She-Bop-a-Lula Exhibition

Highlight: Got my picture in an exhibition - (look out for Tori Amos by yours truly).

Lowlight: So has Jill Furmanovsky and whole load of other talented, prominent female photographers. Am sure my picture will be the worst one there!

Fill in:

PHOTO EXHIBITION CELEBRATING SOME OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL AND CREATIVE FEMALE SINGERS. 7 MARCH 2012 AT THE STRAND GALLERY, LONDON WC2

Opening at the Strand Gallery, London WC2, 7 March 2012 is an innovative Photo Exhibition, She Bop A Lula. The Exhibition will feature 60 fabulous pictures celebrating some of the most successful and creative female singers over the last six decades, from Lady Day (Billie Holiday) to Lady Gaga.

 The photographs, all taken by women photographers, will be a mix of candid and intimate backstage scenes, sensitive and stylised portraits through to the excitement and raw power of live performance. Singers featured include Dusty Springfield, Ella Fitzgerald, Janis Joplin, Dolly Parton, Madonna, Nina Simone, Debbie Harry, Patti Smith, Diana Ross, PJ Harvey, Sinead O'Connor, Annie Lennox, Jessie J, Beyonce, Adele and many more!

 The Exhibition is supporting Breakthrough, the UK's leading Breast Cancer Charity, which undertakes vital research into a disease that affects 1 in 8 women. All the women photographers in the Exhibition have generously donated their work for free and 100% of sales will go to Breakthrough. All prints will be available to purchase at £200 with signed prints by some of the singers including the late Amy Winehouse, donated by Jill Furmanovsky, on offer at auction.

 The organiser of the Exhibition, Dede Millar, comments that the idea behind the exhibition is that in the history of popular music women are often sidelined.  She Bop A Lula will highlight the talent of women performers, as well as being a showcase for women photographers.

 Come and enjoy the She Bop A Lula experience at the Strand Gallery during March. Admission is free.
 She Bop A Lula opens at the Strand Gallery, 32 John Adam Street, London WC2N 6BP. (0207 839 4942) 7 March through til 1 April 2012, everyday 11am – 7pm (6pm Sunday). Admission is free. Nearest tubes Charing Cross/Embankment.

info@shebopalula.co.uk
http://www.shebopalula.co.uk

London Assembly Holocaust Ceremony

Highlight: The first job where I try out my new Nikon V1 in anger.

Lowlight: The Holocaust - always makes me depressed.Fill in: Usually my first job of the year at City Hall, this annual event is a sombre affair with young and old people paying tribute to the victims of the Holocaust. Discretion and respect is the key.

Tech Spec: The DSLRs of today are clangingly loud. I recently invested in a Nikon V1 and lens adaptor as it has a completely silent shutter mode. Although it has taken me a bit of time to get used to the compact camera layout, the results are impressive and I can take a lot more shots no I have no fear of glaring looks from the guests every time I press the shutter.
For further details: http://www.london.gov.uk

Topping Out Ceremony

Highlight: Brand new year, brand new client.

Lowlight: Didn't know what a topping out ceremony was or how to photograph it - thank god for the internet. For those of you who are like me and have no idea about anything it is a ceremony to place the last brick of a building to finish its construction phase.
Fill in: I was passed this job by a fellow snapper who specialises in architecture. As this was a PR shot I wasn't too out of my depth, but got thrown a curve ball when once on site, they asked if I could just 'grab a few site shots' while I was at it. 
Tech Spec: It was a nice day and I had an idyllic image of being on the roof of a pristine building with suited and booted executives holding a shiny trowel and grinning. As it was the lift was not working and the executives were not young, we had to do the shoot on the ground floor which was still furnished with concrete mixers, piles of bricks, huge steel girders, and spaghetti electrics all over the place. A corner had been cleared for us but it was still very dusty (a nightmare for equipment). I was glad I had my wide angle as the group was very large and the space very small. I also used a diffuser over the flash to make the most of the white walls.
For further details: http://www.vinciconstruction.co.uk/

Tori Amos at Royal Albert Hall

Highlight: Getting into the soundcheck and Tori performing a song exclusively for the purpose of photos. The woman knows what she wants.



Lowlight: About 15 photographers all trying to squash into one place as Tori plays piano, so the optimum angle of view to shoot her is fairly narrow.
Fill in: Have photographed the lovely Tori lots of times and she always does an exclusive performance for the photographers in the soundcheck. She plays keyboards and piano, sometimes at the same time so it mass for interesting photographs and she always looks dramatic.




Tech Spec: The light was well balanced for background and foreground but it came mainly from above so to get any life in her expression Tori needed to look up. Luckily she did this several times during the song she played for us. There were about 15 of us and not much room to manoeuvre but I ended up in a space where she was facing most of the time. I shot on two cameras to get a close up and a wide without having to waste time changing lenses as one song is not a great amount of time.

For editorial: www.gettyimages.co.uk

Liberty Festival 2011

Highlight: Being amazed by physically and mentally disabled performance artists.


Lowlight: I had badly sprained my ankle and as the festival is spread over two sites my devoted partner insisted on taking me round in a wheelchair. The GLA events manager was surprised to say the least but I just told him I was a method photographer and dedicated to my art.
Fill in: As it turned out I was only photographing on one site so there was not much walking and as my damned partner's wheelchair driving is as scary as his driving so I felt a lot safer out of the wheelchair than in it, even with a sprained ankle. The performances were in front of the National Theatre but alternated between the two ends so it meant a mad dash (or limp in my case) in-between each act to get a good spot. What with a sprained ankle and electric wheelchairs, motorised scooters, walking frames and visually impaired people to contend with it became a hazardous six hours.






Tech Spec: Very bright sun meant using fill in flash and choosing viewpoints carefully. There are lots of walkways and different levels on the Southbank so you can get some good angles. A Long lens and a wide lens gets some great shots in this situation and are good for shoot in crowds where you can either use the long to get them out of focus and standout of the way, pr the wide to get right up to the front and squat from allow viewpoint -again out of the audiences way.

For editorial enquiries: www.gettyimages.com