It may now seem a distant memory – but the recent snow storms almost put a stop to me getting to a number of event shoots recently. But through determination (aka bloody-mindedness) and a fair amount of luck, I managed to get to where I had to be!
The first event I want to discuss is the genuine honour I had to take the graduation photographs at the Royal Air Force college Cranwell. I’d been booked to take photographs of the newly-minted officers with their guests inside the beautiful College Hall (that’s the impressive tall building with the clock tower, you can see it easily from the A17 if you’re passing by!). The journey from my house to Cranwell should be a 10 mile / 20 minute trip. In the end, it was actually a 65 mile / 90 minute one! With the various road closures – including portions of the A15 and seemingly all of the A17, I had a fun journey via Newark, Grantham and Sleaford. Still, I arrived with about 20 mins to spare, and I managed to take some wonderful portraits that will bring proud memories for years to come. I should add that many of these pictures will end up in the brilliant frames offered by Victoria Prints (www.victoriaprints.co.uk)
I was also booked to cover the nights festivities in the form of my more regular black tie ball portraits. An asdded bonus is that I was also able to venture out into the snow to capture the amazing firework display. I was a touch close to some falling and flaming debris, but I hope you agree images like this make it worthwhile.
My drive home wasn’t quite as epic as I found a more direct route, but the number of cars firmly lodged in snowdrifts were a constant reminder to be on my guard!
The next night was spent in Sheffield at the Genting Casino, supporting the Cavendish Cancer Care charity (https://www.cavcare.org.uk/) This charity does some fantastic work in the South Yorkshire area, providing support to families dealing with cancer. Whilst we didn’t make a huge number of sales (it was a relatively small event) we did manage to raise some extra cash for the charity which is always a great feeling.
Also providing the entertainment were the fantastic ZF Dancers, (http://www.zoefrancesca.co.uk/m.index.html) performing their first public show; and the incredibly talented Oliver Parker - Close Up Magician (http://www.leedsmagician.co.uk/)
The snow on the way back wasn’t too bad – sleet really – but it did give the experience of travelling at hyperspace all the way home!
The final run of event shoots was held at the Jury’s Inn near Hinckley, in support of the Sunflower Ball, raising money for the battle against cystic Fibrosis. Again, there was plenty of snow about, but the most treacherous part was the ice-rink like car park!
This was quite a large event, and we were given a brilliant location in the rotunda that gave us loads of space. After a few wifi-related issues (and reverting to an old-fashioned cable) we made entry of sales, that translated to another healthy charitable donation.
Here's a very wobbly video of our setup:
We even got a visit from Captain Jack!
Right, I’ve waffled on for too long, but just a reminder that at charity events, I donate 20% of my sales back to the charity – so it’s win-win for everyone!
Thanks for reading!
