Philip Mynott Photographer

                                                                                                                           Now starting to see the results of the wildflower garden I set out and planted in Autumn ‘07. A variety of insects have been attracted, making it easy for me to pop out the back door with the camera. Hopefully, over time, I shall be able to get better photos as I start to understand their habits. 

                            Peterborough gymnast Louis Smith, 19, bagged a bronze yesterday at the Beijing games. I had the privilege to photograph him in action on the pommel horse prior to his trip to China for Living Sport. Among other Olympians I have photographed and spoken to are Daley Thompson,  Sally Gunnell, Seb Coe, Steve Ovett, Fatima Whitbread, Linford Christie, Chris Boardman and Victoria Pendleton. The one characteristic they all appear to quietly radiate is a strong self-belief and confidence.

                    If the smiles I caught on camera - whilst waiting for 150 people to come out of an awards presentation for a group photo - are anything to go by, these porters at the recently re-named Murray Edwards College may have the best jobs in Cambridge - after mine of course!

  I have just got back from a weekend with friends, and my camera, in Sussex where the downpour failed to dampen the carnival atmosphere of the Gay Pride parade.      

             Focused my camera in the direction of Peter Dawe, founder of the UK’s first commercial internet provider and 60 other enterprises, who can now add  ”author in print” to his never-ending CV with ‘The New Noah - A climate change survival guide’. Mr Dawe has also launched a company to build a barrier across The Wash to generate electricity.

                    I took this portrait of Dr Joseph L Goldstein, Nobel Laureate, during his visit to Cambridge to open The Institute of Metabolic Science.  Dr Goldstein kindly agreed to pose for me during his whsitle-stop tour of the research labs.

                    I made a pilgrimage to the UK shrine to Nikon equipment, Grays of  Westminster, earlier this week to pick up two spanking brand new D3 bodies. The D3 is, without doubt,  the king of digital SLR cameras, enjoying rave reviews in the photographic press and on photographic forums. D3 image quality is mind-blowing,  the colour tones exceed anything I have ever seen before in my 26 years, from either film or digital. The images are also noise-free, making it a great workhorse for assignments where low light is the norm ie. conferences and subtle portraiture. Nikon have really upped the ante on quality in imaging with the D3 - any SLR-using professional who refuses to invest in one is failing their clients by not providing the best quality of imaging available today. Having spent the last six months looking for a new camera supplier who was able to provide a proper service with the expertise to back it up, trading with Grays has been a great experience on all fronts.  It is the only place worth visiting in the UK if you are serious about your Nikon photographic equipment. The building in which Grays is housed was one-time shop for Winston Churchill’s barber. Today the staff and service at Grays are still a cut above the rest.

                                            For the last few weeks I have been very busy working on various projects for a cross-section of clients. Due to NDA  (Non Disclosure agreements), because of the sensitive nature of the subjects involved, I need to get consent from each of the clients before I can enlighten you further. One assignment I undertook - which I can mention - was a special garden party for a person who has cancer (which may be terminal).  It was organised as a celebration for friends and work mates. I had a great responsibility on my shoulders that day to ensure my client had the best possible photography possible. On a lighter note, I returned back to base to find a very official-looking package from an American-based law firm. ‘Crikey’, I worried. Who have I annoyed this time? It was a copy of the Louisiana Bar Journal, which had my photos of the Bar’s new president reproduced on the front cover and on some inside pages. I photographed Elizabeth Foote with her family, who came to Cambridge for the photo session. Husband Ross Foote took - and kindly emailed me! - some photos of myself working during the assignment, one of which is reproduced below. 

                          It’s been a few weeks since I last blogged, due to a great holiday cycling up and down the mountains and around the lakes of Austria. The three- hour delay on the return flight provided an extra bonus of a great photo opp. at 38,000 ft above sea level, whilst travelling at 480mph. The sky above East Anglia looked fantastic, with the ’setting’ sun sandwiched between a thin layer of cloud and a mass body of rain cloud below providing a dramatic shot, albeit on my compact. I always like a window seat near a wing as the curves of  a wing and jet add some foreground scale and interest, leading the eye in to the depth beyond in what would otherwise just be a flat sky shot.

                        My crossing of the Fort St George footbridge with camera hanging by my side was well-timed as I was able to catch the ladies of New Hall College third boat celebrating ‘winning their oars’  in the May Week bumps (Don’t ask … I know it’s June - this is Cambridge!) as tradition dictates by throwing the cox into the Cam. Had my camera been in my bag and not on my shoulder, I suspect I would have missed it.