Couldn't I Just Tell You

To get my head into gear for 2009 I thought it would be good to tell you about the jobs and highlights of 2008. Now let me think. You may also notice that after days of working out "hacks" for html text I have now managed to get the "read more" link working properly, hooray.

The year started off with lots of quickfire commissions the first from a new client Audiences London who were looking for all sorts of different shots for a new brochure and website. They wanted something that stated audience, diversity and culture but not in a tourist information way. The results of this are on their website. This commission started in January and and took up most weekends in January that were not taken up with work for the BBC at the Barbican.
http://www.audienceslondon.org

In February I was asked to photograph the World Service Awards for the BBC. This was really special because I photographed Michael Palin and more so the hero Alan Johnston who had just been released from imprisonment in Gaza City.

In March I did portraits for 100 couples at my daughters school spring ball. This was one of my first ventures in using off camera flash.

April saw more investment into studio lighting with the addition of 3 Profilux 400s which I was able to use on several commissions including a return to Audiences London to shoot portraits for the team. We had some great weather in April and thought that the summer was going to be hot, hot, hot.

Another portrait shoot in May for another new client Music for Youth this one was quite testing because I had only one hour to shoot 5 of the team before they went off to a meeting in London. The second half of the shoot was more leisurely. They used several of the pictures in their programme for the National Festival of Music for Youth.

I also had another new client with the Royal Philharmonic Society Awards and got to photograph and meet some great musicians including the founder of the El Sistema movement Jose Antonio Abreu from Venezuela. The picture I took of him and Graham Sheffield went all around the world and appeared in many newspapers and websites.

June came and the weather started to get good toward the end of the month, It was raining most of June and July and August. I was part of a team shooting Out and About with the BBC Symphony Orchestra. They played at some great locations around London including Heathrow airport, Covent Garden, St Paul's and the British Museum.
I also did the Wisley Music Festival for 3 days in June.

Thinking back in a summer of really awful weather my photographic days were all really good weather including the local carnival and my shoot for the BBC Proms Folk Day. I got some really good pictures of folk groups in action including Bellowhead who my wife has become a fan.

August I got the chance to be called back of holiday to do a shoot for Discovering
Music. This proved to be my last work for a while which was of course planned that way so that I could spend time with the children during the summer holidays.

September was a quiet month but the jobs came thick and fast toward the end of October and November saw week long projects with the BBC and new commissions from the BBC Concert Orchestra and Advanced Bionics.

In November I was able to shoot my idol Todd Rundgren in concert this really gave me the feel for rock photography

December saw another new client and the London Sinfonietta and I was hired to shoot their 40th Anniversary concert on the South Bank.