Chinese New Year

Highlight: Seeing the leaping lions - never fails to impress



Lowlight: Trying to photograph the fire crackers.Fill in: This annual event in Trafalgar Square always has plenty to photograph and I'm always glad every year when I get the call to do this one. Brief is to get the performances on stage, any press calls, documentary of the square and the lion dances and record o the sponsors banners so it is pretty full on.
Tech Spec: I rely on zooms - wide, standard and long, all with F2.8 so backgrounds can be thrown out of focus as it is very busy event. Viewpoints are pretty limited as press pits are set up for the fireworks, firecrackers and performances, and passes are getting more restrictive each year. The lion dances are particularly difficult as there are no press areas and it is a case of rucking it with the crowds. I normally smile nicely at the restaurant owners and they let me sit in their doorways to get the lions as they spit out the lettuce.


For more info visit:
http://www.london.gov.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