A day in Cannes

The Cannes Film Festival is a staple and highlight of my year. It's a sunny and glamourous break from the every-day, a chance to update my stock library with a few big-name celebs, and (hopefully) make enough money to cover costs and justify being there in the first place. If I'm absolutely honest, there's also a wee element of annual holiday involved, especially when you find yourself among friends from Britain, France, Germany and the States, all singing karaoke at stoopid o'clock in the morning, and ignoring the fact there's a photocall first thing the next day.
But just to show it's not all swanning around in the sun, here's a typically busy day from this years festival:
8am Drag myself up and out to meet a colleague for a coffee and croissant to kick-start the day.
9am Arrive at Majestic Pier on the Croisette for an Aishwara Rai photocall promoting her new film 'Heroine'.
Have to get there early to bag a decent position, only to find that the subject usually stands nowhere near where you've bagged.
Aishwarya arrives after forty minutes, hair blowing all over her face and seemingly unable to stand still, while an elderly women flounders in the sea behind her taking a novice water ski-ing lesson (presumably not part of the photocall). Not the best pictures.
10am Head further down the Croisette to the Carlton Pier to arrive even earlier for the next photocall, as Keith Allen and Mohammed Al Fayed's film about Diana's death is causing much controversy and media interest. (Conspiracy theorists might be interested to note that French photographers were the last to arrive this time.) After jostling for position, we were told that the guests would be facing a completely different direction, causing mild mayhem and multiple shouts of "I was here first" as we re-arrange ourselves to face the right way.
We wait for an hour and a half, only to be told that Mohammed Al Fayed isn't coming.
The photocall of Keith Allen takes two minutes.
One and a half of which he keeps his sunglasses on for.
Not great pictures. Again.
12pm Head to a nearby bar which has much faster wifi than the Official Press Centre, though that may have something to do with only three of us using it instead of three hundred. We've started using the bar so regularly that they now stock PG Tips just for 'Le Rosbif'.
Download, edit, caption and send pics, check emails, send out accreditation requests and bitch about the day so far.
2pm Grab sandwich on my way to an official photocall at the Festival Palais Terrace for 'Restless', an American film in competition, but with only two actors of interest. My official position (the podium is numbered) is way up in the Gods, so I have to squirrel my way into a better position, smiling sweetly and begging favours. End up second row, which is a great improvement on fifth. At least I can see feet now.
2.30pm I've had a call from the Guardian asking if I can scour the Palais taking pics of posters from a list of films they are featuring. Films include 'Pregnant Man', 'Cool Gel Attacks' and 'Nazis At The Centre Of The Earth' - I suspect it's not a heavyweight piece. This takes longer than I thought, as there are hundreds of film companies represented in the Palais, but it's an enjoyable change.
5pm Just enough time to head back to my apartment, iron a shirt (just the collar and front if I'm in a rush, as I'm wearing a jacket over the rest), change into my tuxedo and dash back to the red carpet.
6pm First premiere of the evening, for French film 'Habemus Papam'. The stars of the film are of little interest to the UK market (though a frame or two if you're there doesn't hurt - you never know). But special guests often turn up at these premieres, and tonight it's Cheryl Cole in a very revealing open fronted white dress. As on the photocall podium, official spots on the carpet are numbered, but unless you're on the front row it's a free for all of tip-toeing over people's shoulders and making the best of whatever view you can get. I managed to sneak a small folding step past security (steps aren't allowed on the carpet) to give me some extra height. Other colleagues have worn orthopaedic stacked shoes, or seventies disco jobs, to sidestep the rules (no pun intended). But my view is still obscured in parts by other people's cameras, flash brackets and elbows. I got some decent half lengths, but as my school report often said: 'could've done better'.
All too fleetingly, she's gone.

7pm Dash off to the bar again to quickly edit and send the Cheryl pics in time for tomorrow's papers. Cross fingers.
8.30pm Back to the red carpet for the second premiere. There's a rumour that Sarah Jessica Parker will be a guest at this one, but she's a no show.
9.30pm All the British photographers decide to go and eat before returning for the last premiere, holding out hope that SJP WILL turn up still. We go to the same restaurant we invariably end up in, mainly because it's quick, close to the Palais, and they can always rustle up a table for ten at midnight (or even later).
12am Back to the red carpet for the final premiere of the day, Chinese film 'Wu Xia'. Sarah Jessica Parker finally arrives, and because less photographers are attending this late, I've got more room to move, resulting in a much better selection of images.
1am It's way too late to send pictures back, and normally at this point we'd all go for few beers to unwind (after a 16 hour day you need it), but for once I decide to be sensible and bail to put my gear on charge and get a decent night's sleep.
Tomorrow it starts again.

Orphan Images

A while back I shot some photos for a neighbour's new barbershop website. He paid me in free haircuts (like there's much to cut!) which was a fair barter. But then the other week he called me saying that one of those images was being used on a rival’s website - had I given them permission?
I checked the site and there it was, a shallow focus shot of a man receiving a traditional wet shave, used as a ‘Book an Appointment’ button which meant it appeared on all 30 of the website's pages.I checked with Rex Features, my editorial stock agent, but I hadn't filed those images with them, so it must have been (gasp) stolen. 
I crafted a carefully worded letter to the websites’ owners, pointing out the misuse and that “images grabbed from the internet are not copyright free, and it is the users obligation to seek permission from the author before use. Recent legal decisions against the Daily Mail, Evening Standard and other publications for abuse of so-called 'orphan works' has backed this up. If the author cannot be identified, you do not have the right to publish the image.”
The web site owner passed the buck to the designer, who was mortified, explaining that he'd used images from the web to mock up the site for the client and thought he'd replaced all these 'orphan images' with licensed stock or commissioned images before going live. I have no reason to disbelieve him (and I like to give benefit of the doubt) but a breach of copyright had been committed, my image had been published without permission, and a payment was due. 
Had it gone to court I could have sought punitive damages, but as it was we agreed a fee which amounted to roughly ten times more than if he'd licensed the image legitimately from me in the first place, but wasn't an unreasonable request for use over thirty pages. 
I also did a quick Google image search using the keywords 'wet shave' and found yet another photo from my friend's site used in an article for Esquire, no less - to whom a quick phone call yielded over four times their standard reproduction fee.(To add insult to injury, my friend's barbershop wasn't even among the Top 5 listed in the article)

The lessons:
People will use images grabbed from the internet if they can.
A professional photographer's images are their product and livelihood, and while most photographers are unlikely to chase anyone for personal uses, if an image is published or used in a commercial context it's the same as if stealing a product from a shop. A licence for legitimate use would have cost a fraction of what the publishers had to pay in the end - and I’d have been just as happy. Orphan images do not equal free images.
For my part it's been a lesson in vigilance, and an eye opener as to how once you put your images on the internet, they can be stripped of all metadata (caption, copyright info, contact details etc.) and your hold on them is tenuous at best. I’ve always preferred not to watermark images on my website or blog, presuming that lo-res web versions of my images were of little commercial use to people, but I may have to reconsider this.
For now my friend and I are off for a slap up meal on the proceeds, as reward for his keen eye.
As Shaw Taylor used to say on Police 5 (taps side of nose) "Keep 'em peeled". 

Sign o' the times

I've just added a set of pictures collected on my travels of signs and graffiti that has amused me or made me do a double-take (you can tell by the signs how high-brow my sense of humour is).
Click HERE to see more.

Definition of PR

I can't remember where I got this definition of PR from, but it made me smile and got it's point across quite uniquely:

You're at a party.
You see a beautiful woman. You go over to her and say “I’m brilliant in bed. Do you fancy spending the night with me?” - That’s advertising.
You see another beautiful woman, and send your friend over to her. He says “My friend is brilliant in bed. Do you fancy spending the night with him?” - That’s marketing.
Then a third woman approaches you. She says “I hear you’re brilliant in bed. Do you fancy spending the night with me?”. - That’s PR.

McFly

McFly were switching on the Christmas lights at Heathrow and playing a surprise gig for fans and passengers (the first ever gig in Heathrow). We'd planned a stunt prior to the gig where the boys would walk through the airport in pilots uniform, but as Prince William had announced his engagement to Kate Middleton earlier in the day, and elsewhere in Heathrow the couple kidnapped by Somalian pirates were landing - our work was going to be cut out trying to get pictures into the papers the next day!
But luckily for us Dougie (the quiet one) insisted on dressing as a stewardess instead. Hurrah! Instantly the picture was elevated to something more fun and engaging, and therefore more likely to get picked up.
Which it was.
My client was happy, so I was happy, but the credit goes to Dougie and the boys for being such good sports, who gave loads of time to their fans and generally just 'got it'. Thank you.

CRY

Pixie Lott became one of the few artists to perform live inside the House of Commons when she made her first appearance as ambassador for the charity CRY, who campaign to fight against cardiac risk in the young.
She impressed me greatly with her voice, accompanied only by an acoustic guitar, but almost even more so by her generosity of spirit in making herself available to all those who wanted a word, photo or autograph - including some desperately star-struck MP's who should know better. Well done Pixie, and well done to CRY.

Nick Cave

I'm intrigued by the Grinderman sound, very 60's garage/dirty blues - but I'm still not sure about Nick Cave's voice. It's a marmite thing.

Macmillan 'World's Biggest Coffee Morning'

Where else would I get to support a good cause, drink coffee and eat cake - and still call it work?

Sunday Times

I spotted a pic of mine (Lilly Allen) being used as part of a poster campaign for the Sunday Times, on the London Underground recently. Large or small, it always feels good to see your pictures used. But, no, it's not cool to stand on a platform and say "I took that!".
(I didn't, but I wanted to).

London Fashion Week

Ah, London Fashion Week - brilliant for people watching, from the uber-stylish to the obviously bonkers, via the just-trying-too-hard. Clients this week included Tony & Guy, who were styling model's hair at various shows, and Sony Vaio who had sponsored a show. A side benefit was getting to snoop around inside the Free Masons HQ in Covent Garden, where shows were being held. LFW is life Jim, but not as we know it.

Interpol

Officially THE darkest gig I've ever had to shoot. I'm sure the 'first three songs, no flash' rule had a perfectly legitimate basis once upon a time, but is now used blindly and unthinkingly by bands' management, just because they can. It makes no sense at all when there's no light on stage to see the band by, let alone get usable photos which in turn will promote and publicise said band - and yet hundreds of fans just over my shoulder can pop their camera flashes away to their hearts content.
Sometimes people just don't want to help themselves.
(and if you're thinking "that pic above looks OK", it was one of only a very few that I could glean, and took some industrial strength post-processing to make it more than just a silhouette.)

When I'm 60 for...

To celebrate his 60th birthday (and shoe-horn a bit of publicity for Virgin Active into the bargain) Richard Branson was attempting to become the oldest man to kite-surf across the Channel, along with family and friends. After two attempts were called off (the first for too much wind, the second not enough) he decided to postpone the challenge, and we were all invited to repair to the nearest pub instead. Rather surreally, I suddenly found myself having a pub lunch on the bleak Dungeoness coast with Richard Branson and Princess Beatrice (who's boyfriend was part of the record attempt). Not sure what the locals made of it all, but the steak & kidney pudding was ace!

Sony IFA

IFA is the biggest consumer electronics show in Europe, and I was back in Berlin to cover Sony's huge interactive space there. Continuing and expanding on last year's 3D theme, Sony have everything from TV's, projectors, even laptops in 3D - but you still have to wear those headache-inducing glasses. I can see that watching 3D football on a big screen, or an interactive video game will be a great experience, but can't help feeling that long-term it's still just a gimmick. I can't imagine coming home after a long day, and spending ages looking for the TV control AND the glasses, just to watch Coronation St. (though, to be fair, I'm still not bothered about HDTV either, and probably watch more on my laptop than anything else).One of the highlights was from a Japanese VDJ who's combined 3D video visuals with his dance set (which my 2D medium photos will never do justice to).

Global Gathering

Either I'm growing to like dance music more, or Global Gathering is becoming more mainstream, or maybe a bit of the two. DJ Jaguar Skills set on the main stage was brilliant, and got the crowd revved up, even though most of the songs he played were 'before their time'. I never thought I'd see a DJ at a dance festival sign off with Madness' 'One Step Beyond' to roars of approval.And as one of the official snappers for the festival, I managed to cheekily blag myself onto the stage for Dizzee Rascals headline set, to capture the crowd and atmosphere. Definiitely a 'moment' for me.Maybe if I get booked again next year, I'll have progressed even further and wil be wearing fluffy boots and neon face-paint. Or maybe not.

Glamour Awards

Ooh, there could be a backlash. James Corden, a man whose natural wit can be quiet close to the knuckle, had what the tabloids labelled a 'public spat' with Patrick Stewart while hosting this year's Glamour Awards. From my point of view at the back of the room James was simply trying to defend himself and move the show along, in response to Patrick's laboured attempts at making funny. I'm a fan of both men (apart from that Horne & Corden rubbish), but Patrick came across as just trying too hard - and failing.
In the end I scored it Corden 2 - Stewart 0.
Watch the clip on YouTube and see what you think:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIBUWqSTp90

Fearne Cotton receiving her award for 'Radio personality of the year'.

Glastonbury

Anything - INCLUDING weddings?

When asked what kind of photography I do, my stock answer was always "anything, except weddings'. Not because I was snobby about wedding photography - there are some fantastic snappers out there producing beautiful pictures, but more because it was a different, and scarier, kind of pressure. It may sound odd, but having three minutes to get a portrait of the Prime Minister inside No.10 is a lot less scary than being asked to capture a couple's big day. I guess it's a case of what you're used to.
But I'm slowly losing my fear.
My friend Tom was marrying his beau Mags, and paid me a huge compliment in asking me to shoot his wedding, knowing that it wasn't something I was usually comfortable with. His confidence in me and assurances that it was to be a very relaxed affair swayed my resistance, and in return I hope I captured everything he wanted.The wedding was held on the terrace of the National Theatre on the Southbank in London at midday. After the ceremony and a brief drinks reception, Tom announced "Ladies and Gentlemen, as you know I come from an events background, so if you could all join us on the terrace I've arranged a little surprise..."
... just as the Red Arrows performed a fly-past up the Thames as part of the Queen's birthday celebrations. The guest's baffled and excited expressions (before the penny dropped) were priceless - especially when the Chief Usher ran behind everyone on a walkie-talkie shouting "OK lads, job well done. You can return to base now."
A genius piece of opportunistic choreography.Congratulations Tom & Mags.
You may well have cured my fear.

Cannes 2010

No sooner am I back at work, and while still trying to settle in a new home, than it's Cannes Film Festival time again. The town of Cannes had been battered by storms the week prior to the festival, but all credit to the organisers it was up and running (with sunshine) in time for the start - albeit to a back-drop of bulldozers shoring up the beach.
It wasn't a classic year in terms of celebs appearing (Sheryl Cole as one of the main highlights? C'mon...) but it's the kind of event that you have to attend every year or risk losing your place. Every photographer is allocated a spot on the red carpet, but only those lucky enough to get a front row number actually stand where they're meant to. The rest of us end up peeping over shoulders and squeezing into gaps where we can see clearly (a few ingenious snappers even bought hugely stacked glam rock/70's disco shoes to give them a height advantage - I see a photographer's fashion trend emerging). The shot above of Naomi Campbell was taken at a point where I couldn't see clearly, and consequently includes the melee of photographers in front of me and beyond. Ironically it was my best selling image during the festival, but I guess when there's so many 'clean' shots of someone, getting something a bit different makes a change.

J-Lo and Cheryl Cole providing some much needed glamour for the festival.

Sky HD

Oh, how we suffer for our art.
I was shooting portraits and background stills today of rugby player Lewis Moody while he filmed a piece for Sky HD. The piece was to demonstrate the clarity of HD TV, by showing a Lewis tackle from an opponents point of view. Poor Lewis had to make repeated runs and tackles under a bitterly cold rain machine, wearing a variety of HD cameras filming his face and feet as he ran. (On a geek note, I noticed that Sky used a Canon SLR 7D to film a lot of the scene, so the video capability of cameras like my 5D really are up to scratch.) The heavy backlighting and rain made my job difficult, trying to focus on a fast moving Lewis through the bright mist while avoiding flare from the lights, but luckily he made enough runs for me to get what I needed.
After all the tackling, I had to get a close up portrait of Lewis' 'psyche-out' stare for Metro. The poor fella was so cold by this point that me keeping him from the warm for an extra five minutes put genuine hatred in those eyes. If it's any consolation to him, I only had a thin linen jacket on for protection, and was soaked and shivering too. As Billy Connoly said "There's no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing choices."

3,2,1 and you're back in the room.

You may or may not have noticed a quiet absence on my part recently. It's not from laziness or lack of work that I haven't posted any entries since Sep 2009, but more because I've been away on sabbatical with my family.
But I'm back now.
That's no guarantee of regular posts, but if I see/hear/do anything interesting and find 5 minutes to write about it, I will.