Stop the baby trade.


This shoot was a few weeks ago but like quite a few shoots, I am not able to publish until after the client has released it.


In this case the client was the BUAV who needed a shot of Ricky Gervais wearing their campaign tee-shirt. The client phoned the day before the shoot looking for a photographer who has experience of shooting celebrities who was available the following afternoon. I met both those requirements (I’m glad to say).


The shoot was planned to be fit in during recording of extras for Ricky’s new DVD and we were to meet at the studio. I expected a fair amount of hanging around (which is normal in these types of shoot as we fit into breaks of filming). It was pleasant surprise to find that our arrival fit in with one such break and within 2 minutes of sitting down to wait we were walking into the studio. 5 minutes after that we were walking back out, mission accomplished.


In that short time it was clear how driven Ricky was and how passionate about the campaign. It took very little direction to get look that both the client and I were after.


Now that campaign has been released, it’s nice to see this popping up all round the Internet.

To photograph or not to photograph?

The last couple of jobs have each presented a similar problem; attendees that are not really keen on being photographed.

The first was Zac Efron at the UK Premiere of the “Death and life of Charlie St Cloud”; this was a publicity appearance for the film and of course being photographed is a huge part of this, with the aim to get coverage in the national press. 

He was fantastic with the fans, spending lots of time getting close with them but it was clear he was not quite in the mood to be photographed by us; refusing all requests to look up and smile whilst signing autographs (a fairly standard shot which often appears in the papers). The posed photographs proper were ok if a little quick…


The second job was at the Goodwood revival (gallery here). Rowan Atkinson was judging the static aircraft display and he is well known for his dislike of being photographed. 




This is a little dilemma for me; I believe strongly in the rights of press freedom and the right for photography in public but I also believe in the right to privacy. For example I would never photograph someone in a private situation where they did not want to be, nor would I follow/chase in public to get a shot. If they pose in a private situation, that is another matter.

Again, this was a public event and therefore I believe it is important that the press do take photos. There was an official photographer covering the judging and it could be argued that this is all that is required but surely varied shots from different view points is a good thing from a publicity point of view.

Yes, I shot quite a few frames making sure I got a photo of Rowan looking at me, with his eyes open in different situations. I think I succeeded.

Why hire a pro?

It’s often a point of discussion – what makes a pro photographer – what’s the difference between a professional and an amateur.  Why should a company go to a professional over the guy in accounts who owns an expensive camera and who always takes great nature pictures?
All good questions, and if it’s your budget, your event, your PR, you would want good answers. It’s not that all pro’s are better than all amateurs. In fact that is most defiantly not true. We all have seen GREAT amateur photos; some produced with some real heath-robinson lash up.
The difference is most amateurs produce images when they are in the mood, of what they want, when they want. 
Looking back over my past jobs it could be argued that most photographers would instantly fancy shooting Angelina Jolie or Zac Efron and that shooting music, whilst not easy, is always fun. 
How about waking up, looking at the diary and seeing today the shoot is a company loading boxes onto a container truck. Arriving at the location to find a very bright sun in a narrow street and the only place the can lorry park creates really harsh contrasts between the light and the shadows (oh and by the way – this is where they will be loading). The lorry must be loaded fairly fast and the pavement is not that wide. 
Not the sort of situation your average amateur would dream about shooting, not the sort of job that photography dreams are made of…

“Over 40,000 items of clothing and sports and educational equipment for children donated by customers and employees of London Clubs 10 UK casinos were loaded on to a container today by staff from the companies offices in Mayfair to begin a 7000 mile journey to needy townships in South Africa.

The sun shone as Head Office staff put down the pens, pushed aside their computers and sweated while they loaded hundreds of boxes packed with clothing, soccer kits and books into the container in Old Park Lane.”
So as they carried, I did my best to work with the light and the shadows, with the boxes and the smiles to capture the enjoyment and the pride of those involved. A one off event, at a specific time in a specific location, however difficult. Thats why you hire a pro.. to make sure, at the end of the event, you have the images..

Oh and by the way – I really enjoyed the job, the staff were fantastic, helpful and (rightly) proud of their achievements.