Tony Whitmore's Blog (via Mowser)

A man, a cupcake, a photobooth

February 11th, 2012 by Tony

“You have to have your photograph taken in the photobooth, so it can go in the album.” Those were the instructions from Abi and Lisa, the two lovely ladies behind Marry Me in Somerset. The website’s first birthday was this week and to celebrate they organised a tweetup at The Manor near Taunton, a splendid 13th Century Grade II* listed building.

Although quite a way from home I decided to go along and I’m so glad I did. Everyone was very welcoming and I got a fascinating history of the house from Fiona, one of the owners. I can’t wait to go back and see it in the daylight – it was a bit too dark to see the acres of formal gardens! The rooms were fantastic and each with their own character. Food was laid on by Le Frog, and there was a great deal of chatter. Normally a bit reticent in crowds of strangers, I threw myself into the occasion and met a load of awesome people as a result. A massive thank you to Abi and Lisa for organising the event, and please invite me to the next one!

And the cupcake? The good people at CakeÂ Couture Bristol provided special “Marry Me” cupcakes for the evening. I had one in my hand when I went into the photobooth. I think I exhausted my range of facial expressions but it seemed to go down well.

Thanks to the party photo booth people for the print out.

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Ubuntu Podcast, Season 5

February 4th, 2012 by Tony

We’re going out for the Planning Curry for season five of the Ubuntu PodcastÂ this week.Â Over the years, it has become a tradition for all the presenters to go out for a curry before the start of the season. It’s a time to catch up in person, as we haven’t seen much of each other since the end of the last season. But it’s also a chance to discuss any changes we want to make to the show and throw ideas for new segments around. So, if there’s anything you’d like to see in the new season, whether it’s an idea for a segment or a change to something we already do, please let us know. You can leave a comment on this blog post or get in touch using any of the methods on the show website. Thanks!

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1 Comment / Posted in FLOSS, Media, Ubuntu

Amy and Andrew: Behind the scenes

January 28th, 2012 by Tony

I met Emma from Emma Lappin Flowers last summer, when I was asked to photograph a wedding to help with the launch of their new blog, Postcards from the Potting Shed. The good news is that the site is now well and truly up and running. Emma included lots of my photographs in her recent twelve days of Christmas series of posts, which was amazing to see. I’ve carried on working with Emma, producing behind the scenes photographs and video of two more weddings. Emma has been incredibly supportive, giving me these opportunities to photograph her and her team at work, and I’m very grateful. This weekend Emma e-mailed me with some very exciting news that I can’t wait to share.

Anyway, back to last summer. I met up with Emma and Amy at Lainston House Hotel near Winchester, a superbly impressive venue and a beautiful English country hotel. I could have shot there all day, there were so many little gardens, lawns, walls and even a crumbling old chapel just perfect for beautiful wedding photos. The wedding itself was stunningly decorated and we even got to see the bridal party before they left for the church. You can read more about this wedding on myÂ wedding photographyÂ site.

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Big Blue Box

January 21st, 2012 by Tony

Last Saturday I went to a Doctor Who convention. Called “Big Blue Box”, it was held in support of Compaid. It was the first one I’d been to in fourteen years, so I was slightly apprehensive about whether it would be very different from those I’d attended in my youth. Happily it wasÂ a relatively small event, with only 100 or so people in attendance. That meant there was good access to the guests, with plenty of time to chat. Along with the usual discussion panels (with guests from AudioGo, Big Finish and Doctor Who Magazine) there was also a chance to see Cleaning Up, the brilliant short film from theÂ Guerrier Brothers starring Mark Gatiss and Louise Jameson. John Leeson, the voice of K9, and Colin Baker were also at the event. Colin was there with a camera crew from Channel 4, recording a show that involved him trying to sell merchandise to us all day, albeit in a good cause. I also got to meet James and Ian from The Doctor Who Podcast, who turned out to be very pleasant fellows. The day was rounded off with a performance of Louise’s show, Pulling Faces, which is on tour now and well worth seeing.

I know that organising events like this takes a lot of work, so thank you to all those involved. The venue was great, if a little cold, and really got into the spirit of the event with a special menu for the day. The best part of the day for me? I got to have a new photograph taken with Louise Jameson.

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Vicky McClure – the next Doctor?

January 14th, 2012 by Tony

I hope that Matt Smith carries on playing the Doctor for a long time, I really enjoy his portrayal. But when he moves on, as he eventually will, I’d like to make my suggestion as to who should replace him in the role. I think Vicky McClure would make a great Doctor. You may well have seen her brilliant performances in “This is England” where she demonstrated a huge emotional depth. She’d do a great job of delivering the range required by the character of the Doctor and looked powerful striding around in a big coat and boots in “This is England 86″.

I’ve even created a Facebook group to that effect which you can join if you think that I’m not totally talking out of my hat.Â http://www.facebook.com/groups/188805587884093/

Photo by National Media Museum on Flickr under Creative Commons by-nc-nd 2.0.

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