Yesterday evening it was reported 70,000 people visited Southsea Common to view the Olympic torch passing through our seaside town… Hope you like my pic?

Seeing the Olympic torch at Southsea Common was pretty cool, it is something I won’t be seeing again in my lifetime! Personally I am not for or against the Olympic games; if it unites different cultures, gets families out the house on a Sunday evening, children doing more sports etc, then that is ok with me… All in all it was a great atmosphere, a day my wife, baby boy and I won’t forget.

Firstly I hope our Tidy Blog readers, clients and twitter followers are having a great Easter weekend… Earlier today I took my camera out and about to capture some more free stock photography, below I have uploaded just a few free daffodil pictures for you to enjoy:

Please feel free to use these free daffodil pictures for your own projects, commercial or non-commercial. All we ask in return is not to re-sell or distribute these daffodil photos via any third party websites, please be one awesome dude and link back to this page!

The Spinnaker Tower has become one of the South’s most prominent landmarks; it is something that catches my eye every time I drive into Portsmouth. Situated at Gunwharf Quays, the Spinnaker Tower offers panoramic views of Portsmouth Harbour and the Isle of Wight, on a clear day you can see for miles!

Above: Today I took several stock photos of the Spinnaker Tower, please feel free to use these images for your own projects, commercial or non-commercial. All we ask in return is not to re-sell or distribute these Spinnaker Tower stock photos via any third party websites. Please add a link back to this page.

Like these photos? Please click here to see more… Until next time our awesome Tidy Blog readers, take care and keep it tidy!

As its the last day of 2011, what better time to dress up warm and take a long walk down Southsea beach with the family. As per usual I took my camera, below you will find three Southsea Castle stock photos:

At Tidy Design we love giving away free stuff, so please feel free to use these Southsea Castle stock photos for your own projects… All we ask in return is not to re-sell or distribute these photographs via any third party websites. Please be one tidy dude and link back to this page.

Like these photos? Please click here to view more… Wishing all Tidy Blog readers an awesome 2012!

After a very busy week back at Tidy Design, today was the day I planned to chill out with my little boy and watch Wales beat France in the Rugby World Cup… Ok, that didn’t go according to plan, and after a pretty emotional morning for Welsh rugby, the wife and I went to Petworth Park for a long walk with our newborn son.

I took lots of photos on our trip, today experimenting in black and white photography accompanied with a grainy film filter… I’ve uploaded a small selection below:

A group of tall oak trees in Petworth Park

Close up of an oak tree in Petworth Park

Petworth Park, fields / trees as far as the eye can see…

At Tidy Design we enjoy all things creative, from fine art and illustration to web and digital design… If it involves making things look pretty or thinking outside the box, then bring it on! Below I have uploaded a small selection of photos I took today on the awesome Olympus XZ-1 f1.8, a variety of macro shots that I was pleased with…

Above: Macro shot of a raspberry

Above: Macro shot of a sunflower

Above: Macro shot of a pear / pear tree

Above: Macro shot of an acorn

Above: Macro shot of another sunflower

I think it is great fun taking photos and creating your own stock photography archive, not only does it capture happy memories (like todays trip to Milford pick your own), but it also saves you money! I dread to think how much we have spent on stock photos over the years!

Anyway… one thing’s for sure, I have well exceeded my five fruit a day!!! Hope you like the pics?

After two weeks relaxing in a converted farmhouse in Tolentino, Le Marche it was kind of sad returning home to a wet and windy London Stansted Airport yesterday afternoon!

During our stay in Italy the weather varied each day, from intense thunder and lightening storms to extreme heat and wall-to-wall sunshine! But the variety was nice, I found time to start writing (and complete) a children’s story book, make 25+ illustrations, take lots of photos, read, unwind and re-boot after a busy 6 months at Tidy Design! Here are a few macro shots I took:

Above: Some kind of crop!

Above: An unexpected dinner guest!

Above: Flowers in the garden

Above: Butterfly with pool and villa in background

Everyday we would observe (from a distance) an Italian farmer walking the hills opposite for 12+ hours a day, his trusty dogs and flock of sheep never far away. This observation often got me thinking about our different lifestyles, culture, the importance of self-sufficiency, and the work we do… Notepad in hand I took full advantage of limited (often zero) internet / mobile signals, jotting down new ideas and plans for the future.

Above: View of pool before a BIG storm!

Above: Photo of lake Fiastra

Above: University of Macerata

So… now the holiday is over, a ‘back to work’ frame of mind has kicked in. Today I purchased a new note pad for the inevitable Tidy to-do lists… Rosie spent a small fortune stocking up the cupboards with coffee and food for the weeks ahead.

During the second half of 2011 Tidy Design has plenty to look forward to, it is these exciting events, occasions, projects and goals that make coming back from an amazing holiday such as this, not such a bad thing!

I am confident that one day we will re-visit the hills of Tolentino, Italy… For now we have photos, memories and suntans to remind us how important it is to graft harder and reach goals in our life.

Re-charged and refreshed it is back to work for Tidy Design!

Earlier today Rosie and I took a trip down to Old Portsmouth to capture some stock photos for future web and design projects… Whilst visiting Old Portsmouth we stopped off at the fishmongers, one place you can guarantee to find fresh fish for dinner! Below I have uploaded a few photos, I hope you like them!

Black and white stock photo of Old Portsmouth

Fishing boats in Old Portsmouth

View of Gunwharf and Spinnkar Tower from Old Portsmouth

Although it was pretty cold and VERY windy at the seafront today, it was great to build up our database of stock photography. Please feel free to use any of these Old Portsmouth photos for your commercial or non-commercial projects.

Yesterday my wife and I took a nice long walk down Southsea beach to recharge our batteries after a very busy week at the office… At Tidy Design we feel it is really important for people with desk jobs to stay active, eat healthy and keep fit! After all, a healthy body equals a healthy mind!

Anyway, yesterdays walk that lasted just under two hours also involved me snapping away with my camera and capturing a load of photos of the South Parade Pier on Southsea beach in Portsmouth.

These photographs I later edited in Photoshop for you to download as FREE stock images for projects, websites or what ever you like!

A blog post on how to edit your own images using Photoshop to appear like these will soon follow! Until then, you can find even more FREE stock photos by clicking here.

Following the creation and upload of our FREE Autumnal and FREE Winter stock photos I thought it would be a good idea to go through old files and folders to locate some FREE Portsmouth stock photography! Although people contact us from all over the UK thanks to the power of the World Wide Web, a high percentage of our clients and those who call or email regarding websites are based in the South.

With this in mind I have spent some time today in Photoshop tidying up several FREE stock photos taken in and around Southsea, Portsmouth. Tidy Design is offering these photos as a FREE download, so if you are based in Portsmouth and looking to create a new website then we hope these FREE Portsmouth stock photos will help.

Throughout 2011 and beyond Tidy Design will be working hard to develop and expand its ‘News Blog’, we hope that by including FREE stock photos, FREE marketing tips and FREE code etc our blog will offer something unique and awesome to all its readers!

Although these Portsmouth stock photographs have been taken on different dates, occasions and trips with family and friends, I am sure you will find a good home for them on your website… Have a tidy day!