APPJAG Awards

Highlight: Meeting Acker Bilk.

John Prscott, Acker Bilk, Lord Tony Colwyn, Jamie Cullum, Fran Nevrkla, Peter Leatham 

Jamie Cullum, John Prescott

Acker Bilk, Moira Stewart

Lowlight: Getting stuck in the disabled entrance.

Fill in: This annual event has become the highlight of the Jazz world calendar being the only Jazz Awards ceremony of any note. Held at the House of Commons, it can take 30 minutes to get through security, so I dutifully arrived early with cameras in tow. Usually I get stuck in the revolving door with my rolling box, but the kind security guard had amazing foresight and ushered me into the disabled entrance which had a nice wide door. It was one of those 'air lock' affairs where one set of doors opens,  you enter, get closed in and the interior doors then open to let you through. Unfortunately the interior doors did not open and it was so busy it took a few minutes of rapping on the glass panels, being watched by amused passer bys, getting ultra paranoid that it was all a conspiracy to rid the world of photographers and that I was to be evaporated off the face of the earth at any moment, when the guard saw my predicament. After a few tense moments, whilst they prised the doors open, I eventually popped through the other side. 

Tech spec: The brief for this is to catch various groups of people networking, which people hardly ever do at these events, choosing to stay in their neat and familiar huddles so it was a case of cajoling and wafting the right people together. Tonight was not so hard as Acker Bilk was the guest of honour and most people were eager to have a shot with him. He was a complete stalwart and obligingly posed with anyone that asked. I use two cameras, one with flash for the guest shots and one set for low light to get the speeches and awards, mainly because if I used flash, the PPL logo on the back board, who I am shooting for, would not come out as well otherwise. 

For more details;

PPL:

http://ppluk.com/en/About-Us/News/Winners-announced-at-the-Parliamentary-Jazz-Awards-2012/

JAZZ AND JAZZ

http://www.jazzandjazz.com/2012/05/acker-bilk-presented-with-special-appjag-award-at-the-houses-of-parliament/