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

SLAMbassadors

Highlight: This event always puts my faith back into the younger generation. The kids are insightful, respectful, talented and wise beyond their years.

Lowlight: They do not get the press they deserve.
Tech Spec: Tried out my new D7000. I would love the new D4 but finances are low. So to give my kit a boost I got rid of the D300 and replaced it with the D7000 - it is quieter, better on low light and still has the DX format to give my long lenses the extra boost in focal length. The down side is it is not professional grade so I will have to go easy on it - but it will probably only come out for concerts where I need the extra focal length and conferences and events where discretion is the key - e.g. this one where young people are performing, sometimes for the first time, and nerves do not need extra shaking by my constant clicking.

For further details: http://www.poetrysociety.org.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/

Yamaha Class Band Presentation

Highlight: Seeing another meeting room in the House of Commons. Starting to finally know my way around this place.


Lowlight: Whole party comprising over 40 school kids, several teachers, a handful of MPS and VIPS and a headmaster, arriving at Portcullis House only to be told we were in the wrong building and had to cross the road!
Fill in: The job was for Yamaha who were giving a presentation on a project their education programme. I had to get the VIPS with each of the four schools present then a group shot of the whole party.

Tech Spec: We were squashed into a tiny meeting room and I was racking my brains on how to rearrange the very heavy furniture. Was most relieved when we were told we had permission to shoot in the Great Hall. There was a convenient sweeping staircase so the shot was simple in the end.

For further details: www.coventry.gov.uk/pas

PYTHIA

Highlight: So it's the start of the year. I have been hibernating, but who better to wake me from my slumber but the lovely Ms Ovendon.

Lowlight: She needs pictures - like …Yesterday! And kicks my arse on Facebook.
Fill in: I had promised finished artwork to Pythia last month but I needed my sleep. However now it was getting serious. Japan and Metalhammer were calling and it was time to actually process the pictures into something fantastic - or at least publishable - in two days!
Tech Spec: I had shot the band members individually against a white background with a view of comping them together. I had this great idea of putting them at the mouth of a cave which was a serpents mouth cave thingy but I didn't have time for that now - I did a mountain range Skyrim style - but it was rejected and in the end we settled on a crystal ball thingy which I added a serpent to - all in the space of two days - the power of email.
 The Japan cover was much easier -I had already done the background but just needed to swap in a better head and tweak the layers a bit. Lesson: Always keep your PSD file with all the layers - it makes any changes so much quicker and I have even made apparantly new backgrounds by just tweaking layer opacities.

For further info: www.pythiamusic.com

Chas and Dave

Highlight: The only photographer here so  got the pit to myself.

Lowlight: Forgot film! Searched high and low but could not find any film. And as only photographer in pit had to go through the charade of pretending to take pictures calmly, whilst all the time panicking about what I was going to do. Chas and Dave were posing wildly and everyone was looking at me with admiration as I clicked away. Got out of the pit after three songs, only to discover some film tucked away in a pocket of the camera bag for just such an emergency and had to talk my way back into the pit for a few more songs! Chas and Dave were a bit bemused to see me back again...
Fill in: Last job of the year and the pass was confirmed late so I wasn't really expecting to do it. Still forgetting film was something I'd done for a few years now. Luckily I know I'm so disorganised and have film everywhere - in car, in coat pockets, even on my keyring.
Tech Spec: Big tip of day - keep spare film with you at all times. I have a small case as a keyring on my carkeys. It just so happened I didn;t have it with me today but the thought is there.

For further details: www.redferns.com

Pythia

Highlight: Tim getting stuck in traffic - he's best when he's mean and moody



Lowlight: Saxon (Emily's baby) hogging the limelight - even when asleep - never work with children
Fill in: Pythia needed new PR shots and who was I not to grab the opportunity to photography five hot musicians. Emily, never one to miss an opportunity, arranged to do the shoot at her work place which just so happens to be a fabulous church. Tim however had to travel three hours in the London rush hour to get there and understandably not in the best frame of mind when he arrived. However, professional that he is, he got on with it and the mean and moody shots that resulted were the best I have of him yet - and the aura filtered to the rest of the band who all also looked FAB.


Tech Spec: Emily wanted a huge arched window in the background. My poor long suffering partner had man flu but I showed no mercy and insisted he climb out onto the window sill (30 feet in air as we were on first floor) in wind and rain to fix up a backlight. This was the main light that I allowed to bleed around the band, which meant careful positioning to avoid flare; then the front light was just a large diffused fill light (1/3 fill in) and placed right behind me to avoid reflection in the window. I had to stand on a huge step ladder (brought upstairs by my long suffering partner) to get eye level with the band. The ivy was painstakingly grown grown courtesy of photoshop.

For further details: www.pythiamusic.com