Ian Nancollas' Blog

Start of new rugby season

2011-08-25T21:27:00.001+01:00

This will be my sixth season with Luton Rugby as club photographer. We start the season in National League Three, London and as the holders of the East Midlands Cup.

Saturday saw the first pre-season friendly against Old Northamptonians. It was an opportunity to see new and developing players making their debut for the first XV.

This photograph shows one of the developing squad players, Ross Geraghty, playing at scrum half.

Portrait of Tony

2011-08-16T21:42:00.003+01:00

This was my entry for this year's Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize.

Being judge in August, the winners and other highly commended photographs go on display in the National Portrait Gallery, London from November. Unfortunately my photograph did not make the final 60.

The portrait is of a man I met in a park last Summer. Tony is amongst many things an illustrator. I was immediately struck by the photographic potential of his facial features, but I didn't have my camera. Hoping Tony would still be in the park when I got back, I rushed home and grabbed my bag.

Luckily for me he was. I went straight over to him and asked if I could take his portrait. He seemed relaxed and agreed. I took a few shots of him wearing his glasses before asking him to remove them. This is the picture I submitted.

Taylor Wessing

2011-07-28T22:18:00.000+01:00

After a lot of running around, not least to get it delivered, I finally handed in my entry for this year's Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize.

Having visited the annual exhibition regularly over the last 5 years I felt that one of my portraits could have a chance. The standard is high and the applications numerous. I'm not looking to win but I'd love to be featured in the exhibition and catalogue.

The selection process takes place in August, with the winner being announced on Wednesday 17 August.

The Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2011 exhibition will run at the National Portrait Gallery, London from 10 November 2011 to 12 February 2012

The Great Brain Robbery

2011-07-15T22:00:00.000+01:00

A photograph from a shoot with Luton based comedy sketch group The Great Brain Robbery.

In Luton for two night only and soon to be seen at this year's Edinburgh Fringe GBR - Justin, Neil, Chris, James and Michele - are putting together the finishing touches to their new sketches. Having previously visited their office which doubles as a venue I had a clear idea of what I wanted. The sofa was key and proved to be the perfect prop for the photo shoot.

Just to go technical for a moment I used a single my speed light on wireless mode to light the room. Set on half manual this gave enough light to set a high shutter speed and a good DoF f stop. After that it was childs play literally, no offence guys.

Rhythms Of The World 2011

2011-07-12T21:30:00.000+01:00

I had the pleasure of helping at this year's ROTW festival in Hitchin.

I have volunteered my services as a photographer to the festival for 4 years now. It is a wonderful 2-day event held in the grounds of the Priory Hotel. There are 7 stages catering to all musical tastes.

The headliners on one of these stages on the Sturday night was 80s Ska legends, The Selecter. Led by Pauline Black they had lost none of their energy. I took advantage of my press pass to get this close-up image of her.

One of the many new names you see was Skip Macdonald. This is my favourite photo from the weekend.

Bella and Florence

2011-07-03T22:30:00.000+01:00

Here are our two dogs Bella and Florence.

I had set-up a small studio in the conservatory so tried to get the dogs in position to have their photo taken. After much prompting and bribing with treats they stayed still enough long enough to get this shot.

This also demonstrates the ease and flexibility of the Nikon wireless flash operation. No heavy and hot lights; no trailing leads to fall over. The output from the flash unit can be controlled from the menu settings from the back of the camera. This shot was taken using manual mode on flash and camera to ensure there was enough light.

Cricket

2011-06-27T20:35:00.000+01:00

Enjoyed an afternoon trying to capture a good cricket sports photography shot. And here it is.

Obviously you need the sun in the right direction so you can only photograph the action at one set of stumps. You also need a long lens as the action takes place some 50 yards away. This was taken at 300mm and even then a healthy crop is needed to zoom in on the action.

All that is left to do is to find a place on the boundary where a bowler or fielder doesn't your view. Oh and one where there is no distracting objects such as covers, sightcscreens or houses. I took many shots before I caught this one with the batsman playing a shot in my direction with the ball in the frame.

Photograph taken at Luton and Indians Cricket Club.

Old Seat

2011-06-19T16:00:00.000+01:00

I saw this abandoned chair in a neighbour's back garden. I knew straight away it would make a great photo.

Put the camera in monochrome mode and away I went. Four pics later I knew I had what I wanted. It only took a short trip to lightroom to increase the contrast and add a little old world charm with the vignette and I was done.

Clematis

2011-06-05T20:21:00.000+01:00

This is a beautiful close-up of a clematis flower in our garden.

The still overcast conditions of the day helped. Using a 50mm prim lens gave this fantastic detail.

Luton Carnival 2011

2011-05-31T15:51:00.000+01:00

It was great to get out and photograph this year's carnival. It's been a few years so I wanted to see if I could get some good images.

Unfortunately the rain arrived in time for the start of the parade. This meant constantly running in and out of shelter trying to keep the lens dry.

I like this photo because although it looks slightly blurred, due to the extreemely low light, the flash has caught the eyes and given the dance a sense of movement.

Allium Spring

2011-05-22T21:49:00.001+01:00

Decided to step into the garden for this month's photo opp.

It's a few years since I tried my hand at flower photography. I took advantage of some low level sunshine to shoot these alliums against the light. I like the contrast between light and dark.

It was the first time in many months I could shoot at low ISO and so the detail in the photo was a real joy.

Lambretta Love

2011-04-30T21:52:00.020+01:00

I took the opportunity of a sunny bank holiday weekend to head out with my camera.

In a local carpark I found a pair of Lamabrettas.When I got home I quickly converted the result to B+W. Although a good effect further experimenting produced a lovely sepia tone.

Bella-mini Schnauzer

2011-03-30T21:54:00.018+01:00

This is Bella our new mini Schnauzer.

She is very inquisitive. Here she is inspecting her new patch. What drawed me into this picture was her chain collar. Not a fan of it due to its 'bling' nature I decided to get the photo to create a ironic image copying the style of so many hiphop photographs.

Street Photography Now Project

2011-02-28T21:54:00.007Z

Decided to part-take in a spot of street photography.

After finding an online Flickr site for street photographers I thought this would be a good way to try something new when the availability of light really does limit the range of subjects to photo.

So following the theme of urban banality I found my self in a carprk.Although not a street photo in the strictest sense I like the graphic nature of the shot. The white figures, the arrows and the green walkways. The oncoming headlights also add a certain mysterious quality.

Camera phone possibilities

2011-01-30T21:55:00.030Z

What do you do when you go to Ireland and don't bring your camera? Improvise.

After seeing several photo opps I remembered the camera on my mobile phone. Although obviously not high quality it does allow for instance access and a certain unanimity when taking pictures.

I relished the way it allows you to revise your way of taking pictures. It gives you freedom you don't have with a camera around your neck.
This photo is a close-up of items in a old second hand store in Clonakilty.

A real winter wedding

2010-12-30T21:56:00.027Z

Snow on the ground for the perfect winter wedding.

Neither I nor the bride really thought we'd have snow on the day. We were amazingly lucky. The day before the wedding would have taken place in a blizzard and the day after it wouldn't have happened at all after all the snow that feel during the day.

Anyway all went well and I got this beautiful shot of the bride and her father.

Yes it was cold and my congratulations to the bride who kept smiling throughout.

Bluesman Ben

2010-11-30T21:57:00.022Z

I'm at The Stable in Wavendon just outside of Milton Keynes and this is bluesman Ben Poole.

As with most gigs, and inparticular this one, this pic was taken in near darkness. Therefore I was really thankful for my f1.8, 50mm lens. It makes all the difference giving me that extra stop.

The poor light also forced the conversion to B+W. Without this a good shoot would have been ruined by an awful colour cast.

The Milliner-Philip Wright

2010-10-30T16:13:00.005+01:00

At the recent Redbourn Festival I met Philip, a Luton base milliner. He is an interesting character and one I was keen to photograph.

I like to specialise in environmental portraiture. So I met Philip at his factory. Lots of character in a premises used for hat making for over 100 years. I took the opportunity to experiment with film for the first time in years.

This is a scan of the B+W negative. I really love the contrast. Although couldn't afford to go back to film it has refined my approach to B+W digital post production.

Redbourn 900

2010-09-30T14:52:00.004+01:00

I was at the recent Redbourn Festival near Luton.There was a display of millinery. Visitors were allowed to try on hats. I was there to take photos.I captured an interesting selections of portraits.See more from the Redbourn 900 festival

Argyll Street, Glasgow

2010-08-30T20:04:00.020+01:00

This is Margaret who runs the laundrette on Argyll St., Glasgow.

I was in Scotland's second city for a conference.
I took the opportunity to arrive a day early and explore part of the city. Argyll St. is an eclectic mix of people and places. New, chic eateries are located next to old, curious hangouts.

I was drawn into the premises by all the bags and posters. Margaret was happy for me to take pictures inside the laundrette. I realised the the photo would be nothing without her so asked her.

New Season - Luton Rugby

2010-08-21T16:20:00.009+01:00

Saturday marked the start of my fourth season as club photographer at Luton Rugby Club.

A pre-season match with local rivals Hertford saw a healthy mixture of old and new faces. The club has concentrated its efforts on recruiting local talent and bringing through its development players.

With the pressure off from a match photography view point I was able to relax and enjoy some pre-match hospitality. Call it luck or due to years of experience I was in the right place at the right time to record the moment of our only score of the afternoon.

Rhythms of the World 2010

2010-07-30T10:07:00.011+01:00

For a second year I volunteered my photography services at the ROTW Festival in Hitchin.

This is a great two day music and arts festival. Held in the beautiful Priory Gardens it always has a nice relaxed atmosphere.

There is a definate knack to getting a good music picture. Obviously bright and in focus are essential, but minus distracting back stage objects or intrusive mic stand while still getting a feel of the passion of the performance are key.

I think I've manged this in this shot of Dave Banks from local band The Whybirds. For more pics see my Flickr site.

Graduation Day

2010-07-23T10:03:00.000+01:00

Graduation at the University is always an exciting time.

This photograph was taken to go with a press release. I deliberately chose the location so as to get the church in the background. I have tried the 'hats' shot many times but this is one of the best results.

Town Fall, Richmond

2010-07-19T21:09:00.008+01:00

This photo was taken at the town falls in Richmond, North Yorkshire.

I was in Yorkshire for a friend's wedding.Taken about 9.30 at night with the sun well below the horizon. I used a neutral density filter to get the slowest shutter speed I could and set the camera to timer release on my tripod.

This shot shows what can be achieved with a simple waterfall and a slow shutter speed. I was then used Lightroom to bring out the full potential of the photo. I like how this has brought a steel blue grey to the colour of the water.

Make Better Photos

2010-06-28T21:12:00.001+01:00

I recently went on a one day 1-2-1 training course in Weston-Super-Mare, Somerset.

I was looking to improve my portrait photography skills so I booked up with Alex Wolfe-Warman of Make Better Photos. I was hoping to come away feeling more confident about the portrait process.

And I did. I would recommend the 1-2-1 session with a pro to anyone passed the beginner stage. It's good to get critical feedback and exchange ideas. I was lucky to find to willing volunteer models. This gave the photo shoot a realistic feel.

This is one of many pictures taken on the day and I think I captured mum and daughter in relax mood.

Classic Ford

2010-06-02T11:42:00.005+01:00

I was on holiday in Ireland last month. While in County Leitrim I stayed at a hotel in the town of Ballinamore. I addition to some spectacular countryside I came across this classic car.

In immaculate condition and parked on the forecourt of a small rural museum I had to photograph it. I thought a wide angle view was the most interesting approach.

When I got back to the computer I decided to convert it to an aged effect with a hint of colour remaining. I then used tilt shift software to hide the background and emphasise the car.

Canal Boats

2010-05-02T12:31:00.002+01:00

I had a weekend in Birmingham and spent a hour walking around the city centre canals.

I saw the immediate potential of this shot. The colours and lettering makes for an eye catching image.

When I saw it on the computer monitor I decided to increase the saturation of the colours to make the image stronger.

St George's Day Celebrations

2010-04-24T22:11:00.002+01:00

St George's Day celebrations well underway in Luton.

On assignment for the visitors' centre I captured the many performers on the day.

Luton Landscape

2010-04-18T22:21:00.003+01:00

This photograph was taken early one Saturday morning. It shows the reflection of an old tree on the waters of the River Lea.

I spent a good hour looking around for a suitable scene. It's not easy in post-industrial Luton. However, my patience was reward. I put my three stop neutral density filter to good use here. It reduced the exposure to 1/10 of a second.

This is a nice little spot where herons and kingfishers can be found on occasions.

Further Player Portraits

2010-04-10T22:10:00.004+01:00

One of a series of Luton RFC player portraits.

I had seen the potential for capturing candids shots of the players by chance. My main interest is usually to catch match action, but afer one particularly muddy encounter I saw a new opportunity.

I think these work even better in black and white.

Gower Sunset

2010-04-08T22:08:00.002+01:00

Photograph of the sunset at Rhossli beach on the Gower Peninsular in South Wales.

Rugby Player Portraits

2010-04-03T22:05:00.003+01:00

I managed to grab this shot of one of the players after a particularly muddy match in Leicestershire.

Captured in colour I was delighted to discover the result of converting it to black and white. The dirt in the pores of the player's face bring a real texture to the picture.

Our Cat Millie

2010-03-28T22:03:00.002+01:00

One of my favourite photographs of our camera shy cat Millie.

Her look says: 'Ok then just this once'.

Luton RFC v Ampthill

2010-03-27T21:42:00.005Z

Took the opportunity to borrow a Sigma 110-450mm f5.6 lens. I wanted to see how it would cope with sports action.

Sad to report two problems. Firstly trying to follow the action at the max zoom setting was very difficult - even with a mono pod. I normally shoot with a 150mm lens. The other was the results. The clarity on the shots was very poor.

Perhaps one shouldn't be suprised. The lens only costs £450. A good 300m lens costs £1500.

Luton Conference Coverage

2010-03-21T19:51:00.000Z

On assignment for Luton Borough Council at a community development conference.

This great shot of one of the speakers. I noticed expressive nature of this delegate. I also love the way the he stands out from the background. I deliberately moved to get a slight diagonal into the shot.

Luton RFC v Malvern

2010-02-21T14:39:00.000Z

Action from the weekend's game with Malvern.

As the club photographer I obviously concentrate on the home team players. However every now and then I capture the action as Luton are defending. This shot was one of two I took of the oppostion, but its great.

A good action shot showing all the drama of a rugby match. Sharp and well exposed. The crowd in the background but nicely out of focus. The player with the ball is in full flow and hands off his opposite number.

Although this might look quite painful the player on the right is OK .

Still Life Again

2010-02-07T20:34:00.000Z

Took the opportunity of another weekend without rugby to refresh my still life stills.

And theses fiery tulips would inspire anyone. There's a trick to getting enough light into flowers to pick up the details. But no flash is required.

I enjoyed slowing down and taking my time to prepare and take the shot.

First find a good spot well lit. Then consider the best composition. What will work best? A group of flowers or an individual bloom. Next decide on the angle to shoot from. Then what happens if I over or underexpose. Then finally how best to avoid any camera shake on slow exposure.

This is where digital really scores over film.

Front Cover of Life

2010-02-02T20:28:00.000Z

Rather pleased to report that one of my pictures appears on the cover of the University of Bedfordshire in-house newspaper, Life.

The picture of students promoting healthy living was needed for the front cover. And it very nearly didn't happen. The students had handed out all the fruit and packed up by the time I got there.

On my way back to the Press Office without the picture for the cover I decided that the best way to rectify the situation was to mock up the picture for the camera. So within twenty minutes I had rounded up the students, T-Shirts, banner and fruit.

I slowly coaxed the group together and persuaded a friend to lift the banner so the healthy campus logo was in the shot.

Sunset Magic

2010-02-01T20:51:00.000Z

I just got back from a short break in Ireland where I took the opportunity to brush up on my landscape photography skills.

This shot was taken at 5.30pm on a bitterly cold Saturday afternoon and I'm very pleased with it. It shows Lough Errill in County Leitrim, Ireland.

As if it wasn't dark enough I chose to use two neutral density filters and the min f stop of the lens to get the slowest shutter speed I could manage. Ten seconds later I had this lovely image of the lough with amazingly saturated colours-no photoshop-and a beautiful glassy finish to the surface of the water.

The Severn At Night

2010-01-03T14:30:00.001Z

Used the holiday period as a good opportunity to brush up on a few rusty photographic techniques. In this case night photography.

First off I walked into town and tried my hand at capturing street lighting and car headlamps. Unfortunately, all the roads around me were one-way so either got all white or all red lights.

So on a day out to the Somerset coast I grabbed my Dad's tripod and headed for the Severn Bridge. Its sweeping construction in the Bristol channel creates an attractive leading line and the slow shutter speed - 30 secs - gives a nice blur to the rushing waters beneath and the clouds above, the bridge.

Seasons Greetings

2009-12-21T21:29:00.000Z

After an unexpected large downfall of snow I decided to go in search of a timely reminder of the time of year.

I found a particularly large holly bush with the essential covering of snow. Making sure I caught the leafs and berries in the shade I captured a selection of shots. I think this is the best.

Rugby Legend John Bentley

2009-11-27T20:28:00.000Z

Former England and British Lion rugby ace John Bentley was guest of honour at a recent Luton RFC lunch.

In my role as club photographer I got to meet John and take pictures for the club website. Still in good shape John's playful character was to the fore although his strong Yorkshire accent reminded me that to perform at the highest level requires a no nonsense attitude when it comes to business.

Although essentially a quick grab shot I think this portrait brings our both the playful and determined sides of his personality.

England v New Zealand

2009-11-24T21:33:00.000Z

After much last minute negotiations I managed to get accreditation for the England women v New Zealand women rugby match at Twickenham. The RFU allowed me to photograph the game as one of the University's former students , Maggie Alphonsi was playing.

I was going to the game as I had tickets for the men's game that was played earlier. The RFU very carefully checked my reasons for going as many newspapers had been refused entry.

I was faced many challenges on the day. Floodlighting, heavy rain and positioned away from the pitch. The limitations of my 150mm lens became clear. However I still managed to get the pictures I needed and the opportunity to photograph at such a prestigious occasion and then record an interview pitch side, was fantastic.

Luton Xmas Lights

2009-11-15T22:33:00.000Z

An excited local crowd gathered to see The Honey Monster switch on the Christmas lights. Helped by TVs Britain's Got Talent duo Stavros Flatley and local radio DJ Gaz and Babs the 'Monster' also parade through the town centre with hundreds of local school children.

Jim fixed it for me

2009-11-13T19:15:00.000Z

I had the pleasure of meeting Sir Jimmy Savile OBE today. He received an honorary degree from the University.

Now aged 83 jimmy shows no signs of slowing down and is still charming everyone he meets with his energy and enthusiasm for life. Ready with a joke and naturally inserting his well know catch phrases into the conversation, Jimmy carried out a series of media interviews during his visit.

This is Jimmy, dressed in his trade mark shell suit, and me.

ACA Awards

2009-11-07T20:48:00.000Z

On an assignment for the borough council I was at Stopsley Baptist Church photographing the young recipients of African Caribbean Achievers Awards.

Organised by the ACCDF the night celebrates the achievements of young pupils at all key stages.

I had to use a tripod to ensure there was no camera shake in any of the pictures.

LRFC v Newport

2009-11-07T09:55:00.002Z

Sports photography from my regular Saturday vocation as photographer volunteer at the club. A powerful Luton team overpowered there Shropshire opponent by 13 tries to 1.

My picture shows flanker Mike Weston breaking through the Newport defence.

LRFC 12 v Luctonians 13

2009-10-24T22:05:00.001+01:00

Disaster at Newlands. After dominating a game for 78 mins Luton lost their third game of the season in the last two mins.

My picture shows winger Lee Anker in full flight.

Breast Cancer Care

2009-10-24T21:58:00.000+01:00

Up at the rugby club again but something different this week.

The players were supporting the Breast Cancer Care charity and played the game in pink socks. The whole day was organised as a fundraiser for the charity. At the end of the day a cheque was presented to the charity. This photograph shows many of the female supporters proudly displaying their bras.

Esther Rantzen

2009-10-20T17:35:00.000+01:00

Esther came in to the University to see the Vice Chancellor. She is an independent candidate for the Luton South constituency next year.

On a fact finding mission she visited several depts and looked around the site of the new Student Centre. I took this shot of her in the gallery of the TV studio.

Rhythms of the World

2009-07-12T16:02:00.003+01:00

This event is held in the grounds of the Hitchin Priory. There are bands and musician to suit all tastes performing over the weekend.

I spent an amazing two days in the sunshine running between stages capturing the spirit of the festival.

My Nikon D300 came into its own producing brilliant shots despite the low level lighting on stage. Using a flash would destroy the atmosphere of the picture.

However I did use my flashgun and ultra wide angle lens to get great pictures of the crowds at the front of the stages.

See more pics at Flickr.

BBC Three Counties Radio

2009-06-07T13:54:00.000+01:00

While recently photographing unsigned acts at the BBC 3CR stage at the Luton Carnival I met DJ Lenny T. The upshot was I was invited to take part in his Sunday night radio show.

In a half hour live interview we discussed my photography and work at the Uni. It was a great experience and fascinating to see how a radio show is put together.

This is me and Lenny T.

Can you guess what it is yet?

2009-06-06T14:07:00.000+01:00

This unusual shot of flowers in Wardown Park comes from zooming the lens as the photograph is taken. A slow shutter speed (1/50) and a tripod are essential. The results are a bit hit and miss but that's the fun of this technique. I'll be trying this again next year when the bluebells are out.

Luton Carnival

2009-05-25T14:10:00.000+01:00

At the carnival I was taking pictures for Luton Council and it was a full on experience for an hour and a half. I was ducking and diving in and out of the parade looking for the best shots of the performers.

Even though the sun was out I used a bit of flash to ensure I brought the eyes to light. Next time I'd like to get a busier backdrop - more of a crowd - and take the close ups in landscape so I keep their arms in the frame.

See more pics at Flickr.

Photography Comp winner

2009-05-16T14:10:00.000+01:00

This photograph was entered for the competition last month. Noodle had taken part in a sports day at a puppy school in Offley. She had come third in the slowest recall and had a great day playing with other dogs.

Here she is resting at home proudly wearing her rosette.

Bluebells

2009-05-10T14:11:00.000+01:00

This is a quiet spot on the far side of Dunstable. The blues and greens are a lovely contrast.

Its not easy finding a good shot that combines colour and interest. I used my long lens to focus in on a area of flowers and foliage.

The most important trick is to avoid areas of direct sunlight. This shot was taken late in the day as the sun was setting.

St Georges Day

2009-04-25T14:12:00.000+01:00

Celebrating all that is English with folk dancing, morris dancers and historical re enactments. On assignment for the tourist office in Luton, I photographed a variety of performers.

Although a beautiful spring day the strong angular sunlight made photography tricky. I also had to work hard to avoid getting in the background large scale building work.

I like this shot as it captures the action, has the town hall in the background and has interesting shadows in the foreground.

Tilt Shifter

2009-04-22T14:13:00.000+01:00

Discovered on the BBC, this website recreates the effect of a tilt shift lens. In short it adds a crazy depth of field effect to the image.

Its easy to use, just upload, add the tilt effect, and download. I look forward to playing with it.

For more details see Tilt Shift Maker

Hatters Parade

2009-04-19T14:13:00.000+01:00

Dual celebrations in the town on Sunday as the Hatters parade their trophy and the Luton U10s join them as winners of the European Cup.

I was commissioned by the council to capture the emotions of the players and supporters. This meant getting crowd scenes, working around other photographers and videographers and climbing on to the roof of the Town Hall, seventy feet above the ground.

My photograph shows Luton Town players of the future.

Wedding Preparation

2009-03-21T13:14:00.000Z

This local conference centre turned hotel is a popular location for weddings. I decided to look around beforehand for good photo locations for the bride and groom.

The hotel has been beautifully refurbished and offers the perfect situation for a low key wedding. The two large period receptions rooms are complemented by a modern conservatory for the civil service and wedding breakfast.

This photograph shows one of the main architectural features of Offley, the central stairway.

Scott Quinell

2008-11-28T14:15:00.000Z

In my role as official club photographer I attended a celebrity guest lunch at the club. Scott entertained his audience with stories of his playing days.

Ian Robertson

2008-11-20T14:15:00.000Z

Ian acted as quiz master at the annual Luton RFC sports quiz night. The fund raiser saw 200 sports fans competed in teams of 6 for the chance to be the champions of 2008.

As club photographer I volunteered to help on the night to take pictures for the club website.

Ann Keen MP

2008-11-14T14:16:00.000Z

In my role as stand-in photographer at the University I was called upon to capture the ministerial visit. She also took time to open the nursing education centre.

Being a nurse by training she took a lot of interest in the students and their studies and as this picture shows she still knows her way around a blood pressure gauge.

John Hegley

2008-10-09T14:17:00.000+01:00

John Hegley's return to his hometown as a hugely successful poet, ardent supporter of Luton, and honorary graduate of the University was a great success.

In a show that also marked National Poetry Day and the culminating event in local National Year of Reading, John entertained fans at the Central Library. Ably supported by colleagues from the Poptitions and the Luton Youth Wind Ensemble, John threw away the script and launched into a quick fire performance of poems and songs.

John, ever one to try something new, even turned the table on his audience by asking them to write a poem.