Michael Austen Photography

APT Bridesmaids - BTS

2012-01-17T18:33:00.003Z

Behind the scenes from the recent Antonia Pugh-Thomas shoot.

Winter

2012-01-16T16:07:00.000Z

Chichester Harbour finally starting to look wintery.

APT Bridesmaids

2012-01-12T14:50:00.007Z

Great shoot yesterday for Antonia Pugh-Thomas at The Worx. Fantastic new collection of dresses for brides and now bridesmaids. This shot of Hollie S from BMA Models really stood out. Thanks to Hollie, Grace Gray and Francesca from Hughes Models and to Sally Riceman for her usual amazing hair and make-up. Film and all sorts of other good things to follow...

London Boat Show

2012-01-06T17:40:00.004Z

The Boat Project are showing the 30', Simon Rogers designed yacht at the Tullett Prebon London Boat Show, running until 15 January. The inspirational quality of the work by the boatbuilders is clear to see.

The best thing...

2011-12-31T18:50:00.005Z

Interesting end of year chat about important events and moments of 2011. For me this is definitely one of the most important things that has happened and saved hours of wasted time getting between London and the S Coast. Welcome to the Hindhead Tunnel! The gasping sound at the end of the clip is crazy teenager who's been trying to hold his breath right the way through..apparently the latest challenge.

Mountain Man

2011-12-21T21:58:00.003Z

Preparing for the Haute Route trip next year, Guy skins up a mountain in Tignes, gets to the top desperate for a drink and realises that he's forgotten his wallet. Amazingly the restaurant provided vin chaud on the house!

Heading to the Alps

2011-12-17T22:35:00.004Z

Driving to Tignes today, good trip until last 10km when chains needed. Masses of snow. Can't remember the last time I needed chains to get up the hill.

Happy Christmas

2011-12-17T22:14:00.001Z

Wishing everyone a very happy Christmas and a prosperous 2012.

Christmas trees

2011-12-13T18:39:00.000Z

No Christmas tree this year but a Christmas twig! Shot with hipstamatic on new iphone 4S, massive improvement in quality of camera.

Antonia Pugh-Thomas

2011-11-24T17:35:00.000Z

Unusually, a set of images without people. Shot for Antonia Pugh-Thomas to highlight the skill and craftsmanship on offer to her clients.

www.SportzZone.tv

2011-11-24T16:17:00.002Z

Looks like the International 14 film made in September now has the lead slot on www.SportzZone.tv, a fast growing internet sports channel.

National Freelancers Day

2011-11-23T22:05:00.000Z

Surprised to find out on the Today programme that it is National Freelancers Day...we don't normally get that level of recognition! I wasn't shooting today but spent the afternoon at the Barclays ATP Tour Finals at the O2 thanks to a birthday gift of some tickets. Excellent match between Tomas Berdych and Janko Tipsarevic, who almost took full advantage of his late entry after Andy Murray's injury. Image shot on Fuji Finepix X10, latest attempt in the never ending quest to find a useable high quality compact.

Alfred Homes

2011-11-22T12:26:00.002Z

Recent board photography for Alfred Homes, a niche residential property company.

Dr Bridget Juniper

2011-11-07T12:42:00.004Z

Portrait from a recent shoot with Dr Bridget Juniper from workandwellbeing.com, daylight, Canon 1d4, Sigma 50mm f1.4 @ f1.8!

International 14 Worlds - Final

2011-10-04T17:46:00.003+01:00

Final version of the film from the International 14 Worlds in Weymouth. Sailing Anarchy kindly put it up and now heading towards 10k views!

RS Tera Nationals

2011-09-19T17:26:00.004+01:00

Just reworking some images from the RS Tera Nationals earlier in the summer and found this shot. How intense is that?

International 14 Worlds

2011-09-10T22:52:00.009+01:00

Film from the first days racing at the International 14 World Championships in Weymouth. Bad weather has prevented much of the racing from taking place so, as always, it came down to luck (and a bit of careful weather watching) that we were able to shoot anything. Partly shot on Canon 5D2 and 1D4 but also on the water footage from the new Sony NX-70.

Man Group

2011-09-07T18:59:00.003+01:00

and something a little more sober from the Man Group board shoot. Agency: Emperor Design, AD: Tracy Gunn.

IGas board

2011-09-06T12:55:00.000+01:00

Final image from board shot for IGas R&A. Agency: Emperor Design, AD: Tracy Gunn. Tweaked...never!

RS Tera Nationals

2011-08-25T15:48:00.000+01:00

A short film commissioned by RS Sailing from the CraftInsure RS Tera Nationals held at Hayling Island Sailing Club on 2/3 July.

On the road

2011-08-23T17:24:00.003+01:00

Will. Never lost for words! Ever....

Lyon Airport

2011-08-02T17:01:00.000+01:00

Needed to fly home from Lyon for a corporate job; potential for a great location shoot in the terminal building where the TGV arrives, acres of space and light with unusual architecture.

Tour de France - Grenoble

2011-07-23T11:43:00.001+01:00

Lucky enough to catch the some of the Grenoble time trial stage while in Vizille. Amazing atmosphere in town and got a great spot right on the hairpin. Cav took a major wobble avoiding a pothole but Cancellara was just awesome.

Summer

2011-07-19T16:40:00.001+01:00

Where? When?

Macmillan Cash Appeal

2011-06-05T10:10:00.004+01:00

Macmillan Cancer Support raise some of their funds through direct marketing and these images are from a recent shoot in Birmingham.

Claire

2011-06-05T10:03:00.003+01:00

Recently met Claire on a shoot for Macmillan Cancer Support, apparently she doesn't always dress like this.

The Boat Project - latest film

2011-06-05T09:50:00.002+01:00

Shot in collaboration with Toby Adamson, this latest mash up of video, time-lapse and stills for The Boat Project shows the hull of the boat being turned so that work can begin on the deck and cuddy.

The Boat Project - Turning the hull. from Toby Adamson on Vimeo.

Hanging around

2011-06-02T11:46:00.000+01:00

Work to travel or travel to work?

The Boat Project

2011-05-18T15:01:00.004+01:00

Major milestone passed yesterday when Mark Covell and team at The Boat Project turned the hull of the boat; always a nervous moment. A couple of stills here, film to follow.

MAN Group

2011-05-05T09:55:00.002+01:00

Just wrapped up the photography for the MAN Group report and accounts. As so often happens, I like one of the last frames the best.

Chernobyl 25 video

2011-04-27T18:41:00.001+01:00

25 years after Chernobyl

2011-04-27T09:19:00.003+01:00

Last night the kids and staff at Bedales spent a little time thinking about the victims of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster 25 years ago and supporting the charity Chernobyl Children's Life Line. I spent a windy half an hour perched on top of some scaffolding!

Dell

2011-04-26T14:32:00.000+01:00

Every so often a quick PR job gets thrown into the mix by a corporate client. In this case, Michael Dell was making a flying visit to the UK and addressing all the staff at the UK headquarters in Bracknell. Usual mix of daylight, fluorescent, tungsten and LED lighting is always a challenge but the original files looked fine, however I think that these are punchier.

Only in Wales

2011-04-21T13:05:00.000+01:00

Stopped for a breather and realised that we'd definitely crossed the border.

Afan

2011-04-20T10:08:00.000+01:00

Been meaning to go mountain biking in Afan for ages and finally got it together. The trails have been created in the Afan Forest behind Port Talbot and have some memorable riding, completely different from the S Downs!

Patience

2011-04-11T12:20:00.000+01:00

Photography - frequently 99% patience, 1% manic action.

Tulips

2011-04-10T09:19:00.002+01:00

NewCo

2011-04-04T16:00:00.004+01:00

March was a really busy month and I've just finished editing the images from a shoot commissioned by Coley Porter Bell, providing library images for the intriguingly named 'NewCo'. AD: Paul Marsh.

BBC

2011-04-02T09:17:00.001+01:00

Great shoot generating marketing images for BBC.com. Just for a change the weather was perfect, bright, hazy sunlight. AD: Guy Cracknell.

MAN Group

2011-03-23T15:43:00.002Z

Board photography for MAN Group report and accounts. Unusually for me, lit with a combination of flash and tungsten lighting. Client: Emperor Design, AD: Tracy Gunn.

Crufts 2

2011-03-14T16:09:00.003Z

That's probably because it's not really about the dogs....

Crufts

2011-03-12T14:31:00.004Z

Not really a dog person but had a fascinating day at Crufts.

Rooster Tactics DVD Promo

2011-02-14T22:14:00.006Z

Shot for Rooster Sailing last summer on location in Cabarete, Dominican Republic, the 2 DVD set is finally finished and off being mastered. Huge thanks to Steve Cockerill for his trust, think we made a great team. Thanks also to the large number of people who've been instrumental in the success of the project: Pam Landt for cool nights, Paul for outstanding RIB driving and for not trashing me or the EX3, Dave for your work on the graphics and all the sailors and the team in Cabarete.

Rooster Tactics Promo from michael austen on Vimeo.

Angel of the South

2011-02-01T09:09:00.002Z

Sun comes out, men climb on their roofs and think they're art. Strange....

Happy Christmas

2010-12-17T15:47:00.002Z

Christmas greetings to all friends and clients; here's to a successful 2011.

Boatwhisperer video

2010-12-13T08:34:00.003Z

Shooting linking sequences with Steve Cockerill from Rooster Sailing for his tactics video that we started earlier in the year in the Dominican Republic.

Big freeze

2010-12-04T08:31:00.001Z

The temperature is down to -8C. First time I've had to use snow chains to get home from a shoot in London.

First snow

2010-12-01T18:09:00.002Z

Just a light dusting compared to the rest of the country but with more to follow tomorrow apparently.

The Boat Project

2010-11-28T17:38:00.005Z

The Boat Project is a living archive of people's stories and lives, a 30ft seafaring vessel made from donated wooden items. It is the winning commission for Artists Taking the Lead in the South East and is part of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad and funded by Arts Council England. Boatbuilder Mark Covell will be working with Lone Twin, Gary Winters and Gregg Whelan, the duo are widely regarded as leading artists in the field of contemporary performance.

Bedales - Badley Weekend

2010-11-27T13:40:00.002Z

Bedales is a private school in Hampshire that celebrates its founder, John Haden Badley, with a weekend of physical and cultural activity that culminates in a spectacular finale; this year 'The Fall of Troy'. Shot on the 5DMk2 in near darkness!

Bedales Schools - Badley Weekend 2010 from michael austen on Vimeo.

Berry Place - O2

2010-11-27T13:33:00.002Z

Had a lot of fun shooting this while the guys from Berry Place installed their signage at the corporate HQ of Telefonica/O2 in west London. Shot on Canon 5Dmk2 and GoPro.

Berry Place - O2 from michael austen on Vimeo.

Airports

2010-11-23T11:54:00.001Z

Where did Gatwick go so wrong?

Chichester Harbour

2010-11-17T10:26:00.002Z

Westward Cup

2010-11-10T14:37:00.004Z

After the near biblical floods yesterday, a reminder of one of the best days last summer when 4 classics yachts were racing in the Solent for the Westward Cup.

EADS

2010-11-04T14:09:00.002Z

Fascinating shoot for EADS UK in Bristol where they are 'growing' parts for aircraft construction, saving weight and money and adding strength and longevity.

SOVI Video

2010-10-07T18:04:00.003+01:00

SOVI - Sailing Opportunities for the Visually Impaired from michael austen on Vimeo.

Shot on a Canon 5D Mk2, sound from a Zoom H4N and edited in FCP, this is the first film I've been happy to show.... and it was a total pleasure to shoot, these guys are remarkable.

Kelkoo

2010-09-29T15:18:00.005+01:00

Corporate portraits commissioned by the Red Consultancy for Kelkoo. Absolutely nothing glamorous about the location, one end of their offices that were being refurbished, but bare plasterboard makes a good background.

HMP Chelmsford

2010-09-27T11:13:00.000+01:00

Haven't been inside for a while! So a recent shoot for the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse in HMP Chelmsford was both interesting and unusual. Time was limited, the guys still spend a large part of the day locked in their cells, but they were genuinely interested and eager to participate, for which I'm very grateful. Over 600 inmates, more than a third have drug problems... Images processed using bleach bypass in Lightroom.

SOVI

2010-09-26T13:10:00.004+01:00

Sailing Opportunities for the Visually Impaired, in case you were wondering. Back from a short trip with Nick Pomfret who uses his yacht, Toucan, to take visually impaired sailors cruising for a few days. We headed west to Poole, back to Yarmouth, Bembridge, had a great night in the Folly in Cowes and then home. Shot some stills and video for his new SOVI website, editing it now and will post soon. An amazing, humbling experience.

Damaged iPhone

2010-09-18T12:55:00.001+01:00

I guess it finally had to happen. After more than a year of cradling it like a baby, I finally managed to drop my iPhone, face down onto concrete. The glass looked like it had been hit by a bullet. I initially thought it'd be an insurance claim but then found Lovefone. You send them the phone, they replace the screen on the day it's received and then sent it straight back by RMSD. Fantastic service!

Clients

2010-09-02T18:44:00.001+01:00

If you're in the business you've got to take a look at this site, Clients from Hell, and it's all true...

From the air

2010-08-15T22:10:00.001+01:00

There's not a lot to shoot from an Airbus at 36000', except stunning skies like this. Helped to pass the time on the way back from the Dominican Republic.

Shooting video??

2010-08-10T14:10:00.006+01:00

Working with Steve Cockerill from Rooster Sailing shooting some fresh video for his next DVD project. I'll post some clips once the editing's underway. We shot at the Laser Training Centre, Cabarete in the Dominican Republic, big swell, extremely hot and humid and great people. Working with a Sony EX3 and amazing GoPro HD's placed all over the boats, a whole new skill set required but the footage looks great and the cameras stayed dry!

Windy lake

2010-07-28T17:31:00.002+01:00

The 'Windy Lake', our favourite windsurfing spot in France, stunning scenery, reliable(ish) breeze, what else do you need? Hipstamatic still proving addictive, planning to print a Blurb book of images from the trip to see how they transfer to the page.

Heading South

2010-07-20T11:24:00.003+01:00

Taking some time with Ruth and the boys, heading first for Brittany and then down to Grenoble to meet up with friends and family for our annual windsurfing odyssey.

Cannes Lions

2010-06-28T18:08:00.003+01:00

Just back from shooting in Cannes for Microsoft Advertising, creatives out partying in full force, some fantastic campaigns on show.

Travelling light?

2010-06-22T21:21:00.001+01:00

About as much as you can get on a BA flight without getting hit for excess baggage!

Kelly Coppice

2010-06-15T11:00:00.003+01:00

Quick dash to Cornwall for a wedding, managed to catch up with friends who live overlooking the Tamar, simply stunning.

Mark Covell

2010-06-07T16:51:00.008+01:00

Been helping Mark Covell edit the thousands of images he's brought back from his time as media crew on the Oman Sail A100 trimaran racing in the Indian Ocean 5 Capes Race.

Good times

2010-05-18T12:52:00.004+01:00

if you work in the credit industry....

Small is beautiful

2010-05-07T12:43:00.004+01:00

Interesting assignment shooting small machined parts for an engineering company; made a change from shooting people. When viewed so close I thought they looked quite sculptural.

Dell Small Business Excellence Awards

2010-04-28T09:33:00.008+01:00

Warren Bennett & David Hathiramani, co-founders of A Suit That Fits, the world's first online tailors, were winners yesterday of the Dell Small Business Excellence Award and met Michael Dell.

Open skies

2010-04-21T14:32:00.003+01:00

Vapour trails in the skies again. The estimates for the number of people stuck abroad have risen to 400,000, one elderly couple I heard were in Singapore and had been given a return flight date of May 11.....

Hipstamatic

2010-04-14T11:58:00.008+01:00

This is a new app for the iphone. Hipstamatic adds an analogue look and feel to images and with the variety of simulated lenses and film types available there are great creative possibilities. These and 'Spring' image below were shot using the Vericolor film option and the Jimmy S lens. I was a little surprised that the initial file size produced was only 525 pi square but discovered that there is an option to produce larger files of about 1500pi square on the 3Gs, although this does slow the processing considerably. Huge fun.

Spring

2010-04-13T23:40:00.002+01:00

....has finally sprung!

BBC Advertising

2010-04-12T09:17:00.005+01:00

Another shoot for BBC Advertising on location in the BBC Media Centre.

Alamy

2010-04-09T13:05:00.003+01:00

I've been contributing images to Alamy, an online picture library, for a while now and you can search by keyword or location here.

Revision

2010-04-08T10:33:00.005+01:00

Work has started at home for this summer's exams and while the boys are distracted it's providing an opportunity for some good stock images.

Poll Tax Riot

2010-03-31T19:03:00.002+01:00

It's been twenty years since the Poll Tax riot in Trafalgar Square, and rather to the surprise of my kids, I was in the thick of it. I had just finished a photojournalism course at LCP and was picking up occasional freelance jobs from the Independent and the Mail on Sunday. I'd only gone into town to buy some film and got off the tube to see if anything was happening. This was published and looking at it again today, I still think it's a strong image that conveys the chaos and anarchy.

Malmo

2010-03-04T15:55:00.006Z

Just walking back to the car while shooting in Malmo and Copenhagen yesterday; reminded me of the first photo book I purchased, 'Syntax' by Ralph Gibson, full of contrasty, graphic images that are strong on design.

Pre-production issues

2010-02-09T17:57:00.000Z

Sometimes everything doesn't go quite as you've planned.....

Rome

2010-02-08T23:00:00.001Z

In Rome on assignment for Baxter Healthcare, unusually managed a day wandering, just looking for images, drinking coffee and whistling Dean Martin. Still think that Rome is my favourite city.

BBC Worldwide

2010-01-07T17:08:00.001Z

One of my favourite assignments, shooting portraits, doesn't matter who or where. This is from a recent job for BBC Worldwide, more to follow...

Christmas '09

2009-12-19T20:25:00.001Z

Happy Christmas to all, not been the easiest year, 2010 will be better!

Zurich Airport

2009-12-03T22:19:00.001Z

Very early in the morning on the way back from a board shoot in Zurich, cold day, cold light, half asleep or barely awake. Sometimes the simplest things, looked at in a different way, make interesting images. Shot on a 50mm f1.4, wide open, 5D MKII.

Berry Place

2009-11-23T19:58:00.002Z

Commissioned to provide images for Berry Place, a leading London modelmaking company who are rebranding and launching a new website. They wanted to highlight the combination of cutting edge technology and handcrafting skills used in the studio while letting the character of the company show through.

Ellie Koyander

2009-11-03T18:02:00.006Z

Great shoot with Ellie Koyander who's hoping to be selected as part of the British team heading out to the Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Only 18, but she can certainly ski bumps, just take a look at the video on her site. Thanks to Locality for helping sort out a location at short notice.

Anne Berkeley

2009-10-19T21:43:00.004+01:00

Anne asked me to shoot some portraits to support the launch of her first volume of poetry, The Men from Praga. Several of the poems centre on her childhood in the Cold War and her father's role as navigator on a Vulcan bomber, so location and the wild, wintery weather fitted the mood perfectly.