Assignments in Dubai and later in March, in the Seychelles once more.
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Barcelona
A brief trip to one of my favourite European cities at the end of November for Lonely Planet images
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Oslo, Norway
On the day I arrived back in England from the Seychelles, I flew out to Oslo. From 33 degrees to sub-zero temperatures in one hit. I shot the Holmenkollbakken Olympic Ski jump and the Opera House.
Seychelles
Back to the Seychelles again in November and December, to photograph four upmarket hotels including the newly opened and rather splendid Dhevatara Resort and Spa, on Praslin island as well as one of my favourites, the perfectly situated Sunset Beach Hotel in the north of Mahe island.
It’s the start of the rainy season but the water colour can actually be a richer turquoise colour than in the dry season. The humidity can reach 100% at this time, consequently it’s probably the least comfortable time of the year to work outdoors. Travelled heavy with extensive lighting too, and backups of just about everything since spares can be hard to come by on the remote islands.
Paris and Burgundy
Paris and Burgundy in the Autumn for client Michelin. Burgundy is at its very best, I feel
at this time of year, as you get away from the cities and into the hilltop villages, where life doesn’t seem to have changed in decades. Travelled light, taking only two Canon bodies and three L-series lenses : 17-40mm, 24-105mm and 70-200mm f2.8.
Yorkshire
At the end of September I spent a very rewarding two days at the beautiful Judges Country House Hotel (at Kirklevington Hall), in Yarm, North Yorkshire. One of the AA’s Inspector’s Choice Hotels 2011/ 2012, Judges Hotel boasts 3 AA red stars and 3 rosettes and is regarded as one of the finest hotels and restaurants in the United Kingdom.
More photos on my website http://karlblackwell.com
View Judges hotel website here
Western Africa
The Gambia and Senegal were colourful and a lot of fun. Here are a couple of shots showing local ladies in The Gambia and the sport known as “la lutte senegalaise”, or Senegalese wrestling. To the casual spectator it looks rather like Sumo wrestling though with emphasis not on the weight of the individual but his agility. Click on the thumbnail to reveal a larger image. More pictures on my site http://karlblackwell.com
Cyprus (for AA Media)
I spent nearly 5 weeks in Cyprus for client AA Media in the late spring. Had some lousy weather to contend with (including a huge brown dust cloud coming in from the Sahara, followed by brown rain and hail, enough to ruin many of the vineyards’ annual crops), and not very many tourists which, although pleasant didn’t really make the place look very lively. Only a small percentage of the tourists who travel to Cyprus venture into the north. The north versus south debate is still very much a taboo subject. Colin Thubron’s “Journey into Cyprus” is a magnificent read; written just before the civil dispute turned nasty in 1974, it reveals an almost unrecognisable country compared with the one we see today. A few more pics on my website
Seychelles
My 3-week assignment in the Seychelles, focused on high-end hotels and restaurants for clients such as “Southern Sun Hotels” and “Seasons in Africa”. In the case of the Paradise Sun brochure the Creative team responsible for the layout and post-production was Progress (from Dubai). For Desroches, the creative team was Blue Hue from South Africa. The Seychelles is a country I know very well having lived on Mahe for two years in the late ’80s, and visited numerous times since. In the 1990s Victoria, the world’s smallest capital city received its first set of traffic lights. That’s an indication as to how laid-back the place is, and this is Mahe, the largest of the 100-plus islands. Mini-mokes were all the rage when I was living there but, sadly are a dying breed (probably ‘cos the brakes don’t work). It’s still possible to hire one, and this has to be the best way to see Mahe or Praslin. To download the resulting brochures I shot, click on the images on the right of this page. (I should like to point out that I didn’t take the wedding pics in the Paradise Sun brochure). More pics here
Canon DSLR Promotional Shoot
In early 2011 I was sent to Andalucia, southern Spain, with the Canon Europe team, a great bunch, to shoot their new brochure and online product tour for their soon-to-be-released EOS 600D camera, using this very camera. Download the brochure in English or Spanish on the right of this page.
