Leigh984, The creative portfolio of Leigh Spencer

Swithland Reservoir is a reservoir in Leicestershire. It is near to the village of Swithland from which it takes its name. A dam at the north end is crossed by Kinchley Lane and the reservoir was completed in about 1896. My short film features views from a number of locations and a selection of the varied wildlife that call this beauty spot home.

The Shard, is a 95-storey skyscraper in London. Its construction began in March 2009 and was opened to the public on 1 February 2013. Standing 309.6 metres (1,016 ft) high visitors are sped by high speed lift to the 68th floor where they can then continue up to the 72nd by staircase to experience the fantastic views over the capital. My short film features the view from the shard and a number of well known London landmarks from Buckingham Palace & The Eye to Tower Bridge and beyond, how many can you spot ?.

Snow has covered most of the UK over the last few days, my video features the beautiful scenes on and around disused railway Whistle Way in Narborough Leicestershire and also features a number of birds hunting for berries in full song amongst the snow covered branches.Snow has covered most of the UK over the last few days, my video features the beautiful scenes on and around disused railway Whistle Way in Narborough Leicestershire and also features a number of birds hunting for berries in full song amongst the snow covered branches

Next Game Poster Advertising the BBL Cup Final at the Birmingham NIA Special edition poster featuring the team receiving the cup after winning the game An update to the design of my previous next game posters (see previous post) for the Leicester Riders Basketball team. Changes include a new typeface and layout with a greater emphasis on team logos, whilst at the same time retaining a number of visual elements of the posters they replace.

On 13th January 2013, to Celebrate the networks 150 year anniversary, steam returned to the London Underground. The 1898 built steam engine known as Met Locomotive No 1 travelled to and from Moorgate station taking in part of the original Metropolitan Line - now the Hammersmith & City Line. Stations packed with spectators and photographers greeted the special train along its historic journey below the capitals streets. My video features the train on its various trips the coaches being pulled by both Met 1 and Electric Locomotive No.12 Sarah Siddons. Below are a few photos taken on the same day as above. Panoramic Photo showing the platform at Baker Street Station Panoramic Photo showing a modern underground train parked at Baker Street Station

The Fernie Hunt takes place every year in and around the village of Great Bowden in Leicestershire the event begins with the horses and hounds leaving the kennels and travelling to the village green where they are greeted by hundreds of spectators. The meet allows visitors a chance to see the horses, hounds and their owners and to learn about the rich history of the event which also raises money for the local air ambulance. The horses and hounds then follow a sent trail on a planed route around the local countryside before retiring back to the kennels at the end of the day.

On Sunday 16th December festive cheer was spread by the visit of one of the famous Red Coca Cola trucks to Highcross Shopping Centre in Leicester seen as the start of the countdown to Christmas for many people the famous trucks tour the country with a gospel choir and handing out free cans of the well known beverage.

The Menphys Christmas Campaign for 2012 was based around the idea of presents and Christmas wrapping.  Menphys Grand Christmas Prize Draw 2012 Poster The Menphys Grand Christmas Prize draw poster uses a bold and festive colour scheme of Orange, Red and Green with the words Prize Draw seemingly blasting form the page toward the viewer prizes are listed along the main large ribbon and a tall vintage Art Deco style typeface is used to allow for lots of information to be presented in a narrow space.    Menphys Children for Children Carol Concert Poster 2012 Continuing the presents and wrapping theme with ribbon and stripes the Carol Concert poster uses a more subtle colour scheme making the word Christmas More prominent and the type is angled to give the poster a dynamic style. The poster also includes a QR code allowing interested persons to once again purchase tickets by scanning it with their smartphone.

Each year the King Power Stadium (home of Leicester City FC) hosts a Winter Wonderland free of charge to supporters. In 2012 the event coincided with an npower Championship match against Barnsley. My short film aims to capture some of the atmosphere of the event Keep a lookout for Santa as he meets and greats visitors young and old, a pair of real Reindeer and a traditional fairground carousel. Merry Christmas

The Waxwings is a short film about a group of waxwings living in Loughborough (Leicestershire), filmed in the evening as the sun set I watched the tiny colourful birds carefully pick berries from the trees as they swayed in the wind. The waxwing has a prominent crest and reddish-brown colouring with a black throat and a small black mask round its eye. The waxwing is a winter visitor to the UK and is usually found in flocks between October and March.

Leonard is a narrow gauge steam engine that operates at the Abbey Pumping station, an industrial museum in Leicester, England. During the museums regular Christmas steam days the engine can be found giving visitors rides along a length of track which runs along the edge of the site. My video follows Leonard as oil and various parts of the engine are checked before heading off on a journey pulling small carriages full of exited visitors.

Every year, during the festive season, The Great Central Railway in Leicester runs special journeys along the length of the line called Santa Specials, in this video I follow one of the specials as it travels between two stations. The temperature was low and so the engine created more steam and due to the lack of wind the steam shrouded the engine making for a spectacular sight as it picked up speed and broke free of its veil. The sun having only risen a couple of moments earlier lends the video an almost magical feel illuminating the stream with an warm glow as it rises.

A selection of designs for my 2012 Christmas cards. They have been designed to evoke a hand printed traditional style and are typeface based, featuring lyrics from well known Christmas carols and songs. We Wish You A Merry Christmas with Stag Silhouette This design uses the lyrics for we wish you a merry Christmas and uses negative space to overlay the outline of a stag creating an image that is both traditional and modern. Green Jingle Bells The lyrics to the traditional Christmas song Jingle Bells are the basis for this typography lead design which fades in colour to evoke the hand printing methods of the past. 3 Baubles/ Happy New Year This design uses a bold style and features 3 baubles hanging from the top of the card with the largest wishing the viewer the traditional message of a Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year.

The Magical Ice Kingdom is an attraction at Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park London. The walk through attraction features a selection of Ice sculptures in a magic themed setting from Ice Wolves to Owls and a battle between a Dragon and Knights of old. The attraction (and Winter Wonderland) opens 10am until 10pm, from 23rd November 2012 to 6th January 2012 except for Christmas Day more information can be found at http://www.hydeparkwinterwonderland.com

A short film featuring the many varied residents of Rutland Falconry & Owl Centre. Chris Lawton chose the spot to house a collection of Owls & birds of prey who live happily amongst the beautiful woodland that can be found in this area of the county of Rutland and takes visitors on tours during which he speaks with passion on the subject of caring for the birds in his collection.   A see below for a selection of photos taken by me at the centre.