Variation breeds creativity. I hope!

Involvement in photography is by no means a perfect way to spend your life, far from it. Sometimes, though, it has flashes of coming close. The last few weeks illustrate why I do this for a living and also why I’ve never regretted being a photographer. Whatever the profession or line of work, we all seem to moan and dwell on the negatives too much. I often curse the procedure of editing, for example, all those time consuming hours spent vacantly staring at a Mac, tweaking colour balance and preparing selections for presentation. But at the same time I’ve always thought it vital to keep hold of the numerous positives of why I do what I do, and I’m under no illusion that I’m far luckier than most.

Looking back over the last few weeks it’s interesting to note not only the variation of work, but also the diverse nature of the locations. Spring kicked off with a flight to Malaga on a job for SEAT UK in Marbella. The brand were launching their new EXEO model and the brief was to look after the specific needs of the invited automotive industry media. The name of the game on this sort of trip is the turnaround of pictures against the limited time available, it’s a case of making the most of every hour. On one hand I had to shoot a couple of product shots for the News of the World, which were then transmitted back to the UK for almost immediate publication. Then on the other hand a selection of shots was required for a specialist website who were conducting a thorough road test of the car. In this case the requirement was something quite scenic which put the car in an attractive location typical of the environment. Photographically speaking none of this is difficult, but add the time constraint, my lack of knowledge of the local area, and having to set-up a shot on a public road (sometimes physically lying in the road to gain a perspective!) and you get bogged-down with restrictions, the like of which they don’t teach you in college. 

From Spain we move to Cornwall, and a job which couldn’t be more different. Given my love of shooting in cathedrals and churches it’s sometimes a very, very slight disappointment when I discuss shooting a cival ceremony with clients. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with them, but the grandeur isn’t there. However (swiftly contradicting myself) I’d suggest a pretty good substitute is shooting on the Cornish coast. Following 8 hours driving across 6 counties (on Good Friday!) I arrived in Morgan Pawth, near Newquay, to find a picture postcard setting. The couple who had commissioned me were keen to really get across where we were, so a scenic feel to the photography was essential. To their great credit they also understood that the crux of making the day work was taking a wander on the beach, something they were prepared to do even in the face of inclement weather, which was forecast but fortunately didn’t appear. My main obstacle was eliminating members of the public from the pictures – you can imagine how popular a sunlit beach was on Easter weekend – but with a little luck, a little judgement and a dash of digital help they ultimately looked like they had the place to themselves. 

Next stop on the Spring rollercoaster was back to Spain, this time Madrid, for SEAT UK again. A total of 25 hours in the country, some photography in the rain and a fleeting glimpse of snow-capped mountains tells the story. I could explain the finer points of the SEAT Leon’s new bodywork, but…

The wedding commissions were by now in full flow so the next destination was Cowley Manor. I’ve waffled on before about the wonders of the place, but this time things were a touch different. My brief was to shoot as naturally as possible at a wedding with a total of 10 guests – and that number includes the bride and groom. With another family at another location this could easily have been tricky, but working for Jane and Jamie was fantastic. Their attitude was very laid back and the family made me feel part of their day, a gesture which enhanced the feel of the photography considerably. Although the morning was blighted by rain, the weather behaved itself right on cue and allowed us to use the gardens and capture scenic material which summed-up the atmosphere of their approach to getting married. 

Rather ironically the next couple of weeks involves travelling back to Spain and then a portrait shoot at Cowley. If nothing else it underlines just why I can’t moan about how I make a living…