Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas everyone!
Although I normally do this at new year...I thought I would give you lovely people a Christmas treat instead!
I have compiled a video with my years worth of photography highlights. I also thought this would give me the perfect opportunity to thank everyone who has been involved with my work this year. Including bands, promoters, managers, magazine editors, bloggers, and creators of events such as Artfusion and Exposure. I have had an incredible time, and I have met some of the most amazing people this year. Truly inspiring.
I feel like I may be getting a little sentimental...so I'll move onto the video.
I hope you all enjoy it!
Thanks.

Nicola Sharkey Photography, 2010 from Nicola Sharkey Photography on Vimeo.

Nicola
x

p.s if you go to www.vimeo.com/nicolasharkeyphotography you can also view my 2008/09 photography video!

The Agitator, Glasgow, Live Photos.

Last night, The Agitator were back in Scotland again, this time at Glasgow's Captain's Rest (one of my favourite venues!) and their drummer Robert, put me on guestlist for the photos I had taken of them back in October, so I went along to see them play. They are seriously one of my favourite new bands at the moment so I couldn't resist taking another set of photographs. I really enjoyed their set, and so did everyone else in the crowd. Go check them out on the rest of their tour, Manchester tonight, finishing with a couple of London gigs.
Onto the photos.

I thought I would also add in a photo below of Robert from The Agitator with me, when I met him at the gig.

Nicola. x

Wishing It Was Summer

I've been editing some photos from Summer lately (photos that should have been edited a long time ago, yes) but it really makes me miss the good weather, music, clothes, and friends that I don't really see anymore. I guess some things have changed since summer and I do kind of miss it, but gotta move on right!
Anyway, I just wanted to post some of my favourite photos I have taken during that time, because I only just realised I never posted them when I should have!
Hope you like them.

Nicola x

Nylon Magazine

Hi everyone,
Another quick update, but a lovely one indeed. Nylon Magazine, featured a photograph of me on their Street Style Photo section yesterday (view it below). Pretty amazing! I was actually reading an interview of Summer Camp on their website, just before I realised. I can't even explain how little things like this make me incredibly happy at the moment. I received two massive compliments about my Photography yesterday, from a venue and someone I don't even know, and they were both extremely encouraging! One of the main reasons I keep doing Music Photography!

Nylon Magazine, view direct link here, http://www.nylonmag.com/albumslideshow.php?albid=498&phoid=12868&phoindex=7

Nicola. x

Press Update.

Just another quick press update (or rather a really late press update!). A little while back, a Scottish Music website called The Daily Dose, featured 5 of my favourite photographs that I have previously taken, with a piece on why I chose each photo. You can have a look at it over on their website http://www.thedailydose.co.uk, or check it out below.

Callum is also advertising my website over on his website, which has been great! Check out his page at http://www.jedeteste.net and become a member of his message board!

Anyway, that's all for now. Hopefully I'll have more to update soon.
Nicola x

Dry The River, Dundee, Live Photos.

Dry The River, an 'alt-folk' band from London, were playing yet another gig in Dundee. Again, it was at Duke's Corner (they previously played there supporting Johnny Flynn), and I went along last night to see them. I really love the venue and the setting, even when it was originally The Doghouse it was always one of my favourite places to see a band. I think it's maybe even ten times more gorgeous now, but I do kind of miss their huge leather seats, and the Jack Daniel's rocking chair, haha, oh well.
Dry The River's set itself was amazing, great band to take photographs of, and an all around awesome act (illiteration!) my favourite song has to be 'History Book', it's lovely!
Any comments on the photos, again always welcome.
I also keep forgetting to add at the end of every blog, all full sets of photographs can be found on my Myspace, check the right 'Links' section.

Until next time...
Nicola x

The Agitator, Edinburgh, Live Photos.

Next band I photographed in Edinburgh, are called The Agitator. They are from Brighton, England, and their Drummer, Robert Dylan Thomas, was previously in The Maccabees, amazing right?! Anyone from Brighton wins my heart anyway, haha, but I have been waiting for this band to come to Scotland for a little while now, and the weird thing is I didn't even know they had some gigs planned here already! The second day I was in Edinburgh I felt like browsing the gig listings for the 16th, and somehow I came across The Agitator's gig for that exact night, they were supporting Jim Jones Revue (who by the way, are absolutely lovely people), and as you can probably tell already I went along to the gig. It was at the Electric Circus, in Edinburgh, a really nice (and I think) relatively new venue. The lighting was super crazy but I think it actually adds to the photos.
Let me know what you think.
That's all the gig photos from Edinburgh now. I don't have anymore shoots planned at the moment, but I have a feeling there's going to be something pretty special soon. We'll just have to wait and see.
Keep watching.........
Nicola x

Quiver And The Lady Snatchers, Edinburgh, Live Photos.

First night in Edinburgh, Friday 15th, I went to see a local band from Arbroath/Dundee called Quiver & The Lady Snatchers. They were playing at The Banshee Labyrinth, a haunted underground vault, which was as completely amazing as it sounds, and is literally a place you can easily get lost in if you don't know where you're going (as one has experienced!)
As I was travelling through from Dundee that night, I only managed to catch half of the bands set but that wasn't too bad as I've seen them play well over 10 times already, but from what I did see it was an ace set once again, and the place was packed! If anyone from Edinburgh is reading, I believe the band are going to be playing in Whistlebinkies in November, so make sure to catch them if you're around. If you're from Dundee, they're playing an awesome line-up at Dexters on Halloween!!
Nicola. x

An Edinburgh life.

The next few blog posts are going to be about Edinburgh. I've been staying there this past weekend, and oh my...it's been absolutely amazing! I think I may have to re-think what my plans are for the future! Anyway, I'm going to be uploading two sets of gig photos, so keep checking back for those posts! At the moment, I thought I would upload some of my non-music related pictures, and write up a little bit about what I got upto the rest of the time that I've been in Edinburgh.
I finally got to check out Greyfriar's Cemetery, which is near Cowgate, and is home to the famous Greyfriar's Bobby, the Mackenzie Mausoleum and Poltergeist. Yeah, believe it or not, I actually stood outside the Mackenzie Mausoleum even after watching the Ghost Adventures Edinburgh episode many times, haha. That's the photo above of the Mausoleum, and me standing outside it. The night before I was also in one of the haunted underground vaults for a live gig! It was amazing! (More about that in the next post though.)
As you could probably guess I did my fair bit of shopping aswell, and I spent way too much money on make-up! Being neglected from Mac Cosmetics back in Dundee, I managed to find one in Edinburgh hidden away in Harvey Nichols, so I was a bit overly excited that I even had to go back the next day to buy another lipstick...yes, I am quite addicted. Atleast it's a little bit cheaper than my Chanel obsession, haha.
Even though it was only a Travelodge hotel I was staying in, I had the most beautiful view over Edinburgh, there was a gorgeous Church, and several little typical 'burgh flats right outside my window! It was perfect.
Gig photos in the next post!
Nicola x

Illustration by Liam McMahon

Liam McMahon, an Illustrator from London, recently drew a photograph of me, I've attached it below, with the original photograph underneath. It looks awesome doesn't it?! The detail on the jacket is amazing and the leopard print!!...Absolutely love it!

Original below:
Check out Liam McMahon's Portfolio, his website is http://www.liam-mcmahon.com
Nicola x
P.S. I think I will have some more live photos up soon, next weekend maybe.

Dundee Westfest Calendar.

A few months back I entered into a photography competition, for Dundee Westfest. I saw the advert in Urban Print back in June, whilst I was getting posters printed off for an exhibition. Westfest were looking for 13 photographs of the West End of Dundee, to incorporate into a Calendar, to help fund their 2011 festival. Luckily enough the 2 photographs I entered won!
It was the Launch of the Calendar on Saturday, and several of the people who also won came along, and recieved copies of the Calendar, with a presentation by Liz. It took place at their own shop on Perth Road, which is a lovely little place that exhibits local independent artists work, well worth a look. The Photographer who judged the competition came along to take photographs of us all outside (which yeah was as embarrassing as it sounds, haha.)
I would recommend buying one of these lovely calendars if you have £4.99 to spare, you can pick up one from the shop itself. It features some gorgeous photography of the westend of Dundee, and would be a great christmas gift!

Onto the photos. I'll start off with the Calendar itself.

• Front page.
  

  

• March, with my street photograph far left (the darker photo). Alongside, September, with my Highland Cow photograph, far right.
  

  

And below a photograph of us all outside the shop, which isn't taken by the photographer who judged the competition, but once I get those photos I'll put them up aswell.
(Me far left, with my September page)
That's all for now, but hopefully I'll have more news soon. I know there's a few bits and pieces coming up so keep a watch out. I'm also finally getting around to finishing my website! It's going to look really amazing when it's done.
Nicola x

Make Sparks, Aberdeen, Live Photos.

Hey everyone,
Last night, I went to Tunnels, in Aberdeen, to take live photos of Make Sparks! Told you I would have something pretty awesome planned right?
Make Sparks are one of the most talented young acts in Scotland at the moment. They currently have two E.P's, so be sure to buy them via the band or online, it's totally worth it.
Onto the show itself...I only managed to catch Make Sparks set if anyone was wondering...but as usual they played an amazing set, and 'Rewind' is still my favourite, but I also do love their Eminem cover.
For the lighting, really, it was typical Tunnels standard, nothing brilliant, and it's definitely not the easiest for a Photographer when you are trying to capture a band, especially when they decide to have an 'alien blue' colour reflected onto the group, but I think I managed to save the photos in the end. I do like a good challenge anyway, what's the point of doing Photography if everything's going to be plain sailing everytime? It's all about learning your strengths and weaknesses.

Anyway, the whole set of photos are online at my Myspace account, please check the links box at the right, and have a look at all of the pictures. Any feedback, good or bad, is welcome. I'd love to know what you think.
Thanks,
Nicola. x

Rock Talk!

Another little bit of press, a piece I have written which is featured in Courier Newspaper's Rock Talk. This time for the 'Love Music Hate Racism' Festival that's going on at Dukes Corner, in Dundee, on Sunday. The piece is mainly about Beautiful By Design and involves a little bit of an old interview with them. Check it out below, if you want to have a read.


And as it says, the festival starts at 1pm, with many other great local acts involved, it's also free entry, so get yourself down to Dukes Corner, it should be a good one. There's also an after party at Soul Nightclub if anyone's interested. Next week I'm off to take some live music photos up in Aberdeen, so be prepared for a major photo update. This band are going to be HUGE very soon, and I've wanted to photograph them since last year!
Can't wait!
Nicola x

N.E.E.T Magazine

Browsing through one of my favourite blogs this morning, I noticed a link to the new N.E.E.T Magazine, September Issue. After looking through some pages, I ended up stumbling across my own face on the Global Fashion page! Slightly scary but totally awesome at the same time, haha.
Check it out for yourselves below, my photo is first in the top row.
If anyone has not heard of N.E.E.T Magazine before, it features new and unique independent artists, and many more. It's such a lovely produced magazine, have a look at it, over at http://www.neetmagazine.com/

I also just wanted to add that I'm sorry my blogs aren't that long lately! I just realised when I looked back at a couple of my first posts I really used to go into some depth. Next time when I post new photographs of a shoot, I will make sure to go into a lot more detail about it!
Thanks.
Nicola x

AdoreVintage.com

I guess this post isn't in any relation to my photography, but it is in relation to me, and probably a good thing as you'll all get to see who is behind the camera for once?! Haha.

I was browsing the internet a few weeks ago and came across my photograph on AdoreVintage.com's 'Inspiring outfits of the Week'. How awesome is that? I also quite like their little comment about what I'm wearing, so nice!
Check it out below (My picture is top right in the first row), or go to http://www.adorevintage.com
Nicola x

Photography Competitions!

I'll start off with the exciting news! A couple of weeks ago, I received a lovely email telling me I had won a Dundee Photography Competition I had entered at the start of July. They really liked both of my photographs I had entered and are going to use them.....I'm not going to reveal what for yet, because I want it to be a surprise!
But I can say, it's gonna be totally awesome, ahh! I can't wait. There's also going to be a launch night for this, I'm not exactly sure who can all go along to the event yet but when I find out more information I'll post it here for you all.

Onto press now! Once again, Courier Newspaper chose my photograph for one of the best in Week 17 in their Photography Competition.
Check it out below!Considering I have only posted one blog in August, and it consisted of only a link to Facebook, I felt like adding in a cheeky photograph of my adventures when I'm not taking music photos. It's cute. Haha!Ta ta for now, and I'm sure more awesome news and photographs soon!
Nicola x