Colin has always fancied the idea of a freehanded tattoo…… so that’s just what he got!

Eddie got out the Sharpie markers and in no time this was on Colins’ arm.

There’s no messing about with Eddie and he got to work on the outline.

Outline done and we could really see just how beautiful this was going to be.

The shading was next, this softened the edges of the tattoo and, of course leaves a great way of blending into a nice sleeve (Good thinking there Eddie!)

Colin wanted his Koi in shades of blue, so what the birthday boy wanted, he got!

Eddie used loads of different shades of blue to add depth to the tattoo.

Two hours, plenty of banter and a lot of ink later Eddie was finished and, as usual he had created a masterpiece.

A couple of weeks later, it’s all healed and looking brilliant. The Koi in blue was a brilliant choice by Colin.

Just as Eddie was finishing up, he got a visitor, his beautiful granddaughter. Never happier than when he’s with his family this is a photo that just had to be taken!

Thanks Eddie, once again you’ve come up with the goods and created another masterpiece!

Joe Doyle is one very lucky boy. Not only does he own this stunning Nissan Skyline R33 but his day job has him working on the ultimate sideways weapon.  For Joe works with Camillus Bradley, building the most spectacular selection of Ford Escort Mark 2 Rally cars seen on this island.

Engine Bay

RB25 lump

Motec M4 (ECU)

Polished and ported head

TOMEI cams and pulleys

Greddy inlet manifold

Greddy fuel rail

Bosch 720cc injectors

Q45 throttle body

T67 Turbo kit

4 core intercooler

SMD custom intercooler piping

SMD cold air box

SMD vented headlights

SMD induction kit

Engine damper

Carbing twin bar strut brace

Splitfire coil packs

Sard racing radiator

Sard fuel pressure regulator

C. Bradley oil catch tank

SMD brake stopper

Underside

XYD drift coilovers

Nismo front camber arms

Cusco caster bars

Tein tie rod ends

Endless brake discs all round

Carbotech brake pads

GAB anti roll bars all round

Driftworks rear camber arms

Cusco lock out kit

Nismo diff

OS Giken triple plate clutch

Tomei quick shift

4” stainless steel exhaust

Boot

1 x HKS in tank fuel pump

2 x Bosch 979 external fuel pumps

2lt swirl pot

Earls fuel filters

All – 6 fuel lines

Bodywork

Jun bodykit

GT wing

Ganapor Mirrors

SMD bumper winglets (Carbon Fibre)

Carbon bonnet (GTR)

Wheels

18 x 9.5 Hyper Zero One

Federal tyres

Interior

Sparco Evo seats

Sparco steering wheel

TRS 6 point harnesses

Life line fire eater

C. Bradley gear knob

HKS Fuel pressure gauge

HKS exhaust temperature gage

HKS boost gauge

Comp brake hydraulic handbrake

SMD carbon door cards

SMD carbon panel trims

SMD carbon floor tray

Magee Motorsport carbon roof vent

SMD firewall

My drift year began with 2 back to back shoots over Valentine’s weekend. Saturday saw the turn of Damian McBride’s gorgeous Toyota JZX90. I’d been waiting nearly a year to shoot this car for Drift Bloggers and it was well worth the wait. Damian had found us a brilliant location at late notice and it was a real pleasure to spend some time with him and the car.

Sunday morning arrived and it was time to do a photoshoot that had been first mentioned at a rather drunken party the previous October.

Paul Conlan had asked us to get him a bit of coverage at home as most of his press is based around the EDC Drift series in England, and we were only too happy to oblige.

We got permission sorted to use a local underground carpark and Paul brought his 1JZ powered Nissan S15 along for its debut on Irish soil in its new darker colours. Paul had new sponsorship for 2011 from BC Racing and was just home from the Autosport Show.

Shoot done and Paul got featured in Carsport and the Daily Mirror within the same month. The SleepyCat’s deliver the goods once again!

Next up on the calendar was one of Glenda’s crazy notions that normally involve me having to tag along and take pics. Although I suppose it keeps me busy and saves me worrying. And with this one,  I had plenty to worry about!

Glenda and a group of her colleagues from work had decided to abseil down the Obel Tower in Belfast ( Ireland’s tallest building at 279ft ). It wasn’t pure folly though as it was in aid of  the Ulster Cancer Foundation and Save the Children. The four of them from Linden Foods raised £2000 for the 2 causes which was a brilliant achievement.

Next up came a photoshoot with Joe Doyle’s Nissan R33 Skyline.

We’d had many a conversation with Joe about where best suited his car and decided that his workplace would be ideal. But it ain’t no ordinary workplace, as Joe works for Camillus Bradley and gets to spend many a day in the company of those glorious MK2 Escorts.

Joe’s Skyline had some new touches for 2011 and he was particularly proud of his carbon fibre winglets and new alloy wheels.

Unfortunately we were too busy to make it to more Mondello drift practice days than we did, but the best was definitly 1st May.

This day was also our introduction to the MG Crash Repairs boys and their antics.

Especially Mr Paul Murphy! I still maintain that he was using my high vis vest as a target!

Glenda had, by this stage, gone a few weeks without doing something crazy, so it was time to go Hydro-Zorbing.

This time she roped her sister, Dorothy, niece, Kerrie and surrogate niece, Nicole into joining her. First up was a twin dry run.

Followed by the wet run. Cold water, hamster ball, big hill…….no thanks!

Especially when you see them afterwards!

My next drift car shoot was with Jason Dobbins and his Nissan S14.

And not to always be seen as the sensible one, I do occasionally do something a bit crazy too!

But it gave me a slightly different angle to get Jason behind the wheel.

The Monster Energy Hi Octane Drift took over life for the next few months and I’ve covered the story of it on Drift Bloggers.

Click here to read it

http://www.driftbloggers.com/2011/drifting/monster-energy-hi-octane-drift/

As well as the buzz of putting on the event, I had some great personal moments from the various practice days leading up to the drift.

First up was getting to see Ian Robinson’s glorious 1JZ Manta in action on our track. Ian came to our practice day the week before the event and got to grips really quickly with the track. I photographed Ian’s car in 2010 and had never got to see it driven in anger so that day was a memorable moment for me.

The saturday before our event was our final practice day and our good friends from down south had arrived in style. Among them was Danni Murphy, our only female competitor and only driver who competes in the British Drift Campionship.

Having been at the track from the very first day, I was blown away when Brendan Stone took to the track in the MG Crash Repairs Altezza and just absolutely nailed it!

Brendan went on to qualify first on sunday and finish third overall in the event. Definitly one to watch!

Final practice was our first chance to see Paul Murphy’s new drift car and he didn’t disappoint with his impressive smoke display.

And of course, being the SleepyCat Crew, we couldn’t just have drift cars on the day

One week after our event was the final round of Prodrift at Mondello, and having recieved news during the week that top Formula Drift driver Daijiro Yoshihara was coming to take part in the MG Crash Repairs Altezza, we just had to drop everything and get our asses down south. Not only was it great to see such a top driver, but the MG boys had equipped their cars with SleepyCat stickers at our event and we just had to see our logo on a car being driven by my favourite Formula Drift driver.

The final round of Prodrift also saw lots of other top names competing and Frederic Aasbo in his immense Supra was another highlight of the weekend for me.

But to finish this blog off in true style is my favourite photo of the year. It’ll be a very long time before I forget the sight of this car, with that driver and my logo on the side!

2011 is now behind us and who knows what 2012 will bring, but I’m ready for anything now and our ‘weird world’ can only take us onto bigger and brighter things.

Thank you all

Colin

Here is the story of my big year!

On a golden Sunday afternoon we decided to go for a wander in the grounds of Springhill and we gained a gorgeous new friend in the shape of Tommy – the resident cat!

Isn’t he a real beauty – and a real poser!

The beautiful golden light found it’s way through the trees and dappled everything it fell on.

Then, as golden as the winter sunlight, Tommy appeared at our sides again and strode ahead through the archway towards the grass beyond.

By now the sun was dropping and the lengthening shadows were stretching like fingers across the beautifully manicured grounds.

Soon, it was time to head home, but not before Tommy gave us another couple of poses!

The house is closed for the winter but if you fancy some fresh air in beautiful surroundings, why not take a wander at Springhill and who knows, maybe Tommy will stop by to say ‘Hello’

Mr SleepyCat and I were paying yet another visit to Eddies Tattoos in Cookstown, and while there, we bumped into a lady we’ve known for quite a while. Mags is no stranger to the tattoo gun, and I often thought I’d love to take a series of photos of her that captured her colourful personality as well as her colourful skin, so I took the chance and asked the question.

The photos you are about to see are the result of that brief conversation.

We had lots of chats about poses, particular pieces Mags really wanted me to capture, and the feel I wanted the shoot to have. We arranged a date and then, for various reasons, rearranged several times from May until the start of November until finally, everything came together.

I love candy skulls and this one is a beauty, the colours are amazing and it sits perfectly with the rest of the pieces on Mags leg.

I thought this one was pretty cool too – for obvious reasons!

A little break allowed Mags to have a quick duke through some of the many tattoo magazines we have gathered up, she even saw a few nice pieces that have given her some more ideas – watch out Eddie you’re about to get more work!

The top of Mags right arm.

….. and the sleeve in full.

This Bhudda is a beauty and forms part of the left arm sleeve, it’s one of Mags favourite pieces.

By now we were all really settling into the session and Mags was starting to relax in front of the camera – I reckon it shows in this shot!

This portrait has a lot of personal meaning for Mags and she particularly wanted it captured on the night.

The longer we spent, the more detail I saw………

The other great thing was hearing the stories behind each of the pieces, because as anyone who has ever been inked knows, there IS a memory connected with every tattoo we get!

A tattoo gun made a perfect prop – thanks for the lend of it Eddie!

This is pure Mags: full of fun, with a dangerous glint in her eye!

Eventually though all good things have to end, it had been an exhausting 3 hours for Mags and she endured several costume changes and endless scrutiny and questions from me, so I reckoned when this happened it was time to stop shooting!

Thanks for your patience Mags, I really enjoyed this session and hope I have captured your great personality and the amazing work you’ve got done over the years.

Until the next time

We recently set our alarm for a dawn patrol at Ballyonan Marina and we didn’t realise just how big a treat we were in for!

The 6am alarm call did still feel slightly cruel on a cold Saturday morning, but the forecast was good and with the frost the night before we knew it would be worth getting out of our cosy bed!

Ballyronan Marina is on the shores of Lough Neagh and is the biggest lough in the British Isles. It is a haven for watersport fans and nature lovers in general.

The rising sun cast a lovely glow as it cut through the delicate mist hanging over the lough and the lights from the boats in the marina looked like low hanging stars.

The Maid of Antrim lies resting in the semi darkness, it’s work over now for another season.

The still water allowed the boats to cast perfect reflections, as if sitting on a mirror.

The light was breaking through and the community centre, based at the marina came into view.

A family of ducks took advantage of the peace and quiet and took an early morning swim, while another group took to the skies.

The swans, however stayed close to the shore watching their cygnets carefully…..

….eventually though, the lure of a morning dip proved too tempting and they took to the water.

The sun was well and truly up by this point, the sky was a beautiful blue and the sun still had a bit of warmth to it!

It was a perfect morning, there is something magical about being up early enough to see the sun rise and if it comes with a crisp frosty edge to the air and a gentle mist hanging over the water it really doesn’t get much better!