A Monkey's Revenge - My Blog

Feb 4, 2012

The Chair man

Neil Stevenson, the founder of NEJ Stevenson, a bespoke furniture maker who I photographed for The Daily Telegraph. I liked the symmetry of these chair backs-an interesting design of sycamore with walnut inlays. I've always admired people who can work wood into beautiful furniture and the items made at Neil's factory are superbly crafted. No wonder Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth is one of his customers!

Jan 22, 2012

Chariots of Fido

A freezing cold morning at 6 am saw me in the National Forest photographing Andy Steadman and his husky dog team-in training for Aviemore Sled Dog Rally, the biggest event in the British husky calendar this weekend. Around 200 teams of dogs from all over the country literally straining at the leash to compete across a snow-covered course.

Unfortunately husky driving training only takes place very early in the morning or late at night- both times when dog walkers tend to be back at home with their feet up in front of a nice warm fire. This means of course that it's very dark, so something of a challenge to photograph dog teams moving along at 22mph in a forest illuminated only by the musher's petzl headtorch!

Off camera flash, panning and getting in close with a 10mm lens was the solution and the only way to cut down on the blurring caused by the speed at which the dog-pulled 'chariot' flashes past in the dark. Tearing alongside on a quadbike was not an option as the track was mainly only wide enough for the dog team. I only had a few chances to get it right with only one shot possible for each circuit of the trail.

Andy's friend Max Wightman also races, but with his team of Scandinavian hounds. The howling from the dogs as they are harnessed up has to be heard to be believed-they simply can't wait to get going! After just 2 runs for the huskies and one for the hounds, the training session was over and as day broke and dog walkers and keen hikers started to appear, the dogs were re-housed in their trailer 'motel' and we headed off for breakfast.

Jan 7, 2012

Through a hedge backwards

Corporate work wearing a suit and shiny shoes this week, but also literally looking like I'd been through a hedge backwards on a job for The Sunday Telegraph. Fortunately I was wearing jeans and rough weather gear to photograph the Naseby monument during the teeth of a gale and storm on Thursday morning. Slipping about in the mud and trying not to get blown over by vicious gusts of wind as the rain blasted in horizontally, I dodged through a gap in the hedge to get a higher viewpoint. The irony of atrocious weather is that it can lead to much more dramatic lighting. In between the heavy showers of rain were short bursts of sunshine which lit the stone of the monument and made it really stand out against the stormy black sky-result! I'm not so sure about the windburnt face and chapped lips though ;-(

The civil war re-enactors were photographed in 2007 a mile or so away at Kelmarsh Hall. Unfortunately the original battlefield site in front of the Cromwell Memorial will be in sight of huge turbines at the new Kelmarsh Windfarm which has now been given the go-ahead.

Dec 3, 2011

Leveson levity

You have to laugh don't you? I unsubscribed from a group for professional image makers this week after a stupid throw-away remark by one of it's founder members who says he 'welcomes new privacy laws'.

Like a lot of editorial photographers I'm actually pretty angry that the Leveson inquiry into phone hacking has turned into a witch hunt against all press photographers and the very real possibility of new privacy laws. At the last minute the inquiry has been approached by the BPPA to try and redress the balance and put the case for ordinary working photographers. It may be too little too late to avoid new laws like those they have in France where it is now not possible to photograph anybody in a public place without their written consent.

Over the years I've been spat at, peed on, chased by a man wielding a knife and verbally and physically abused. All in the course of my job as a press photographer. I often get called 'paparrazi' by the very public I took all the above abuse for-in order for them to read about various subjects and see photos in the newspapers they read. Whenever possible I try to educate them about the difference between what press photographers do and what 'paps' do. It's an uphill task, but now it appears a few fellow professional photographers, and also radio and TV media looking to distance themselves from their own unsavoury behaviour need a little education too.

So here goes.....

Contrary to what one local radio programme controller informed me he thought I did, real press photographers do not sift through peoples bins. Also I have never tried to force entry into somebody's house to get photos or dressed up as a doctor to gain access to a hospital for photos.Yes we do sometimes take photos of people out in the street without their permission. It's allowed under current laws but that may change after Leveson-is that a good thing? Well, yes of course it is if you are looking to hide something. So if your a politician trying to hide what you did with your expenses, etc., then great-no more hassle from the press. The bent policeman who raped two young girls? Sure, a privacy law would be smashing thanks very much. The former nazi I photographed from the street? Sorry-not possible in future without his written permission.

Gerry McCann is the 'victim' of the press who is calling for a privacy law. As are several celebrities. The same celebrities are only too keen to use the press for publicity when it suits them. And the McCanns were more than happy for the press to publicise the disappearance of their daughter in the hope it would help find her after they left her unattended and she was abducted.

I'm not an apologist for some of the worst excesses of a tiny minority of photographers. If they have broken the law then for goodness sake punish them-which is perfectly possible under current laws. But why use a sledgehammer to crack a nut and bring in a law which would effectively ban any kind of investigative journalism and photography? Street photography like that from the famous french photographer Henri Cartier Bresson? Impossible under a written consent only photography regime.

Have I ever spat on a celebrity or verbally abused one? Nope and neither would any photographer wanting to keep working for the national press on a regular basis. We are expected to adhere strictly to the PCC code.

The situation is not helped by the crappy way press photographers nearly always get portrayed on tv shows and films. Pushy, aggressive,clueless and most often using a 1970's hammer-head flashgun on every shot. That bears no relation to real life at all and is just a lazy TV researchers idea of the press. It perpetrates the myth of the uncaring and uncouth photojournalist.

It has been my privilege to work alongside some of the best photojournalists in the world. Like me, they do care about their profession and they aspire to the highest levels of journalism. Some have given their lives to bring the public images and stories. So think carefully before you tar us all with the same brush. Photojournalism was once a respected job but is now in danger of being swept into the history books because of the actions of a few mavericks.

Nov 27, 2011

Making light work

I've been meaning to write this post all week and only just gotten around to it ;-(

Sometimes bad luck strikes in threes. On the way to a PR job last week first my car's central locking decided to stop working. No biggie- just means that every time I open the boot to retrieve my cameras, the alarm goes off and everybody stares at me like I'm a car thief. Next my sat nav decided it was time to go terminally on strike. Not a problem for somebody who used to navigate everywhere by maps and compass in the old fashioned way.

Finally the connector bolt dropped out of my tripod and disappeared forever just before I had to photograph the Peterborough city Christmas lights switch on.

Being a professional means carrying on regardless and adapting to and solving problems, so that is what I did. I hand held the camera on my tripod- not ideal but do-able for up to 1 second exposures especially as the lights were swinging around in the wind anyway. I think I got away with it quite nicely, and of course on the shot of Joe Al Smadi from 'Diva Fever', it wasn't a problem as I was able to shoot hand-held under the stage lighting.

Never was the phrase 'Keep calm and carry on' more appropriate!

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