Pollys Photo Blog

Friday 17th of September was an exciting day at my studio. A large lorry arrived carrying five pallets full of boxes. A small crowd had gathered of designers editors and chefs as I opened the first box and took the first glimpse and feel of our book ‘Baldwins The First Thirty Years’ .

Paul Cocker of RMC publishing helped me unveil the book in all it’s glory. We worked really hard on the design of the book so were obviously nervous  for it to meet the expectations of our clients and authors, David and Pauline Baldwin (my parents) who are perfectionists when it comes to their business. 18 months in the making I’ve been attached to both the pen and camera and my dad’s side while we traveled Europe gathering information and some fantastic images to illustrate their story. Finally August was a very difficult month in the studio for Paul and I, putting it all together getting it to feel and look just right.

The project has been oar-consuming trying to realize our dream, a book that illustrates a vibrant and versatile business. The restaurant is well-known within the trade and the north as one of  the best banqueting restaurants in the UK so as you can imagine the pressure was quite intense on delivery day.  I was anxious not to let them down.

We are all very pleased with the book the authors are happy with the all so important feel and appearance and it remains to be seen what the critics make of it. The guests at the launch were all impressed, I hope it was appreciation for the book and not just the free-flowing wine. The chat on face book and the local press is positive and the varied recipes that take you on a culinary journey over 5 decades are proofing popular so…. How do you get your hands on this  coffee table cook book so you can improve your catering and wine knowledge as well as cook up a fabulous dinner party I here you ask?

All good book stores are stocking it but why not get a copy signed by the man himself and go direct to the restaurant call Sam at Baldwins on 00441142551818 to purchase a copy.

Why not let me know what you think.

I guess I should apologise to all of you regular readers for not publishing a blog for June July and August. The truth of the matter is I have packed so much into these months that each time I sat down to write the blog I couldn’t decide what to tell you all about so I wrote nothing which is ridiculous. I am sorry to all of you who have been nagging me on face book and emailing asking for an update here it is……

Favourite shoot from June – Rioja,

Rioja in June

I was very lucky in June to spend three days in Rioja photographing and writing for my parents’ restaurant book that will be published this September. It was my first trip to Rioja but certainly will not be the last the quality of light was truly awesome my only regret was our hectic schedule did not allow ample time for evening or early morning shoots. We had a personal tour of Bodega Muga which was the absolute highlight of the trip. You can read a little section of the book all about Muga here. This is my favourite shot looking across the vines of Faustino after a rather fine early morning wine tasting it’s amazing I managed to get my exposure correct I’d drank so much!!!

July

Studio Pet Portraits

Weddings came think and fast in July and August as usual and I’d like to send my warmest congratulations to all my Brides and grooms, we have had some fun days together all very different and unique. I also opened the new studio which has been in full swing since July and my favourite shoot has to be Belle the Chocolate Lab….. I so wish I could have kept her but I sadly returned her to her owners after a funny afternoon in the studio.

August

'an unexpected shower'

Matt and Cassie’s wedding we got caught in the rain at the botanical gardens so had to make the best of a tricky situation but I got two of the best cracking shots that capture the personality of the couple and the day…. Loved the day it was really a lot of fun, Thanks to the optimism of the beautiful bride and her new husband.

I am guilty this year of trying to fit too much into one year the first cookbook I’ve been working on is launched on September 21^st and I am heading to India for 13 weeks on 26^th, volunteering for Raleigh and after the training weekend we just had I can’t wait to report on all the brilliant projects we will be working on not to mention the incredible opportunity to make some amazing work, I hope I can live up to expectations!!! Watch this space to find out.

Sarah and Castle coming home... clear!

May has flown by in a haze, it must be all the paint fumes I have been taking in while painting my new UK Studio in Brincliffe, Sheffield. It has taken all month to turn the disused loft space into to a presentable and usable studio but we are nearly there. I have finally moved in, although the signs and samples for the walls don’t arrive until the end of June. I am really pleased with the space. It is already proving to be a great place for my clients to visit to see their images, or just to discuss their requirements. I have my first studio portrait clients booked in for June and the lighting set up for products is already a hit with my commercial customers.

I’ve gone all equine this May. Photographing horses has always been a passion of mine.

warming up 'money counter' for the show jumping

The highlight was two days photographing Matthew Hinckley’s eventers, ridden by a good friend, Sarah Healy, at Chatsworth International Horse Trials. Two clear rounds on one horse and just one fence down in the show jumping for the other, not bad for his first novice event. Here are a couple of my favorite shots. During the eventing season I work privately for owners and riders taking photographs behind the scenes ‘capturing their experience’. I produce slide shows and coffee table albums for the sponsors and owners so that they can experience all the atmosphere they so often miss out on. If you want to know more about this service you can contact me at www.dynamicpictures.co.uk. You can view the rest of the days images here you might even spot yourself if you were there.

get up, manny!!!

I have been doing some publishing work as well. My early morning visit to the local fish market was such a giggle and the freshness of the fish was unreal absolutely no smell at all!! The fish had come in fresh from Grimsby that morning.

agressive!!

I had a small incident with an over aggressive lobster he wriggled so much as we took him out of his tank that he soaked me wet through, I guess he thought I was going to eat him. The large sign saying do not handle the live lobsters should have given me a clue I might cause an incident. When he finally calmed down he made a very good model and I put him back in the tank to be eaten at a later date.

I hope to have some photographs of the new studio for next months blog, as well as news on some new products. I have a trip to the vin yards of Northern Spain planned too, so check out next months blog to hear all about it.

Enjoy the sunshine if we get any!!

Polly

The Mill, Bozel

From reading my last three blog posts about our epic Val to Val trip you may be forgiven for thinking that all my time in  April was taken up with training. Fortunately for my bank balance this was not the case.
As usual April was my busiest month of the winter season. The weather is always more favorable and chalet companies know their plans for the following season and are thinking about next years promotional images. This always makes me really busy, I had several lifestyle on the piste photo shoots over the Easter holidays and several chalet shoots. I made a development to my services with virtual tour movies for chalet websites, which have proved popular  for both the rental and selling property markets. I hope to develop this side of the business further.

The Girls

This is one of my favorite family shots. It came from the Sandersons home shoot and I am looking forward to more of the mother and baby shoots I have scheduled in May.

Ben and Erica

May is the beginning of my wedding season and I can’t wait to catch up with all of my bride and grooms. I had a lovely morning in Bozel, France, with Ben and Erica. Here is my favorite shot from their pre wedding shoot. They as always were a pleasure and I look forward to photographing their wedding in France later in the summer.

Joseph Drouhin Cellars

The last of Drouhin's 1991 Clos des Mouches

Of course the Val to Val trip was my best and worse experience of the month however a very close second best is a few days I spent in Beaune at the end of the month at Joseph Drouhin, Chanson and my favorite boutique Vin Yard. Amongst the hard work we had access to Cellars not usually shown to the public. We tasted some delicious wines and learned a lot about the love and care taken over the vines to achieve perfection. I am writing an article about this trip and I will post it on the blog once it’s been published.

It’s always chaotic at the end of the season moving from France to the UK I am pleased that the opening of my studio in June will see an end to some of the chaos and will make it easier for me to work in both countries at any time of the year. Have a fantastic May!!
Kind Regards
Polly

Polly and Suzz, reach the top of the coll de la grande casse

Day 3- The last Day Val to Val, Refuge de Col de la Vanoise to Val d’ Isère.

After a good meal and some sleep we departed the refuge at 6.30am. The next 5 hours were going to be the highlight of the trip. I knew that 580 meters of vertical ascent was all that stood between us and the view of our final destination from the top of the ‘Col de la Grande Casse’. We had to tackle some technically steep sections on this part of the tour. Kick turns on very steep solid ice without the added assistance of Lee & ski crampons we wouldn’t of made it up the first section. I was struggling to keep up with the pace but the girls slowed down a little for me and the scenery was just stunning. Behind us we could see the entire 3 valleys from Courchevel to Val Thorens and  even our starting point, it felt so good to see what we had already achieved! The incline on the ‘Col de la Grande Casse’ couloir was 32 degrees, so it was ski’s off and boot crampons on. I loved the boot up, again hard work but very satisfying as we reached the top of the col and peered over the top. In the distance across the glacier I could see Tignes (in the Espace Killy) and the ‘Grande Motte’ cable car, it was so exciting.

The team on the glacier

The descent across and down the glacier was epic, the most amazing spring snow. It’s enormous and really highlighted how insignificant we are in comparison to the most dramatic scenery and we were part of it. Mind blowing!

We then had to change routes again due to the snow and the aspects in regards to safety, which again severely extended the distance we originally planned to travel. However this had given us a longer ski down in fantastic spring powder. We all knew we were skiing away from our final goal and the further down and away we went the further we had to go back up. Frustrating! By now it was very hot and midday, we reached the bottom of glacier and had a short rest and feed at 2000 meters before we embarked on the long undulating climb to the ‘Col du Palet’ at 2652 meters a 4.5km skin, that was to take us 5 hours of constant plodding uphill. Again difficult snow conditions to begin, crossing avalanche debris and traveling further in the wrong direction, in order to keep out of danger. The last 2 hours were the most painful of my life, digging deeper into my reserves and finding guts I didn’t know I had. All of us struggled in the heat, even Zoe and Lee who are much more accustomed to this kind of endurance found it hard. The undulating terrain meant that each time we reached a horizon there was more to go. The top seemed to move away from us, it felt like we would never make it! We did however make ‘Val Claret’ in Tignes by 5.30pm. This disappointingly meant that we had missed the lift to ‘Val d’isere’  our final destination. However we had completed the toughest endurance sections of the tour and all we missed out on was paying 99 euros for lift passes and a ski down a pisted run, so we put the lift pass money into the charity pot and called it a victory. We hope everyone that supported us will agree that a total 24 kilometers of skiing and skinning, including over 2570 vertical meters of ascent and 22.5 hours on the move was to be enough of an achievement and that ‘Val Claret’ in Tignes was to be a suitable finishing point.

The end of a seriously long day!!

This was the most difficult but rewarding expedition I have ever taken part in. I want to thank all of those that took part for their financial and more importantly emotional support. I really would not of made it without you!

you can view the rest of the images from the trip www.dynamicpictures.co.uk

or on face book

Thank you to our main sponsors
www.familyfriendlyskiing.com
www.come-ski.com,
www.dynamicskipictures.com

Thank you also to all those that sponsored us, every little helped me achieve our goal, You can still donate to the 3 fantastic charities

Polly is raising money for Raleigh international trust http://www.justgiving.com/Polly-A-Baldwin
Suzanne Claxton, Resort manager for Family Friendly Skiing in ‘La Tania’ her chosen charity Bernardo’s http://www.justgiving.com/Suzanne-Claxton
Jenna Shail, Owner and manager of luxury chalet holiday company come-ski.com. Jenna is fundraising for Cancer Research http://www.justgiving.com/Jenna-Shail

Danger Crevasses

Day 2 The start of the tour – Val Thorens to Refuge de Col de la Vanoise.

Saturday arrived all too quickly, I was so nervous and excited that I’d hardly slept. We departed for Val Thorens in the team bus, generously supplied by www.familyfriendlyskiing.com and kindly driven by Matt Foy. It was a strange feeling driving in the opposite direction of our final destination.

The weather was good, a clear cold morning perfect for the start of the day. The first climb of the day was amazing, an ascent across the ‘Glacier de Chaviere’, through the ‘Col de Gébroulaz’ to the highest point of 3434 meters about 320 vertical meters of ascent. The first section was a steady incline, it was only the last 100 meters that were steep, but our training paid off and we made the top without incident. It felt so good to get on the way after all the planning and training. The view from the top of the col was incredible, we could see all of the 3 valleys and mountains we all know so well. Suzz and I had to laugh as the mountain that stands proudly over us as we look out of our lounge

Dent Du Villard is a hill not a mountin!

windows, the ‘Dent Du Villard’, looked so tiny in comparison to all the mountains surrounding it. It was breathtaking every where we looked.
With no time to hang around we had an amazing ski across the glacier, fresh tracks in boot deep powder, wide open plateaus with incredible views, it really was heavenly. As soon as we came off the glacier at about 2737 meters above sea level everything changed. The change in the snow was dramatic, obviously it hadn’t refrozen over night and much of it had become isothermal, which means very unstable and prone to avalanche. We had to ski each face separately to ensure we were safe, the snow so rotten we could barely make turns. We were sinking into the sludge and it was hard work to get out. With the help of Zoe guiding and Lee Townend  giving technique tips we adjusted to the conditions quite well, but I think we will all admit how scared we were. As we approached the frozen ‘Lac Blanc’ Zoe shouted ‘just straight line it to the middle of the lake… Now’

'the good before the ugly'

as we did the mountain dropped away around us, avalanche slide after slide, we were perfectly safe of the danger zone but it was a stark reminder of how insignificant we were compared to the nature around us. We were a week too late as a friend of mine had skied this section a week earlier and had fantastic snow all the way. It was approaching midday and was super hot, we couldn’t hang around as we were going much lower and the heat would worsen the  snow conditions. We continued our descent, but it soon became evident we would need to turn back and go a longer way around, as the snow was far too dangerous to continue on the aspect and steep terrain we were on. Nearly a kilometer of extra ascent in the heat of the midday sun really took it’s toll on my feet and energy reserves. Zoe did a brilliant navigation job and although the distance we travelled was far greater than the original itinerary we were grateful she was keeping us out of danger. The ski down to ‘Pralognon de la Vanoise’ was much safer but very tricky and involved navigating some mud banks and old avalanche debris.

'going over old ground'

We reached the bottom of the second section at 5.30pm, 4 hours behind schedule with the weather closing in Zoe was concerned we wouldn’t make the refuge before dark. I thought she was going to call it off there and then, but with a lot of team work and encouragement and coaching from Lee we made the grueling 887 meters of vertical ascent and reached the refuge in the dark at 9.30pm! For me this was the hardest section, I was completely exhausted and didn’t have the energy to continue. With Lee’s encouragement and the thought of the generous support we had received from sponsorship I made it through. I honestly cannot put into words how hard it was!

You can see the rest of the images from the tour here www.dynamicskipictures.com

You can still sponsor us here http://www.justgiving.com/Polly-A-Baldwin

The long road to Pralognon!

not the best weather!!

Day 1 Val To Val- Kit Test and Training Run.
Friday 24th April arrived and the start of our challenge with a training run up the ‘Glacier du Borgne’, above Meribel (in the 3 valleys), with our guide Zoe Hart. This was Zoe’s first outing with the team, the purpose of the day was to ensure that all our kit was in working order and of course that we knew how to use it! Zoe is an extremely accomplished Alpinist who’s knowledge and skills would help us through the next couple of days. Fully qualified female guides are rare and this was very evident from the apparent confusion at the Motteret lift pass office, it took about twenty minutes for the lady behind the desk to study Zoe’s credentials and make several phone calls before she would give her a guides lift pass. However the most amusing incident of the morning was to occur in the Mont Vallon Telecabine.

Glacier Du Borgne

Four girls enter the lift with one male ‘securitie de piste’ guard, we had all the gear for a tough mountain expedition, with ice axes hanging from our packs we looked like real mountain explorers. It was clear to us that Zoe knows her job well, but obviously the pisteur was confused by her gender. Fluent in French Zoe was asking all the usual safety questions gaining local knowledge of the best way to navigate to the glacier from the top of the mountain. The pisteur was insisting we should descend down the piste 300 meters and hike up from there, as the way in from the top was steep and difficult. I didn’t understand everything Zoe was saying,but grasped the places and the odd word. It was clear to me she was politely explaining that she was sponsored by Patagonia and Black Diamond and was heavily involved in testing their equipment, often going on expeditions to places he would never dream of skiing & that even though she was female she was more than capable of guiding 3 girls down some difficult terrain safely. Her CV was obviously impressive as by the time we reached the top he had explained the direct way in down a steep couloir and invited us all into his hut for a cup of tea before we set off on our adventure. We declined but all felt good that he’d been put in his place and after hearing of her adventures we felt safe in Zoe’s hands and set off on our training run. The decent to the glacier was down a very steep bumpy couloir which was a test with 10kg of equipment on our backs, but our confidence was running high. However It soon became all too clear that the snow conditions had deteriorated over the week, as freezing levels had fallen dramatically and although we climbed to 2950 meters above sea level the snow was still like thick sludge and very difficult to turn in. We were now more worried about the down than the up and safety was going to be an issue as the avalanche risk was very high. We witnessed two avalanches just on our training run, the rumble they make is unmistakable and frightening.

So March is over and done with for another year and the snow is disappearing from the mountains as fast as it arrived.

Prime Beef

The sun is finally shinning on Courchevel and spring slush is in abundance. Two more weeks of this season then two weeks of planning for next is all that is left, it goes by so fast. Another exciting month for me. The first week of March I spent back in the UK working on a couple of projects and catching up with my May and June Wedding clients. My favourite day was spent with My Father and Richard Taylor of Taylor Owen we visited a farm where my fathers beef comes from, I always find farms interesting places and I love the images of the cattle, here is one as a teaser you will have too wait til the book is published to see the rest!

Ryan's Top Trick

The 17th of March was a sunny day in Chamonix, a fantastic day photographing the ‘boss des bosses’ moguls comp, the standard of the participants was higher than ever! The Courchevel team put on a fantastic show, but as usual were robbed of their points by some seriously biased judging, you can’t tell me that this move from Ryan was not worth a win!! You can view the rest of the images from the day here and also the dvd here.

This brilliant day ended in despare as I return to the car I remarked to my Friend Rob ‘ look at that some one has left their car open, where is my car?  I am sure I left it here somewhere….’ Well mine was the one wide open with all of my kit all over the floor, absolute nightmare. I was heading to Italy for two days ski touring with clients and all my touring kit had been stolen, I couldn’t believe it some idiots had broken in through the passenger door and ran off with my suit case.

One highlight of the Month was not photographic but a lovely day off spent ski touring with Chemmy Alcott and Dougie Crawford. On a rare day off before the British champs. Although it was the hottest day and my feet are now in pieces from the blisters, I didn’t embarrass myself on the ski down and they cooked us the most delicious nutritious lunch. I did embarrass myself however while we were stetching at the end of our tour as I am so un-supple they actually laughed out loud but hey it was pretty pathetic! Good to see them both become British champions in Meribel last week. I hope Britain gets behind them and solves the funding problem soon!! There are no photographs of this event that are for public viewing sorry to dissapoint all you Chemmy Fans!!!

April sees the start of our big ski tour and the end of the ski season. I’ve booked my ferry and have even started to pack my winter clothes away ….. unbelieveable!!

I can not believe February is over already but then I suppose it is the shortest month of the year! The 28 days of February flew by with such speed I have had to take a good look through my archive to remember everything I photographed. Again the weather has proved difficult I have never known such fluctuating temperatures and because of this the build up of blanket of cloud has been regular, with the light very flat most days. Although we have enjoyed some blue sky mornings rarely have these lasted all day, again making my work challenging!

I’ve had some luck though, the day I photographed the Powder White 1850 staff in Courchevel was stunning. To thank the chalet hosts for doing a good job selling my Bespoke Lifestyle Shoots to their clients I treated them to a shoot of their own! It was a fun two hours and we achieved some fantastic shots, not without the odd fall though and some scary moments! We were joined at the end of the session by a few random seasonaires all desperate to get shots for Facebook. Here are a couple of my favorites.You can view the rest here.

The Roc Merlet Chair & beyond towards the Petit Mont Blanc, Taking this photo I nearly lost my fingers thank you to the pistures for the tea and sympathy!!!

In mid February I took a trip into Les Avals with some friends, staying over night in the ‘Refuge de Grand Plan’ (Altitude: 2300m Lat: 45.3615, Lon: 6.66025). This is a trip Lee and I normally take with clients for Dynamic Ski Adventures, so it was fun to do it with friends for a change.
We were all meeting at the top of the Chanrossa chair lift after work at 4.30pm. The light was stunning so I headed up slightly early to take some photographs of Roc Merlet in the evening sun. This was to be a decision I soon regretted, it was so so cold I lost the use of my fingers 20 seconds after taking my gloves off,  not great preparation for the hike we were about to do over the  ‘Pas du Roc Merlet’ ridge. Fortunately the securitè des piste invited me into their hut for a cup of tea while I waited for everyone. I recovered by the time the others arrived and got everyone back for being late when they had to wait at the top, as I struggled with the steepness of the ascent. The snow was so soft  it fell away from under my feet as I tried to climb, it was hard going, at -17ºc . If only we had decided to use our skins it would have been easier, it is always a mistake to judge distances as short at altitude! The ski down to the refuge was wonderful fresh tracks in thigh deep powder, it was fantastic snow.

The view at dawn ' Mont Blanc ' and the ski out

After a hearty meal, several Vin chaud’s and a sing-song by the fire I retired to a surprisingly warm comfortable bed for a well deserved sleep.
I had to work at 9 am, so a hike up ‘Le Petit Mont Blanc’ in the morning was out of the question. We made the most of the ski out however, enjoying fresh tracks at dawn (7am) in knee-deep powder as light as icing sugar as the sun came up!  It was an awe-inspiring experience that helped me remember why I spend my winters here! I had the biggest smile on my face all day.  You can view my gallery of the ski here. I didn’t take many shots as I was too busy soaking up the atmosphere for myself!

Cubbie... dog or wolf?

I have started training for ‘Val to Val’, I am skinning up the mountain two or three times a week and I have a companion who joins me some times. ‘Cubbie’ the resident dog at ‘Le Boulotte’ in Courchevel 1650. Cubbie is very good company and really knows how to cheer a person up, I can’t help but laugh out loud watching him chase me down the off piste to the side of the Chapelets chair. However the punters on the piste are not as amused, he could easily be mistaken for a wolf as this photo shows…’il est très gentil!’ I shout as we slide past at speed, I love it!! See more photos of Cubbie here. Apologies to all those unsuspecting skiers on Chapelets that are not sure if he is a dog or a wolf.

I’m hoping for lots of snow and blue sky days in March so I don’t have to disappoint anyone at Easter…Fingers crossed. I am also heading back to Sheffield for a few days to sort out my studio opening in May and catch up with 2010’s wedding clients…..

Take Care & Ski Safely!!!!!!
Polly

Courchevel 1650 Lee Townend Snoworks Image for sponsors

This month snow arrived by the bucket load here in The French Alps and everyone wanted powder shots!!

'early morning lesson on the magic carpet'

I’ve had some fantastic days on the mountain with a diverse range of clientele from ski instructors needing shots for their sponsors, corporate groups and families with amazingly good 3.5 year old skiers!! (Christian). I have made some fantastic images, It’s been an exciting month. Here are a couple of my favorites! to see more go to recent events at www.dynamicskipictures.com

'homemade cake for 300 guests'

Things to look forward to in 2010
I am working on a cook book with my parents it is going to be a celebration of their long careers in the banqueting industry. It will show the development of cooking through the last few decades and it is full of all sorts of images and recipe’s. It’s been an absolute pleasure working with them and it has made me appreciate  how hard they have worked. They are well-known in the industry as been among the best mass caterers in the UK and I hope the book and my images do them justice!!

It has been such an experience collating images for a publication I have loved the work so I am looking forward to doing much more book illustration work for other publishers in the very near future! Check out The Baldwin’s Omega Sheffield web site for more details on my parents restaurant. The book launch is in September. I can’t wait to see the finished article there will be more on this later in the year but here is a taster of an image from the book it will be accompanied by a recipe for very tasty cake!

2010′s Epic Charity Challenge
I have spent a long time during January organising an epic challenge for 2010. I am organising a sponsored event in April with a group of friends. We have set the challenge of VAL THORENS to VAL D’ISÈRE. An off piste ski tour over two days (usually a three-day trip) we will have to go hard to reach are target but I am sure the thought of benefiting our two chosen charities, Disability Snowsports UK and Raleigh International, will keep us all going; although I had my first serious training session today and I have just realised the size of the task we have set ourselves!! More about this coming in a special blog soon….

February has got off to a fantastic start can’t wait t tell you all about it already!!! Have a good month!!

Polly