Billy Talent, 02 ABC Glasgow, Live Photos.

Hey everyone, a couple of weeks ago I photographed Billy Talent at one of their shows again, this time around it was at their 02 ABC Glasgow gig. The show was actually a part of the Rock Sound Riot Tour 2012, so I think Don Broco and Awolnation were both supporting, but by the time I arrived in Glasgow I only managed to catch Awolnation's set before Billy Talent came on.
I brought my new kit with me so it was actually the first time I had used this newer setup for photographing a gig, and even though I had already tested out the settings on a couple of location shoots, I was still a little bit worried of how it would work out especially when I'm so used to my old kit, however I had tried out all of the possible settings well before the show and luckily everything worked out fine!

So onto photo pit time, photographer's were offered the opportunity of shooting with flash for Billy Talent's set, which is completely amazing and not something that often happens at gigs and as many photographer's know it's always good to be able to use flash as a back-up plan. However, consequently in the end I didn't even need to use it, so it was all good either way. After the three songs I photographed were over, I watched Billy Talent's whole set and it was absolutely amazing! They put on a hell of an awesome show, and I encourage anyone who has the opportunity to see these guys to go and check them out. It was without a doubt, one of the best concerts I have seen for a long time. If anyone would like to view the entire photo set of the show then go over to my Flickr page, www.flickr.com/photos/nicolasharkeyphotography
Thanks to Dara for the photo pass for this gig!

Nicola. x

Road To Nowhere.

Hey everyone, It's another one of those super quick blog posts...well in comparison to my last couple of entries anyway. If anyone has been following my Twitter page, you'll all know that I have been trying to sell one of my camera kits, and in exchange with the money I have bought some new gear which I am really excited about...so I went on another little adventure as I normally do whenever I buy new pieces for my kit, and I specifically chose a non-significant area to test the ability, and I'm really happy with the outcome! Can't wait to shoot with this setup more! Stay tuned...

Nicola. x

Autumn Leaves In Glasgow.

Hey everyone, So I'm back with part 2 of the Glasgow photos from my weekend away. These shots are from the daytime and all combined from over the few days I was there. I decided to go to the Templeton factory late in the afternoon of the first day I arrived. The building was originally built in the 1890's and was designed by one of my favourite architects...as you can see it looks pretty amazing and apparently the Doge's Palace in Venice was part of the inspiration!

When I was leaving Glasgow on the last day, I decided to re-visit the Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery at the University. Back in 2005 I went with my art class, so it was really good to check it out again. I also wanted to go to the Mackintosh House, but it was queue only for the guided tour so I decided to go over to the Museum instead which is in the other part of the University across the road.

Both the Museum and University are literally astounding for photos and definitely a photographer's dream! I didn't take any photos inside the Museum but I did take some shots of the grounds outside because it looked gorgeous in the autumn, aswell as some quick photos of the stairway that leads to the Hunterian Museum which you can see nearer the end of this post. The cloisters are my favourite part about the Universities architecture, it reminds me of the Harry Potter films for some reason, now that I think of it...I guess even the stairway to the Museum could look like the moving staircase scene aswell, all we need now are some talking paintings...

Anyway that happens to be all of my photos from my stay in Glasgow, I hope you all enjoyed looking  through them. I had an absolutely amazing time and I wish I could go back again, the holiday apartment that I stayed in, which was in the centre of Glasgow was literally (as Chandler Bing would say) perfection!
I've also just received some new photography gear so I will definitely be taking more photos soon, in the mean time make sure to follow my Twitter page for lots more updates, www.twitter.com/NicolaSharkey
Nicola. x

Glasgow In The Night...

Hey everyone, the next few blog posts are going to be a series of photos from the weekend of 13th October. I stayed in Glasgow in a holiday apartment for a few days as part of an early celebration for my 21st birthday (the actual date is away in December but I decided to go in Autumn as I love that time of the year...and it also coincided with the Young Guns gig that I was photographing on the 14th). So I managed to fit in lots of must-see things that I had planned out for the few days I was staying there...who knew there was so much to do in Glasgow! Aside from the obvious shopping, going out at night and gigs, I am a total architecture fanatic and I wanted to check out some of my favourite spots for photos, some of which you are probably already looking at right now.

The first place on my list was a little lane in the West end of Glasgow called Ashton Lane, if anyone remembers last year in September I went there to photograph Kai Fish at his gig at the Brel Bar. I decided to go back and take some photos of the lane itself as it looks so amazing, especially at night which is when we went, plus they have lots of good bars, restaurants and an adorable little 1920's-esque cinema.

The picture below is actually where the gigs at Brel Bar take place, it's at the back of the bar in a conservatory area and the space is apparently an 80 capacity, I'm not sure about that though as it looks very tiny once inside and especially with the chairs in rows instead of the table area for meals. Anyway, the left side is actually where the stage is set up and it's so beautiful, the whole look of the gig area has a French vibe, even though I believe the place is actually a Belgian bar/restaurant.

So we left Ashton Lane, and on our way 'home' to the holiday apartment after getting totally lost in the west end, I photographed some awesome spots in the centre of Glasgow which were literally on our doorstep. First up is the GoMA which is the Gallery of Modern Art, I never actually had time to check this out inside but got some lovely photos of its exterior at night, next time I visit Glasgow I will go there for sure.

Then I noticed how gorgeous the City Chambers looked at night which is across the road from the GoMA, so obviously it was my next place to photograph, I believe it was built in the 1880's! Look at how beautiful it is...the black and white photo below shows exactly how much detail went into the building, the sculptures are actually protected with a metal wire which is why the picture looks a little grainy, and slightly newspaper-esque.

Anyway, that's all for now, stay tuned for the next post which will include daytime photos.
Nicola. x

Young Guns, 02 ABC Glasgow, Live Photos.

Hey everyone,
A couple of weekends ago I went along to photograph Young Guns at their Vans 'Off The Wall' tour show at the 02 ABC in Glasgow. This time the review is going to be compiled as a photoreview for Is This Music, which is basically centered around the photos with a quick few words about the bands set, so it will look a little different to my normal live reviews. If you want to check it out, it will be online soon at, http://www.isthismusic.com
Otherwise if you want a quick lowdown about the gig read on now...I arrived at the venue later on so I was roughly there about the time We Are The In Crowd were starting and I watched their full set and it was pretty good, which is surprising because I used to think they were way too similar to Paramore but I quite enjoyed their set. So when I went to photograph Young Guns, around their second song crowdsurfers were going crazy so the security told us to leave the pit and I missed the third song to photograph but luckily I managed to get enough shots in the first two. I then stayed afterwards and watched Young Guns entire set and I was really impressed, they are amazing live! If you get the chance to see them then I advise you to GO! I would definitely go back and see them again!
If anyone is interested in looking at the whole photo set, all shots are on my Flickr page at, http://www.flickr.com/photos/nicolasharkeyphotography

Nicola. x

Fearless Vampire Killers, King Tuts Glasgow, Live Photos.

Hey everyone,
Another super quick blog post with a few photos of Fearless Vampire Killers, at their headline King Tuts show in Glasgow for the Rock n' Roll Damnation Fest. Once again, as well as photographing the gig, I also reviewed the band's set for Is This Music Magazine, so if you want to check it out the link is, http://www.isthismusic.com/fearless-vampire-killers
Not sure if anyone has noticed yet, but I have new lens!! I tried it for the first time at the Billy Talent gig and also this one, and I really like it. It takes much sharper photos, and definitely looks a lot more wide-angle than all of my previous super close shots, which is always a plus as it's incredibly hard trying to focus on band members with a close lens...try it, then you'll know what I'm talking about. Sadly I never managed to get any photos of FVK's drummer this time around, but it was literally impossible with the amount of smoke that was constantly taking over the stage! King Tuts...get it sorted, and add some lighting on the front too :)
Anyway, hope you all enjoy the photos, and there's a few more on my Flickr account aswell, http://www.flickr.com/photos/nicolasharkeyphotography
Nicola. x

Billy Talent, The Liquid Room Edinburgh, Live Photos.

Hey everyone,
It's time for another one of those quick blog posts!
I had the amazing opportunity of photographing one of my favourite bands again a few weeks ago, and this time around it was Billy Talent! The show was at The Liquid Room in Edinburgh, which is such a lovely little intimate venue! Once again, as well as photographing the gig, I also reviewed the band's performance so if you want to check that out, go over to Is This Music's website for more info... http://www.isthismusic.com/billy-talent-2


...as you can probably tell, the lighting was absolutely amazing, a photographer's dream. It's ashame that
all gigs don't have such good lighting as it would definitely make editing photos a much easier task.
Anyway, I hope you all enjoy looking at the photos and reading the review!
There will be another post soon for a gig I photographed a few days after the Billy Talent show, so as you could imagine, I have been fairly busy with the both and everything else in everyday life, but they will be online soon, so keep watching :) and if you want to have a look at the rest of the Billy Talent photos, go to my Flickr page at, http://www.flickr.com/photos/nicolasharkeyphotography

Nicola. x