Spent the weekend laying low at home. Lots happening again soon so I'm trying to get caught up on a few projects that I have going. One of them being video editing which I'm totally new to. The one I've been working on I'll be able to post next month to tie in with a big magazine feature I did but I think it should make a few of you laugh.

Had a visit to the dentist earlier in the week, everything went well and I came back with an interesting yet slightly disturbing image. You can't see my brain which should confirm what many including my mates have been saying for years... Thought it interesting enough to post even if you have a chuckle at my expense.

If I only had a brain

Not exactly rock & roll news but poor Daisy Buttons has been through it the last few weeks. Mainly her own fault as she'll run around at 300mph and bump into things. This time she knocked a chunk of fur out of her shoulder and cut herself so I had to put her in the lampshade head cone to stop her making it worse. She spent two weeks in the cone and is now in a sweater until the fur grows back and she won't lick and irritate the wound. We keep calling her Rocky.

Enjoy....just don't let her hear you laugh.

Got the new Jackson Guitars catalog in the mail today from my mates at Fender. They used four of my images.

Check 'em out!

I received some upsetting news that a very good friend of mine recently passed away at the very young age of 52. I had been friends with Cindy Fuller since 2003 when we used to talk on the Whitensnake website forums. To say that Cindy was a music enthusiast would be a gross understatement. She lived music and I rarely encounter anyone with such passion and conviction for it. She was and had been a huge follower of David Coverdale and Whitesnake and more recently Queensryche who she became so acquainted with that she toured Europe with them on their tourbus this year. In fact the last time that I saw Cindy was at the Def Leppard/Whitesnake show in Sheffield in June. As usual she was so full of life and energy and having a blast on tour with Queensryche.

We always used to talk when I was traveling wherever to do photo shoots and from my beginning in 2003 she was always one of the most vocal advocates of my work telling whoever she could about the photos I had done.

I'll miss our conversations and Cindy's love for music and passion for life.

So the shoot in Connecticut went great with Taylor and her band.. Great people to work with, full of energy. The driver picked me up on time at the Rhode Island airport and took me to the casino resort. Got a great room on the 27th floor overlooking miles of woods in all directions. The fall colors are amazing, all shades of reds, oranges, yellows and browns...just beautiful. I make a mental note to do a shoot outside with Taylor before I go back, the foliage is too good to miss.

Spend the next two days shooting backstage reportage, sound check and of course live. The first night it's Halloween so the guys in the band decide they're going to dress up in costume. Paul and Grant have authentic Kiss outfits and do a great job pulling off the act. Spend most of the show up front and out in the audience of teenage girls. Man! I felt old that first night!! Got some great shots, one I really love is one of Taylor spot lit from above and cell phone lights in the audience just glowing everywhere...

Day two and Taylor is in the hotel suite next to me. Head next door and shoot some casual portraits of Taylor alone, backlit by the huge window and then as the band arrive we do a group shot. We all head on out into the frigid outdoors to do some portraits with the fall colors. Uncle Al who is Taylors most accommodating drummer assists me in my duties by holding the reflectors.... The pics end up being stunning and Taylor and her Mom seem quite pleased. To be perfectly honest, it's hard to not make her look good. Later at the venue I set up lights backstage and shoot Taylor who's wearing a sparkly blue dress. Get some great shots of here with her guitar and then holding a bright yellow flower. I wish it was this easy making everyone else I shoot look this good.......HA! Get a couple of shots of her with Mom and then it's time for the show. Decide this time to shoot most of the show from the safety of the stage.... The young girls in the audience shove too much... yeah, I know I'm a wimp.. Hehehe.. Get some great shots from the stage perspective, especially during Picture to Burn where Taylor and Caitlin attack the trash cans with drumsticks...

Overall a great trip and some of the best pics I've done. The trip back was a bit of a pain in the posterior due to the connections I had to make but it was all minimal fuss really in the bigger scheme of things. Now the wonderful selection and editing process begins. Hours on end of numb bum syndrome. Break out the hot tea and chocolate Hob Nobs, it's gonna be a long one.

ASH

Coming soon: Def Leppard photo book and 2009 calendar.

It's been a while since you could buy any official Def Leppard calendars, and it's been even longer since the band released their first (and only) official book "ANIMAL INSTINCT" (1996's "NONE MORE BLACK" photo book was only released in Japan).....but that is about to change really soon! In the next few weeks, DefLeppard.com will start taking orders for "SHOTS FROM THE SPARKLE TOUR", a unique and luxury coffee table book that should be in every true Def Leppard fan's collection! Containing 80 pages of approximately 300 never-before-seen photos taken during their record-breaking "SONGS FROM THE SPARKLE LOUNGE" Tour, this book gives you an insight on what life on the road with Def Leppard is all about.

All photos are taken by photographer Ash Newell and do not only show Def Leppard doing what they do best on stage, but also show the band and their crew backstage and in other candid environments.

This exclusive book, sized 12"x12", is the perfect gift for any Def Leppard fan and will not be availabe in any shops! It can only be ordered through DefLeppard.com. 500 Deluxe Editions will be printed with 250 personally signed by the band. After these 500 sell out, "standard" editions will be available.

Exact pricing info is not yet available but will be posted here as soon as we accept orders. Furthermore, members of the Def Leppard Fan Club (of which the Fan Club will be relaunched very soon as well) will get access to the presales of the book, for which 100 signed editions have been reserved. "SHOTS FROM THE SPARKLE TOUR" promises to be just as much a rare collectible as the 1992-released "ADRENALIZE MAHOGANY BOX" is nowadays, so make sure you get your copy before it's too late. Furthermore, the band will also release a 2009 calendar! Ordering and pricing info is not yet available for this great item either, but it will consist 12 pages full of live photos, so every month of the year you'll get a fresh new Leppard thing to look at. The Def Leppard 2009 calendar will also only be available through DefLeppard.com.