Got back to London around 3 and dropped off the injured lens at Fixation. Had a good look at the pics from the last few days with 30 Seconds To Mars and the portraits are looking really good. Shall see how it all turns out in the end. Would have been good to get some more spontaneous backstage shots to go with the sound check ones but what can you do.

Passed out on the couch and missed a phone call from Mr.Leto thanking me for the last few days. It's nice, as you really don't get many bands that take the time to thank you after the fact! Actually I can't remember the last band that did it, either Go Audio or the Blackout who I'll both be seeing next week. Another shot of Go Audio from the press session, which is interesting as without knowing it, I matched it up almost exactly to the way the video looks!!

A leisurely morning sorting out images in the hotel room... Then hopped on the bus with the band so Ian could do his interview. Had a good chat with Tim 30 STM's touring bass player about smaller cities and levels of motivation!! While stopped at a red light, saw the most classic little boy come up to the bus on the outskirts of Liverpool tap on the window and give the 2-finger salute! Born to be a thug I guess...

Took a few hours to get to Leeds, upon arriving was told by the information busting Ian it was the university venue where the Who recorded their famous live album. Managed to catch the last few songs of Lost Alone who were rocking. Shot the show again with all its back lighting, strobes and smoke which made it hard to get anything decent. Called it a night after dropping a lens and seeing more posters sold by the bootleggers who were too lazy to take the captions off that were originally in K!

Here's a pic of Turisas which is in this week's Kerrang!

Liverpool was the destination today. Worked out I haven't been there since 2000. Up to do a shoot and spend the next 2 days with 30 Seconds To Mars. Started off with a very productive shoot and Tomo, Jared, and Shannon were on fantastic form. Rifled through 4 set-ups which I haven't done with a band in ages...

Headed over to the venue and shot sound check which had some great lighting and the band were well up for it. Left for a quick meal with Paul and Ian and then came back to the venue for the show. Wish they had used the same lighting as the sound check because it was really hard to get really good shots with all the strobes and smoke!!

Stuck around for the meet and greet at the end which was entertaining. Always nice to see a band interact with the fans. Couldn't believe I saw a little kid in a bootlegged Alter Bridge hoodie (see other night) getting a bootlegged 30 Seconds To Mars poster signed!!!

Last time this blog was posted all over the web so maybe this time the Echelon can help out... Don't buy the said posters (pictured) outside after the show as it rips everyone off!

Not the day you would want to be using the train/underground unservice of London. Nothing was working! Handy when you need to get to O2 arena to shoot Linkin Park?!? Did Biffy Clyro first who were great and for some reason the arena security let us do the whole set. No complaints there! (Pictured)

Had the first 3 songs with about 20 other photographers for the headliners so I'm sure we all shot the same badly lit images in what was really crap low contrast light. I think I remember that being the case last time with the "metal by numbers" LP. Met William Sharp in the pit who was a great guy and shoots the same crappy camera I bought so we had a good chat...

Had another good ole lie in but then it was up and at it as Paul X came over for some chat and haircuts. Afterwards did a shoot with Jubliee, which is a new super group. Really nice guys and they were up for a wander around Brighton, which is always helpful! (The pic is from our travels)

Watched four episodes of Louis Theroux once home which were fantastic. I highly recommend checking him out. After the mini Theroux marathon it was part 2 of dragging the Fish to a show she didn't want to go to but really enjoyed in the end! The Pressure Point was a pretty good venue we'd never been to before and perfect place to see Jubliee's Neil Young style...

Up to the Astoria tonight for Alter Bridge who were fantastic. They really got the crowd going and announced a Brixton show in November, which will be huge. Dragged an unimpressed Fish who was turned into a fan by the end of it!! But one of the top reasons I love the Fish is the cheeky piss taking. Talking to Mark after the show everybody saying what a good show they did and then Fishy says yeah it was alright to which everyone laughs...

Went out for a great Thai meal with Anna, Ian, Scoot, and the cheeky Fish. On the way to the restaurant saw the latest image of mine to be bootlegged on all the Alter Bridge shirts. (pictured) Guess it was not a bad shot if they were all using it!!

Went into the K! offices to do a shoot with Aled from Kids In Glass Houses. Actually we cheated and did it in the FHM offices!

Had another argument with Calumet and finally proved to them I was right and they gave me back my piece of gear as a good faith gesture. A gesture of good faith?? Thanks fuckers don't spend enough money with you to begin with!!

Wandered around looking for a good restaurant with the Fish only to have a disappointing Fish and Chips at the Regency!! Are my standards too high or have I been watching too many Kitchen Nightmares?? Nah I think the food is just SHIT!! Please help point me in the right direction for some good restaurants?!?

At least in China you couldn't read the menu so there were no standards... Umm coat hook just out of shot!

Woke up to pouring rain which was a bit worrying as needed to do a shoot with We Are The Ocean outside this afternoon. Thankfully by the afternoon the clouds divided and the sun came out which was great. 5 guys, a dinghy, and the sea what more could you ask for!! Well there was a load of wood everywhere on the beach for starters!

Another pic from China...

After a morning of errands and returning gear. Accidentally returned some of my gear and now Calumet are denying it... Oh what fun?!?

First day to catchup on things in ages. Really falling behind on everything and have completely given up on figuring out this new camera!! Another pic from China... why not think they will fill it for the next few days?

Decided to get up early again, went for breakfast and had a bit French Foast. How can you get lost in translation when it can be so ammusing? (Pictured!) Before going to the airport we headed back to Tiananmen Square to shuffle through Mao's mausoleum which was a creepy experience. Looked like a waxwork to me?!?

Quickly to the hotel to pickup our bags and then off to the airport with a very amusing cab driver. He managed to have it down not to pay the toll by showing big bills and nodding at the right time!! Plane was not bad as had a row of three seats to myself so had a nap, edited all the photos, and looked at the Chinese country side out the window...

Landed in Heathrow finally after circling for about 40 minutes on the rebooked flight as our one from Paris was cancelled again! All good though as our bags made it this time. Ended being about 23 hours from Beijing till sitting down home well at Carly's place, not too bad!

Up at the crack of dawn to go to the wall. Was surprised we got the whole band up and out at that time especially the incredibly hung over writer who thought the carjackers had put the call girl cards on his hotel door!! (Something along the lines of: Where is the hotel? What time is it in China? and Do you have any pain relief?) Well the wall was simply AMAZING! Walked up a little ways and did a quick snapshot of the band who didn't want to go very far so they could save themselves for the gig. Being -10 probably didn't help either but Duff and I continued up quite a bit further for the amazing view. On the way back down we go roped into buying Chinese army jackets so we could blend in with the locals better!!

Came back to the hotel and found a huge meeting/conference room for the shoot, a nice red background will do of course. Duff, extremely hungover Ruskell and I ate at the very Chinese Pizza Hut. Discovered that Duff is one of those people that leaves the crusts behind, wouldn't have even noticed if he hadn't mentioned it! Hahaha!

Got back in a cab and over to the venue which was the coldest inside gig I've ever been too! Band was really good although the lighting could have been a bit better but did manage to get a few nice shots... To finish off the evening we headed back to the hotel via the same guys who car jacked us with call girl cards last night although this time we opened the door and threw a load at them!!! They don't like it when the tables turn do they?!?!?

Today was day one of 2 with Nightwish... Met them at their hotel and went for an interesting meal. Even the local guide didn't know what some of the food was. I think it lives in the sea is always a good description. Did make a point of trying everything. The Peking Duck was definitely the highlight but there were some interesting textures, particularly the pigs tongue!!

Was supposed to go to a press conference after but the band wanted to see Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City so we stopped there first. Did a couple of impromptu photos which were quite hilarious as soon as you took more than 5 shots hundreds of people would surround and watch!!

They quickly did the press conference and a signing session and then it was out for a buffet dinner that had a little more western food which was nice! A few of us continued on to a Chinese rock bar where local bands were playing but the highlight of the night was Nick Ruskell getting pissed and rocking out in the front row!!

Duff and I returned first and thought we were getting car jacked as three guys ran up to the cab opened the door screaming in Chinese, luckily only threw a load of call girl cards at us and shut the door. Couldn't resist decorating Nick's room door for his return back to the hotel!

Once we finally arrived went quickly through the airport where they don't even ask one question! Air France managed to lose some of the bags to Beijing and had to fill out a card in an office where no one spoke English. A whole lotta pointing and wondering if I would ever see it again. Air France is reminding me of a useless Canadian carrier...

Finally arrived at the hotel quickly dropped everything off, had a quick meal consisting of who knows what, and then headed straight for Tiananmen Square. It was amazing and about 5 times bigger than Red Square in Moscow. Watched the lowering of the flag which was quite an event, they stop traffic for it everyday. Had a look around the edge of the Forbidden City and then Duff got suckered into an art store and had his name done in calligraphy... Headed back for the hotel and then out again to club area of Beijing which seemed to be bad Karaoke, belly dancers, and pole dancers!!

I finally understand why the Japanese don't care for the Chinese. The spitting and no idea of personal space would be a good place to start, oddly enough there was a sign that said something about better manners preparing the locals for the Olympics!

Left loads earlier than planned as our flight to Paris was cancelled because of Heathrow's new resident. Oddly enough our new flight to Paris was delayed to the original time we needed to leave?!? Ran across the airport and caught the connecting flight to Beijing. Nice cramped flight with minimal sleep for 9 hours...

Had a helpful email from Colin this morning. He'd actually taken the time to have a play with the file in question. Thank you so much! To be honest they are all in question at the moment and so is the culprit of a camera. Two words are on the tip of my tongue, GOING BACK!

Went over to Southampton this afternoon to do a shoot with Bloodsimple. Nice and quick the way I like it and the band seemed to be in good form considering they'd only been up for a half hour when we were ready to go.

Couldn't stay for the gig as I wanted to have another look at the camera which is taking up too much time at the moment. Started packing for China which I think we head out earlier for tomorrow now. Was looking at the website and our first flight to Paris is cancelled because of the plane that safely crash landed at Heathrow this afternoon. Sounds like an amazing bit of flying on the pilot's part. Nice one! Weird though as it came in from Beijing!

A quick pic of Kyle from Bloodsimple, this one is more for Denis. Who's is bro??

Spent the day trying to figure out the new camera... Why won't it do what I need it to do?? The old one works much better and is 4 mega pixels less and the files come out looking a million times better?!? Fuck! Why? And the pics from yesterday need to be in today to boot.

Oh how film would be so much better right about now, actually use a medium that can handle the dynamic range rather than one that fakes it all the time. If I knew this camera couldn't handle shadow detail wouldn't have bothered... OK rant over! Found some helpful peeps on Photo.net which was not a bad way to end the day. Tomorrow better? Of course!

When people ask it sounds so glamorous what you do here's a good example of what happens more often than not!! (Don't get me wrong it does beat a day job but...) For an hour shoot did 5 hours of travelling each way plus 4 and a half hours of waiting for a member to turn up. Wasn't his fault as he was at the mercy of American Airlines!! But there you go it tends to happen, I think I managed to do 6 Sudoku puzzles and a few Crosswords during the day, should have really taken a laptop but can never gauge these things!!

The Cribs were nice guys and they had recorded their record right after Biffy at the Warehouse in late 2006. They also mentioned they would drink at the Morrissey when they stayed in Vancouver. Yeah know that place well! Umm a pic from last time I was there, before Larissa disappeared!!

Sat all day at the computer working on loads of different things. Mostly p-shop on the Go Audio shots which look pretty good. (One posted here!)

All the confirmations came through for a shoot tomorrow with the Cribs in Leeds which should be good. Doing it for an American mag so hopefully it turns out well...

Rocked out to Chichester for a few meals! Also did a little tour around Homebase which I managed to plant myself in a comfy leather chair for... Ended up getting back later than we thought but it was still a nice relaxing day. Even managed to stay awake for the drive home which never happens!

An outtake of Max from Say Anything in this week's K! which I thought turned out pretty well...

Scarlet and Kevin came over and after a good Thai dinner (first got denied at Love's the one helped by Gordon Ramsay) we rocked out on Guitar Hero III. (pictured the other Gibson!) The Fish and Scarlet did manage to amuse themselves by looking at all the latest freaks on the internet!!

Rocking out late was what we did until Kevin unleashed the Olympics for the Wii and that was the beginning of the end as we tired ourselves right out! Hilarious game, may have to get a copy...

Today, first shoot of 2008 with Tom from TGOAT and last minute did a quick one of the whole band in a Brighton alley, AGAIN! It actually turned out well as it had been raining all morning and the sun came out to light up the wet streets. It just all goes well sometimes... Or could do an A-Team spin "I love it when a non-plan comes together!"

Another day at the computer but this time with a camera trying to work out the software. Finally got the Capture One 30 day trial which looks good. I will give it a go for a week to see how it goes but the new blah blah digital camera spits out some noisy RAW's!! Technical shit, really sucks sometimes. They try and make your life easier but really it adds more steps to the process. When will they make a digital camera that gives it to us right out of the camera?? Yeah like that is going to happen!!!

Doing a shoot with Tom from TGOAT tomorrow, he's always up for a laugh so it should be good. From last time...

Was going to do a load of syndicating today but too many other image requests came in! (No complaining there!) Finally the AVA shot that turned out really well will be seeing the light of day.

Here's another shot from the Alter Bridge feature that didn't get used...

Got up early still feeling quite shit, this cold/cough/sore throat thing has lasted almost a month well by the weekend it will have...

Ran all around London doing loads of errands today. Had to get my passport into the office to go out to the Chinese Embassey as I'm off to Bejing in a week and a half!

On my way to last thing of the day and they almost didn't let me in Fixation because they had a power outage. After some sweet talking (like blagging at a gig for fuck's sake!) got them to look around in the dark for my old camera which is finally fixed and ready to go again.

Umm trees? Why not!

Sorted out a load of things and continued on the syndication kick. Have a little time at the beginning of the year... You know!

Went to Haywards Fuckin' Heath and did the one thing that most pro photographers I know hate doing, BUYING NEW GEAR!!! When they give me the cameras for free then I'll let you know what I use! Musicians in bands seem to be able to get endorsements easily enough...

After spending way too much received a call about a potentially good job so I guess I can't complain too bad. Spent the rest of the evening with the ill Fish looking at porn and watching Predator, you really can't beat that...

Here's a shot of Sabbath the most needy/friendly cat I have ever met. Go away on holiday and when you come back she attaches herself like a shadow. It was shot on the new blah blah at 800 ISO, f2.8 1/125th!! What a fucking noisey camera I tell ya!

What a weird day! I now know the feeling of being a Vampire... Falling asleep as the sun was rising and then awakening just as it was setting except no taste for blood. Don't you just love those donuts filled with jam, or your fries drowning in ketchup hmmm. Left the house for a bit and picked up a morning, well evening paper and a cup of tea.

The Fish has been hit hard by the Canadian sickness so we didn't do too much other than watch seasons 1 and 2 of Peep Show.

At least while I was out saw a good rogue shop!(for explanation see here!) Does this mean 9 times out of 10 Brits will always buy tea over bananas??

A whole lotta nothing except not being able to get to sleep until 7am!!! Hopefully this doesn't turn into some insomnia!

The Bullets and Octane on the road feature finally ran in this week's issue. Although my favorite shot from the shoot didn't get used! Hopefully it will be a poster soon...

Sat at the computer and caught up on a little syndication. Get really lazy with it sometimes, must figure out a way to include it into the work flow. Also can't be bothered when little shits are hacking my agency's site and posting the images on their own crappy websites!! Probably part of the reason why I don't post too many new pics on my own site if anyone was wondering...

Watched Carolito's Way and Oldboy this evening after passing out for a few hours. Still very jet lagged!! Oldboy had a great fight scene which I think 300 had taken a few ideas from and made their own between all the incestuous themes!!

An alternate shot of Apocalytica from live review in this week's K!

Tired!!! Didn't really do too much today. Trying to recover from the sickness which the Fish now has full blown. Saw the latest issue of K! today and thought the Kids In Glass Houses shot turned out not too bad...

Landed around 2:00 and didn't actually get back home until 5:30! Love the ground travel of the UK.

It's funny when everyone says wow Canada that must be cold well England is absolutely freezing and way colder than Vancouver was!! Here's a shot that has nothing to do with anything from the Aquarium trip the other day...

Happy New Year and all that... Spent the day chilling out at L2, eating waffles, watching movies and the last few people came to visit. Benn and Grant stopped by which was good, was almost a grape feeding reunion from a few years ago!! After everyone left we kept the Juliette Lewis streak going by watching From Dusk Till Dawn!

After the movie it was time to drive to YVR and catch our flight back to London. Said a quick teary goodbye to Larissa and then wandered into the empty airport. It was a ghost town in there but as soon as our flight was called everyone appeared for the packed flight. Not the best of flights when the air stewardess starts off being very rude to you. Always good to when the person seat in front goes back so far that you spill your own drinks all over yourself. Topped off with the entertainment system not working it and there's still another 7 hours to go...