26/07/10 - Work started on a major exhibition to open this year in Belfast City Hall. The 2 major Titanic centenaries of 2011 and 2012 highlight the importance of Belfast's unique place in maritime history and this exhibition showscases the Nomadic and her progress toward becoming a major international visitor attraction, including artefacts, historical images and up to date coverage of the restoration. Watch this space for news of dates and progress.
		01/07/10 - Phillip McCallen has just launched a new website for his KTM / Kawasaki / Triumph motorcycle dealership in Lisburn and Stephen shot the 3 franchise areas today. When Phillip saw the images he said "Thank you very much for today, I really appreciate your pictures and they will help bring our web site up to the standard we are aiming for." McCallen Motorcycles new website is here - McCallen Motorcycles
		22/06/10 - Working with Mike Fleming and Jaime Steele on images for Jonathan Gidney's new website while Jonathan was in Northern Ireland to play in the EuroPro tournament at Galgorm Castle. Jon's new site will be here in August - Jonathan Gidney
		21/04/10 - Stephen is pleased to be working as the official photographer for the Nomadic Charitable Trust's restoration of the SS Nomadic. This historically important ship was launched in 1911 and delivered to White Star Line as a tender to ferry the rich and famous to Titanic and Olympic's gangway doors. After service in both world wars she ended up being used as a floating restaurant on the River Sienne, near the Eifel Tower in Paris. The SS Nomadic finally returned home to Belfast in 2006 and her dry dock restoration is now underway. More info on the Nomadic is available via this link - Nomadic Charitable Trust
		01/04/10 - Happy Easter! The result of sound triggered high speed photography, this amazing image shows the passage of a bullet through a Cadbury Creme Egg! This exciting technology is available to clients who need to capture a previously impossible fleeting moment in time. Follow this and other stories on Facebook - Facebook/StephenPottsPhotography
		01/03/10 - Association of Photographers (AOP) gets a new member - only 2 photographers in Northern Ireland are currently accredited in this way. As the leading professional body for image-makers the AOP has been bringing professional photographers together since 1968, protecting their rights and promoting photography. More info on the AOP is available via this link - AOP website
		13/01/10 - Carrie Neely and Stephen Potts finalised an agreement for commercial representation today. Carrie Neely Art Consultancy and Agency, based in Belfast, can be contacted via this link - Carrie Neely Having worked in New York and London (where she owned a gallery) Carrie returned to her native Belfast to run the agency which offers a highly personalised and bespoke service to both private and commercial clients.
		04/01/10 - Work has been completed to transfer the stock image library from Stephen's old site. You can access the images here - Stock Image Library Please note that this is only a very small selection from a large body of work. If you do not see what you want here please use the email link to enquire about more images or having your needs met with a commissioned shoot.
		04/12/09 - Large panel prints were delivered today for decorative use in the halls and stairwells of the new St Anne's Square development. You can see the images here - St Anne's Square images and the apartments here - St Anne's Square apartments
		01/10/09 - 5 months of shooting was completed today for an exhibition commissioned by the BBC to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Broadcast House in Belfast. The corner stone of this iconic building in Ormeau Avenue was laid in 1937 and Stephen was commissioned to produce a print exhibition as part of the celebrations. You can preview the exhibition images here - BBC NI 70 The exhibition will open in Broadcast House early in 2010, further details of this opening and subsequent venues will be posted here.
		06/05/09 - Stephen will be teaching courses in Tarifa during 2010 where you can learn how to produce stunning images while enjoying a break in beautiful Andalusia. For details email - info@stephenpotts.co.uk Telephone - 07836 613372 Or follow this link - courses Working with a professional model the secrets of a location photographer will be explained and the mysteries taken away from metering for perfect exposure, using fill in flash (on and off camera), custom white balancing and much more, leaving you to take better pictures than ever before. A maximum group size of 7 ensures lots of 1-2-1 tuition and plenty of time for you to photograph the model. The course is suitable for people with some experience of using a digital SLR or rangefinder with manual settings.
		22/01/09 - Lisburn based designer Riona Treacy's shows new collection - Riona Treacy, who is undoubtedly Northern Ireland’s highlight in the world of cutting edge textile designers, launches a new collection of designs made with her own fabrics. The shoot brief was for a post-apocalyptic horror look with minimal reference to conventional fashion while showing the garments to maximum effect. Thanks are due to our long suffering (and flu suffering) model Dawn Chambers now affectionately know as "Dawn of the Dead", the Jennings family who were our hosts at Carrowdore Castle and Stephen's assistant Pete who gave up the Sunday he wanted to spend in bed. Everyone’s hard work on a very cold set paid off in the end. (L-R Dawn Chambers, Riona Treacy, Stephen Potts)
		14/01/09 - Congratulations to Bright's Restaurant for winning Observer Food Award - Long time client Jim Bright has won an Observer Food Award for this outstanding fish supper, made with his own secret batter recipe. When Jim comes to the studio for product shots it is obvious that his attention to detail and insistence on the freshest ingredients from high quality sources are a way of life for this Belfast chef. The winning product was shot after the announcement and we all wish Jim every success for the future.
10/11/08 - General release - Art & Money, Philosophy & Photography. The word photography is derived from Greek and roughly translates as painting with light, it does not mention money! Painting with light is what we all do, or at least aspire to and when it works out the results can be great, just like the world’s (allegedly) most published photograph, which sold over 2 million posters in the 70’s and 80’s. Few images will ever achieve this level of exposure but Martin Elliott’s 1976 “Tennis Girl”, the iconic image of his college girlfriend approaching the tennis net while rubbing her bare bum, is recognized by a whole generation. This picture adorned the walls of millions of teenage bedrooms (mostly boys, me included) but its story does not end there and I believe it is a great reminder of a few golden rules that can serve us well. When working on a project in the 90’s a colleague of mine once said “if this works out we will end up rich and famous”, I told him I knew which half of the partnership I aspired to and wished him luck with the fame! Martin Elliott, the photographer and Fiona Butler, his girlfriend / model (who never played tennis but borrowed the outfit from a friend) ended up neither rich nor famous. Athena poster shops sold 2 million pictures at £2 each (before they went bust in the early 00’s) but Martin had sold the rights and Fiona probably signed a release in return for a pizza in the student’s union. Nobody involved did very well in the long term, despite the picture being both an instant and lasting success. Anyway this is why I propose to collaborate with the model on my next decorative panel project and we will in turn work in partnership with retailers and trade suppliers who will also benefit from the sales of our images. SP.
		ADDITIONAL INFORMATION - 18/12/09 - Since I wrote this piece Martin Elliott has been in touch to set the record straight! He told me - "Suffice it to say that of all the mistakes I have made in my life, and there have been a lot!, the only big one I never made was to sell this pic. Anyway, I'm enclosing a potted history of the shot - you may be amused. I tell you, a manual for photographers on just this shot could have been written, anecdotes, warnings, copyright tales, etc." Martin kindly explained the whole story, which dispelled the popular myth that he sold the image; in fact he only sold the use a year at a time, making it a big success for him. 02/04/10 - Martin Elliott died aged 63, having lost his battle with cancer.