07Feb 2013

Steve Phillips Portrait Photography at Crewe Alex Stadium

Portrait Photography Cheshire, Crewe, Crewe Alex, Football Photography Permalink

Portrait of Crewe Alexandra goalkeeper Steve Phillips

We recently had the pleasure of using the Alexandra Stadium as a backdrop for a photoshoot. Steve has been raising money for his two chosen charities Leukaemia Research and the Caudwell Children’s Charity. We offered to help out by donating a prize of an Urban Portrait shoot.

We also did a set of portraits of Steve on the pitch at The Alexandra Stadium. As official photographer to Nantwich Town we have previously worked with goalkeeper Jonny Brain and did a set of portraits for the club to use for promotional purposes in the goal at the Weaver Stadium. The portraits of Jonny are very striking and fit in well with the urban portrait series with the moody sky. The Alexandra stadium is a superb backdrop and we certainly had good fun on the pitch!

31Dec 2012

Review of the Year – The Dabbers & Gridiron UK Photography

Press Photography Cheshire, Chester, Crewe, Football Photography, Monochrome Permalink

A few other notable things we have been up to this year include the stills photography commission for Gridiron UK and the ongoing rollercoaster of photographing Nantwich Town FC.

Gridiron UK Film Cast by Simon J. Newbury Photography in Crewe, Cheshire

Gridiron UK was filmed in and around Crewe. It was a very exhausting but rewarding 4 weeks. It was really interesting to see the behind the scenes work that goes into making a motion picture. The film is based on the true story of the formation of the Crewe Railroaders in the 80s by writer and director Gary Delaney. My main role was to photograph the behind the scenes work, create the official stills for the film publicity and appear briefly as an extra! Although I haven’t yet seen the final cut I have been informed by the director that my main scene, while slightly cut, is still part of the film!! I appeared briefly behind lead character Derek (Michael Dixon) in a scene filmed at the Market Centre in Crewe. I also appear behind Derek’s parents at a fixture at the Cumberland Arena. I’ll be sure to let you all know exactly where to pause your dvds when the film is released! The next stage for the photos will be an exhibition planned. Again, we’ll keep you posted!

Nantwich Town FC Cheshire Senior Cup Winners at Chester FC

We are now well into our second season as official photographers to Nantwich Town FC. Last year saw the club reached the first round proper of the FA Cup for the very first time in the history of the club. Last season was finished by a visit to Chester City’s Deva Stadium to take on Stalybridge Celtic in the Cheshire Senior Cup Final. The Dabbers ran out 1-0 winners and it was a great way to end such a great season for the club! This season has seen the Dabbers stronger in the league. Home form has been fairly indifferent but the Dabbers have been far stronger away from the Weaver. All being well the Dabbers will be involved in the playoffs come the end of the season!

13Nov 2012

Children’s Adventure Farm Fundraising Calendar 2013

General Boxjam, Cheshire, Children Photography, Christmas, Crewe Permalink

Well now Boxjam is all done and dusted and the money raised is safely deposited with the local Crewe Oxfam shop all ready to go to work making a difference I decided I wanted to get another charity fundraising project off the ground.

I had long been thinking of a project which helped to raise awareness of disabilities as well as raised some funds for a good cause. I came up with the idea of a charity calendar. I spoke to my good friend Lorraine who herself has a son with Down’s Syndrome. She loved the idea and within 24 hours had a set of willing models and a majority of the sponsorship needed to make the project a reality.

CAFT Mascot Bobby with Wendy & Wesley from the Wacky Warehouse

We had a meeting at The Children’s Adventure Farm based in Cheshire and that charity will be the beneficiary of all the funds the calendar makes.

We held a photo day at the Farm and all the images have now been taken and the calendar is at design stage and is all set to be ordered this week so we can get selling them in good time for Christmas! They will be priced at just £6 and as mentioned, all the money we raise will go to the good work of the Farm! It really has been a wonderful project and Tina and myself have met some wonderful people along the way!

Even a Polar Bear got in on the action at the CAFT Calendar shoot!

We also have 2 Family Photo Days coming up if you are thinking of getting some photos for Christmas. The first is on 25th November and will be held at Nantwich Town Football Club (where I am of course the official club photographer). There are a few places left if you want to book a sitting! The other is in Crewe at Via Dance studios on Middlewich Street. The slots are available between 10AM and 4PM and you can book by either phoning 01270 581315 (messages may be left!!) or by email on info@sjnphoto.co.uk The photos can be family, pets, kids, whatever you like!!

Family Photo Day at Nantwich Town

All prints and canvasses from the shoots will be delivered in time for Christmas!

16Oct 2012

Boxjam IV

Music Photography Boxjam, Cheshire, Children Photography, Christmas, Family Photography Permalink

Well it’s October so that means Boxjam. Now proudly in it’s fourth year the mazing charity event I dreamed up in 2009 will take place at The Box, Crewe on Sunday 28th October.

This year the event is a 1 day affair and will traverse three stages. We have 40 acts playing across those stages and we have also decided to throw open the doors and make it a free event. Obviously the name of the game is to raise money for Oxfam so we’ll be hoping for donations and raffle ticket purchases to raise as much and move us up towards £2000 raised by Boxjam over the years!

We’ll of course be on hand taking all the official photos for the event as well as managing the acts and the running of the day!

Doors are at noon and the music runs all day! Hopefully you can come along and support the team!

Meanwhile I have announced a special Family, Kids & Pets Photo day at Nantwich Town FC on Sunday November 25th. Come along and have your kids, newborn, the family or pets photographed. All the prints will be delivered in good time for Christmas! There are limited places for people to come along and have a set of photos taken. You could opt for a 12×8 print for just £20 or consider one of our competitively priced packages (starting at £59) or a stretch framed canvass. There is no sitting fee so do get in touch to reserve your slot! I’ll also have my wedding books on display if anyone fancies a look!

Meanwhile I had a set of images published in The Weekend Sentinel Magazine. They did a special feature on the baby bump Paint & Portrait Package. They featured a set of images of mums-to-be with their painted bellies!

09Oct 2012

Urban Portrait Book

General Cheshire, Cheshire East, Children Photography, Christmas, Crewe Permalink

Progress is being made in the Urban Portrait Book project. We have had discussions with a local publisher and we are confident we can go to press. We are looking for sponsors to help fund the initial run so any local businesses interested in getting involved are more than welcome!

It’s been a varied and busy time of late. The traditional wedding season has concluded and we had a very lovely visit to Wallasey Town Hall. Our bespoke books have started arriving from Italy and have been delivered to happy clients! We’ve had lots of comments on the wonderful layout created by Tina using her Graphic Design skills to the full!

As well finishing a last few Urban Portraits for the book we have had a few musician promo shoots. Tim Gallagher is finalising his recording and we had a great, if slightly chilly, shoot in Hassall Green beside a canal. Looking forward to hearing the EP and seeing the final artwork which will be designed by Tina! We’ve also been lucky to visit Whitby Morrison in Crewe for a shoot with Shaun & The Special Sauce. Whitby Morrison are the worlds leading manufacturer of ice cream vans. I’m also pleased to say that the company are sponsoring the Urban Portraits book. By bizarre coincidence straight after the shoot with Shaun I headed over to Nantwich Town for some press photos of Ed Whitby and Nantwich Town Chairman Jon Gold as Whitby Morrisson are sponsoring a stand at the Weaver!

I was also commissioned to photograph the recent Labour Party Conference held in Manchester. I produced a set of press photos covering the event and some of the fringe events. The highlight for me was meeting and photographing Eddie Izzard! I also got to photograph Lord Coe and Jonathan Edwards!

I am available for press work and I have recently been undertaking a variety of commissions for Cheshire East Council. I’ve been to Knutsford, Macclesfield, Handforth, Nantwich and Crewe to photograph a variety of events!

I’m also available for private commissions for Urban Portraits. If you would like to be photographed, please get in touch. I now have a site dedicated to the project: http://www.urbanportrait.co.uk

I am also organising a day of family/ kids/ pets photos in Nantwich. It will be a special event where you can come along and have a set of photos, then order online with delivery guaranteed by Christmas. More info to follow soon!!

20Aug 2012

Gridiron UK

General Cheshire, Crewe, Football Photography, Nantwich, NTFC Permalink

I’m sure most of you have seen all the buzz over the last month regarding the film that has been made right here in Crewe. It is based on the true story of the Crewe Railroaders which was set up in 1984 by Gary Delaney. Well, since then Gary has gone on to set up a film making company, written a script and has directed the film.

I was employed on the film as the official stills photographer. This has involved being on set to get the stills photos for publicity and also some behind-the-scenes photographs!

Michael Dixon, Actor

The film boasts some great actors and has been shot entirely in Crewe. Michael Dixon, Stephen Marcus, Right Said Fred and Rebecca Pitkin are just some of the people in the film. I managed to get in front the camera for a cameo as well!

Rebecca Pitkin, Actress

The cinema release is scheduled for November and the DVD release should be in February next year.

During the filming we still managed to find time for 6 weddings, my Urban Portrait exhibition and the Prom Night for Sandbach High!

Nantwich Town Football Club Squad Photo 2012 - 2013

Darren Fletcher, Manchester United FC

The football season is back as well and we have been to some great games already at The Weaver Stadium. Nantwich Town are looking very strong this year. We have done all the player portraits for the club website as well as the full squad photo and a new manager portrait of Jimmy Quinn. Stoke City are also playing some of their home Barclays U21 Premier League at the Weaver. Manchester United were the first visitors and fielded a team that boasted Scotland international Darren Fletcher who played the full 90 minutes.

Darren Fletcher, Manchester United Player

25Jun 2012

Music Photography: Live From Jodrell Bank

General Cheshire, Crewe, Exhibition, Football Photography, Jodrell Bank Permalink

Last year I was fortunate to photograph The Flaming Lips and British Sea Power at Transmission 001 at Live From Jodrell Bank. This year saw the festival grow to a 2 day affair with headline acts Elbow and Paul Weller. Sadly the weather ended hopes of the Weller gig taking place.

Guy Garvey, Frontman of Elbow. In front of the Lovell Telescope.

I was at the Elbow gig though armed with the camera on official business! A great line up saw Transmission 002 take off where last years event finished! I arranged a portrait shoot with Guy Garvey of Elbow in front of the dish which was a nice little shoot. I’ve got to say of all the backdrops I’ve used in my time the Lovell Radio Telescope is one of the most special!

Elbow performing live at Jodrell Bank

The live music itself was really good and not at all ruined by the deluge of rain. It’s a shame that that rain ended any hopes of me photographing the Gomez, Graham Coxon and Paul Weller show the following day! Still, I got a nice set of images which I have shared on the Facebook Page.

Wedding season is truly upon us and I have 5 special days to document next month. I have a few weddings in North Wales as well as one in Crewe, and one at Old Hall in Madely, South Cheshire. I hope the weather is better than for the Elbow gigs as two of the weddings are outside!

As the new season approaches for Nantwich Town I have lots of work ahead getting the new player portraits and the new squad photo. I was at the Weaver Stadium this afternoon to photograph the new kit. A change of sponsorship and a new away strip will be launched very soon by the club. It’s exciting times at the club as manager Jimmy Quinn has assembled a strong squad for the coming season. A lot of new faces bring hope for a successful season. I’ll be at most of the matches providing action shots for the club and local press in my role as official club photographer!

My Urban Portrait Exhibition is really taking shape now, having photographed nearly 30 portraits. It’s been fantastic to have so many people volunteer to be a part of it. The majority of the photographs were taken around Crewe and the exhibition itself will be held at Bar 7 on Nantwich Road on Sunday July 22. As well as the photographic exhibition there will be some wonderful acoustic music to enjoy, all for free! I’m still shooting portraits for the project and hope to have a body of around 50 images by the time the exhibition comes about. I hope you can join me there!

11Apr 2012

Nantwich Jazz, Blues & Music Festival

General Cheshire, Crewe, Engagement Photography, Family Photography, Football Photography Permalink

Dame Cleo Laine performing Live in St Mary's Church, Nantwich

It’s certainly been a busy week for us here at Simon J. Newbury Photography. We were tasked with capturing the 16th Nantwich Jazz, Blues & Music Festival. A wonderful event spread across 15 venues and 5 days!

Tina and myself were out every day capturing

lots of the action around the town and the venues. One of my favourite bands were Spikedriver who appeared at the Crown Hotel Ballroom.

Tony Christie was amazing and it was great to actually meet the man and do a portrait of him in his dressing room!

Portrait of Tony Christie taken in his dressing room just before his performance at the Nantwich Civic Hall.

The jazz concerts at the churches were also really nice and the entire festival had lots of variety!

Tom Seals played all over the place and we were pleased to be able to get him photos with Tony Christie and Dame Cleo Laine. It was nice to see my photo of Tom on his roll-up banners around the town!

I managed to fit in two Nantwich Town matches as well.I travelled down to Stafford on the team bus on Monday before getting back to Nantwich in time for the final gig…

…The Beat at the Nantwich Civic Hall.

Since the festival I have also done another ‘Paint & Portrait’ with Sharon. I also visited Haslington Hall, where I am booked to photograph two weddings over the summer. I was meeting with Kim & Darren for the pre-wedding shoot which is a standard part of all my packages! The weather was kind and the daffodils were lovely!

05Apr 2012

Nantwich Jazz, Blues & Music Festival 1

General Cheshire, Crewe, Darts, Engagement Photography, Family Photography Permalink

Well its festival time again and we’re gearing up for a busy season. As well as our regular photographic coverage of Crewe Live (looking amazing this year with Ash, Hadouken and Pulled Apart By Horses) we are covering the Nantwich Jazz Festival this year as well.

The popular festival has some amazing acts and top of the bill is Tony Christie. I’m hoping to get a portrait in Nantwich as well as lots of great live shots of his performance. We’ll be getting around all the venues as well to ensure decent coverage of the event!

Its a busy weekend for us as we also have our regular event at the Box in Crewe to photograph on Friday. Saturday is another home fixture for Nantwich Town FC ahead of Monday’s away fixture at Stafford. We’ll also be at Crewe Alex for the WTD Promotions darts exhibition featuring Steve Beaton and Colin Lloyd offering our event photography.

Tuesday (weather permitting) we are meeting up with a lovely couple for their engagement shoot at Haslington Hall. They are getting married later this year and we always offer a complimentary pre-wedding shoot as part of all our packages!

No doubt we’ll see some of you around this weekend!

08Mar 2012

England Under 18s International, The South & The Aussie Pink Floyd

General Cheshire, Christening, Crewe, Crewe Alex, Family Photography Permalink

It seems I have been doing loads of travelling lately. In the last few weeks I have been to Birmingham twice, Manchester, Birkenhead and Stoke. I’m off up to Burnley tomorrow too!

Nantwich Town have been at home for two Saturdays on the trot so I have been over at the Weaver sat pitchside. I have great shots of Mat Bailey’s goals which appeared in all the local press. The England U18 national team also stopped by the Weaver Stadium this week for training ahead of their 3-0 win over Poland staged at Crewe’s Alexandra Stadium. I attended the training session and got a photo of the squad for the clubs website. The facilities at the Weaver must be good as the lads put in a stunning performance in front a a 6000 plus strong crowd. It was good to be pitchside at such a prestigious fixture! It was also nice meeting Sir Trevor Brooking before the game!

We have also been about to loads of live music gigs of late. The first visit to Birmingham was to photograph The South (formerly the Beautiful South) at the o2 Academy. This was the fifth time I had seen the band and they put on a great show!

We also headed up to Manchester to photograph the Australian Pink Floyd at the Apollo. It was a real visual spectacle with a stunning light show and video graphics. If you like Pink Floyd then its really a show you will enjoy!

We also managed to find time to photograph Syntronix at the Carlsberg Suite at Crewe Alex. Great performance and good crowd. Over at the Box Mercedes put on a really good show.

Sham 69 are heading back to town on Saturday and I’ll be doing some band photos for their publicity and website. One of my favourite portraits is of Al Campbell taken the last time they played at the Box!

We have also been busy covering a few events. We photographed a Christening party at Crewe Vagrants on Sunday. A great set of images for the happy parents. We have also photographed a few after dinner speaking events. We were with Yvette Cooper over in Tranmere and will be with Alan Johnson in Burnley.