danmartinblogs

[danmartinblogs]

My prints are available for as little as £7 at LeShopUK.com #bristol #instagram #smallbiz #decor #bizitalk

[danmartinblogs]

With my LeShopUK.com hat on, I was interviewed by BBC Bristol about my thoughts on the West of England’s LEP strategic economic plan and the impact on Bristol startups and small businesses. Also included in the report is representatives from business website and Aardman.

[danmartinblogs]

At least the rain might help with this… #bristol

[danmartinblogs]

This lovely lady is looking for a new house! Anyone? #photography #print #etsymnt #bizitalk @etsy

[danmartinblogs]

danmartin_'s video on Instagram

[danmartinblogs]

The Hyperrealist Sculptures of Ron Mueck

To view works from Ron Mueck’s current exhibit in Buenos Aires, visit the Fundación Proa location page.

Australian-born sculptor Ron Mueck has lived and worked in the United Kingdom for the past several decades, where he has gained global notoriety for his hyperrealist sculptures fashioned from fiberglass, silicon and resin. By replicating human anatomy in excruciating detail, Mueck dramatizes and explores themes of life and death through sculptures both miniature and massive.

Mueck’s latest works, which debuted in April at the Fondation Cartier pour l’Art Contemporain in Paris, France, recently made their way to Fundación Proa in Buenos Aires, Argentina. In March, the show will continue its tour through South America at the Museu de Arte Moderna do Rio de Janeiro.

[danmartinblogs]

Preparing to frame this beauty for a customer in #bristol #instagram #bizitalk #art #photography #shopetsy #etsyretwt

[danmartinblogs]

Why online companies shouldn't be forgotten on Small Business Saturday

When talking about online businesses, it’s easier to demonise them all as nasty tax avoiding, Amazon-esque monoliths who are taking away business from hardworking independent, high street firms. But the truth is, thousands of those online companies are small, independent businesses themselves. I run one of them. LeShopUK.com is an online photography retailer I set up earlier this year with my partner, Virginia.

This Saturday is Small Business Saturday when the focus will be on the nation’s entrepreneurs. In the US, where the initiative began, the attention is very much on physical, bricks and mortar retailers. Nothing wrong with supporting the high street but it’s vital that the rest of us companies are supported too. We also are local companies; the money you spend with us stays in our local economy. We do business with other small businesses and we sell our products in markets and in pop-up shops that are helping to revive the struggling high street.

The organisers behind Small Business Saturday in the UK have worked hard to communicate that our initiative very much embraces all companies but with so much coverage about the struggles of the high streets, it’s easy for people to assume it’s all about physical stores.

But it isn’t.

Online isn’t evil. It has had a profound effect on the world and a profound effect on business. Yes, it has made it harder for some, traditional companies to compete but it offers almost anyone the chance to do their own thing, start their own business and trade with the world. And businesses with a physical premises are missing out big time if they don’t also have a website.

So when you’re deciding which companies to support this Small Business Saturday, do support your local high street but also support your local online businesses. We need your help too.

In case you were wondering, we’re waiving all UK delivery charges for Small Business Saturday in our Etsy and Folksy stores where we sell our exclusive photography prints.

Don’t forget to show your support to online small businesses too this Saturday! @SmallBizSatUK @Folksy @EtsyUK #handmade #bizitalk #udobiz

— Le Shop (@LeShopUK) December 5, 2013

[danmartinblogs]

(via 24 Hours in Bristol: capturing a day in the life of a city.) #lovebristol @visitbristol #UK #pics

[danmartinblogs]

Instagram Clichés Become Arthouse Cinema

In this stop motion video, 852 Insta-pics combine to make a beautifully orchestrated travelogue.

Watch> Co.Design

[danmartinblogs]

Dear Local World,

So, here we are then. Friday 29 November 2013. Venue’s last day on Earth. Hours from being swept away as part of what you so dreamily term “the development of the what’s on module.” Sometime in December, we learn, venue.co.uk will re-emerge, like butterfly become grub,...

[danmartinblogs]

VIDEO: 13 mile walk from Bristol to Bath in less than 90 seconds! #Bristol #Bath #LoveBristol #LoveBath #UKtravel #walk #walking #rambling

[danmartinblogs]

#blogger #uk #travel #photo #photography #culture #shop #prints

Support my blog, check out LeShopUK.com my little photography store selling my best shots as framed prints and more.

[danmartinblogs]

#pics #uk #travel #photography #weekend #portishead

(via ♫ ‘Cause nobody loves me, it’s true…not like you do! ♪) #UK #portishead #pics

[danmartinblogs]

#absinthe #drink #spirits #Vinopololis

(via La fée verte is back!)

[danmartinblogs]

So proud of Virginia! #Bristol #photography #uktravel #Banksy #24hoursinBristol

We are proud to announce the winners of our competition to find the cover photographs for our 2014 conference and venue guides. One of the special prizes on offer through the 24 Hours in Bristol competition, this was an opportunity for us to get you to represent Bristol for us. Having sifted through over 900 photos spanning 24 hours in our city, we have chosen the winners, as you can see above.

Here’s why we chose the winners:

Winner – front cover of Bristol’s Visitor Guide 2014: Virginia Allwood

Choosing a single photograph to promote Bristol for visitors is always difficult. From a functional perspective it needs to work in portrait (as opposed to landscape) format and have enough clear space for the title and information about what you can find inside.

So with much deliberation, we chose Mild Mild West. This image really captured a moment in Bristol. It celebrates everything that makes this city truly unique. It is family-friendly, with a huge amount of history (the girl, mug aside, could have come from any era) and its sharp cultural connection with Banksy. The framing of the image, the beautiful black and white and the focus on the people who live here, make the image really stand out. It’s not the buildings, it’s not the sites, it’s the people who make this city tick 24 hours a day.

When marketing the city it is extremely important for us to reflect the values and story of the city and last year we used one of the stunning Harbourside – this year we wanted to do something a little different to reflect the city’s unorthodox nature.

Once you open the visitor guide you will find pages of our wider story – the stunning historic and very colourful city so we hope that this front cover will make people look twice and pick it up.

The Visitor Guide is produced by Destination Bristol each year. In 2014 370,000 visitor guides will be printed and distributed in high visitor footfall areas around Bristol and surrounding areas. The main method of promoting Bristol is online and increasingly via social media and the mobile apps available however, there is still is still a big demand for print particularly when people have arrived in the city and are looking for something that will show them where to go along with a map to take them there.

Winner - front cover of Bristol Conference Venue Directory for Meetings & Incentives 2014: Rich Perrin

The Bristol Conference Venue Directory for Meetings & Incentives Planners is the official conference and business travel publication for the city.

The Directory in comparison to the Visitor Guide needs more of a corporate appeal, one that is recognisably Bristol, and reflects its innovative, creative an unorthodox nature. It’s hard with such an iconic image to present it in a new and interesting way, but the photographer has done just that. The lighting, along with the black and white tones make the engineering of the bridge really stand out.

It portrays a feeling that this is the road into Bristol; open the Directory and be welcomed to our city. 2014 also marks the 150th anniversary of the opening of the bridge, so it was very fitting to use an image of the bridge to help promote new business to Bristol.

The Bristol Conference Venue Directory published and distributed by Destination Bristol, is the only comprehensive guide for those considering Bristol as a destination for their conference, meeting or event. It is a 30-page publication with a print run of 3,000 copies. The Directory also features an introduction to incentive ideas, corporate hospitality and team building events, together with comprehensive information about Destination Bristol’s services.

[danmartinblogs]

#Bristol #photography #travel #mirrors #views #UKTravel

The theme for this week’s #Frifoto is #mirror. Can you guess where this #pic was taken?