Blog

...my first cover!

Do come and visit the Capel Camera Club Exhibition at Denbies Wine Estate near Dorking in Surrey, which is on until Sunday. There are 100 pieces of work on display by various members featuring a wide range of subjects, including some samples of my work.

Vote for your favourite image, grab some lunch in the restaurant, take a vineyard tour or enjoy some retail therapy in the gift shop.

Some presents last longer and are simply more special than others. Having your own photo shoot is a wonderful treat in itself and the resulting images, whether they are framed prints or JPEG files, will be a lasting memory of that unforgettable day and give the recipient pleasure for many years to come.

Gift vouchers are available for whatever amount you wish to gift and can also be arranged for photo shoots with or without framed prints, JPEG files, etc.

Please contact Leslie Bliss Photography on 07970 103293 for more information.



Designed by Boo Design.

UK manufacturer of wood pellet bedding Verdo Horse Bedding has announced its sponsorship of double gold-winning Paralympic dressage rider Natasha Baker MBE, using one of my images.

Natasha is the first official sponsored rider for the Andover, Hampshire-based bedding company. To find out more about Verdo, click here.

The image was captured at the 2012 British Para Championships held at Hickstead.

The product shots of the Carl Hester Fantastic Elastic reins are all processed and already on Carl's website! Many thanks must go to Livvy Randell's lovely horse, Amber Gold, who had the patience of a saint.

It was such a pleasure to meet the Swain family last week. Here are some of my favourites from the shoot.

Had great fun at Capel Camera Club last week - we had a practical evening photographing smoke. Sooo beautiful!

...in the name of art - risking life and limb for work. I literally was just inches from her front hooves. I have to say, Amber gold was a such a superstar during this product shot shoot for the Carl Hester Fantastic Elastic reins; a dream model.

The Eagle Express courier company executive Millie in all her glory. It's hard to believe she's a pensioner!

We had the perfect weather for Rosie's shoot at Pond's Farm yesterday. Happy 18th Birthday Rosie. I hope you like these; looking forward to showing you all the others.

...featuring the lovely Dan Greenwood at Lady Inchcape's new home. Thank you Dan and Jamie for making me so welcome and for feeding me lunch on my marathon tour of the Cotswolds!

Also in this issue is my photo reportage of Olympia - what an exciting event with Charlotte Dujardin setting another world record - a fabulous finale to a historic year for dressage!

To see my the pictures from my visit to Dan's, click here.
For to view my photos from Olympia, click here.

I will be exhibiting some of my images at the Capel Camera Club Exhibition at Denbies Wine Estate near Dorking in Surrey, from the 25th February to the 3rd March, open 9am-5pm daily, except Sunday, when it will close by 4pm.

Do put it in the diary; it's a lovely venue at the foot of Box Hill with a restaurant, gift shop and you can treat yourself to a bottle or two of some of Britain's finest wine!

A drizzly winter's day, when everybody is driving with headlights on, may not appear ideal for an equestrian photo shoot, but the results say otherwise!

The lovely Emily and her absolutely gorgeous mare Jazz were just a dream to work with.

I've just found out that the Dorking Advertiser chose my photo of my youngest son playing football in the freezing fog as one of the best images of 2012 they published in their "Picture of the Week". Honoured.

Now that mum has received her surprise Christmas presents, I can reveal the images from the Ash family shoot. Some children are just natural models!

You can view more in my gallery under Family Portraits.

The office will reopen on the 7th January 2013.

Last year was my first time photographing at Olympia, the London International Horse Show, and it was so exciting to have a British winner of the Reem Acra FEI World Cup Dressage Qualifier in Laura Bechtolsheimer.

The next day, I sat next to Charlotte Dujardin at the British Equestrian Writers' Association Annual Lunch & Awards. Charlotte was incredulous that she'd won the grand prix and finished second in the World Cup qualifier on her debut at the show, in her first year competing at grand prix level and second grand prix freestyle ever.

One year on, Charlotte has not only won TWO Olympic gold medals - the first time in the history of the sport that Brits have won any kind of Olympic dressage medal - but she also won this year's grand prix at Olympia with a new world record score of more than 84% and then went on to win the World Cup qualifier.

How on earth do you follow a year like that?

You can view my pictures from Olympia here.

British Dressage magazine has just been voted the 'Independent Publisher's Consumer Magazine of the Year' by the Professional Publishers Association! Now that's what I call a nice Christmas present...

Click here for more info.

...featuring the lovely double Paralympic gold medallist Natasha Baker at home as well as a training article with Daniel Timson about riding corners, how to use them not just to set up for movements and improve your test marks, but to help your horse in his development.

I also interview feed experts about the importance of feeding fibre and eminent vet Tim Brazil, a world renowned expert in this field, explains why stomach ulcers are so common in dressage horses these days.

Click on the links below to read the articles:
Natasha Baker interview
Riding corners with Daniel Timson

Two of my images have been awarded 10 out of 10 in round two of my local photographic club league competition last night. There was certainly strong competition, including several Royal Photographic Society members. My humble little windswept New Forest pony won the monochrome category while my portrait of Josie and Henry stood out for the judge as it showed their close bond in the PDI (projected digital image) category. The judge also commented on Henry's lovely eyelashes!