gets into the spirit of things and the place is transformed, to such an extent in fact, that you may well be forgiven for thinking that you had walked through some kind of wormhole and actually been transported back in time.

There are many attractions to see including Swing, Jive and Lindy Hop performances, a Military and Vintage vehicle parade, a ‘We’ll Meet Again’ concert, a Market Marquee in the park and an array of food stalls and places for refreshment, such as the NAAFI Café or perhaps even the Keep Calm & Carry On Café and much, much more. You would be hard pushed to find a more enthusiastic and much loved event on the calendar.

If that’s not enough for you, there are always the steam trains making their usual regular trips up and down the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway and let’s not forget the obligatory Spitfire flypast, which is always a crowd pleaser.

Great for small kids and really big kids. You know, like big kids in their 40’s!

Haworth itself is beautiful and well worth a visit regardless. It has some great pubs, some really fantastic and quirky shops and the surrounding scenery is just stunning.

Here are a selection of photographs of the event from the past three years. 2012, 2013 and 2014.

All Images are copyright:

Event

The Wedding of Emma and Steve – Cave Castle, East Riding of Yorkshire.

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