It's a start

I do have a Blog  on my own web site at www.monapics.com  but not a "Blog Spot" as such that might be better for recording my day to day activities, thoughts and musings.  Not sure it will ever get too deep and meaningful or that anyone else will ever read what is the written in these pages.  At least it will serve as a diary of events or moments in my photgraphic journey of producing images that others might just enjoy viewing.  Well, we all live in hope!

This first post will be rather basic as I try to work out how all this workd with images, graphs, design elements etc.  My interest being mainly photography I would expect this to be rather image heavy or at least link heavy to view images from elsewhere.

This is a fairly busy time for me with the start of the Elite League Hockey season and my involvement with the Braehead Clan www.braeheadclan.com I also have to produce images for the singer/song writer Ashley Collins www.ashleycollinsmusic.com for the CD Album cover to her "SuperDiva" record.  Add to that the Bennan House holiday home web design and image/video production and yes, these are busy time for a Glasgow Photographer.

When I started to create this Blog was very surprised to find my moniker "Monapics" was not available for use - wonder who blagged that?  Hopefully someone with a penchant for producing some images I can look at.

A little bit about me:

Am old, yeah it hurts me to say it, but you simply cannot deny the years written on your face, or in this instance what I see in the mirror every morning.  Well, perhaps if you have the money to hire a good plastic surgeon you can look younger and try to fool those who do not really know the true you.  Is it worth it?  If it makes you feel good about yourself then why not?  Lots of people do it, even at a low level with Bottox (spelling) etc?

I digress.  Born in Paisley in a park, "Barshaw Park" Hospital to be exact which like many other things over the years has disappeared in the mists of time.  Now living in Glasgow UK, I use the UK locator now, as I had no idea how many "Glasgows" there are in the USA!  Which is rather good for my Google search results but I cannot see many US citizens hiring this "Glasgow" photographer.  That said, I have been very lucky to cover a number of weddings here in the UK of Americans who decided to get married while visiting Scotland.

Had the usual schooling and managed to learn how to read and write which is a compliment to the skill of my teachers in a tennament based background of Glasgow in the 1950's.  Me being a bit of a rebel and all round plonker did not help their cause any.  I thank them all, but especially my English teacher who was a man of principals, sadly no longer with us.  He did say I would make a good politician - due to the story telling of my youth.  Well, we all had imaginations then in our early formative years.  In many ways he was right, given my involvement with the Trade Union movement and the Labour Party.  That as they say is another story, and, for another time.  Knew and worked with all the big names from Neil Kinnock to George Galloway - is that a distance one can measure?

Anyways, at the grand old age of fifteen years I left school joined the Marconi Radio College to be a Radio Officer aboard some sailing vessel on the high seas.  That lasted all of three days as I quickly realised stuffed shirts did not suit me.  Funnily enough just a few doors down from the college was the Army recruiting office and since I had been an Army Cadet for years thought - why not, where is the harm in seeing what the Army is like?  Seventeen years later I was back in civi street.  A good bit older and an awful lot wiser.  A lot of my friends and colleagues  think I am still serving in the military, I have to agree with that.  Don't think it ever truly leaves you after you have served all those years regular, TA and Cadet.  I was a long time in HM Service.

There have been many events in my life that as with most people do not make for public profiling and all they do is make you the person you now are.  For better or for worse, this is me, older, wiser, silly, stupid, laugh or cry this is who I am shaped by the events of my life.

Now I do a bit of photography that hopefully will take me into retirement and fund the ever increasing costs of equipment and allow me to continue this great journey of life.  Mind you there is more to look back on than look forward to - not in in enjoyment, but in number of years ahead in life!  Whoa, lets not get maudlin.

Plenty of images left me yet and hopefully some will enjoy seeing them and perhaps share with their family and friends.  Nothing like an image to bring back memories or invoke emotions etc.

First hockey game for the Clan of  season 2011 - 2012 is next week and already I have shot the player images and shirt launch.  Have produced a team roster poster that will hopefully go for auction and help fund the supporters association - at least in a small way.  Where would be be without fans?  Yea, nowhere.

Lets hope I can keep you updated and if the wanderings of an old fart have any interest then you can see most of it on my FaceBook first - George Monaghan - am the guy holding the camera and hailing for Glasgow.  Waves in welcome.  Mind you I suspect they only person reading these pages will be myself but it will help as a diary of events in my photography.

Cheers,
George