From the iPhone: Cricket

Recent shot showing the festive goings on one evening in the West End. Only in London...

Recent Publication: Lido Cabaret

I seem to have let the blog fall into a bit of a state of inactivity of late, well aware that this hiatus has lasted since July. It's not been the case that I haven't been busy, I just seem to have got out of the habit of adding new posts which I'm well aware is a bit of a sin when it comes to having a blog.
I can't help but feel a little guilty at the lack of recent posts but as the French say 'C'est la vie' and I've made a note to myself to not let another blogging quiet spell happen in the coming year.
Anyways, enough of the 'C'est la vie' and how about a bit of the 'Oh la la' - this is the phrase that came to mind when I found myself photographing the famous Lido Cabaret in Paris last summer for a travel guide. It's a venue on the Champs Elyeeses that has the same format of dinner and (slightly titillating) dance show which the Moulin Rouge and Crazy Horse in Montmartre are known for.
I arrived at the venue and was warmly welcomed by the the head of the venues P.R (nice suit/white teeth/perma-tan/general look of a game show host) and was shown to my seat. I had what was obviously the press seat right at the back of the venue but this was not a problem as I was shooting with my 70-200mm lens on my Canon 7D which gave me an effective focal length of 170-300mm due to the smaller sensor in the camera.
After having a wander round and taking some general venue shots while people ate and the warm up band played I returned to my seat and got myself comfortable waiting for the main event, a waiter came over and offered me a drink on the house, and then another, which was most welcome especially as I overheard the the tables infront of me ordering bottles of champagne at prices which were quite frankly eye watering


So, after not too long the lights went down and it was obviously showtime. A breathy female voice came over the tanoy and announced "Please do not use cameras during the performance, the Lido can not be photographed - it can only be imagined" which made me chuckle and acted as an indication to the kitsch spectacle we were about to witness.
I have to say I was impressed, not only with the dance routines (and dancers) which were pleasing to watch but also with the different sets that were involved with each routine, at certain points there were fountains that appeared up through the stage, a clockwork elephant that strutted about behind the dancers, a live horse prancing about aswell as a huge pyramid that grew out of the floor.
I carried on snapping away until I knew I had more than enough shots to fulfil the shoot and then just settled in and enjoyed the show, helped in no small part by my friend the barman who provided a constant flow of free booze throughout the evening...

Triathlon, Windsor

A couple of images from a shoot back in July recording a Triathlon event held at Dorney Lake in Windsor. This happens to be the training ground for Eton college where the privileged young men get to splash around in between their lessons.
This was a job that called for good lenses in order to record the action and my
70-200mm 2.8 IS lens definitely earned it's keep on this shoot.
Apart from the establishing shots showing the setting and the context of the event I also wanted to get some individual 'mid action' portraits of the competitors, with the camera set to AI SERVO which provides continuos focus for moving subjects I was able to track them as they entered the frame and get the shots I was after.
To freeze the action called for fast shutter speeds of at least 1000th of a second, as the light was good I didn't need to raise the cameras ISO too much to achieve these speeds - I always try to keep the ISO as low as possible to preserve the quality of the images.
Apart from shooting I've recently been occupied getting a print on demand portfolio created via 'Blurb.com' (which can be seen here) ready for a trip down to Perpignan at the end of August for the annual 'Visa pour l'Image photojournalism festival.
It's been nine years since I last attended so I'm really looking forward to it.
Creating the portfolio with Blurb.com was a relatively simple (if a little time consuming) exercise and I'm very pleased with the quality of the finished books.
I'll put up a more detailed post on the process once I'm back from a weeks break on the Cote d'Azur for my annual 'switch off'.

From the iPhone: Leviathan

Managed to catch the Anish Kapoor installation 'Leviathan' on the last night of it's residence at the Grand Palais in Paris.
Here's a quick iPhone snap from the interior which was amazing, it felt like being inside the belly of some huge animal and the light that filtered through the structure bathed all the spectators in this eerie blood red glow.
Each year the space inside the Grand Palais is handed over to an artist to use as they wish, a short video on the piece can be seen here

Ken Livingstone

Photographed yesterday speaker to business leaders, he's on the campaign trail so watch out for Ken vs Boris round two.

Corporate Portrait, London

One important thing to keep in mind is that what attracts clients to you is not only the work you produce but also the way in which you produce it.
Not only are your images under scrutiny but also your working practices while capturing them.
This recent commission to produce a series of portraits for a partner in a central London property firm came about after the sitter was present at another shoot I had carried out for an editorial client. His email to me mentioned that he liked the published images after seeing them in the magazine and also that he liked my online portfolio once he had reviewed my website (no doubt through Google).
I replied to his request for a quote for a portrait session and a few days later spent some time at his offices photographing him, the results of which can be seen in this post.
If he'd seen me at the previous shoot where he was present turning up late, dressed inappropriately, impolite and acting unprofessionally I doubt he would have got in touch in the first place. It's not just about the images...

Recent Publication: Inside Housing

A recent commission which has gone to press for a magazine that deals with social housing issues. The piece centered around the woman who runs a community centre on the Stockwell Park estate which has more than it's fair share of problems with crime, drug dealing and gang violence.
While on the shoot it was obvious that she had a massive task ahead of her but her devotion to making a difference to those who lived on the estate (of which she was one herself) was amazing.
Six days after the shoot the story gained a lot more momentum with the sad events that resulted in two people, one of them a five year old girl, being shot after two youths were chased into a local shop and fired upon. The bullets missed their intended targets and resulted in two innocent people being gravely wounded.
I wondered if this story had some sort of connection to the estate I had photographed a few days previously and these suspicions were confirmed after I had a call from the journalist who was present on the shoot.
Yes one of the youths being chased was indeed from the estate and also a regular at the community centre. Furthermore it was the lady who runs the community centre who convinced him to cooperate with the police in their enquiries to find the gunmen - This woman should be working in government.
More images from the shoot can be seen below. The first image shows the door at the entrance to the centre and yes, that's a bullet hole in it...

Cuts and bruises

A few shots from last Saturdays demonstration in the West End against the rounds of nationwide Government spending cuts.
I had another shoot that day (as mentioned in this earlier post) so could only stay there for around half an hour or so but managed to find this hot spot just as Piccadilly was being ransacked.
The following sequence of images were taken on Regent Street as people tried to join the main group via connecting Air Street, a line of police separated them, missiles were thrown and arrests were made. During the scuffle I got another photographers lens in the back of the head and a shove from a policeman's shield for my trouble






While some members of the crowd tried to 'unarrest' those being grabbed by the police it was the law who inevitably won in the end. Someone who has the foresight to put cling film over their visor to counteract the paint being thrown is always going to be one step ahead of any protester...

Tips for shooting protests

I've photographed quite a few demonstrations over the years and they never fail to offer something photographically. Here are a few things I've learnt while shooting them:

1. First off, aside from the tasty edited highlights that you see on the news the fact is that for large amounts of time not terribly much happens. Be prepared for a lot of walking and standing around, don't wear your Sunday best and make sure you've got comfortable footwear. You might end up staying longer and later than you plan so have clothing such as hat, scarf and gloves with you too. If you are looking for where the action is, follow the sound of hovering helicopters. These will be piloted by either the police or the media and they'll certainly be looking at something worth photographing

Anti pension reform protest, Bastille, Paris 2010

2. Most of the time you'll find yourself in a large moving mass of people so it's important to try and stay ahead of the crowd. A high viewpoint is great for this so climb up onto anything that will give you an elevated viewpoint so you can anticipate the movement and get yourself in the best position. You could even ring on a doorbell and see if a nice old lady will let you shoot from her window (assistant to hold onto your thigh is optional)

Protest against the bombing of Gaza by Israel, Downing Street, London 2006

3. In my experience, photographers are grudgingly tolerated by the police during these events. They won't exactly welcome you with open arms but the majority of them understand that you're there to do a job and you will be left to get on with it. But if things start to get heated it might get a bit 'hands on' so watch yourself

Mayday demonstration, Oxford Circus, London 2001

4. The police may decide to block off an area containing people within it and not let anyone in or out. This does not (usually) apply to accredited journalists but you'll need some I.D to wave at them, a N.U.J (National Union of Journalists) card is one of the mostly widely recognised

Anti Nazi League against English Defense League, Harrow Mosque, London 2009

5. Be aware that certain groups do not like having their photographs taken and view photographers with a lot of suspicion and hostility. This is especially true of extremist groups and I've witnessed photographers being assaulted and having their kit broken. If in doubt stay at arms length and be vigilant

Anti pension reform protest, Nation, Paris 2010

6. Things can be very different on the continent and overseas. In Europe the use of baton rounds, flash grenades, C.S gas and water canon are common and present much higher risks than the tactics used by the mainland U.K police forces. Be aware of what you're getting yourself involved in before you head out

Anti Nazi League against English Defense League, Harrow Mosque, London 2009

7. With such a fluid situation plus the chance that your movement may be limited it's a good idea to have two cameras with you, one having a wide to medium telephoto lens and the other a standard telephoto zoom. This means you're able to get the shots you want in most situations.
Prime lenses are fairly useless since you may be wedged in a crowd against other people and unable to move. I use a 24-105mm and a 70-200mm which gives me great flexibility when shooting, it's also a good idea to use lens hoods and UV(0) filters to protect the front element of your lenses as they may get a knock. Shooting an event (or anything for that matter) without your kit being insured is a no no

Anti Nazi League against English Defense League, Harrow Mosque, London 2009

8. Don't on any account, go anywhere near police dogs. They only have two settings which are either 'on' or 'off'.
If you see them being deployed during a demo they will definitely be set to 'on'

Anti pension reform protest, Nation, Paris 2010

9. If you are looking to get shots of confrontation you will invariably find yourself sandwiched between groups of agitated protestors and lines of police who will be waving their batons about. As well as this you will also find yourself in the firing line for any missiles being thrown by members of the crowd further back. For this reason it is a good idea to think about some sort of head protection.
Some people use cycling or climbing helmets which can be a bit cumbersome when you are taking photos. I recently came across this 'bump hat' from the D.I.Y store B&Q which does the job perfectly. Looks like a baseball cap but acts like hard hat, sneaky...

10. Above all shooting protests can be incredibly rewarding for a photographer. Working in such a fluid situation can really bring out the best in you and you'll be amazed at the effect of a little adrenalin on your image taking.

Anti pension reform protest, Bastille, Paris 2010

African Paris feature

One of the features for the Paris issue of Time Out centred around the 'Goutte D'Or' area in the North of Paris. This working class area has a large African population and the tone of the piece was about discovering the lesser known parts of the city.
I had a sneaking suspicion that shooting this area might not be straightforward as many of the people here are living and working 'sans papiers', ie illegally, so may well be camera shy. This was proved correct as most of the shops on the picture list refused point blank to have any photographs taken on the premises. Of those that did agree I found that as soon as the camera came out the shop would mysteriously empty of people, even the person working there would suddenly remember they had something urgent to do out the back.
So to get across a sense of the place (without upsetting anyone) I concentrated on the various colours, patterns and textures of the area. The various fabric shops, music stores and greengrocers all provided this and these shots worked well as a back up plan.
Another shoot was a portrait of Jean-Claude Mbvoumin, a native Cameroonian who runs the charity 'Soc Solidaire' which rescues young African boys who have been brought to France by men posing as football agents.
The idea was to have a portrait of himself with a few members of his team kicking a ball in the background. Arriving at his offices I discovered that the other people attending were now unfortunately unavailable and also that he had no football at his offices threatening to make the whole shoot a bit redundant.
Not to worry, after a quick look round outside his offices we found an Alimentation Generale (a corner shop) which had a few of those plastic footballs you find at petrol stations, five minutes later and five Euros lighter I was shooting him playing keepy uppy in the middle of the street and also a few posed shots outside a cafe - job done.

Recent Publication: Time Out Paris issue

A couple of spreads from a recent shoot in Paris for Time Out magazine. I've been fortunate that this has become a regular annual commission and I always enjoy being in Paris just as Spring is starting. This year features included newly opened fashion outlets, the use of iron in the architecture of the city and a piece on the Goutte D'Or area in the north which has a large African population