Just Popping to the Blog.

I really like this cover, in that it did the job. Sounds simple doesn't it, but getting the planned shot with so much white in it to read and a model to perform, well, it's not easy.

Just finished hanging from the ceiling for the fourth time lately, as I respond to the ongoing demand for 'top shots'. My knees are numb. Here is the brave High Fearnley Whittingstall loving his carrots. I never want carrot soup again having brought home 5 bags from this shoot.

This video is terrific but somehow fails to point out the exploding light, MacBook Pro that ceased and a smashed boom arm that plagued this shoot. Still, it was fun and a bit of a change of pace for me with models giving their all: http://www.graziadaily.co.uk/fashion/archive/2011/10/07/the-next-big-thing.htm

The excitement will never quite be replaced-my first credit, in print on something other than Oxfam news. Got I was excited! Whilst still at college, I somehow managed to blag my first real job to photograph the seminal reggae band Steel Pulse for an album cover. When I say seminal, I had no idea who they were. We met (along with my co-conspirator Mike Hogan) at their nearby recording studio in Frensham in Surrey. I remember them looking at this ghostly white pair of scrawny teenagers and asking us, 'What do you know about reggae music then?' 'Er, Maxi Priest??" said Mike. Somehow we managed to leave with a spoken deal and plan but no discussion of money (funnily enough). Cut to several weeks later and we are shooting together in a nearby sand pit with them on horses on 10x8" neg. The lead singer's hair was wrapped so tall that we had to find a car with 3 tiers of seats and he sat with his head at right angles. Quite frankly, I had never come across an...

The only trouble when one hands over the' finals' to clients down the line, is that there is always so much more that would be great to add as a kind of post it note: 'Thing was, I know we had 2 hours, but your leading, main shot, was tagged on in the last 5 mins.' 'He wouldn't do it'. 'She was not told about it'. You get the picture. Well in the case of this shoot for the cool store LN-CC, it was more a case of 1 small packed room, 3 people and no you can't move the clothes. Infact, no you can't move the people or their expressions either. Hence my maxim that you will only survive as a skinny snapper to fit in those corners, and the make do and mend approach is one to hold on to. Excuses are pointless at the end of it all. The Editor will only want results!