Lowlight: Had just come back from holiday night before at 1am in morning. Thought I was starting at 12 only to find an email asking me to come in at 10am instead. Neither my cameras or myself were fully charged.
Fill in: Still in holiday mode I wore my sandals and feet were killing me by the end of the day.
I shoot many of the Mayor's cultural festivals in Trafalgar Square and St. George's Day is always a dodgy one as the weather is deceptive. Sun cream, water and cover all kagouls are a must, as is a good rucksack and good shoes.
The brief is to capture the atmosphere of the day and each of the acts on the stage, plus backstage shots of the artists with the VIPS if possible. Shots must show the best features of Trafalgar Square and be suitable for use full page in a magazine or as a thumbnail on the internet. Even with just a dozen shots of each act and the general images of the day the number of images soon mounts up. I usually get an assistant to bring up a laptop later in the afternoon to download and process some key images to send straight to the Mayor's cultural team so they have images for the London website and local papers.
The shot I dread most is getting up on the stage and taking the crowd. The compere introduces me and gets the crowd to cheer. It's usually later in the day when I look particularly sweaty and ragged.
Alfie Boe who headlined. (A thunder storm broke as he came on stage. Thank god for my coverall transparent kagoul. I may look like a jelly fish in it but at least I am dry). The lovely Newton Faulkner (The mist is produced by a machine and is not a quirk of the English weather).
The fabulous Jamie West and the lovely Andrew Howe bring a bit of festival Summer cheer to the Square with their laid back, cheeky performances. My fashion tip for the season is top hats. You heard it here first...
For more on Jame West visit: www.jamiewest.net
Two sticks of rock by the Olympic count down clock and the dreaded crowd shots. (Note the drastic change in weather!)
Backstage with The Theory of 6 degrees (look out for these guys). World in Motion drummers get the crowd going. The Students of Royal Academy of Music enjoy the weather.
For more on Theory of 6 Degrees visit: www.t6d.co.uk
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