Sark Elections

Sark is a beautiful island, but there was some dischord during the recent elections  (Dec 2008) which saw the ending of the feudal establishment after many centuries.  I was there to document this historic event.  I greatly enjoy the pressure to deliver some key images of events like these, and of course it keeps me in good practice for covering my wedding assignments which I prefer to do in photojournalistic way.

Here's a choice of images to sum up the drama.  From Daniel Parson's campaign bike,  to the polling station to the counting hall.

The poll closed at 6pm.  After initial sorting and checking for spoilt papers the counting began.  A packed hall was mesmerised as the each vote was called and recorded.  One had to admire the tenacity of the counters who persevered for 9 long hours!  Many in the hall sat there for the whole tension filled count, there was no way this could be described as boring.

Eventually at 4 am the results were announced to show a strong vote in favour of candidates who were perceived to be less sympathetic to the interests of the Barclay brothers of the neighbouring island of Brecqhou.

Sark Festival of the Sea

Last autumn there was a great day of entertainment in Sark for their “Festival of the Sea”. This was organised by Michelle Peree and sponsored by Wave Telecom. There were bands and many other things going on. The best fire act I have ever seen too. Please enjoy a few images below.

Paisley were a fantastic band, they really got the audience into the swing of things.

Photographing live acts in challenging lighting conditions isn’t easy, but ultimately can lead to rewarding results. As in many things with photography it is the out of the ordinary light that can make a memorable image.  This is the lead singer of FuZed.

Of course the fire act:-

This needed some hasty decisions on exposure compensation as I literally felt the fire on my face and had some concerns about the heat damaging the lens!  Some more images of the bands on my People gallery.