thelifeofthefuneral

As we're halfway through the year (roughly), now felt a good time to share a few images I have created this year.  unfortunately, I am a perfectionist, so I may shoot 100 photos and come out with one that "feels" right to me.  Thank God for massive memory cards!  All images shot on my Canon 70D using either the 24mm f2.8 Pancake Lens or Sigma 10-20mm f/3.5 Wide-Angle Lens. If you would like to purchase, you can contact me through the blog or directly at my EyeEm page here

So the big news this week is that I have finally decided to launch an online mixing service. Having trained as an Audio Engineer, had years of live experience, as well as producing talents and song writing ability, the time is right for me to apply these skills I have earned to a new business venture. So if you want to follow what I get up to, head over to Instagram and follow  @raptor_audio I will be offering bespoke mixing and editing services to musicians and bands looking to make their songs stand out on streaming services.

About 3 weeks ago I started Yoga.   This was after toying with the idea for...about 7 years! I could never find a class near me, at a time that worked and I must admit, my own masculinity stopped me a lot of the time.  I saw it as girly.  Why do I need Yoga? Men bench press, that's all we need right? No.  There are a lot of types of strength and Yoga is its own category.  I have been lifting weights seriously for around 5 years - not that it shows! However my personal bests (so I can show off a little bit): 60kg EZ Curl  100kg Bench / 80kg Working Weight Body Weight Shoulder Press (Machine) 180kg Deadlift 300kg Leg Press That last one resulted in my nearest brush with passing out while lifting. So I thought I would attend a local Yoga class and breeze through.  Nope.  Not happening.  This is a different kind of strength, mostly in the mind.  Brute-force and a level of stupidity will get you far lifting weig...

I play in a band called Counties. You won't have heard of us, much to my eternal disappointment but I am working to change that! If you do want to listen to our musical efforts: Bandcamp Right, shameless self-promotion out of the way I wrote this after my bandmate, Lloyd, wrote on his blog Music is something I have done for 15 years now. It's in my blood.  I studied Audio Engineering, I record my own music at home, I invest in equipment where I can (by "invest", I mean "purchase with no intent to ever sell it"!), and I have worked in the music industry for the last 8 years or so. Being in a band is maddening...Playing a show is amazing.  Even to a handful of people.  And you can't do it every night.  That is whats maddening, because you want to.  You want to show the world how you and your brothers can fucking slay given the chance, how you have something to offer the world outside of a 9-5 existence.  But the world doesn't want that. ...