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You pay a price for
switching to Hasselblad
medium format
The same one
you pay for a high-end
35mm DSLR
£8,995 + VAT
The new Hasselblad H4D-31. The H4D body, the 31 megapixel back, the 80 mm lens. A
complete Hasselblad system for just £8995 + VAT. For high-end 35 mm DSLR users who

know that image quality is everything but who thought they could never afford it. Until now.
Visit www.handsonahasselblad.com or call us on 020 8731 3250 to find out more.
 welcome
april
This month I’m not going to be
able to say as much as usual
about the latest issue, but hey, I guess that’s not such a
bad thing, when design and photography define a page.
I never get bored of talking to photographers about
photography or listening to what photographers have to say;
it’s what feeds the content of the magazine and dictates how and
why we include what we do. Any of our regular readers will
know that this is not a magazine created to a format.
Each month we try to bring together a whole host of stuff that
responds to what we see and hear. We also try to make sure
we listen and talk to people working in all areas and at all levels
of success, from iconic photographers such as Michael
Thompson on Page 54 to people just starting out like the
Haarala Hamiltons on Page 88. We have photographers
filled with passion and determination, such as Maciej
Dakowicz on Page 64, and humour and commitment,
like Peter Dench on Page 36, as well as those
THIS IMAGE: MICHAEL THOMPSON
EDITOR’S IMAGE: MATT HALSTEAD

who understand the business and future of

photography, such as Clive Booth on Page 30.
These are just some of the photographers
who help to define our community which I hope
you also feel part of. Welcome to the club.

Grant Scott, Editor

 NEW PHOTOGRAPHY
contents
april
8 Portfolio
The best of your work posted on to our online portfolio.

53 Exposure
Fashion photographer Ellen Von Unwerth shoots for
wedding dress designer Jenny Packham.

NEED TO KNOW
25 Being There
PP Editor Grant Scott recalls a shoot at the Moët
& Chandon chateau in France where he was caught
in the crossfire between a non-English-speaking
photographer and a fashion editor.

30 Dispatches
Clive Booth gears up for the high-octane event
that is London Fashion Week.

36 The Dench Diary

The sometime working pro travels to Norway to
teach up-and-coming photography students.

42 The World of Convergence

Don’t miss film maker John Campbell’s regular
news-packed take on the world of convergence.

45 Frontline
We talk to Roger Tooth, head of photography at
The Guardian and The Observer.

51 Guess the Lighting

Ever seen a great image and wanted to know how it
was lit? Ted Sabarese explains all.

64 The Year of Living

Dangerously
Peter Dench catches up with the owners
of the Third Floor Gallery in Cardiff to discover what
it’s really like to run a gallery.
80 August Sander is Important...
Robin Gillanders explains why the German portrait
photographer matters so much.
. greatest archivist of music images in the world.
93 Talkin’ Photography Blues
Following an overwhelming response to his article
on loneliness last year, Grant Scott revisits the
subject of depression among photographers.
114 Legend
We look at the life of American photojournalist
James Nachtwey, who has turned his lens on war
and disaster for more than 30 years.
INTERVIEWS WITH...
54 God is in the Details
PÅL HANSEN
A portrait of David Bailey by Norwegian photographer
Pål Hansen. Read our interview with Pål on page 74. 23 Diary
Our pick of this month’s most exciting photographic
exhibitions around the UK.
70 It’s Only Rock ‘N’ Roll
but I Like It 98 Working the System
Paul Middleton talks to Michael Ochs, possibly the PP Editor and longtime Hasselblad user Grant Scott
discovers that going back to the legendary brand is
all about asking yourself questions.
74 What Lies Beneath
Julia Molony meets Pål Hansen, the Norwegian 103 Stop Press...
photographer who sees beyond the glamour and The latest essential news, gossip and kit from the
glitz of the celebrity world he shoots. pro world.
88 Supermarket Sweep
Cass Chapman talks to Max and Liz Haarala
Hamilton, whose personal project on The People’s
KEEP IN TOUCH
Supermarket is now bringing them new work. 28 Podcast
Free photographic discussion for the masses.
NEWS & REVIEWS 49 Feedback
Your thoughts, your opinions, your page.
14 Click

PP Editor Grant Scott speaks exclusively to fashion

photographer Michael Thompson about his stellar This month’s line-up of the best news, dreams, 96 Subscribe
career and what it was like to assist Irving Penn. themes and photographic schemes. Check out our latest subscription offers.

www.professionalphotographer.co.uk 5

Robin Gillanders
Lecturer in photography
Robin Gillanders is Reader in
Photography at Edinburgh Napier
University. He is also a practising
portrait photographer and has
several works in the collection of the
Scottish National Portrait Gallery.
The author of several books on
photography, for PP he looks at the
work of the German portrait
photographer August Sander – who
is the subject of a major exhibition
in Scotland – and explains why his
work is so influential. See page 80.
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friends
april
Paul Middleton Roger Tooth Michael Thompson
Writer Photojournalist Photographer
Paul, a part-time football and music A press photographer who cut his Michael has shot celebrities for
writer, is a full-time fan of late folk teeth on the Hackney Gazette, Roger magazines such as Vogue and Vanity
singer Phil Ochs. It was through this is now head of photography for Fair, as well as campaigns for luxury
link that he gained access to his The Guardian, The Observer and brands including Emporio Armani
brother, the music archivist Michael guardian.co.uk. Since he joined and Chanel. At the start of his career
Ochs, whom he interviewed for the The Guardian as assistant picture he assisted Irving Penn, having
feature on page 70. Describing the editor the industry has embraced knocked on his door to find it being
incredible archive as “a hobby that new forms of multimedia, changing opened by the legendary
got out of control”, Ochs began the commissioning of photography. photographer himself. From there
collecting photographs while In our Frontline feature on page 45 his career went into orbit. On page
working at Columbia Records in the he discusses the changing face of 54 he talks to PP Editor Grant Scott
late 1960s. Paul runs the Phil Ochs photojournalism and what it takes about his approach and how being a
website No More Songs. to be a press photographer. Virgo has influenced his style.
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www.professionalphotographer.co.uk 7
PORTFOLIO
Each month we share the best of the latest postings from our online portfolio with our magazine
readers, so for your chance to appear in Professional Photographer, go online and start
uploading your best images to www.professionalphotographer.co.uk. If you want to see more
of any photographer’s work, go to their online profile to access their website details.
ILIAN,
UK

SAM COOPER,
UK

SIMON TURNER,
UK

8 www.professionalphotographer.co.uk
JOHN LYNCH,
UK
PORTFOLI

JOANNA ZYSNARSKA,
POLAND

JOANNA ZYSNARSKA,
POLAND

PAUL THURLOW,
UK
TEAGHAN
McGINNIS,
CANADA

JOANNA ZYSNARSKA,
POLAND

SIMON HADLER,
UK

KRYSTIAN ZIELINSKI,
UK

www.professionalphotographer.co.uk 11
PORTFOLI

MATTHEW PAYNE,
UK

KRYSTIAN ZIELINSKI,
UK

JACOB GIBBINS,
UK

PAUL D SMART,
UK

SAM COOPER,
12 www.professionalphotographer.co.uk UK
seminars & events
2 how to choose and use studio lighting for simple
day
Landrover –
event
Location Lighting
Experience
Tim Wallace
Join Commercial advertising and car
photographer Tim Wallace at an exclusive live
shooting event .
Tim works with clients across the globe such as
Aston Martin, Land Rover, Mercedes and Morgan.
Well known within the automotive industry for his
creativity and open approach he is regarded by
many as one of today's leading car
photographers with a unique and strong style of
work that inspires not only his clients but also
their customers, something that was reflected in
2010 when he won International Advertising
photographer of the year.
Thursday 19th May & Friday 20th May
Landrover Experience, Lode Lane, Solihulll
West Midlands B92 8NW
Maximum 14 Attendees - book early to avoid
disappointment
Morgan Motors
Photography Day
For full details visit www.calumetseminars.co.uk
Morgan Motor Company, Pickersleigh Road,
Malvern Link, Worcestershire WR14 2LL
Tuesday 10th June
Check our new website for times and prices and more great workshops!
www.calumetseminars.co.uk
We now accept paypal for seminar and event bookings.
Calumet Spring Open Days
Come and meet us at our Spring Open Days in-store.
There’ll be lots of product demonstrations, promotions and experts will be on hand for advice. Of course we’ll
have sensor cleaning at each location too.
Our stores will be open from 10am until 6pm. We look forward to seeing you there.
Birmingham Wednesday 6th April
Manchester Wednesday 4th May
Studio Lighting
John Clements
If you need ultimate control of where and how you
place light, and or simply a need for sheer power,
then studio lighting is the answer.
And for many photographers it becomes a tool
they cannot be without.
During this event John shares his many years of
experience too show from the absolute basics,
and repeatable, people, product and still-life
photography.
Manchester Thursday 14th April
Glasgow Thursday 5th May
Studio Lighting –
The Next Level
John Clements
Studio Lighting Seminar Level 3
Morning session 10.30-13.00
Creating lighting solutions for various face and
body shapes Creating the all important backdrop
Lighting for mood, atmosphere and drama Further
posing and composition advice, hints and tips
Bringing a variety of lighting effects together to
work as a ‘whole’
Studio Lighting Seminar Level 4
Afternoon session 14.00-16.30
Mastering your cameras characteristics and
lighting for its specific performance capabilities
Refining exposures through histogram usage Flash
metering for accuracy The best lighting tool
(accessory) for the job Recreating famous styles
On location shooting - working with ambient light
Lighting or Post Capture? Choosing the best
solution
Drummond Street Saturday 30th April
Belfast* Wednesday 13th April Edinburgh Wednesday 20th April
Drummond Street Wednesday 11th May * Belfast 10am-4pm
Say it with Flowers
Jenny Lilly
Jenny is a widely published and exhibited stock
garden photographer, who has a one-woman
exhibition of her photographs of gardens which will
coincide with this seminar, at Birmingham Botanical
Gardens and Glasshouses, where the photography
will take place.
The seminar will start at the Gallery at Birmingham
Botanical Gardens and Jenny will discuss aspects of
her work as displayed in the imagery on view,
followed by a session of photography at the Gardens,
Birmingham Botanical Gardens and Glasshouses
Westbourne Road, Birmingham B15 3TR
Wednesday 1st June
Portraits using
Home Studio
Paul Southall
This workshop will show how to set up and use a
two head kit to achieve professional style portrait
images.
The format of the day will be a demonstration of
the use of the Home Studio Kits and the techniques
used to light a model to give varying styles of
classic poses.
A practical session will then follow for students to
photograph the model.
A critique of the students images and a final
question and answer session will close the days
workshop.
Birmingham Thursday 28th April
An Introduction to
Night Photography
Richard Southall
Richard is a prominent nationwide architectural
and interiors photographer who has been
producing images to the leisure, retail, residential
and constructions industries for over 23 years.
He is a qualified college lecturer and a member
of the Association of Photographers.
An evenings walking tour of Birmingham city
centre where the participants will gain a basic
understanding of the techniques required for
successful night photography in a city
environment. A digital SLR and tripod will be
essential.
Birmingham Thursday 14th April
An Introduction to
Successful
Architectural
Photography
Richard Southall
A seminar session followed by a walking tour
of Birmingham where participants will gain a
basic understanding to architectural exterior
photography.
Course will include discussions on the legal
aspects of street photography and the law.
A camera and tripod will be essential.
Birmingham Saturday 21st May
click Mick Jagger,
London, 1987.
HERB RITTS
Honky Tonk Man
The subject of a retrospective at last year’s Les
Rencontres d’Arles photo festival in France, Mick
Jagger is one of the most photographed rock stars
in the world, perhaps due partly to the longevity
of his career. A book by François Hebel – the
director of the Arles festival – features images
14 www.professionalphotographer.co.uk
the latest
photographic news,
dreams, themes
and schemes.
edited by Eleanor O’Kane
ANDRÉ DE DIENES
The seldom seen kid
It’s often the case with a long-dead
superstar that some information bubbles up
to the surface revealing just a little bit more
about their life than we previously knew.
Photographer André de Dienes was born in
Romania and came to America in 1938 to
shoot fashion, which he then abandoned to
concentrate on shooting nudes. In 1945 he
hired 19-year-old aspiring actress/model
Norma Jeane Dougherty for her first
modelling shoot and struck up a lasting
friendship with the woman who was to take
the world by storm as Marilyn Monroe.
Taschen has decided to reissue a book of
images by de Dienes showing a much
younger, more naïve (and less blonde)
Monroe than we are used to seeing.
André de Dienes, Marilyn, published by
Taschen, £24.99, ISBN: 978-3-8365-2710-1.
www.taschen.com
QUOTE OF THE MONTH
I like to make people
from the 2010 exhibition spanning Jagger’s
whole career and shot by a variety of look as good as they’d
photographers, including Cecil Beaton,
Anton Corbijn, Herb Ritts and Andy Warhol. like to look, and with
Mick Jagger The Photobook is published on
3 May by Thames & Hudson, priced £14.95,
luck, a shade better.
ISBN: 978-0-500-289495. Norman Parkinson
www.thamesandhudson.com
“She was
absolutely nobody
at the time, just
a 19-year-old
girl who had just
started out
modelling a few
weeks before
that trip. She
was completely
sincere and
natural.”
André de Dienes
 Jonelle, Los Shoot for Vogue,
Angeles, 2009. Paris, 1977.

ESTATE OF GUY BOURDIN. USED BY PERMISSION OF ART + COMMERCE

True colours
NEWS... One of the 25 bad boys from our
August 2010 issue, Guy Bourdin was
PAUL JASMIN

famous for his sophisticated use of

Run for cover
Red Cover, the homes and
interiors picture library, has
Dream on finally closed after hitting hard
American photographer Paul Jasmin shoots for top times more than two years ago.
magazines such as Vogue, W and Interview. In his In summer 2008 the agency
latest book, California Dreaming, he uses models he accepted a Company Voluntary
found through his college job and friends to explore Arrangement, which saw
the notion of dreams and desires, shooting in and creditors agreeing to work with
around his apartment on Wilshire Boulevard in Los Red Cover in a bid to keep the
Angeles. The perfect weather, pure light and agency afloat. Those with images
otherworldly air of the young models make for at the agency have been
beautiful images that embody the spirit of California. contacted by email and advised
California Dreaming by Paul Jasmin, published by to send hard drives to the
Steidl, £31.50, ISBN: 978-3-86930-030-6. Red Cover office for retrieval.
www.steidlville.com
colour and form. A new book from
teNeues, part of its Stern
FOTOGRAFIE Portfolio series, pulls
together the work of this influential
photographer, whose collaboration with
shoemaker Charles Jourdan changed the
face of fashion advertising. Breaking
the boundaries of what was possible in
the ad world, Bourdin’s images still
provoke extreme reactions. Love them
or hate them, their force is undeniable.
Stern FOTOGRAFIE Portfolio No. 61
Guy Bourdin, published by teNeues,
£26.95, ISBN: 978-3-652-00002-4.
www.teneues.com

www.professionalphotographer.co.uk 17
© RICHARD SADLER FRPS, COURTESY OF THE NATIONAL MEDIA MUSEUM/SSPL

© MICHAEL MEYERSFIELD
AOP Gold and Best in
Category Award winner 2010.

Close call
The Association of Photographers has launched three of its
competitions: The Photographers, Assistants and Open
awards. The Photographers Award is open to full and
provisional AOP Photographers, while the Assistants Award is
open to AOP Assistant members to showcase the best imagery
from the next generation of professional photographers. As its
name suggests, the Open Award is for both members and
non-members. With no categories or themes, it recognises all

Life behind the lens forms of outstanding imagery shot by professionals and
amateurs alike. The deadlines for entry are: Photographers –
The National Media Museum in Bradford houses collections from some of 3 May; Assistants – 15 April; Open – 20 May.
the world’s greatest photographers and while its images might be familiar to For more information visit www.the-awards.com
us we don’t always know much about those who took the pictures. A new, free
exhibition at the museum, The Lives of Great Photographers, explores the
lives of the men and women behind the lens with images and histories of the
photographers themselves as we’ve rarely seen or heard them. The exhibition
encompasses a variety of photographers dating back to the early days of the
medium; portraits and work of legends such as William Henry Fox Talbot and
Edward Steichen, sit alongside images and work of street photographer
Weegee (pictured above in Coventry in 1963), Dorothea Lange, Tony
Ray-Jones and Larry Burrows. Famous for shining a light on how others
live, each photographer – none of whom is still alive – is represented by
a portrait, some of their remarkable images and personal effects such as
notebooks. It’s a great insight into the minds and motivation of those who
have changed how we see the world.
The Lives of Great Photographers, Gallery One, National Media Museum,
Bradford; 15 April-4 September; www.nationalmediamuseum.org.uk

TREAT
Out of Africa
YOURSELF... The National Archives has digitised the photographic collection
of Britain’s defunct Colonial Office, showing for the first time
To the treats! magazine some of the earliest images taken in Africa. The collection
blog. If anyone asks, includes pictures of Prime Minister Harold Macmillan draped in
© NATIONAL ARCHIVES

it’s research. leopard skin on his ‘Wind of Change’ tour in 1960 as well as this
http://treats image of his wife at a market in Accra, Ghana during that trip.
magazine.com/blog View the archives at www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/africa

18 www.professionalphotographer.co.uk
 Ready to Go Pro?
Profoto D1 Studio Kit

51-899 PRODUCT PHOTO Gert Jansson.

Professional photographers need flash units that are powerful,consistent and easy to
use. Profoto has produced such flash units for over forty years,and today we are proud
to be known as the first choice amongst leading photographers.
Profoto has developed a lighting kit especially for those of you that shoot social,wedding
and portrait photographs.
The Profoto D1 Studio Air Kit includes 2 D1 monoblocs, 2 D1 stands, 2 small white
umbrellas Air Remote and a case.
The D1 Basic Air Kit includes 2 D1 monoblocs, an Air Remote and a case.
The D1 monobloc heads are available in 250 or 500Ws with or without Profoto Air
integration. The D1 1000Ws comes with Air integration as standard.
The excellent Profoto Air system delivers full wireless control of power in 1/10 or
1 stop increments plus individual control of up to six Air integrated heads.
We are a growing Profoto family and we would like You to join us.
That is why we now offer a 15% discount on the Profoto
D1 Studio and Basic Kits.*
* The Profoto D1 Basic and Studio kit offer is valid from 1st March to the 31st July 2010.

www.profoto.com
For further information go to
Profoto is available from AJ’s (www.aj-s.co.uk), Calumet (www.calumetphoto.co.uk) and Pro Centre (www.procentre.co.uk).
 Eastern promise Work by finalists in Hasselblad’s 2010
Masters competition is now online to view
It doesn’t come much better and this year the public have a casting
than a backing from vote in the eventual winners. More than 2,500
Henri Cartier-Bresson. photographers from across the world
In 1977 the legendary French submitted images in a bid for the prestigious
photojournalist saw the work title. Just 110 have made the final
of Raghu Rai at an exhibition in cut and their pictures – in 11 categories –
Paris and recommended him are in online galleries at
to become a member of www.hasselblad.com/masters-finalists
Magnum. Since then, using
India as his backdrop, Raghu,
who was born in what is now
Pakistan, has created images
that perfectly capture the
spirit of this jam-packed,
chaotic culture. His first solo
UK show, at Nottingham
gallery New Art Exchange,
finally gives the British public
a chance to see Raghu’s India
in all its glory. Lens flare, alcohol, changing the world,
Raghu Rai’s Invocation to India is shooting portraits at f/1.2 and clothes with
at the New Art Exchange, lots of pockets; it’s all shit photojournalists
Woman at work, Nottingham, until 30 April. like, apparently. To find out more see
RAGHU RAI

Delhi, 1989. www.thenewartexchange.org.uk http://shitphotojournalistslike.tumblr.com

WIN
The Vanguard Alta Pro 283CT is
an award-winning, carbon fibre
tripod and we’ve got three to
give away. Flexible and stable,
it incorporates clever features
that also make it extremely
versatile. The innovative
Multi-Angle Central Column
(MACC) System lets you move
A Vanguard the central column from zero to
180° angles in variable
Alta Pro vertical and horizontal
positions – so the
Stop-n-Lock (ISSL) System
securely repositions the central
column in a simple movement
while maintaining the tripod’s
stability. It has advanced
camera vibration and shock
control, a hexagon-shaped
central column for extra
stability, legs that adjust to
25°, 50° and 80° angles,
quarter-twist leg locks and
non-slip, spiked rubber
feet for varying terrains.

283CT Tripod tripod is ideal for

macro photography and
The suggested retail
price is £319.99
awkward, (including VAT).
worth £319.99 wide-angle shots.
The Instant Swivel www.vanguardworld.com

To be in with a chance of winning one of these

great tripods go online to our Vanguard
competition in the competition section of
www.professionalphotographer.co.uk

www.professionalphotographer.co.uk 21
 Inspire the photographer
focal press
in your life books Whether photography is a profession
or simply a passion, be inspired
by the latest titles from Focal Press

Real Retouching No Plastic Sleeves The Photoshop Darkroom 2

By Carrie Beene By Larry Volk and Danielle Currier By Harold Davis and Phyllis Davis
ISBN: 9780240814179 ISBN: 9780240810904 ISBN: 9780240815312
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Learn the retouching tips, tricks and
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 We have done the hard work for you this month and chosen our essential
three photographic exhibitions on show now or coming up soon. For a full list
of exhibitions and events visit www.professionalphotographer.co.uk
KIM GOTTLIEB-WALKER

TERRY O’NEILL

The Rolling Stones outside the Donmar

Warehouse Theatre, London,1963.

Bob Marley & the Golden Age of Reggae
Proud Camden, The Horse Hospital, Stables Market,
Chalk Farm Road, London, NW1 8AH
020 7482 3867; www.proud.co.uk
7 April-15 May 2011
Proud Galleries present Bob Marley & the
Golden Age of Reggae, a series of intimate
photographs to mark the 30th anniversary of
the artist’s death. The photographs, taken in
1975 and 1976 by photojournalist Kim
Gottlieb-Walker – the wife of Island Records’
head of publicity Jeff Walker – capture exciting
moments from Marley’s career.
As well as images of the iconic reggae
singer, the black-and-white collection
includes other stars who brought reggae to
the international stage, such as Peter Tosh,
Bunny Wailer, Toots Hibbert, Burning Spear
and Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry.
Terry O’Neill: 50 Years at the Top
Chris Beetles Fine Photographs, 3-5 Swallow Street, London, W1B 4DE
020 7434 4319; www.chrisbeetlesfinephotographs.com
23 March-23 April 2011
A collection of vintage and modern prints will be on
show this spring to celebrate the 50-year career of
photographer Terry O’Neill. Many previously unseen
images, created from his original negatives, will be
included in the exhibition. The work has only recently
come to light after extensive research into the archives
of the legendary British photographer.
Over the past five decades O’Neill has created
a different kind of celebrity portraiture with an intimate,
behind-the-scenes approach. His subjects have included
some of the world’s most famous actors, actresses
and musicians, including Brigitte Bardot, Frank Sinatra,
Elizabeth Taylor and the Rolling Stones.
The exhibition gives collectors and fans an exclusive
opportunity to buy previously unavailable prints.

Deutsche Börse Photography Prize 2011

University of Westminster’s Ambika P3 Space, 35 Marylebone Road, London,
NW1 5LS. 0845 262 1618; www.photonet.org.uk
5 April-1 May 2011
Thomas Demand from Germany, Roe Ethridge and Jim
Goldberg from the USA, and Elad Lassry from Israel have
been short-listed for the Deutsche Börse Photography
Prize 2011 and examples of their work can be seen at an
exhibition this spring.
The £30,000 first prize goes to a photographer of any
nationality who has made the most significant contribution
to photography in Europe during the previous year.
The winner will be announced at a ceremony on 26 April.
The awards, now in their 15th year, are run by the
Photographers’ Gallery, but the 2011 exhibition will be
shown at Ambika P3 at the University of Westminster while
ROE ETHRIDGE

the gallery is closed for redevelopment. The prize is one of

the most prestigious of the international arts awards. Thanksgiving, 1984.

FOR DAILY UPDATES ON EXHIBITIONS ACROSS THE UK VISIT THE

PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER WEBSITE www.professionalphotographer.co.uk
© Fulvio Fulvietto

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Lost in France...
Torrential rain, a French
photographer who didn’t speak
English and a fashion editor at
war with the photographer were
not the best ingredients for a
successful weeklong shoot.
But they were just some of the
challenges that faced PP Editor
Grant Scott when he arrived
at the Moët & Chandon chateau.
It is often said that
photography is a
universal language but
that’s not a lot of use
when you’re squeezed
into a location bus
with a truculent French
photographer refusing
to take any pictures,
a fashion editor at her wits’ end, two
physically shaking French fashion models
(I presumed fear and cold were the reasons
for that) in the sodden grounds of the Moët
& Chandon chateau in the French
countryside on the edge of the champagne
town of Épernay.
I had got to the shoot later than everyone else
and by the time I arrived on the Monday morning
there was already stalemate. The atmosphere
was as cold and depressing as the weather and
we still had four days to go.
The fashion editor had arrived the day before
and had no problems checking into the chateau
where she was staying as a guest of honour.
The photographer had pulled together the rest of
the team, including the models, from people he
liked working with (all French-speaking only) and
they had driven up from Paris the previous day to
check into a hotel in the town. And that is when
things had started to go wrong. As always on
editorial shoots, budgets were tight but this was to
be a magazine supplement created in association
with Moët & Chandon (well, they were paying for
it on the basis of the concept I had sold to them),
so the expectations of everybody involved were
slightly higher than for the standard magazine
shoot. Unfortunately, they were not impressed by
the local Ibis. The photographer had refused to
check in and instead found himself and his
assistant what he considered to be a much more
appropriate hotel at considerably higher cost.
“The magazine will have to pay,” he had declared
with a Gallic shrug. Everyone else had checked
into the Ibis but no one was happy there. On the
Monday morning the French contingent had
woken up to both black, rain-filled skies and the
realisation that the fashion editor was staying
at the chateau. They were now very unhappy.
The first three days were meant to be devoted to
shooting three fashion stories based around light
spring frocks and bright spring days before the
fashion editor returned to the UK and the models
went back to Paris, leaving the photographer and
myself to spend the last day shooting still-life
setups within the chateau. Heavy rain, cold days
and no communication, even without the
language barriers, meant that this was not going
to happen. It was time for me to adopt the role of
international peacekeeper. Much to the fashion
editor’s disapproval I agreed to pay for the
photographer to stay in his hotel of choice.
Instantly he was happier and agreed to leave the
“I had to deliver to the client the images he was
expecting and whatever that took was okay with me.
My stance on this matter instantly gained me the
photographer’s respect.” Grant Scott
location bus with me to start scouting possible
locations in the rain. We were off and running.
The photographer was never going to be the
fashion editor’s best friend but to me that wasn’t
a problem. I had to deliver to the client the images
he was expecting and whatever that took was
okay with me. My stance on this matter instantly
gained me the photographer’s respect. His name
was Michel Momy and he is one of the
photographers from whom I have learnt the most
throughout my career. He had started out as a
photographer while a French punk. He had shot
for i-D magazine in the UK since its launch and
had an approach and personality that suggested
it was his way or the highway. A man’s man,
proudly French and at home with the anarchic
side of his personality, he was a photographer for
whom creating the best images possible was
everything. He spoke hardly any English and I
speak very little French, but we instantly got on
like a house on fire.
Locations decided upon and models dressed,
we started to shoot the first of the fashion stories.
There was a definite English/French divide
but we were shooting and moving forward.
Then at one o’clock on the dot Michel stopped.
It was his lunchtime and he expected a French
lunch: hot, well cooked, with bread, wine and
coffee. This was the final straw for the English
fashion editor, who was used to working through
lunch and grabbing a sandwich when possible.
This was not Michel’s way and he strode off to
his car to go in search of the lunch he expected.
The French crew did not expect to go with him,
they were happy with the food they had picked up
from a supermarket on the way to the location.
I quickly followed Michel and jumped into his
car. He gave me a look that said he approved
of my decision.
In a small square in Épernay we found a
family-run corner restaurant, which from the
www.professionalphotographer.co.uk 25
outside looked depressing and definitely the
wrong choice. Michel, however, was convinced
this was the right place for lunch and he strode
across the square and into what was a cold,
dusty, empty place which felt as if it had been
dreamt up by a set designer hoping to create the
most perfect caricature of a provincial French
“He was constantly experimenting with composition,
never content with one approach to framing.
I had never seen anybody work like it and it was
inspirational.” Grant Scott
restaurant. An old lady, wonderfully appropriate
for the interior, came out to greet us from the
kitchen. Michel ordered for both of us before we
had even chosen a table and sat down. We were
to have steak and red wine, a Saint-Émilion.
We sat and ate. The steak was fantastic, as was
the wine, and we tried to communicate through
broken snippets of each other’s national language.
A strong coffee and it was back into the rain and
the chateau.
The team was waiting; the French very chilled
and relaxed, the fashion editor very cold and
wound-up. We finished shooting all of the setups
we needed, despite the weather. Michel was
a whirling dervish with a Hasselblad. He would
run, jump, lean and do whatever it took to get the
image. He was constantly experimenting with
composition, never content with one approach to
framing. I had never seen anybody work like it
and it was inspirational. He did all the work and
required little from the models other than
expecting them to look great and help him create
his images by listening to minimum instruction.
At the end of the day everybody went off to
their designated hotels. I went to the Ibis
and immediately understood why Michel had not
wanted to stay there. The next day the weather
had improved and everybody was getting on well;
everybody, that is, except the fashion editor,
who was never going to be persuaded by Michel’s
anarchic charms.
On fashion shoots the strong relationship
should always be between the fashion editor or
GO ONLINE FOR MORE EXCLUSIVE TALES FROM THE WORLD OF PHOTOGRAPHY, VISIT WWW.PROFESSIONALPHOTOGRAPHER.CO.UK
26 www.professionalphotographer.co.uk
stylist and the photographer. The images they
create on a shoot should come from their
collaborative effort and vision. The art director
should be there as a creative and client barometer,
not as a dictating force. At least that’s how I have
always liked to behave on shoots. There is nothing
worse than a pushy art director on a shoot,
being disrespectful to the photographer and the
other creatives involved.
However, on this occasion it was obvious that
Michel was never going to work with the
fashion editor and vice versa, so I had no choice
but to step in. Again we scouted locations
and worked through our shoot list. At one o’clock
on the dot, Michel again mimed the actions of
eating and drinking to me and off we went to
our little restaurant in the town. Again he ordered
steak and wine from the old lady out of the
kitchen. Our conversation was just as stilted, we
drank coffee and then returned to the shoot.
The next day was just the same, a morning of
fashion images around the grounds with
a one o’clock stop for the same lunch in the same
restaurant. By the end of Wednesday we had shot
all of the fashion setups we needed and it was
time to say our goodbyes to the French team of
models, hair and make-up, and to the fashion
editor, who could not wait to escape back to
London. Just Michel and I were left to spend
a day shooting still-life setups of place settings
and glasses in the interior of the chateau.
It is never ideal to ask a photographer who
specialises in fashion, beauty and portrait work to
shoot still lifes as well and when commissioning
it is something which you always do your best to
avoid. Unfortunately, in those days and even
more so now, budgets dictate and you are left
with no choice.
Michel took it all in his stride and wasn’t
bothered in any way about shooting the setups.
I have always thought of still-life art direction
like playing soldiers as a child. You move things
around with an idea of where you want to put
things but there are no rules. You are
moving things and positioning them in ways that
make sense only to you. Then when you get
things right you sit back and admire your display.
The judgments you have made are based solely on
storytelling and aesthetics and that was the
formula, which Michel and I brought to our
dinner party still lifes. We found a table near a
window which gave us some beautiful and soft
natural light, and I began to create the setups from
the glass and ceramics we had been supplied with.
Having worked on innumerable still-life shoots in
the past I had a pretty good idea of what worked
and the importance of having odd numbers of
items and not using too many props. Less is more
definitely applies to still-life shoots. What I
wasn’t expecting was Michel’s photographic
approach to what I’d created. Hasselblad in hand
and with no sign of a tripod, he leapt and bounded
around the setup in exactly the same way as he
had photographed the models over the previous
three days. It was still-life photography as
an extreme sport as he battled with the setup and
light to get what he perceived to be the perfect
frame. He didn’t even shoot a Polaroid; he trusted
his instincts and made still-life photography fun.
Of course it goes without saying that come one
o’clock we were off to what had become our
regular lunchtime location and meal; only this
time our lunch was both longer and more relaxed
than on the previous days. We had become firm
friends through adversity and our joint passion
for photography. We didn’t speak each other’s
language but it didn’t actually matter.
We polished off the remaining shots that
afternoon and then Michel drove me back to
Paris. The rain had started again and I slept for
most of the journey, exhausted from the stress,
tensions, work and wine of the past four days.
My friendship with Michel continues to this
day. We have shot together all over Europe on all
sorts of shoots and campaigns. But wherever
we have been and whomever we have been
working for, come one o’clock I always get the
look that says “time for lunch”. PP
www.michelmomy.com
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podcast
ON YOUR
WAVELENGTH
Every month we record a free to download podcast in which we discuss, debate and talk around
a subject featured in the magazine. We post them on our website and you can subscribe for
free and download them via iTunes. So if you haven’t listened in yet, it’s time to join us online.
THIS MONTH’S PODCAST
April Issue
GETTING YOUR WORK EXHIBITED
In the latest podcast, the PP team of Grant Scott,
Eleanor O’Kane and podcast regular Peter Dench
discuss the world of exhibitions. As curator and
exhibitor respectively, Grant and Peter share their
experiences and the team discuss the right way to
make an exhibition of yourself.
AND THOSE YOU MAY HAVE MISSED…
March Issue
THE PERSONAL PROJECT SPECIAL
The team grapple with the importance of creating
personal projects for sustaining and developing
a photographer’s career. Should a photographer
approach the project in the same way as a
commission or adopt a different tack? They look
at photographers who have got it right and ask if
there are too many introspective projects.
February Issue
THE BUSINESS SPECIAL
The regular podcast team talk tax, finance and
marketing. They ponder whether possessing
28 www.professionalphotographer.co.uk
business and photography skills go hand in
hand, discuss potential areas where seeking
professional advice could reap rewards and ask
if current photography students are aware of
the importance of business skills when choosing
a career as a professional photographer.
January Issue
ICONS OF PHOTOGRAPHY
PP Editor Grant Scott and deputy editor Eleanor
O’Kane are joined by regular columnist
and photojournalist Peter Dench to discuss the
importance of learning from the masters, and
debate the point at which they believe a
photographer becomes an icon. The team talk
about their personal favourites and explain why
they think their choices deserve iconic status.
December Issue
PHOTOGRAPHIC COMPETITIONS
Grant Scott is joined by Eleanor O’Kane and
photographer Peter Dench to discuss the world of
competitions, the contentious Taylor Wessing
Photographic Portrait Prize and whether there is
such a thing as a formula for winning.
November Issue
SEXY OR SEXIST?
Grant Scott, Eleanor O’Kane and Peter Dench
discuss an issue that often crops up in the
industry: why some images are seen as sexy
while others are labelled sexist. Does it depend
on context or are there other factors at play?
October Issue
THE SECRETS OF BEING A PRO
The team discuss the secrets of professional
photography. Veteran pros Grant and Peter relate
their experiences of working alongside other
photographers and how these have influenced
their working practices. With the days of the
communal darkroom and lab long gone, the
opportunity to share news and advice in person
has disappeared. The team look at new ways of
networking, including the PP’s United States of
Photography support group.
You can subscribe for free and download the
podcasts from iTunes by typing professional
photographer into the search tab or listen via
www.professionalphotographer.co.uk. PP
dispatches Clive Booth
This month:
Clive steels himself to shoot
at the UK fashion industry’s
biggest event of the year:
London Fashion Week.
“Handheld again and I’m
changing lenses quicker
than the models are
changing outfits...” Clive Booth
A model runs to change outfits,
Canon EOS-1D MkIV, 50mm lens.
30 www.professionalphotographer.co.uk
tales from the frontline of professional photography
According to the British Fashion Council’s
Value of Fashion Report 2010, the UK fashion
industry contributes £37 billion to the
economy and directly employs 816,000
people, making it the largest employer of all
the creative industries. It is similar in size to
the food and drink service and telecommunication
industries, and bigger than the wholesale and
retail auto industry, sports activity, chemical
manufacturing and advertising/video sectors.
So here I am, ready to shoot at the industry’s
top event: London Fashion Week. All the
equipment is packed, batteries charged, and lenses
and sensors cleaned. It used to be that one big
Lowepro bag would hold everything; now it’s
three and, along with tripod bags and Pelican
cases, it’s still growing. Sometimes I yearn for the
simplicity of one camera body and a handful of
lenses... in the old days, not even 10 years ago,
just two. The past few days have been spent
finalising security passes, organising equipment
loans, checking the location lighting and chatting
with the team: Charlotte Lurot (director, Bacchus
Studio and co-collaborator), without whom none
of this would be possible; Bill Waters, first
assistant and lighting; and Michael Williams,
second assistant.
I try to relax watching Stanley Kubrick’s
Spartacus; I’ve been slowly ticking off the great
man’s work, first reading the books and then
watching the films. I find the books are essential,
especially when watching 2001 and more recently
The Shining, which scared me half to death.
I marvel at the monumental levels of effort that
Kubrick went to in order to fulfil his vision.
I always feel nervous before shooting, and the
more uncertain the shoot the more nervous I get.
There is nothing certain about the outcome of this
shoot. My hope is that the finished film short will
give the viewer a glimpse of what it feels like to
be a part of the strange, mystical and magical
world that we are about to enter. As always I want
the final result to be beautiful, atmospheric and to
some degree meaningful and real.
Sunday 20 February. At 8am I leave for London
after a half-eaten bowl of porridge and a cup of
Lavazza. The journey is easy and I make it to
Somerset House for 11am. Security is tight and
Charlotte’s assistant has the passes (around five
per person) and we enter backstage B at London
Fashion Week. Bacchus Studio is responsible for
putting on the five shows I am going to cover over
the next three days: Osman, David Koma, Holly
Fulton, Mark Fast and Emilio de la Morena.
As usual it’s chaotic and space is at a premium.
Billy fights to get us a table, while Michael
organises a tiny area in Charlotte’s office for the
laptop card reader and twin G-Tech portables.
I start to assemble the DSLR equipment, Zacuto
Crossfire, Z-Finder x2.5 and follow-focus system.
I’ve fitted the zip gears (a gear ring which hugs
the lens) to five of my favourite lenses: 24mm
f/1.4, 35mm f/1.4, 50mm f/1.2, 85mm f/1.2 and
135mm f/2. As we unpack the bags the table fills
with two Canon EOS 5D MkIIs, an EOS-1D
MkIV and a 100mm f/2.8 macro, 180mm f/3.5
macro, two 14mm f/2.8, another 24mm f/1.4 and
85mm f/1.2, plus a 17-40mm f/4, 28-70mm f/2.8,
70-200mm f/2.8 and finally 45mm and 90mm
tilt-shifts. As I want to shoot at wide apertures I
bring along several ND filters. I count 16 lenses
in total and although it is entirely possible to do
this project with fewer, I prefer to have them all
at my disposal.
As it’s DSLR I have two trusted Manfrotto
tripods (546GB legs, 501HDV head, a firm
favourite with a very easy levelling system) and
one compact lightweight (190CXPRO4 legs,
701HDV head) along with a rented Glidecam
HD-2000 camera stabiliser and Manfrotto
monopod (682B). For sound it’s the usual Rode
on-camera along with a Rode studio mic and
Tascam portable recorder. Additional lighting
comes from the ever-faithful Litepanel 1x1
Bi-Color LED with an array of gold, white and
silver reflectors for subtle fill. Media comes
in the form of four SanDisk Extreme Pro 90MB/s
UDMA6 CF cards along with the essential Lexar
CompactFlash Pro card reader.
When I stand back and look at this somewhat
confusing, bewildering and dazzling array of
hardware I think, “What the hell have I got myself
into?” but quickly dispel the thought when I
imagine the potential results. Given all this
hardware it’s difficult to believe that I can still
shoot so freely and move so easily but there is no
getting away from the fact that it would not be
possible without Billy and Michael. The DSLR
equipment is far more cumbersome than the
CLIVE BOOTH
camera alone, but Zacuto has made a fine job of
creating a modular system that can be assembled
and broken down very quickly and easily. I decide
“My hope is that the finished film short will give the viewer a glimpse of what it feels like to
be a part of the strange, mystical and magical world that we are about to enter.” Clive Booth

Backstage at London Fashion Week, Clive captured this

shot with a Canon EOS 5D MkII and 14mm lens clamped
to the base of a lighting rig with a monkey grip.

On the catwalk, Canon EOS-1D

MkIV, 14mm lens.
dispatches
“...while the backstage
14mm captures
a multitude of magic,
last-minute make-up,
hair, darkness then light,
models distorted with
giant red shoes,
clapping, whooping and
dancing.” Clive Booth
Backstage make-up, Canon EOS-1D MkIV
handheld, 50mm lens with ND filter.
to shoot almost everything on the Canon EOS-1D
MkIV. It has a very long battery life, excellent
low light capability, 50 fps (if needed) and a
reassuring weight and strength. The 5D MkIIs
will be static cameras shooting from occasional
fixed positions on tripods or monkey grips.
Day one is a reacquaintance with the fashion
show and the multitude of moments and
opportunities it brings. Backstage it’s bright light,
hot as hell, make-up mirrors, the sound of an
advancing army of hair dryers, and little pockets
of peace and quiet for the art of make-up
application. Models eating, sleeping, texting; hair
stylists, make-up artists, stylists, production crew,
designers, dressers, seamstresses, the list goes on.
The smell of a hundred different products, walls
of clothes rails, boxes of shoes, model cards
allocating wardrobe and space, tables full of
accessories, steamers, ironing boards, Hoovers,
bottles and bottles of water, grapes, sandwiches
and Haribos, radios, clipboards, note pads and
cameras. Lots of cameras. Interestingly it has
been two seasons since I was last backstage and
nearly all the photographers are now using Canon.
In fact I have to look hard to find anything else.
Most are now shooting video with all manner of
DSLR contraptions, from the professional
to the home-made (aluminium, rods, wood and
weightlifting weights). It’s chaos and calm,
both at the same time. Shooting backstage is no
picnic but my drive and passion to capture this
32 www.professionalphotographer.co.uk
world in moving pictures pushes me into the very
necessary spaces which are normally the domain
of the models, hair and make-up artists. All are
patient and polite and there is a peace that exists
due to this symbiosis of being made up to be seen
and recorded. There is so much to shoot here it’s
almost overwhelming and I have to keep
reminding myself that although I’ve shot shows
many times in the past I must try to see this as if
it were the first time as I move from 85mm to
50mm and then 100mm macro. Both Billy and
Michael have never been backstage before and I
watch their reactions as we walk from hair and
make-up to wardrobe, line-up, rehearsals and
catwalk. As we have five shows in the one
location the final edit can be cut from elements
of each, enabling the finished film to appear
as one show, shot from a multitude of angles.
I like the idea of this eclectic mixture of people,
colour and styles all wrapped up into one.
The available light is for the most part bright
tungsten and we decide to set the white balance
accordingly. It is simply not possible to keep
manually resetting the white balance, so this
compromise must be made. All cameras are set
to record PAL 25fps 1,920 x 1,080p on manual,
LCD monitor brightness at 4 (vital when this
is the viewfinder) with grid display switched on
and picture style set to neutral.
Day one goes well and even exceeds my
expectations, with some great static and panning
footage shot on the tripod with the 50mm f/1.2
as the models come off the catwalk and rush to
change and then reappear. The Zacuto Crossfire
can be lifted off the tripod in one move and I
work handheld, walking through the line-ups
shooting into light as girls have last-minute
tweaks to hair and make-up while what seem like
dozens of photographers fight for positions.
I switch to the Glidecam and a 5D MkII along
with the 24mm f/1.4 Mk1 (I love the way this
lens shows the elements when shooting into
light). Handheld again and I’m changing lenses
quicker than the models are changing outfits:
35, 85, 135, 24, 100, 135, each time making sure
to allow the camera to do a sensor clean, which is
in addition to a manual sensor clean with the
blower, every hour or so. Billy and Michael are
pros and make it look effortless, Michael literally
running to download cards. As with stills the
shooting is intuitive, reacting to what I see,
trusting much to instinct, but unlike stills I must
make sure I have covered multiple angles,
focal lengths and cutaways to make sure there is
plenty of material for the edit. One beautiful
piece of moving imagery will work better when
seen from different viewpoints.
By day two it’s clear that the three of us are
working as a tighter unit. For many assistants
CLIVE BOOTH
DSLR is still new and learning to assemble and
disassemble the gear is very different to the skills
needed for stills. As the day unfolds I’m

beginning to enjoy myself and relax a little,
knowing that we already have many very usable
shots. Billy has to leave at lunchtime as he is
photographing Bee Gee Robin Gibb at a
recording studio in the West End, and so Michael
and I trim down the gear and head to the catwalk.
First I shoot the rehearsal from three angles
moving from wide to tight, and then I position
myself in front of the photographers’ pit (it’s a
runthrough and nobody minds) with the 135mm
f/2. I let the models walk into the f/2 focal plane
and then out again, the beautiful soft shapes
gradually moving into focus to reveal determined
faces full of attitude. I linger on this, as the bokeh
is mesmerising and dreamlike. Before the show
we take a position centre and back overlooking
the audience and catwalk. Michael stays with the
tripod and I head off with the Zacuto Crossfire,
EOS-1D MkIV and 35mm (nudging 50mm due to
the MkIV’s sensor size). I move freely in the
midst of the melee and there is a feeling of
detachment as I watch the proceedings through
the viewfinder. Again I follow my instincts and
just let the world unravel around me. I stand like
an island in the middle of a surging tide of
celebrities, fashionistas, journalists and
photographers. Turning, I move downstream
circling interviews, conversations and looks of
recognition followed by fashion kisses.
Behind me there is an explosion of flashes and
I turn to see Prime Minister David Cameron’s
wife Samantha surrounded; she sits calmly as
tens of photographers just feet away open fire
again and again. A quiet anticipation follows and
the lights dim. I am now behind the onlookers,
camera on tripod and 14mm... sssh, sssh and then
music, mobile phones dance like fireflies and
then light. Too much light; I quickly stop down
the lens as models walk from left to right across
the top quarter of the viewfinder. Happy with the
14mm footage, Michael hands me the 24mm,
then 35mm, 50mm and finally 85mm. My hope
is that this will cut well in the edit, finishing on
a 50mm ultra-tight shot on the shoes (to be shot
later that day).
Day three. Because much of the detail and
atmospheric footage are already on the hard
drives, we set to work covering the last show
from multiple angles. A Canon EOS 5D MkII is
attached to the lighting rig with a monkey grip
above the photographers’ pit with a 24mm while
another 5D MkII is secured to the floor at the
models’ feet covering the line-up and entrance to
the catwalk. As the show is about to begin, Billy
jostles for a ladder to press ‘record’ in the
photographers’ pit (12 minutes’ maximum record
time on the 5D MkIIs) while Michael is on his
hands and knees doing the same backstage.
I have a ringside seat using the lightweight tripod
and fluid head covering the show on a 24mm,
35mm and 50mm. It all works beautifully, the
24mm over the pit shows the sheer size and scale
Catwalk boot detail,
Canon EOS-1D MkIV, 85mm lens.
of the show with photographers in silhouette,
while the backstage 14mm captures a multitude
of magic, last-minute make-up, hair, darkness
then light, models distorted with giant red shoes,
clapping, whooping and dancing. Billy runs to my
position and grabs all the stuff as I head
backstage, handheld for one last key shot. I move
with the crowd and push through to the security
guard who, seeing my pass, waves me on, all in
shot, all good. I find the journalists, camera
crews and celebrities jostling to interview and
meet the designer, and I go into orbit around this
fascinating scene, occasionally stopping to
capture a nuance, look, question, kiss and hug.
Then it’s all over. The space is cleared;
hair and make-up are already setting up for
the next show. PP
www.clivebooth.co.uk
Next month: Clive sits down to edit his work
from London Fashion Week.
GO ONLINE FOR MORE DISPATCHES
FROM CLIVE BOOTH
www.professionalphotographer.co.uk
www.professionalphotographer.co.uk 33
STREET TOUGH
Award-winning photojournalist Kieran Doherty travels around the world covering major sporting
and press events. Because he shoots in all light conditions, come rain or shine, reliable
cameras and lenses are a must and here he explains why his Nikon kit never lets him down.

The Burj Khalifa building in Dubai,

the tallest man-made structure in
the world. Kieran took this picture
from a viewing platform at
sunrise while shooting stills
on assignment for BBC’s
Human Planet series.

The first time I used Nikon kit was in 2008.
I was covering the tennis at Wimbledon and
photographing Andy Murray playing in
the evening. This was before the roof was
put into place with the artificial lights,
so it was quite dark. I took a couple of
pictures while sitting on the side of the court
and when I looked at them, I started to
laugh because what I saw was incredible.
I couldn’t believe the clarity and that
everything was so sharp. I was using Nikon’s
24-70mm and 70-200mm lenses. I thought
immediately to myself that if these lenses
could produce these kinds of images in this
low light then I couldn’t go wrong.
My personal kit has taken knocks in all
different climates. In 2010 alone, I shot in
Dubai, Canada, Barcelona and China, and I
will use pretty much every lens I own when
on assignment. In my kit bag are Nikon D3s
and D700 bodies with the following manual
AIS lenses: a 24mm f/1.8, a 50mm f/1.2 and
an 85mm f/1.4. I also have these autofocus
lenses: the 50mm f/1.4G AF-S NIKKOR, the
24-70mm f/2.8G AF-S ED Zoom NIKKOR and
the 70-200mm AF-S NIKKOR f/2.8G ED VR II.
It is a testament to Nikon kit that I have
never once had to send a lens in for service.
I have never had to say it needs tweaking, or
it’s not focusing or it’s back focusing,
and I rely on the kit to get me out of trouble.
There are times in football matches, for
example, when you have to pick up the
70-200mm really quickly because there’s
action in the goalmouth. Frankly, I don’t
deserve to have the lenses and cameras
react as quickly as they do. They are so good
that I would say they pick up a little bit of
ground for you. So if you are slow to react, as

soon as your finger touches that button and
the lens kicks in, it can almost save your
bacon. That for me is the ultimate test,
especially when working in stadiums where
the light is pretty grim and murky. They are
really sharp and as a photographer you can’t
ask for anything more.
If you want to talk about the toughness of
Nikon lenses, I covered the 2010 Ryder Cup
golf, where it rained for eight days. Apart
from some fogging on an LCD screen and to
a lens because I forgot to take it out of my
bag when I returned to my hotel room, I did
not encounter any problems with the bodies
or lenses I used. This is incredible, bearing
in mind that every time I took out the camera
to check an image it got soaked.
For my street photography, when I am not
assigned to shoot for anybody I use my range
of prime lenses. I always use a 50mm for
street photography and I have two lenses.
One is the old f/1.2 and the other is the new
autofocus version – the f/1.4G AF-S NIKKOR
– which is instant. It’s solid, but so light and
KIERAN DOHERTY / PHIL NOBLE, REUTERS
great value. The quality is there; as soon as
you touch the button, everything comes into
focus. The primes are great if you want to be
a little less obtrusive, but I never thought I
would ever ‘shout from the rooftops’ as
much as I have done about how great the
zoom lenses are, in particular the 24-70mm
and the 70-200mm.
West Ham goalkeeper Robert Green stretches to try to
FA Cup third-round match at West Ham’s Upton Park

AF-S NIKKOR f/2.8G ED VR II
The results I get from Nikon cameras and
lenses are instant, even in low light. They do
exactly what they say on the tin.
For more information about the kit Kieran
uses, please visit www.nikon.co.uk
ADVERTORIAL
save a shot from Arsenal’s Eduardo during the
ground in London on January 3, 2010.
IN KIERAN’S KIT BAG
70-200mm
RRP: £2,085.99


24-70mm f/2.8G AF-S ED Zoom NIKKOR
RRP: £1,565.99
BIOGRAPHY
From 1993 to 2008, Kieran Doherty worked
as a freelance and staff photographer for
the Reuters News Agency. Today he is
commissioned to cover major press and
sports events, and produce documentary
work the world over. His images have
featured in and on the covers of many
major international journals and
magazines, including TIME, Newsweek,
Stern, National Geographic, the New York
Times Magazine and the Sunday Times
Magazine. Most recently he was
commissioned by the BBC to shoot stills to
accompany the Human Planet television
series. In 2010 he took first place in the
news category of the Press Photographer’s
Year awards. www.kierandoherty.com
the
dench
diary 1st “Whilst Peter has shown an increased
dedication to photography and has produced
a good portfolio of work for interview, his
overall attitude tends to be one of indifference,
flippancy and at times complacency.
Unless Peter grows up a little in the very near
This month, Peter Dench, future and works hard in all his subjects
he will soon find himself out in the cold world
the award-winning surrounded by students who leave him standing.”
Words as relevant now as they were 21 years ago.
photojournalist finds that Keen to know her progress, I Google Virginia
Bolton, my former A-level photography teacher.
self-imploding magazines I discover eight used copies of her book Focus on
Photography for sale at a penny on Amazon,
and shrinking expense but nothing else. My mum has retired and is
accounts mean things doing what mums do best, sorting things out.
In my home town of Weymouth there are three
just ain’t what they used boxes of my life needing rescue, including this
college report. Flicking through the viewed-once
to be in the world of magazines it’s clear just how much editorial
professional photography.
On the plus side there’s
always a launch party just
around the corner...
welcome to the world of a
sometime working pro.
photography has changed. A 1999 Marie Claire a
whacking 426 pages, a 1998 GQ a healthy 321.
The format is big and the pages are jammed
with adverts for PalmPilots, pre-Viagra remedies
and photographs of Gail Porter with hair.
My contributions failed to save some of the
Above, clockwise: Peter, Grace and Marcus Bleasdale publications: Frank, The Face, Wish and Nova all
enjoy the snow in Oslo; party dances get under way at gone. It’s poignant tipping them into recycle.
the swimming pool, Club Med, Kemer, Turkey; catching Today what were probably my last editorial
the sun in Carnaby Street, London; the first foam party
mail-outs will reach their destination. From habit
of the week in full swing, Club Med, Kemer, Turkey;
two male visitors to the CLA Game Fair lie down for a I ordered 200 postcards. Three immediate
rest in front of Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire. commissions would usually follow, plus another
36 www.professionalphotographer.co.uk
half dozen within a few months. Checking the
list, fewer than 70 recipients still have their job.
I say a mental goodbye to the days of jollies
masquerading as stories, visits to a town
dedicated to Superman and foam parties at Club
Med, and I go out with a smile. The stamps bore
my cheesy pate next to a billowing Union flag
courtesy of the www.royalmail.com/smilers
service: ‘Smilers – Share a special moment.’
8th I’m hanging my LoveUK exhibition at
creative ad agency Archibald Ingall Stretton in
time for Valentine’s Day and pop along to the
offices to assess the space. Afterwards, I have
three hours to occupy before a long-anticipated
private view of an important Eve Arnold
retrospective at the Chris Beetles Fine
Photographs Gallery in Swallow Street. The sun
is out. Resisting the urge to imbibe I start
snapping the street. It feels as if I’m trespassing
all over iN-PUBLIC member and street
photographer David Solomons’ Up West project.
While stalking red scarves around Carnaby Street
a Hexar AF sneaks into view. It’s iN-PUBLIC
member and street photographer David Solomons
shooting his Up West project. We start one of
those twitchy conversations photographers
often have with one another where no one is
really paying attention; eyes and wrists
flick to the colours that pass and the people who
wear them. David is gracious enough to let me
crash his drinks meeting but something odd
happens: I decline. I’m enjoying myself and
continue to play peek-a-boo with the sun as we
bounce up and down Piccadilly before I
finally succumb and head up to the fifth-floor bar
in Waterstone’s Bookstore. If I ever have a
lover of advanced years who enjoys the
Daily Express and a good royal wedding this is
the ideal venue to take them. Looks like many of
the men at the tables agree. The walls are
 decorated with the covers of 40 years of
Pulitzer Prize winners. I scribble some down.
The woman next to me asks if I’m a writer. I snort
derisively. Then say yes. For a second I think
she wants to caress my head in her leathery nape;
her friends turn up and the moment fades.
It’s opening time at Chris Beetles and I
jittery-flit moth-like towards the gallery door,
swerve sharply and compose myself around the
corner. My legs bow, the table I glanced inside
was groaning with fizz. Breathe, skip back round
and nip through the door. No name or invite
check, they let anyone in these days. A man views
the work seated, by scooting round in a desk
chair. Another prods me out the way with his
walking stick. The bubbles are introduced to my
palate and I acquaint myself with the work,
PETER DENCH

some of it familiar, some not. In a fantasy

moment I rehearse purchasing Bar Girl in a
Brothel in the Red Light District, Havana,

www.professionalphotographer.co.uk 37
“It’s the director of the 2011 Visa pour l’Image festival of photojournalism, Jean-François Leroy,
with confirmation that they would like to exhibit England Uncensored. This is big news.” Peter Dench
Cuba, 1954 and check the price, £2,800. It’s one
of the cheaper prints. Marilyn Monroe During the
Filming of The Misfits, Nevada, 1960 is a
busty £17,500. Most I talk with think them a fair
price. The red dots are out and at least four
have stuck. I check my lapel for a scarlet disc.
I decide to leave when my camera bag dominoes
an empty glass into a terracotta army of others.
I momentarily detect the spirit of Roy Castle and
Norris McWhirter chortling their approval.
I hold my nerve and let the lady trying to stand
them up take the blame, doff an imaginary
cap to the £8,000 Barmaid, New York City, 1950s,
grab my coat and burp into the evening.
12th Attend the first anniversary party of the
Third Floor Gallery in Cardiff – turn to
the six-page feature in this issue to read of the
experience. Wait! Finish the diary first.
17th The editorial mail-out has tweaked the
interest of Stylist magazine; a portrait in
38 www.professionalphotographer.co.uk
Soho of former Home Secretary and MP
Jacqui Smith. I breeze past presenter Clare
Balding and into the BBC’s Henry Wood House
where we are to meet. While Jacqui is having
her make-up done I get a call delivering news
that is as significant as winning a World Press
Photo Award. I’ve only ever spontaneously
shouted out loud for joy three times in adult life
and, to the surprise of the office, release a
shattering fourth. It’s the director of the 2011
Visa pour l’Image festival of photojournalism,
Jean-François Leroy, with confirmation
that they would like to exhibit England
Uncensored. This is big news. Leroy ends
the call with those magic words, “Welcome
to the club.”
18th TAXVAT-Man has cleaned me out and is
still squeezing. I check my Air Miles from more
prolific times and book an escape. It is time
to go on a journey to see a man. Not just any
man, but a man with a fine head of hair.
The ladies call him Mr Darcy. Many call
him Captain Congo. Others call him friend.
I simply call him Bleasdale. Marcus Bleasdale.
I first met Bleasdale when he joined the IPG
agency, of which I was already a member, in
2002. I think he will concur that he benefited
from my tutelage. It’s satisfying to see him doing
so well and progress to a point where I was only
on the subs’ bench at his wedding. Winner of
World Press Photo of the Year 2005 Finbarr
O’Reilly shot the stills. Current Magnum
president Jonas Bendiksen was on video duty.
Now with the VII photographic agency,
Bleasdale has got me a gig teaching a workshop
at the Bilder Nordic School of Photography in
Oslo, where he lives. Realising that I’m heading
to one of the most expensive cities in the
world I log on to www.wonga.com to see if I
can raise enough for a round and head off
to the airport. I arrive bearing the requested
maximum quota of duty free and series eight
and nine of Silent Witness.

“The theme of the workshop is Irony and Humour in Norwegian Life
and Society. I show them a cross-section from my work on England...
and end by reading a few extracts from the Diary to see if it
translates and am pleased the laughs are loud.” Peter Dench
FREDRIK STABENFELDT
Above: Jonas Meek Strømman receives
a signed Dench for the best workshop project at the
Bilder Nordic School of Photography in Oslo.
Right: One of the images shown to the students at the
School of Photography, Oslo.
Opposite page: A father holds his son’s hand while
carrying a gun in the other as they walk through the
grounds at the War & Peace Show, Kent. This image will
be on show at Visa pour l’Image, Perpignan.
19th Arriving at the £8,000-a-year School of
Photography the nerves aren’t bad but I postpone
breakfast just in case. Last night, over venison at
the Crown Prince’s favourite restaurant (I was
tempted by the braised ox cheek in beer)
Bleasdale had warned me: “Dench, you’d better
be funny.” This morning I don’t feel funny.
Breakfast with Bleasdale is not always an
amusing start to the day. All the hope and light
from this dawn is juiced into a tale of Congo
rape and child soldiers. I stare out the window at
the residence across the road and applaud the
Norwegians’ aversion to net curtains. It’s a
Peeping Peter paradise. “Are you a nation of tall,
blond, fluffy-jumper wearing, whale-killing,
PETER DENCH
pillaging sea warriors?” may not be the most
conventional question to kick off a presentation
but most of the ensemble seem to take it in
their stride. I check the slow-blinking lids of
ice-cool Catrine on the front row for a written
message. Nothing. She just seems tired and
idly jabs at her phone. The theme of the workshop
is Irony and Humour in Norwegian Life and
Society. I show them a cross-section from my
work on England, from Dagenham estates
to Blackpool hen parties, country house events to
Banbury Hobby Horse Festival, and end by
reading a few extracts from the Diary to see if it
translates and am pleased the laughs are loud.
Skidding round to the Dubliner Pub on a high
I get the drinks in. Two pints of Guinness and
two packets of crisps please, £22.59. My legs start
doing an involuntary charleston. I’ve never taken
so long to finish a pint.
20th The family have joined me for a mini-break
and while we watch the girls ice skate I
complain to Bleasdale about having to pick up the
cab fare on my Jacqui Smith all-in-fee
commission and ask him about his recent 21-day
trip to north-east Congo on assignment for
Human Rights Watch and the Pulitzer Center on
Crisis Reporting. He flatly explains spending
$17,000 on flights and only eight of those days
being shoot days. Of having to fly with
motorcycles and a generator before seven-hour
rides through the bush. On one ride an
accident smashed his knee and chewed the skin
off his elbow down to the bone. Two days
from decent medical care he patched himself up
and finished the job. Not wanting to alarm
his wife, the first she learned of his ordeal was as
he crawled the stairs to his apartment 10kg
lighter and urinating blood. Three trips to A&E
followed before he headed off on a three-week
trip to the Central African Republic and
the
dench
diary
10 days in Uganda. After ice-skating, hot
chocolate and waffles we move on to the
International Museum of Children’s Art; I pick up
the entrance fee and make a donation.
Under the Chinese masks Bleasdale talks about
an orphanage he and a bunch of Congo-conscious
journalists have set up (www.congochildren.com)
feeding, medicating and educating around
134 kids from past or current conflicts. He had
started to regale me with a story of shooting
backstage at Marc Jacobs during New York
Fashion Week when a nun called from Congo;
she was having difficulty raising the $65 tax
required to get six cows across a lake intended
to provide milk for the orphanage. Before he
can finish he beats off to catch the start of an
African drum lesson, you can take Bleasdale
out of Africa...
22nd Today I’m back at the Bilder Nordic School
to assess the work of the students. I kick off the
morning with a YouTube video of Jahn Teigen’s
1978 Eurovision Song Contest nul pointer
Mil Etter Mil (Mile After Mile) just to show that
Norwegians are capable of being hilarious. Of the
40 students who attended my presentation, 20
have returned and 17 produced work. I ask
Sebastian what’s his excuse and float the
idea of getting the non-shooters to sing a chorus
along with Jahn: “My best friend’s brother took
an overdose and his wife hanged herself.”
I let thoughts of punishment pass. Later, while
reflecting on the quality of work from the Bilder
Nordic School I find myself once again out in the
cold world surrounded by students who will
probably leave me standing; I assume an attitude
of indifference, flippancy and at times
complacency, board the plane, sit back and suck
back the British Airways Malbec, Mil Etter Mil
Etter Mil... PP
www.peterdench.com
You can hear Peter in person each month
on the Professional Photographer podcast,
available on iTunes or on our website at
www.professionalphotographer.co.uk
www.professionalphotographer.co.uk 39
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[ THE WORLD OF
CONVERGENCE
To make sure you don’t get left behind in the rapidly changing world of DSLR
film making, John Campbell brings you the latest news, the most exciting films
and the best kit from this brave new world that is transforming our industry.
ONES TO WATCH
TILT-SHIFT-TASTIC
 Sometimes being a film maker means
you must think on your feet; having to turn bad
circumstances into beneficial ones is all too
common an occurrence. After turning up at the
Formula DRIFT motorsport competition
at a racing circuit in Sonoma, California,
photographer Joe Ayala discovered that he was
not on the media guest list. Not wanting to
waste his trip, Joe decided that instead of
close-up action shots he would try a different
perspective and make a film of the cars from
a distance. This, coupled with his recent
interest in tilt-shift lenses, has produced
a stunning and unique film. The way the
tilt-shift lenses make everything look like toys
works amazingly well in this particular
circumstance. I think the film will inspire a lot
of DSLR users to experiment.
http://vimeo.com/15045149
SOFTWARE
A GLANCE AT DUALEYES
Even though the images created
when using a DSLR are stunning, the
fact the audio is somewhat lacking
becomes pretty evident when you
start working with it. The preferred
solution is to record on a separate
audio recorder, but this creates the
problem of having to sync the audio
and image in the edit suite. To make
this process simpler, downloadable
42 www.professionalphotographer.co.uk
THE POWER OF THE MEDIUM
The Journey is a film by Scottish film maker
Richard Jobson, narrated by the actress Emma
Thompson, and shot on a Canon EOS 5D
MkII. Watching it will reaffirm the reasons
why most of us get into film and its power is
obvious to any viewer. The film tells the story
of a woman who has been trafficked from
eastern Europe and forced to become a
prostitute in a north London basement room.
Be warned – this film contains strong violent
and sexual scenes that some people may
software called DualEyes is now
available. It uses technologies to
automatically sync and cut the audio
recording into clips that match the
video. The beauty of this software is
that it is standalone and can be used
in conjuction with any NLE
(non-linear editing) system from
consumer level to professional.
At $149 (£93) this could speed up
your workflow instantly.
www.singularsoftware.com/
dualeyes.html
]
find disturbing. It is a stark reminder of the
world we live in, and how most of us are
sheltered from this desperate and awful side of
society, leaving the victims ignored. It also
shows how DSLR film making is changing the
way we make films, mixing green screen,
animation, photography and live action to
create a truly thought-provoking piece.
www.professionalphotographer.co.uk/
0434
ON THE GRAPEVINE///////////
Rumour has it that Canon is
about to launch a new camera,
the much-anticipated EOS 5D
MkIII or 6D. Suggestions are it
may offer a 24-megapixel
sensor and a dual DIGIC 4
processor as well as an
articulated LCD screen with
1.04 million dots. This may
also have the advantage of
being a touch screen, which
would make it the first
full frame camera to have such
technology. The word is it
will be released by the middle
of the year. Watch this space.
NEWS
FROM MODEST BEGINNINGS
 Shot on a Canon EOS 7D, the indie movie
Like Crazy, directed by Drake Doremus, was
given the US dramatic competition grand jury
prize at the Sundance Film Festival, and
English lead actress Felicity Jones won the
special jury prize for her performance.
The film has since been sold to Paramount
Pictures for a massive $4 million.
Inspiring stuff for us DSLR film makers.
www.professionalphotographer.co.uk/
0488
EOS 5D MKII ON THE FRONTLINE
 During the protests in Egypt, we saw
again how in places where political unrest
harbours fears of outside interference, the
ability to shoot covertly and discreetly on a
DSLR comes in handy. Sky News shooters
used the Canon EOS 5D MkII again to film
remarkable footage of the unfolding violence.
Apparently, the cameraman just used the EF
24-105mm IS kit lens with no rig or Z-finder,
and the audio was recorded on a Tascam
DR-100 recorder and a Sennheiser mic.
www.professionalphotographer.co.uk/
0401
CREDIT WHERE IT’S DUE
 Opening the door for all DSLR film
makers, Danfung Dennis, a photojournalist
turned film maker, has won the grand
jury prize in the documentary category at
the Sundance Film Festival.
His film, Hell and Back Again, which
was shot on a Canon EOS 5D MkII, also
picked up the world cinematography
award for documentary film making.
This documentary follows a US marine
fighting in Afghanistan and his subsequent
rehabilitation at home after being injured.
www.danfungdennis.com

EQUIPMENT
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MIXERS
 Designed for those on a budget, the Rolls
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singlehanded. Second-hand
SQN mixers, which are the industry
standard, can cost thousands and are generally
VIEWFINDER
 Having the ability to monitor externally from HDSLRs is
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out of the league of film makers on a budget. by two PP3 batteries, plus you use the 12v DC
However, these two mixers both cost less than supply that comes with the mixer.
£500 and come with a carry-case. The MX422 (centre left) is its big brother.
The smaller of the two, the MX410 (below Again, you get four XLR inputs, but both
left), priced £350, is brilliant for students and phantom power and low bass cut are now via
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four XLR inputs, both line and of the line/mic switch.
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faders and a pan switch on the front and you Meters are now analogue VU and you get
can literally switch each channel left, to the a battery test button. The headphone section
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There is a 3.5mm headphone jack, the ability to switch the monitoring from the
headphone volume and a small LED stereo mixer output to a return input on the back of
meter. On the back you have the balanced XLR the mixer; if this is plugged to the headphone
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output, both of which can be that the audio is actually reaching the
switched to mic or line level. recording. These two mixers are excellent
The 3.5mm jack makes it value for money and using them will
perfect for use with a DSLR as undoubtedly improve your audio recording.
well as a video camera. It’s powered www.rolls.com

www.professionalphotographer.co.uk 43
 IMAGE: KEVIN WILSON FRPS award winning Wedding Photographer
WITH THE ROYAL PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY

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 frontline
from the

Need to put a face to a name, get the background story, the right advice and the inside
track on how to get commissioned? This month we hear from Roger Tooth, head of photography
at The Guardian and The Observer to hear his thoughts on what it takes to
become a photojournalist in 2011 and how the platforms of news delivery are changing.

Roger Tooth
Head of photography: The Guardian,
THE GUARDIAN

The Observer and guardian.co.uk

Career history: How have things changed since you joined
Photographer: Hackney Gazette The Guardian?
Photographer: IPC magazines Well, the number of products that we do has
Freelance photographer grown. When I came here there were three picture
Assistant picture editor: The Guardian editors, a researcher and a secretary, and now
Picture editor: The Guardian between the two newspapers there are about 30
Head of photography: The Guardian, of us working on desks. That was before
The Observer and guardian.co.uk The Guardian had a weekend magazine and
before they bought The Observer. It was a simpler
place although, of course, the communications
were worse. If we wanted a picture taken in
Manchester we used to have to get it wired down
“..it’s simpler to tweak a and then film was sent down on a Red Star train.
photograph in Photoshop In a way things were more difficult then, because
of bad communications. Now, with FTP and
than it was to tweak it in the photographers shooting on digital cameras with
darkroom – so everything is Apple Macs in the back of their cars, in a way it’s
easier. In terms of images there’s a big difference
so much more accessible to in numbers so if you worked over a weekend in
photographers.” Roger Tooth the late 1980s you might get 200 pictures to look
at; we’re now getting around 15,000 to 20,000
pictures a day.
Is that because more people are now
photographers?
Yes it is, but also because there are more ways for
people to get pictures to us. It is a good thing to
have more choice, although we do wade through
such a lot of images we’re not interested in.
For example, if you’re working on news you’re
not interested in a sports picture but first thing in
the morning you might find yourself ploughing
through American baseball pictures. It’s more
time-consuming but actually the standards have
gone up hugely in those years.
Why do you think that the standard of
photography you are seeing has risen?
I think it’s due to the fact that these days many
people go to college and study. They might have
gone to study art or graphics but they take time
out to study the art of photography, the aesthetics
of it. Possibly it’s also because the craft side
is easier – it’s simpler to tweak a photograph in
Photoshop than it was to tweak it in the

www.professionalphotographer.co.uk 45
frontline
darkroom – so everything is so much more
accessible to photographers. We’ve got someone
in the office who trained on a regional paper in
Scotland – a snapper – but the work he does now
is of magazine quality. That’s what we now expect
in news on a daily basis as well as in editorial.
Do you think education is preparing
photographers for the real world?
No, I think students have unrealistic expectations
when they leave college. I think people are doing
the wrong courses. I recently gave a talk at
a careers event and my take was that people
shouldn’t do photographic courses. Instead they
should be studying, for example, fine art when
they leave school. Someone asked if that’s what
everyone in the industry thought and I replied that
no, it was probably just me and Lord Snowdon!
I definitely think a first degree should be an art
degree rather than a photographic one. [Taking a
photography degree] is too narrow and I suspect
that students are spending too much time doing
projects rather than the groundwork. I think
there are two problems: one is that people aren’t
trained in the basics of photography; the other
is that they aren’t trained graphically, so they
don’t understand how their photography might be
used, which leads to a bit of naivety. Also, you
can’t just go to college for three years and come
out and say you’re a photojournalist. You need to
get more experience.
Which courses do you think those hoping
to become photojournalists should study?
I think people should probably do a general art
course and think about looking at things, how
they look and how they translate on to pieces of
paper or computer screens. You need a general
feeling for imagery. If photographers really want
to do photojournalism I think they should do a
one or two-year postgraduate course, possibly
with a bit of photography in between.
Do you build relationships with
photojournalists or rely on submitted images?
On a daily basis, just to get the website out every
day, we rely on our staff people and the wire
agencies. The Gettys, Reuters and APs of the
world drive the news side of things now, they
produce the work we need to get the newspapers
out. Most of the commissioning that we do now is
for portraiture, which we do a lot, given that we
are a features and arts newspaper.
Given that you have staff photographers do
you build relationships with freelancers?
We have five photographers on staff full-time and
we have another set of regular freelancers who
46 www.professionalphotographer.co.uk
are contracted up to four days a week. When we
need a bit more help we’ll go out looking for
photographers or I’ll remember people I’ve seen,
but we haven’t done that for a while. I get
photographers contacting me every two hours!
What do you look for when you see new work?
I like clean, graphic, simple pictures because I
look at it from a newspaper point of view.
The other thing I look for in photographers is
politeness, because if we do commission someone
they are representing the newspaper. We’re very
keen on The Guardian’s reputation being held in
fairly high esteem, so I’m quite careful about who
I might send on a particular job. We’ve got a
couple of women on contract, which I think is
really important. You could be sending a
photographer round to shoot a female in her home
and perhaps she’s not comfortable with a male, so
it’s good to have that option. Some people
telephone us and say they are very nervous about
having their picture taken, so sometimes it is best
to send a female photographer. It sounds sexist
but I think it’s the way things are. The personality
of a photographer is important, things can go
wrong very quickly on a shoot. It’s horses for
courses really. Of course on the news side we’re
so rushed it’s almost a taxi rank service. It’s more
a case of who is available.
How is convergence affecting the way
you work?
I think photographers have to understand that they
must embrace it. For me the question is whether
photographers end up doing video driven by
a photographer’s eye or producing more inspired
video; I think there’s a difference between the
two but I don’t know if that’s been worked out yet.
At the moment we have a separate video
department but I don’t know if it will stay like
that forever; I suspect it won’t. I thought we
THE GUARDIAN
would have [formally] converged more quickly
here than it has done, but both myself and the
multi-media editor are busy in our own areas, so
it hasn’t happened yet. I lend him photographers
when he needs people.
Do you have any other advice for prospective
photojournalists?
I think they have to be prepared to work around
the clock and not be looking for a nine-to-five
job. They must be fairly self-starting; for example
if they go abroad we can’t really help from the
office but, actually, I think most photojournalists
like that independence. We tend to rely on them to
organise themselves and just get on with it.
Do you think there are any misconceptions
about photojournalism?
The thing I’m slightly cynical about, after all
these years, is when people say, “I want to cover
this in this part of the world.” Sometimes I think,
“Are we just buying you an air ticket to go off
to complete your gap year?” I’ve always been
keen on people documenting Britain. With all the
cuts, it’s a really good time to turn round and
document what’s happening in this country, on
your own doorstep. Why don’t we look at our
own country for a bit? Although we have foreign
coverage we’re a UK paper. For example, if
we want a picture of a closed factory it’s actually
quite hard to find a picture like that.
People don’t turn the camera on their own
communities enough.
So it’s not necessary to take a gap year and
travel the globe to become a photojournalist?
Certainly not, quite the opposite really. I’m sure
the French are doing it in their own country.
The current climate feels very 1980s to me,
it’s like we’re in a Thatcher era. Now is the time
to document Britain. PP
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tell us what you think at feedback@professionalphotographer.co.uk
Dear Professional Photographer,
I enjoyed your article on personal
projects [March issue], we’ve all
seen them and some certainly have
more success than others – generally
speaking, deservedly so. However, I
wanted to ask you to consider a
follow-up article highlighting the
importance of the ‘other’ sort of
personal project. Dewi Lewis picked
up on it [“A lot of photographers
will consider the term ‘personal
work’ simply as the work they do for
non-commercial reasons.”] I was
surprised you didn’t include more
on that in the article, but understand
space is limited and ideas flow
aplenty! I was expecting more
because I’ve been doing the same
subject (around professional work)
since 2004 and, for me, it’s been the
most positive thing I could have
done. And now, because of it, I’ve
been asked to quote for a massive
international advertising campaign
for a well-known company.
I think this would be a fantastic
idea as a follow-up: with a positive,
encouraging tone and first-hand
beneficial advice; all of the
photographers you speak to month
on month will have some degree of
experience in this (like your banger
racing project, February issue).
We all need an arena to test
ourselves in; as professionals we
want to keep our eye in, our skills
current and ask ourselves important
questions. You can’t ‘play’ in the
same way within the boundaries of
commercial work (well, you can but
it’s risky!) I was advised in my final
year of college that ‘it’s a good idea
to have something to keep going
back to’ – a personal project of your
choosing that you do in your spare
time and is always on the back
burner. When I finished, I found
something that interested me and
feedback.
I know it inside out now. I use the
work for marketing, promotion,
networking, exhibitions etc and I’ve
even been approached by a publisher
about getting it published. One of
the biggest benefits I see that could
come out of it is that if you can
justify it in print, the families of
people who undertake such projects
are likely to be a little more
understanding and supportive. I have
struggled and fought with my wife
for the time it’s taken me to do this
work; she could never understand
the point of doing something that
didn’t pay – speculative work, even
though I had a clear idea of how
useful it could be. Now, after seven
years, she is starting to get it,
but we still fight over it occasionally.
Help us out sir!
Bill Bradshaw, via email
Dear Professional Photographer,
I just wanted to drop you a quick
email to say thank you for the online
Shoot the Catwalk competition
[to shoot a show at London Fashion
Week]. It was my first time
shooting a fashion show, so it was
an interesting experience to shoot
something different to what I am
used to and get a small taste of
another part of the photography
industry. Best of luck with the
magazine, it’s an enjoyable read and
is a useful tool for someone like me
who is trying to find his feet as a
professional photographer.
Darran Armstrong, via email
Dear Professional Photographer,
Just wanted to say I really enjoyed
the article The New Kid in Town in
the March issue along with Clive
Booth’s article about establishing
and maintaining your online
identity. In fact the whole magazine
In February we ran an online
competition in association with
Canon to give away 20 unique
accreditation passes to shoot a
Jaeger show at London Fashion
Week at Somerset House.
We asked you to show us how you
saw the world and more than
150 of you responded, uploading
your images to the competition
gallery on our website.
Passes for London Fashion Week
are highly prized with only 200
photographers granted access
to the catwalk pit, so it was a
fantastic opportunity. On 20
www.professionalphotographer.co.uk 49
was (and always is) great. The New
Kid in Town was especially relevant
for me as I have really started to
embrace the idea of blogging as a
form of personally promoting
myself. Also the idea of showing
hundreds of people my work
through a blog rather than it sitting
in a folder on my hard drive is
making me a better photographer.
I found this month’s issue
extremely relevant; your publication
is providing me monthly with
insightful information about the
state of the industry. I'm also
enjoying the little gems Grant Scott
writes up on his tumblr blog
[http://aneditorsview.tumblr.com].
They make me consider things daily
about the industry and my work that
I might not have done otherwise.
James Whitty, via email
Correction
In the Professional Photographer of
the Year Awards 2010 feature in
the January issue, we incorrectly
stated that Irene Frowley was
commended in the still-life section
when, in fact, it was Irene van der
Meijs. We apologise for the error. PP
February our winners came to
London from as far as Belgium
and Romania. All the winners
got the chance to shoot the
rehearsal as well as the show
itself and you can see some
SEAN SAMUELS
of their images in our fashion
gallery on the PP website.
 HERTFORDSHIRE

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Follow us on Twitter www.twitter.com/photovisionnews
GUESSLIGHTING
Professional photographer Ted Sabarese
publishes a blog in which he tries to work
out how other photographers’ images were
THE

lit and offers his own theory on how the

shoot went. This month he brings his lighting
experience and limited drawing
skills to Rhianna and Michael Thompson. MICHAEL THOMPSON / GQ USA

MICHAEL THOMPSON/RIHANNA COVER, GQ USA, JAN 2010 camera right. A medium soft box at f/5.6 (-1 stop) sits 4ft to camera
Rihanna may currently be entangled in a dab of plagiarism controversy left and 8ft high. Two white umbrellas at f/11 (+1 stop) light the white
over her latest video, but that doesn’t take away from the utter background from both camera right and left, in the rear. PP
sexiness seeping from this January 2010 GQ USA cover. Michael’s soft
backlighting paints a glamorous yet angelic picture of this rock www.guessthelighting.com
and roll siren. Five strobes did the trick.
Turn to page 54 for our interview with Michael Thompson.
Camera: Hasselblad H3D-39 and 100mm lens, handheld 10ft back.
Shot at 1/125sec, f/8, ISO 50.
Remember, this is called ‘Guess’ the Lighting. Therefore, all lighting,
Lighting: The main light sources come from the sides and behind.
camera, lens, grip, f-stop, shutter speed etc information may not
A large soft box at f/16 ½ (+2½ stops) is positioned behind a framed,
hold up in a court of law. There is a lot of guesswork in guessing.
one-stop diffusion silk to camera left and behind Rihanna.
Another large softbox at f/8 ½ (+ ½ stop) with framed silk sits similarly to

www.professionalphotographer.co.uk 51
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 exposure Images that have us thinking, talking and debating...

We spend a lot of our time here at

Professional Photographer suggesting
to wedding photographers that they
shouldn’t be looking at wedding
photography for inspiration but at the
best of the world’s fashion photography.
It’s not always met with understanding,
but to help us in our quest comes one of
the world’s leading fashion
photographers, Ellen Von Unwerth
(and PP bad girl – you can see our
November 2010 issue to find out why!),
shooting the Spring/Summer 2011
campaign for leading wedding dress
designer Jenny Packham. We applaud
the collaboration and can’t wait to see
similar partnerships. Anyone ready for
Peter Dench shooting weddings?
Visit www.jennypackham.com to
see all the images. PP
ELLEN VON UNWERTH / JENNY PACKHAM

www.professionalphotographer.co.uk 53
54 www.professionalphotographer.co.uk
 {ICON}

GOD IS IN THE
DETAILS
He shoots beauty, fashion and portraits for the world’s most
prestigious magazines and commercial clients, learnt his craft
assisting Irving Penn and has just released the second
monograph of his work but, as Michael Thompson tells
MICHAEL THOMPSON

PP Editor Grant Scott, he has paid his dues getting to the top.
Singer Joss Stone.

www.professionalphotographer.co.uk 55
{ICON}
Grant: Michael, I first became aware of
your work in the early 1990s when it was
a major factor in the re-launch of American
Harper’s Bazaar under the art direction
of the great Fabien Baron. How did that
come about?
Michael: I started in 1991 doing beauty images
for Allure magazine in New York and then I
started doing the same for Bazaar. I was known
as a beauty photographer and I didn’t do any
fashion or celebrity images, because celebrity
work wasn’t that big a deal then. So I was
shooting beauty for them but with Fabien there
things were done a little differently. He took
a lot of chances and went outside the box, so it
was very interesting to be part of that group of
movers and shakers. I was part of a group
of new, young photographers there, kids in their
20s who caused a big shake-up.
GS: Your work at that time and ever since
has had a very clean and precise aesthetic
to it. It felt fresh.
MT: Yeah, coming out after three-and-a-half years
at Penn’s studio I was obviously very influenced
by his work and initially mine was very similar to
Penn’s. I kind of stuck with that, then went off
on my own and branched out into my own style
as the years went on.
GS: Was Penn a great influence before you
went to work for him?
MT: Yes, I had his books, along with Richard
Avedon’s and all the other big guys, like Helmut
Newton. But I was just dreaming, you know,
living on the west coast looking at these images.
So when I knocked on his door in New York and
he answered the door, not an assistant, I almost
fell on the floor. Every day I worked with him
and saw him I would have to pinch myself and go,
“Oh my God, that’s Irving Penn.”
GS: That’s an incredible start to a career,
from working with Penn to working for
Harper’s Bazaar and Fabien Baron.
MT: It was amazing; I’d driven all of my
belongings from the west coast in a rented truck
to New York with my girlfriend who is now my
wife. When I’d arrived I didn’t have any leads or
contacts so I just started doing what everybody
does and began making calls. Penn was
someone who agreed to give me an interview.
GS: David Bailey once said to me the most
valuable Avedon book was the one he hadn’t
signed, because he was very much on the
scene and available but Penn was reclusive.
MT: I had an interview with Avedon too and
they couldn’t have been more polar opposites
in personality. They were both geniuses
but they went about it in such different ways.
GS: After your work appeared in Bazaar you
had a pretty meteoric rise, because it was
so influential internationally at the time.
MT: I think it was just the clean and chic look of
Bazaar at the time that people liked. Fashion is
very much like that, you know, there are always
things that shake it up. In fashion everyone is so
blasé about everything, they’ve seen everything a
million times, so they need to be shocked now
and then. Bazaar was a great shock back then.
In the early 1990s the economy in the States
was not unlike how it is now in the sense that
people were not willing to take chances and it
wasn’t until later on in that decade that things
started to pick up financially; when that happens
people love to take risks because they have a lot
of money to take them. Now people are holding
on to their wallets. It was a great time to start in
the early 1990s, however, because I was going
MICHAEL THOMPSON
Left: Actress Gwyneth Paltrow.
Opposite page: Actress Milla Jovovich.
“In fashion everyone
is so blasé about
everything, they’ve
seen everything a
million times, so they
need to be shocked
now and then.
Bazaar was a great
shock back then.”
Michael Thompson

from an assistant’s salary I didn’t see that
things were at an economic low. If I made $1,000
for the day then I was happy, whereas the
photographers who had been around for a while
thought that was nothing and were all upset.
In the beginning people were hiring me like
they do now, on the basis of what they see in the
magazines. I’m fine with that. I worked a lot for
the beauty houses in the beginning, which was
great for me financially so I was able to pay my
rent. There weren’t a heck of a lot of beauty
photographers so it was a nice place to step in and
say, “Hey, maybe I can be important in this area”
and then move on into fashion. There were so
many people doing it and there still are.
GS: Your work is very controlled and always
involves a very high level of technical ability,
which you seem to bring to all of the areas
you work in, even the ‘caught’ moment.
MT: Yes, yes, I guess that’s me being a Virgo.
There’s nothing wrong with an out-of-focus,
58 www.professionalphotographer.co.uk
grainy picture, so many amazing images are just
that. I always say you can’t duplicate a moment.
You can have a beautifully lit, beautifully
technical photo but if it doesn’t have that feeling
behind it, then it’s really nothing. So I always
try to marry the two together. It takes a little bit
of planning but I try to leave myself open. In the
very beginning everything was very controlled,
I was so nervous about getting the image I had
everything planned out. Now I do the opposite.
I have great assistants and equipment, and
have enough confidence now after 20 years to
just let things roll.
GS: But there is a Michael Thompson eye;
I can always spot one of your pictures, they
are so resolved and have such an incredible
attention to detail.
MT: Thank you, that’s a nice compliment. In the
1960s and 1970s Penn was known for his white
backgrounds and in the 1970s and 1980s Bill
King was known for working with movement but
I have always found it hard as a photographer to
stay with one style, because I think I would get
bored working in one way every day. I try to move
around, I just think there are different lightings,
feelings, stories and locations that I want to do.
GS: For me your work is defined by the
attention you give to the shapes that you
make with your subjects. You always seem
to be searching for absolute perfection.
MT: Right, that’s the nice thing about doing a
book, you get the chance to critique your own
work. You can see threads running through the
work and growth.
GS: Why was this the right time to produce
your second book?
MT: I knew that when I did my first book in ’05
that I didn’t want to do a celebrity book, I wanted
to do an all-encompassing book, but as time went
on I thought I should do a portrait book. I actually
decided to do one four years ago but by the time
you get things together – a publisher, everybody
to sign for picture usage – before you know it, it’s
three-and-a-half years later. But during that time
I’ve shot a lot of images, so the book has changed
its look from my initial concept.
GS: Pretty much every photographer wants
to see their work in book form but it can
be hard to judge when it is the right time to
actually begin to compile one.
MT: For me it’s become more important than ever
to see my work in book form. I used to go into
Rizzoli in New York or any bookstore and spend
hours looking at the images. That’s how I fell in
love with photography and I wanted to come back
to that. There are a lot of great things about the
digital age but there is nothing like holding and
turning a page in a book. Also, as photographers
all the things we work for and our images appear
in are disposable, so it’s nice to have the image
the way you envisioned it with no type all over it;
I’m sure every photographer feels that way.
GS: It also proves that we actually existed!
MT: Exactly.
GS: Your career was well-established
before the advent of digital capture but a lot
of the beauty work created today relies
heavily on post-production manipulation.
How do you feel about that?
MT: I think in my group of photographers I was
one of the last to start working with a digital
MICHAEL THOMPSON
Above: Actress Kate Hudson.
Opposite page: Actress Selma Blair.
{ICON}
{ICON}

MICHAEL THOMPSON

60 www.professionalphotographer.co.uk
 “...I have always found
it hard as a photographer
to stay with one style,
because I think I
would get bored working
in one way every day.
I try to move around,
I just think there
are different lightings,
feelings, stories and
locations that I want to do.”
Michael Thompson

Actress Julianne Moore.

www.professionalphotographer.co.uk 61
{ICON}
camera. I didn’t want to move over just to say I
was shooting digitally but also because I didn’t
think it had the qualities of film. So I waited and
waited and hung on and hung on. People were
coming to the studio and going, “Oh, you’re still
shooting film and Polaroids, oh okay.” I’d been
retouching digitally for a long time, but on
scanned negatives; it wasn’t until three or four
years ago that I started capturing in digital format.
I’m fine with it now, it’s just like having a new
camera. But the one thing that will never change
is the way in which you look at light and how
you find light. That’s not going to change, no
matter how many bells and whistles you have.
GS: Your way of seeing.
MT: Yes. Your way of seeing. It’s great that it
allows you to work quickly, but there are
drawbacks also. Everybody wants you to work
faster and faster and then when you’re on the set
with a celebrity they want to see the screen.
It takes the mystery out of the process a little bit.
GS: That’s an interesting point. I would
never show the subject the Polaroid when
I was shooting celebrities and I won’t shoot
tethered for the same reason. I don’t
want the session to be judged on one frame.
How do you deal with that situation?
MT: The good thing about having worked for a
while is that you can pretty much say, “This is
how I work” and people respect that. You can tell
the publicist to stay outside the shooting area and
I can tell the celebrity that I will show them
something when I’m ready and they respect that.
I shoot with the monitor next to me because
I like to know what’s going on and one of the first
things I did was to make a cardboard hood for
the screen that has a hole for me to look through
and a little window at the side for my assistant to
look through. Then when we’re ready and feel we
have a nice image to show them that we want
feedback on, we take the cover off the screen.
It just pops off, then goes right back on again.
GS: That sounds like a gadget you should
be copyrighting and selling as
Michael Thompson approved kit.
MT: Exactly, because without the cover everybody
just looks at the screen and it becomes like
watching TV; then the person being photographed
starts thinking, “What are you looking at?”
and then they go to see and the shoot falls apart.
The hood solves all of this.
GS: I think you’re outlining a problem that
a lot of photographers will be familiar with.
MT: The thing is that when the celebrity goes on
another set with a different photographer who
62 www.professionalphotographer.co.uk
lets them have access to the screen, they become
knowledgeable on what is possible and realise
they can see the images as they are shot. But I
used to work the same way with Polaroids.
I would look at them with my assistant behind
a curtain and only show the celebrity one if
I was happy with it. But I would never pull it out
of the camera and show them it.
GS: You were slow moving into digital but
are you going to be as slow to move into
creating moving images?
MT: Past history would suggest that I will be, but
if you look at the iPad, where you have the mini
snippet movies of a photo shoot, that’s going to
have to be done by the photographer along with
the stills. I think that photographers are going to
have to become cinematographers, directors of
photography and stills photographers all rolled up
into one. The client is not going to hire someone
to come in and do that part of the photo session;
they’ll rely on the photographer to do everything.
GS: You often reference great paintings
or classic photographic images in your work
and use them as inspiration.
MT: I’ve always looked to art for inspiration but
I think it started when I began working for
French Vogue in the mid-1990s. That audience
is very open to referencing images because they
know the originals.
GS: It’s a sophisticated readership.
MT: Very and that was a big education for me.
GS: A lot of other photographers will look
at your career and the work you get
commissioned to do and think, “It’s okay for
him but that’s got no relevance to my life as
a photographer.” Your position and work
can seem like an untouchable ivory tower to
many photographers, with little relevance to
the real world. How would you respond?
MT: There are so many photographers out there
that you should only do it if you really love it and
put the effort into it. I can’t tell you how many
times I’ve worked late into the night while I was
just plugging away but I never thought, “This is
bullshit, this is not working.” I was enjoying it.
I was happy to do just one job and paying my rent
was always my first goal. The next was to try to
get something published and it was these
mini-goals leading up to the bigger picture which
made it seem possible. It’s like going on a trip.
You have to look at the whole map to see your
final destination, but the towns on the way are the
mini-goals to that destination. That’s important.
Over the years I have never been afraid to work
hard. Too many photographers want things
instantly; if they haven’t been published in the
first two years they’re ready to give up. You can
ask anybody in any profession who’s successful
and you’ll find out that they’ve been working
at it for a long time. When I started assisting, if I
had to polish shoes I would do it, I didn’t really
care. Just being around a photographic studio
was enough for me. I worked for a catalogue
photographer for three years in Los Angeles
before I had even set foot in Penn’s studio.
He was very busy and I was able to cut my teeth
in the industry, and because of the knowledge
I gained from him I was able to get the Penn job.
You wouldn’t think that a catalogue photographer
would relate to a Penn job but that’s how I got that
job, because when I met Penn he asked me about
all of the technical things that I knew and I was
able to answer comfortably and became his first
assistant. If I had come straight out of college
wanting to work for Penn, he wouldn’t have hired
me and I know that for a fact.
Even when I was assisting I would do
architecture photography just to find out how to
write an invoice and how to work with a client.
I didn’t say, “I’m not interested in doing that.”
I just said, “Hey, I could learn from this.” I was
still lighting and composing things, it was related
to what I wanted to do and I got a paycheck for it.
You never know where things will lead so I would
say, leave things open, don’t close that door,
because you never know where that door leads.
It’s easy to say what I do is easy, you know
what I mean. In the beginning nobody knew who
Michael Thompson was and even today that
happens. I shoot young actors and actresses who
haven’t even heard of Penn or Avedon. You just
have to swallow your pride, be patient and have
the drive to keep close to what you believe in.
You’re only as good as your last photograph.
GS: I always say that after that last shot we
are always unemployed.
MT: Right, maybe that’s why I’m doing this
book, so I can show it to people and say,
“Here, I’ve done this before, so please trust me.”
GS: Professional photography is not a great
place to have a big ego.
MT: Exactly. PP
www.michaelthompsonstudio.com
MICHAEL THOMPSON
FOR MORE INTERVIEWS WITH THE WORLD’S
LEADING PHOTOGRAPHERS
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Model Heidi Klum.
THE YEAR
OF LIVING
DANGEROUSLY
An independent gallery located at the top
of a period building in Cardiff is showcasing
some of the most exciting contemporary
photography in the UK. On its first birthday
Peter Dench catches up with the owners
of the Third Floor Gallery to discover if it
really is tough at the top.
MACIEJ DAKOWICZ

{THE BUSINESS}

An image from Maciej Dakowicz’s

Cardiff After Dark project.
{THE BUSINESS}

Maciej Dakowicz is not comfortable. to be realised. Around £700 a month comes because of his matter-of-fact way of explaining
He presses a splayed hand hard into his face from donations, any shortfall is made up from how and when things should be done. There is no
and rubs. It’s not the disco ball lights the pockets of each proprietor. There is an nickname for the open-faced Bartosz; ‘The
peppering his face that is causing distress, Amazon wishlist that to date has provided an Smiler’ wouldn’t be inappropriate. Each team
it’s the questions. Maciej doesn’t like A4 multifunction mono laser printer, TV, member has no specific role. Tasks are taken as
questions and doesn’t like to answer them; professional trimmer, pair of scissors, tape and when by who has the time or most suitable
in fact he doesn’t like to talk much at all. dispenser, screwdriver set and some White Tack allegiance. Joni and Bartosz are perhaps better
We are at the Third Floor Gallery in Cardiff that
he launched with Joni Karanka (Bartosz Nowicki
joined some months later). Today is the
gallery’s first anniversary party. I ask Maciej
(pronounced mach-ic) what he enjoys about
running the TFG. He rubs harder: “Ask Joni.”
I’d arrived a few hours earlier. As I approached
the gallery, Joni and Maciej had parked up
outside with a car boot full of beer. It had taken
them three hours to choose it, checking for
the best deals. “Give us a hand, Peter.” No one is
beyond being asked to help and we take turns
to deliver the crates up 60 stairs past a taxi rank
and Indian dance class to the top-floor premises.
On 22 December 2009 I received an email from
Joni that said: “Dear Peter, I wonder if you’d
be interested in exhibiting loveUK in Cardiff.
Maciej Dakowicz and I are opening a
small photography gallery in February, and we
wanted something with a bit of a nice bang
MACIEJ DAKOWICZ

to open up. Any reply is good for me, ranging

from interest to rejection with alternative
suggestions.” Feeling festive I answered in the
affirmative. A call from the considered and
unassuming Joni followed and the details required
softly spoken through a hybrid Finnish-Spanish
accent. The gallery and exhibition opened on
12 February 2010 to a warm welcome from the
Cardiff media and community. Located in
the Bay area of the city, a short bus ride from the
centre, TFG sits comfortably opposite the
Millennium Centre and the developing Mermaid
Quay. A sandwich board at the door of the
period building, padlocked to the railings, quietly
introduces the venue.
One year on I am back visiting the gallery to
find out how the first year has progressed for the
team and what is involved in running a successful
exhibition space. A theme quickly dominates,
moneymoneymoneymoneymoneymoney.
No one has any and how to get it is a constant
time consumer. Joni heads down to Iceland to get
some nibbles for the evening bash. The budget
is £7-£8 but he splurges: 75-piece Tex Mex
Platter, £4.36; chocolate strawberries, £2.14;
filo wrapped prawns, £2; Blackforest gateau,
£3. I throw in some crisps and buy a couple of
pasties to keep us going. TFG has achieved
charitable status but the benefits are yet
(the sandwich board was a wishlist gift).
In the initial business plan, it was hoped the rent
would largely be funded by print sales from each
exhibition. Collective sales so far fall short of
double figures, which is surprising, because since
the loveUK launch the list of exhibitors has
been impressive, including David Solomons,
Jocelyn Bain Hogg, Carolyn Drake, and Magnum
royalty David Hurn and Chris Steele-Perkins.
To exhibit, the photographer is approached
and direct submissions discouraged. The three
gallerists chat informally, usually in the £2-a-pint
Captain Scott pub nearby, about what work they
want to see and what photographers they
would like to work with. Rob Hornstra is
scheduled to exhibit next and there is a
workshop by Joseph Rodriguez in the diary.
Marcus Bleasdale is being pursued.
Volunteers lubricate the gallery, a central pool of
around a dozen help with the day-to-day running.
This allows Joni, Maciej and Bartosz to
concentrate on off-site matters. The volunteers
call ponytailed Joni ‘The Thinker’ for his
Zen-like presence and Maciej ‘The Director’,
with the PR and communication side of it,
Maciej with the details, or as he would describe
it, “Dealing with the shit.”
Thirty-five people visited the exhibition on the
first anniversary day, taking the estimated annual
number over 4,000. More than 50 guests are
jostling for position in the 60ft² gallery space
tonight. It’s an open-door policy, invitations
were sent via social networks and word of mouth.
The crowd is eclectic, with Poland heavily
represented courtesy of Maciej and Bartosz.
The mood is friendly and familiar. Also well
represented is the University of Wales, Newport.
Students from the prestigious documentary
photography – BA (Hons) course gobble beer and
peer at the pinned Laura Pannack prints.
The university is very important to TFG due to its
proximity, as well as providing a ready and
willing rotation of visitors and printing some of
the exhibition leaflets in return for having its
name on the fliers and in the gallery space.
Photographers often consult the course leader
at Newport, Ken Grant, for his opinion before
deciding to exhibit at the gallery.

66 www.professionalphotographer.co.uk
 “One year on I am back
visiting the gallery to
find out how the first year
has progressed for the
team and what is involved
in running a successful
exhibition space.
A theme quickly dominates,
moneymoneymoney
moneymoneymoney.”
Peter Dench
Joni, Bartosz and Maciej are all keen and recent graduate from Newport, is quickly finding
MACIEJ DAKOWICZ /

productive photographers as well as appreciators his voice. Maciej has already pinched the Top: Maciej Dakowicz (left), Joni Karanka (front) and
MARTIN HANNA

of photography. However, Joni is in a hiatus industry’s consciousness with his pictures and has Bartosz Nowicki of the Third Floor Gallery with
exhibitor Carolyn Drake; above left: An exhibition at the
from taking his own photographs, too busy with his 5,000 or so Flickr followers anticipating gallery. Opposite page: An image from Dakowicz’s
his paid day job and the gallery. Bartosz, a each update. Cardiff After Dark, his burgeoning Cardiff After Dark project.

www.professionalphotographer.co.uk 67
project on the city’s nightlife, is where he thrives. At the party I see an ejected fist from the Also, good to know you’re not only alive but
Five images from the project were included in opening show event that one year ago put a hole vital.” I sniff the 50% proof Finnish vodka
the Street Photography Now book and the work in the wall so big that it could have been and down a toast to the Third Floor Gallery being
helped him to achieve an honourable mention in appropriated for use on TV by Anton Du Beke: alive and vital in another year. PP
the reportage competition category for National “Bring on the wall!” www.thirdfloorgallery.com
Geographic Polska magazine. His work has
appeared in many national and international
publications, The Guardian, Independent,
American Photo and Der Spiegel among them.
I have walked with Maciej along St Mary
Street where the bulk of his project is shot.
The spectacle of the street has held his attention
since the Pole moved to Wales from Hong Kong
in 2004. I’ve seen my fair share of Britain’s bad
behaviour and St Mary Street is top ten. A nightly
production penned by the devil himself,
choreographed girls shiver, totter and titter
through the litter, warmed only by the click-flick
of cigarette lighters – the police and the bloodied
never far away. On this occasion Maciej was
fidgety in his skin. He admits to a lull in creative
libido, researching too many pictures on the
internet to be interested in taking them. I’m sure
it will pass. He usually shoots in tandem with
another snapper for safety, each watching the
other’s back, the imbibing stars of Cardiff After
Dark haven’t relished the attention (although the
council did deliver a yellow skip to the street to
help with the mess after seeing some of the
work). Certain bars are out of bounds, the security
recognises him, his name is down and he’s not
coming in. I left Maciej at 3am; he stuck around
for a while, just in case.
In the Claude Hotel over lunch the following
day I asked him how his night had gone.
Clicking through the results I spot some keepers.
What Maciej enjoys about photographing he
won’t say. What inspires him to take photographs
he doesn’t quite know. What’s the best thing
about running a gallery? It’s difficult to explain.
Is he happy with his situation? Stopping on
a frame of a couple kissing in the rain under
a black leather jacket, I would suggest that –
for 1/200th of a second each night spent on the
street in Cardiff – he is.
At a recently attended private view in the West
End of London, the glass-fronted and lighthouse
bright interior felt intimidating, the £1,000 prints
inhibiting and the bar staff prickly on repeat
returns to refill. There wasn’t a Tex Mex Platter
in sight. Bounding up to the Third Floor Gallery
you know you’ll be welcome, to have a drink
and a chat or just to look through the donated
books. There’s an adjoining artist’s studio, where As the anniversary hour approaches,
Ian Smith is currently resident, that gives the shots are distributed and speeches delivered.
place the feel of a work in progress and one you A comment in the visitors’ book catches the eye,
MACIEJ DAKOWICZ

are encouraged to take part in. Exhibitions come
and go every four to six weeks. TFG is your
friend, an arm around the shoulder, a social club
for the creative and surprisingly forgiving.
68 www.professionalphotographer.co.uk
“With all the technologicel (sic) advances,
people don’t change that much. Loved the show.
Came with my daughter Amy who is studying
photography in college, and is a big fan.
FOR THE LATEST PHOTOGRAPHY
EXHIBITIONS VISIT
WWW.PROFESSIONALPHOTOGRAPHER.CO.UK
 {THE BUSINESS}

This page and opposite page:

Scenes from Cardiff After Dark,
the project by Maciej Dakowicz.
It’s only
ROCK N
but I like it
ROLL
For 35 years, Michael Ochs was the only name an art
director needed to know to get images of musicians
and singers. His work in the music industry led him to
start the Michael Ochs Archive, which grew to contain
about 3 million items and was dubbed “the premier
source of musician photography in the world” by the
New York Times. He sold the archive to Getty in 2007.
How did a non-photographer come to assemble what became,
according to the New York Times, the world’s pre-eminent rock
image archive?
I actually was a photographer, very briefly. I came to Los Angeles in 1966
with a useless degree from Ohio State University, but I was pretty good with
a camera. I was at a concert where the photographer didn’t show up, and
they asked me to shoot it. I said, “How much? He said, “15 bucks” and I
thought, “This is it, this is what I’m going to do”, and I did work for a full
year as a professional photographer.
Then, at the beginning of ’67, Phil (the folk singer, and Michael’s brother)
called, wanting me to go back to New York and manage him, and that was
the end of my photography career.
So when did the archival process begin?
I started working at Columbia Records in 1969 and, one day, I saw them
throwing out all these boxes of old photographs of artists who had left the
label. I thought, “This is criminal, this stuff should be documented.”
I’d always been an avid collector of records so I figured, why not collect
photos as well? This led to collecting sheet music, programme books,
everything I could find to document my fanatical love of popular music.
When you got the first lot of pictures from Columbia, did you have any
idea where it would end up?
Not at all. I’ve always said if I’d planned to do this I would have failed.
It was basically a hobby which got way out of control, because I was really
just getting stuff for my own private collection. It was whilst I was working
as head of west coast publicity for Columbia, that I started saying to writers
I was dealing with, and who were working on historical or retrospective
pieces, “Y’know, I have pictures of Carl Perkins (for example) when he was
at Sun Records, which you can have for free.” This was great because, apart
70 www.professionalphotographer.co.uk
You may not have heard of Michael Ochs
but, as Paul Middleton discovered when
he spoke to him, he is the saviour of the
history of music photography.
from making sure the writer stayed in touch with me, which made my job
easier, it meant I could push the past, to give music some kind of perspective.
With the job at Columbia, and the fledgling archive, how deeply
involved were you in the music industry itself?
Oh, I was right in the middle of it. In those days, the record companies had
what they called house hippies and, as publicists, it meant we could deal with
both the artists themselves and the corporate side of the business. The artists
loved us, because we loved the music, and it meant we got to hang out with
the likes of the James Taylors or the Carole Kings or the Rod Stewarts.
There was a camaraderie. The ‘star system’ didn’t exist yet, which meant I
did get to know Jimi Hendrix, I did go out drinking with Jim Morrison and
Janis Joplin did come on to me [laughs].
So when did the archive take over, in terms of actually being a
moneymaking career?
It was in 1975, and Dick Clark [the TV producer and show host] was doing
another TV retrospective. He called, because he knew I had the images, and I
supplied what he needed for the show. A few days later, a cheque arrived for
a thousand dollars, totally unsolicited, and it occurred to me that maybe
I could make money from this. I had never previously thought about making
money from the archive, but this made me realise that maybe there
was a career in it and maybe I should take it just a little more seriously!
Was this the point when you left the music industry?
Not quite. I lost my job at ABC Records at the end of ’75 then, three months
later, my brother killed himself. I had another job lined up, but was in the
middle of organising a tribute to Phil. My new employer assured me they
understood and told me to take the time to organise the tribute. It seems they
changed their minds because, whilst I was organising the concert, they went
ahead and gave the job to somebody else. Through the rest of 1976, I tried
different things, but knew that I would never work for corporate America
again and decided, at the beginning of ’77, to make the archive work.
Nowadays, of course, copyright is a big issue. Did it ever occur to you in
those early days when, for instance, you were selling the use of images
to Dick Clark, that you might be breaking the law?
As it happens, I got lucky. Although, unbeknownst to me, what I was doing
at the time was legal, I was always terrified that I was breaking the law.

It wasn’t actually until 1978, 12 months after I started doing the archive
full-time, that a law came into effect giving photographers more rights over
their images. What they didn’t do though, was apply the law retrospectively.
The law stated that any photographs, taken prior to the new legislation being
passed, and created for publicity or mass production or that ran without
a copyright line, became public domain property regardless of who owned
the original negative. Overnight, it turned out that all the stuff I was worried
about was perfectly legal.
Did you ever consider commissioning photographers to shoot a
particular artist who you were interested in holding images of?
No, but I knew that I had to make the archive completely legal if I wanted to
progress. Rather than commission photographers, I started to represent them,
and started to buy collections where I could get complete rights.
Have you had photographers who objected to you holding on to images
of theirs when you were dealing directly with them?
I got calls from some photographers who threatened legal action over some
of the publicity photos I had, saying I had no right to use them. I did have the
right but, rather than fight them, I would ask if I could represent them.
I wanted to become a kind of one-stop shop for anybody who was looking
for photographs of musicians. I wanted to become the biggest and best in the
world. If there were images I didn’t have, I would find a photographer who
had them, and offer to represent that photographer. What I offered, that
nobody else did, was non-exclusivity. This gave the photographer the
freedom to put images anywhere they wished and so they had nothing to
lose from coming with me.
Was it ever a burden for you, knowing the responsibility you had in
keeping the archive safe and what a loss it would be if the archive were
ever destroyed?
I spent a lot of money ensuring that we never had to loan out an original.
We housed the archive in a building that was bombproof, fireproof,
earthquake proof, the lot. I knew that what we had was irreplaceable and,
by the end, the cost of simply looking after the archive and preserving
it was approaching half a million dollars a year.
I also knew that the archive could only ever be
a single collection and, although I’ve had offers “I got calls from
over the years for people to buy certain sections of
the archive, I always refused. some photographers
Offers such as?
who threatened
When one publishing company went bankrupt, legal action over
I bought their entire image collection, which ran to
about 100 filing cabinets. They were the some of the
original publishers of Right On! magazine, and
one of these cabinets had all the images from the
publicity photos I
magazine. What this meant, basically, was that had, saying I had no
almost every image ever taken of the Jackson 5
to that point was in this one filing cabinet. I was right to use them.
friends with Michael Jackson, and Miko Brando
(Marlon’s son), was acting as Michael’s runner at the
I did have the right
time. Miko knew I had the collection and, but, rather than fight
within the hour, I had a call from Michael asking
me to name my price. Now, it may be the most them, I would ask if
stupid decision that I ever made, but I told him it
wasn’t for sale for any amount. I was always more
I could represent
of a hoarder than a seller. them.” Michael Ochs
{ WORKING PRO}
Anyway, about a year later, Michael had just performed at the [American
football] Super Bowl and his career was really on the up. I called him and
said, “Hey, why don’t we do a book? We could use all the images I’ve got,
and get comments from you and Janet and everybody else.” He agreed and I
knew I was on the verge of something big. As luck would have it, the whole
sex thing then broke, killing the project stone dead and that was the end of
that! The collection, when I bought it in the publisher’s bankruptcy sale, had
an exaggerated appraisal put on it of $3million. I bid just $30,000, mainly
as a token effort and not dreaming I might be successful, but it turned out
I was the only serious bidder. Sometimes you get lucky.
So which collection would you consider the best you ever got?
Oh boy, well, I’d probably have to say the James Kriegsmann collection,
which I got due to a complete fluke. Kriegsmann probably photographed
more musicians than anybody else, ever. I mean, he went way back to the
likes of Cab Calloway, did the first publicity shots of Sinatra, and was the
first person ever to photograph black people properly, instead of trying to
anglicise them. He loved the texture of the black skin, and concentrated on
capturing the shot properly. Because of that, he became known as the man
for black singers and musicians to go to, if they needed photographs taking.
Motown and Stax both used Kriegsmann exclusively.
And how did you come to own the collection?
Actually, it comes out of another story. I had a single image of a singer
called Ersel Hickey, who’d had a one-hit wonder a few years earlier with
Bluebirds Over the Mountain. Hickey, I thought, looked like a generic
Elvis Presley, the same hair, same stance, everything. I knew the image
would sell, and I was right, eventually leasing it over a hundred times,
culminating in its use at the front of the Rolling Stone History of Rock and
Roll book. Anyway, one day, the phone rings and it’s Ersel Hickey. My first
thought was that I was about to be sued for something, but he actually
thanked me for giving him a second career! We arranged to meet next time I
was in New York, and it turned out he was due in James Kriegsmann’s studio
on the day I was available.
It was ideal for me, as I really wanted to meet Kriegsmann. We went in,
and it was like going back in time. The studio looked like
it had never changed since the day it first opened.
There were boxes of images everywhere, and I asked
Kriegsmann if he realised what a fortune he was sitting
on. His answer was, “Yeah? Prove it kid,” and I
represented him from that point on. The collection had
shots of The Band, when they were still Levon and the
Hawks, and Simon and Garfunkel when they were still
Tom and Jerry. I mean it was amazing, the stuff he had
and, actually, didn’t know he had. There was even a
picture of Joan Rivers as a member of a folk trio!
When Kriegsmann turned 80, he called and asked if I
wanted to buy the collection. Of course, I didn’t hesitate
at all in agreeing.
How much competition, typically, would you have
when trying to buy a collection?
It depended on the collection. One I was thrilled to get
was from the photographer Earl Leaf. I called the guy
who had the collection, and made an offer, but he said he
wanted to think about it. As it was, I was the only bidder
for it. The guy selling it only contacted one other party,
and that was the National Enquirer. I asked if they were
www.professionalphotographer.co.uk 71

interested, and he said their reply was just, “Ah, sell it to
Ochs, we use him anyway”.
“As the world’s
Was there a collection you regret missing out on?
attitude towards
Yes, but not because I didn’t bid enough. In the mid-’80s, certain things
I got word that there was a massive collection of images
in a room in the back of the newly re-opened Apollo
changed, we were
theatre, in Harlem. I called the guy who was running the
place and, although he wasn’t keen on me turning up on
asked to Photoshop
his doorstep, we eventually made an appointment. So, I out things like
go along to the theatre for a 10 o’clock appointment,
bearing in mind that racial tensions were still very high
cigarettes or other
in all the major cities, and I’m just about the only white
face for miles. The guy didn’t show at 10, and still hadn’t
increasingly
arrived at 11 o’clock, but I bumped into someone there undesirable
who was an original member of the Famous Flames, who
played with James Brown. I told him why I was there,
elements – with
and managed to persuade him to let me see the
photographs, as long as I was out before the main guy
Photoshop, even the
arrived, and that I didn’t take any originals, only doubles. past is changing!”
I worked frantically, getting armfuls of doubles and a
whole load of originals. I promised to send the originals
Michael Ochs
back as soon as I’d copied them and, incredibly, he
agreed. I managed to get them into my bag just as the
owner arrived and threw me into the street. Once I’d copied the originals, I
did as I had promised and sent them back. I learned later that those originals,
along with the rest of that magnificent collection, simply got thrown into the
trash. At least I got to preserve some of it.
As time went on, and artists became more image-rights aware, did you
see a change in attitude from them, regarding images you held?
Well, yes and no. Personally, I wasn’t that affected by the new awareness
amongst artists, and it was the photographers who bore the brunt of it.
There was a photographer called Michael Montfort, who used to shoot for all
the big German magazines. He had terrific access to everybody and anybody
and then, almost overnight, he had no access at all. Eventually, he lost
interest in the business and sold his collection to me. That’s how quickly
things changed for those guys.
A bigger change for me, actually, was the increased demand for editing
work on the images. As the world’s attitude towards certain things changed,
we were asked to Photoshop out things like cigarettes or other increasingly
undesirable elements – with Photoshop, even the past is changing!
How do you feel if you see websites using images from the archive
which you just know won’t have been licensed?
Well, the world has just changed so much. A lot of the older images, which
pre-dated the 1978 law change, were already in the public domain, so the
thing that had benefited me in the early days now came back to hurt me.
Add to that Getty dropping their licence rates and it all made life very
difficult. I got to the point where Getty were offering images for website use
for just $49. Our price point wasn’t exorbitant, but nor was it $49, and that
really hurt my business.
Do you think we’ll ever again see a library of the magnitude of the
Michael Ochs Archive being assembled by an individual?
I don’t think so, I think I was just in the right place at the right time. In the
late ’60s, archival images were considered worthless, so I was able to pick
up whole collections for a song, because nobody else wanted them. It wasn’t
{ WORKING PRO}
unusual for me to buy an entire collection just so I could
get a single negative of, say, Leadbelly or Charlie Parker.
What that meant was that I ended up with an archive
full of images which were important to me, but which
would never generate any money. Of course, what I
didn’t realise at the time was that someone would be
good enough to invent CDs! In the ’80s, all the record
companies started re-releasing entire back catalogues,
and suddenly they were desperate for images that had
been sitting in the archive, unsold, for years. From a
small percentage of the archive being used regularly, it
suddenly went to 100% of the archive being useful.
Of course, the downside of that meant that other
collections suddenly became prohibitively expensive.
You sold the archive to Getty in 2007. You were 63
years old, at the time. But was there a reason other
than age, which prompted your retirement?
What really made my mind up was that I hadn’t actually
been able to buy a decent collection in five years, for
one reason or another. I was getting requests for images
from the early ’90s, and looking through collections of
Britney Spears and so on, and I just thought, “I’m not
interested in this shit”. The fun, for me, was taking
months to sift through thousands of negatives and that aspect had gone.
I was really at the point where I didn’t want to, nor could I, play that game
properly anymore. Nostalgia, as they say, isn’t what it used to be.
Had you been a younger man, say in your 40s, would you have
persevered?
Very possibly. I probably would have still had the enthusiasm and slight
naivety of youth to at least try to continue. But, y’know, even then I hadn’t
thought about actually retiring until someone asked me how much I thought
the archive was worth. I didn’t have a clue, as money had never been the
driving force behind what I did. It was suggested to me that we run it up the
flagpole to see what response we got, so I saw my lawyer and we did just
that. I’d really assumed that I’d be doing it for the rest of my life.
How did Getty come to be the successful purchasers? Did you intend for
a bidding war to dictate the sale price?
It was a combination of price and finding the right home. We approached a
few people, but it was my desire that the archive should go to either Getty or
Corbis, and I hoped for a bit of a bidding war between those two. The reason
they were my preferred choices was simply because they offered the best
chance of keeping the entire collection together, which was important to me.
The archive was my baby, and I didn’t want to see it broken up.
Another reason why Getty were a good choice was that they also hired my
entire staff after the purchase, which was great. Here were people who knew
that archive better than anybody else and Getty did exactly the right thing by
them. That was great for me, to see that.
When you sold the archive to Getty, did you keep any back for yourself?
Apart from a few art prints, all I kept were the images of Phil that were in
the collection. I allowed Getty to take all the digitised copies of the images,
for leasing, but I kept the originals. PP
To view the Michael Ochs Archive visit
www.professionalphotographer.co.uk/ochs
www.professionalphotographer.co.uk 73
Artist Damien Hirst.

What lies beneath
Compassion and a genuine interest in his subjects have helped
Pål Hansen to carve out a successful career in portraiture.
Julia Molony meets the Norwegian photographer
who sees beyond the glamour of the celebrities he shoots.
“I like to pick subjects for personal stories
that don’t have a voice or that I can be the
voice for,” says the Norwegian-born
photographer Pål Hansen. It was in this way
that, as a young assistant looking to navigate
his way to a career as a freelance
photographer, Pål went after his first break.
It was 2001, towards the end of the UK’s
foot-and-mouth crisis (a time when almost
everyone thought that the issue, as a subject for
features and photo-essays, had been well and truly
exhausted) when Pål rolled up at some of the
most badly affected farms with camera in hand.
With a bit of lateral thinking, Pål managed to
uncover an as-yet-unseen angle behind all the
endless images of carcasses to which the public
had become inured. His report on the human side
of the crisis, and the losses suffered by farmers,
earned him his first major commission, from
the Telegraph, and a place on the short list of the
Observer Hodge Award.
His journalistic nose had won him his first
break and taught him the immediate selling power
of a newsy, noisy concept. It set him apart from
his peers in photography, because he was able
to offer more than his skills as a photographer.
PÅL HANSEN
The strength of his ideas became his currency.
“By having a story, I think you have a lot more
{ WORKING PRO}
to offer. It’s easier to get in the door. And it’s
easier to be used again because you are basically
giving them (editors) something and then they
want to try to see if you can do a similar thing
again, with a commission after that.”
And for Pål, the commissions do indeed
keep on coming. He managed to parlay that first,
self-initiated story into an incremental, but
steady career trajectory, and has since made
portraiture something of a specialism.
Photographing the rock, sports and movie stars
who litter his portfolio might not seem
an obvious development for a man who admits
to being preoccupied by social issues in his
personal work. But after deeper inquiry, the
link is clear.
“I would definitely say the interest in people
maybe almost came first for me,” he says.
“Often when I pick subjects they are socially
based and they are based on social issues, and it’s
often about people who maybe don’t have a
voice at the time. Teenage parents,” he says,
citing a picture essay from 2005 short-listed
for the National Portrait Gallery Portrait Prize,
“they’re getting slaughtered in the newspapers,
but hold on, they’re teenagers; they don’t
have a voice themselves. It’s easy to pick on
people who can’t stand up for themselves,
www.professionalphotographer.co.uk 75
{ WORKING PRO}

“I think if you impose too

much that isn’t natural
to them, then you’re not
really photographing
the subject. It becomes
more about you.”
Pål Hansen

Singer Bryan Ferry.

76 www.professionalphotographer.co.uk
 especially teenage parents, they’re new parents,
they’re vulnerable.”
Perhaps it’s his compassion as a photographer
that has made him such an expert at portraits.
Certainly, there’s an ease to his manner which
must smooth the way with people he photographs
– a gentleness, or not being judgmental. He is tall,
with a strong, Nordic face and fair, waist-length
dreadlocks. This warrior look might seem
imposing if it wasn’t offset by his open face and
the soft Scandinavian lilt to his voice. He’s utterly
unthreatening, which may go some way towards
accounting for his talent for getting his subjects
to open up, to reveal something new or previously
unseen about themselves to him.
“I like to involve my subjects as much as
possible in the ideas and the thinking behind them,”
he says of the way he works on an editorial shoot.
“I meet someone before the shoot, run through
the ideas and see if they’ve got any. Often the
best shoots are when you get a lot of input from
the subjects, when they think of something
on the spot or they do things that are natural to
themselves. I think if you impose too much
that isn’t natural to them, then you’re not
really photographing the subject. It becomes
more about you.”
Beyond that, he says, the key is preparation
and the contribution of a practised, efficient
assistant. “At the time of shooting, it’s good to
have the technical part running as machinery
in the background, while the communication is
what you are focusing on: how you talk, how
you make them relax, how you see if you can
get emotions out of them just by being yourself
and talking to them normally.
Singer and
songwriter
David Gray.
PÅL HANSEN
“What I find important now is to have a very
good assistant who knows exactly how you
work and you really just have to turn your head
a little and everything is there – to keep
everything running smoothly in the backdrop.”
Pål grew up in Norway, but his mother comes
from Yorkshire, so he has always had a strong
affinity with the UK. It was during his short
career in the army (“something I fell into”) that
he first picked up a camera. In the last of his
three years doing national service he “stumbled
upon photography” almost by accident.
“I found a camera and started taking pictures
here and there of army life and I thought,
‘Ah, this is great. I’m going to have to do
something about this.’ In Norway there was only
one course where you could do photography –
nothing like a proper university degree.”
He can’t identify exactly where the impulse
came from to take pictures, or to pursue the
taking of them as a career. “Maybe it was a vague
connection to a boyfriend of my mum’s who was
into photography and I thought, ‘Ah, wow, that’s
actually a job. I could do something with that,’ ”
he says lightly. Whatever the reason, he was soon
on a plane to the UK and to a degree at
Nottingham Trent University. Initially, he had his
sights set on fashion, with its obvious draw of
glamour and, well, models, but by the time of his
graduation, he had discovered where his real
interests lay, putting the diversion down to being
in his 20s. “You realise there’s more to life than
that. It was never really me, looking back at it. It’s
not in me to be in that world. They often talk
about how the world is very different for fashion.
I definitely ended up in the right place.”
 Sculptor Antony Gormley.
Pål has recently signed up to an agency with
a view to taking on more commercial work.
When we meet, he is about to become a father for
the first time and is clearly preoccupied more
than ever with the importance of having financial
security. But in his personal work he remains
preoccupied with photography’s potential to
interrogate moral issues and to provide a bridge to
the fringes of human experience. One such
project he took part in recently brought him into
the world of Tim Andrews, an ex-solicitor who,
when diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2005,
gave up his job and decided to turn his life into an
art project. Pål is one of the 128 (and counting)
photographers invited to document Andrews’s life
and the progression of his disease through a series
of photographs. The project was recently the
subject of a feature in the Guardian Magazine,
and an exhibition at the Lightbox Gallery in
Woking, Surrey.
For his latest self-initiated venture, Pål has
tackled one of the most controversial
contemporary issues head on. Making use of
Megan’s Law, instituted in the USA to allow the
public access to the names and addresses of
convicted sex offenders, Pål went around Los
Angeles and took portrait images of the houses
where those people identified by the law lived.
“They are these very suburban American houses,”
he says. “It could be anyone’s neighbour – and
78 www.professionalphotographer.co.uk
that’s the whole idea. You never know what your
neighbour is up to; these houses with very green
lawns, American dream homes.” The title of each
picture is the name of the inhabitant’s offence.
“The idea is that a house offers protection from
the outside and this becomes their way
of protecting themselves from the outside.”
It’s an incendiary topic, and although plenty of
magazines have expressed interest in his story,
it doesn’t come as a surprise to learn that he
hasn’t yet been able to get it placed, mostly
because of legal constraints. But you get the
sense that for Pål that’s not the point. It is the
neatness of the concept that has become
something of a trademark of his – an unflinching
approach that seeks to lift the lid on otherwise
hidden lives. Through these thoughtful studies
that reveal something of the experience of those
who are outcast, ignored, unrepresented and
even reviled, Pål seeks to expose, it seems,
something about us all collectively. About who
and what, as a society, we really are. PP
www.palhansen.com
FOR MORE GREAT INTERVIEWS WITH
PÅL HANSEN
PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHERS VISIT
WWW.PROFESSIONALPHOTOGRAPHER.CO.UK Sir Bob Geldof.
 { WORKING PRO}

“I found a camera and started taking

pictures here and there of army life and I
thought, ‘Ah, this is great. I’m going to
have to do something about this.’ ” Pål Hansen
 AUGUST
SANDER
is important and this is why...

Self-portrait, 1928.

© DIE PHOTOGRAPHISCHE SAMMLUNG/SK STIFTUNG KULTUR – AUGUST SANDER ARCHIV, COLOGNE; DACS, LONDON, 2011.
He was an undoubted influence
on Arbus, Penn and Avedon, the

ARTIST ROOMS NATIONAL GALLERIES OF SCOTLAND AND TATE. LENT BY ANTHONY D'OFFAY 2010
inspiration for many Düsseldorf
School portraitists today and a
scourge of the Nazis. Here, Robin
Gillanders takes a backward look
at the iconic German photographer
whose influence is still strong
nearly a century after he created
his most important works.

Self-Portrait, 1925.

80 www.professionalphotographer.co.uk
 {ICON}

Bricklayer, 1928.
{ICON}
“I hate nothing more than sugary photographs with tricks, poses and effects.” August Sander
A
few weeks ago I attended the
opening of an exhibition of
photographs by the German
photographer August Sander at
the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art
in Edinburgh. Besides the usual artists,
academics, gallerists and glitterati who
attend these events, I met two friends,
both highly respected professional
photographers, there to pay enthusiastic
homage to this remarkable man whose
most important work began a century ago;
but who is August Sander, why should
we be interested in him and what relevance
does he have to us today?
Political Prisoner, 1943.
Sander’s origins were humble. He was born in
1876 and his father was a carpenter working in
the mining industry. There was no private wealth
in the Sander family. Leaving school at 14,
August worked at a local mining waste tip, where
he became enthralled by a photographer working
at the mine. Sander’s future direction and career
were established and he spent his two years of
military service, from 1897 to 1899, working as
a photographer’s assistant and doing various other
photographic jobs. He was then employed to
run a general commercial studio in Austria and
then, in 1909, a studio in Cologne, Germany,
82 www.professionalphotographer.co.uk
specialising in portraiture. So far then, nothing
unusual and perhaps even today, many reading
this will identify with Sander’s rather
unremarkable early career progression.
He was, however, an extraordinary man.
Although having relatively little formal education,
Sander immersed himself in literature and
art, and quickly made friends and contacts within
the cultural scene of Cologne, occasionally
exhibiting his work in international salons (small
group exhibitions) and winning numerous prizes.
But it was while engaged in the day-to-day
activities of his studio that, in around 1911, he
began to plan a major project that was to become
his life’s work.
Soldier, c 1940.
Many professional photographers like to set
themselves personal projects. For some,
photography is in the blood – it’s a lifestyle and
not just a career – and to produce work only to the
requirements of clients, editors or art directors
has the potential to be enervating. However, no
photographer had conceived a project of the
scale and scope of Sander’s. His plan was to
document, catalogue and photograph the entire
German population by type and trade. This he
would do by dividing his immense project into
seven distinct sections: The Farmer, The Skilled
Tradesman, The Woman, Classes and Professions,
The Artists, The City, and The Last People
(which was to represent those on the fringes of
society: the blind, disadvantaged, homeless and
destitute). Sander photographed professionals,
middle-class families, farmers, students, war
veterans, circus artists, beggars... and Nazis.
This astonishing project was entitled People of
the Twentieth Century and would result in
more than 600 photographs. It was never
completely finished, nor were all the pictures
published in his lifetime.
In each photograph Sander had his subjects
simply look into the lens of his plate camera.
He allowed his subjects to ‘speak’ for themselves,
with quiet dignity. He didn’t impose an opinion,
and in this respect, his work may be termed
‘objective’; everybody, whether aristocrat or
beggar, was accorded the same respect. He neither
elevated his subjects, as Yousuf Karsh did in the
1950s, nor did he denigrate them as Martin Parr
sometimes appeared to do in the 1980s and
1990s. When his photographs were first displayed
at the Cologne Art Union in 1927, he said this:
“Nothing seemed more appropriate to me than to
render through photography a picture of our times
which is absolutely true to nature... In order to see
truth we must be able to tolerate it... whether it
is in our favour or not... So allow me to be honest
and tell the truth about our age and its people.”
© DIE PHOTOGRAPHISCHE SAMMLUNG/SK STIFTUNG KULTUR – AUGUST SANDER ARCHIV, COLOGNE; DACS, LONDON, 2011.
Sander’s work had no sponsors; he had
to endure the privations of recession during the
1920s and extreme hostility from the Nazis.
They destroyed the printing plates of his book
Face of Our Time, published in 1929, and which
ARTIST ROOMS NATIONAL GALLERIES OF SCOTLAND AND TATE. LENT BY ANTHONY D'OFFAY 2010
comprised 60 photographs from what was
to be the final project, because they felt his
‘objective’ approach did not represent the
German people as the master race that the Nazis
were trying to promote.
Today, much is made of Sander’s ‘objective’
approach. His magnum opus was a typology
according to the original meaning of the word – in
that it is a process of cataloguing ‘types’.
Sometimes we are told the name of his subject
and other times merely their societal position:
secretary, coal heaver etc, so they are
depersonalised. However, it could not be termed
a ‘photographic typology’ in the sense that
we have come to understand the term from the
more recent Düsseldorf School. This began
with Bernd and Hilla Becher cataloguing
gasometers, winding engines and so on, and
Pastrycook, 1928.
Farm Children,
c 1913.
 {ICON}
“By means of seeing, observing and thinking... we can capture world history...
by means of the expressive potential of photography.” August Sander
was extended to portraiture by artists including a complex to a consummate composition... huge impact of digital, where it is possible to
Thomas Ruff and Rineke Dijkstra, whose By means of seeing, observing and thinking... take hundreds of images of one subject with
postmodern, deadpan, anaesthetic head studies we can capture world history... by means of the the possibility that without serious prior
have had a remarkably enduring influence on expressive potential of photography.” What would ‘contemplation’ none of them will be any
artist photographers today. Sander think now, 47 years after his death, of the good? Surely it is better to take one image
In many cases, Sander’s subjects are placed
serially against similar plain backgrounds
and these images seem coldly dispassionate;
however, a considerable proportion of
his work demonstrates a subtlety and
sophistication of picture-making, and a finely
tuned humanist sensitivity.
In public conversation with Keith Hartley,
chief curator at the Scottish National Gallery of
Modern Art, Sander’s grandson Gerd commented:
“It’s not about photography, it’s about the idea...
and Sander’s work is not about making beautiful
photographs, it’s about documenting an idea.
And stylistically if anyone influenced him it was
Rembrandt for the lighting.” In other words, and
as Keith Hartley pointed out, the implication is
that Sander’s was one of the first conceptual
photographic works. And yet the visual evidence
of the work itself does not suggest this.
Aren’t all projects initially the result of an idea –
a concept? Having said that, Sander rejected
pictorialist ‘fuzzygraphs’ and championed
‘straight’ photography, much as Paul Strand did
© DIE PHOTOGRAPHISCHE SAMMLUNG/SK STIFTUNG KULTUR – AUGUST SANDER ARCHIV, COLOGNE; DACS, LONDON, 2011.

in the USA in the 1920s. As Sander said

himself: “I hate nothing more than sugary
photographs with tricks, poses and effects.”
Sander worked with 5x4 and 5x7 cameras and
most of his images were made on location
ARTIST ROOMS NATIONAL GALLERIES OF SCOTLAND AND TATE. LENT BY ANTHONY D'OFFAY 2010

rather than in the studio. Generally he made only

one or two exposures of each subject –
perhaps understandable given the weight of the
glass plates that he used. So why is it that
despite huge advances in technology over the past
century, the standard of picture making has
not necessarily improved? It is so much easier to
produce technically proficient images –
anybody can do it now to a certain standard – and
yet we still look in awe at the intensity,
intelligence, vision and beauty of some of these
early photographers. It’s logistically much
easier to take pictures, but... Here’s Sander again
in a radio lecture in 1931: “One can snap a
shot or take a photograph; to ‘snap a shot’ means
reckoning with chance, and to ‘take a photograph’
Raoul Hausmann
means working with contemplation – that is to as Dancer, 1929.
comprehend something, or to bring an idea from

www.professionalphotographer.co.uk 85
Girl in a Fairground
Caravan, 1926-1932.
 {ICON}

“It’s not about photography, it’s about the idea... and Sander’s work is not about making
beautiful photographs, it’s about documenting an idea.” Gerd Sander
as a result of “seeing, observing and thinking”
than a hundred without.
Sander had an immense influence on most of
the major portrait photographers of the last
century, especially photographers such as Irving
Penn, Richard Avedon and Diane Arbus. Each of
them worked commercially while following
Sander’s example and engaged in ‘personal
projects’ – for example, Penn’s Small Trades,
Avedon’s In the American West and Arbus’s
portraits of people on the margins of society.
None of these projects, however, had the scale
and ambition of Sander’s.
Avedon for example, must have been aware
of – and been influenced by – Sander’s portrait
of Bricklayer, especially since it was one of
several of his pictures selected by Edward
Steichen for the New York City Museum of
Modern Art’s seminal, blockbuster show
The Family of Man in 1955. A portrait of dignity
and strength, not least because one can only
imagine the weight of those bricks as the
bricklayer waited, apparently effortlessly with
hand casually on hip (so essential for the
composition), while Sander composed, focused
and exposed.
© DIE PHOTOGRAPHISCHE SAMMLUNG/SK STIFTUNG KULTUR – AUGUST SANDER ARCHIV, COLOGNE; DACS, LONDON, 2011.

And what about the portrait of Girl in a

Fairground Caravan? If it wasn’t for the
precision of the crop and composition, it could be
an Arbus. Most of Sander’s subjects appear to
have an air of melancholy – and tension –
ARTIST ROOMS NATIONAL GALLERIES OF SCOTLAND AND TATE. LENT BY ANTHONY D'OFFAY 2010

as if they are presaging or reflecting on the

tragedy of the German people in that period.
The conscious positioning of the girl’s hand on
the key in the lock looks at first glance as if she
is bleeding on to the door...
If Avedon and Arbus, among many, were
influenced by Sander, in turn each of these
influenced countless later generations of
photographers. Some, like my two friends at the
Sander exhibition opening, drew their inspiration
directly from the instigator of it all. PP Painter’s Wife
[Helene Abelen], c1926.

August Sander: People of the
Twentieth Century is at the Scottish National
Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh,
until 10 July 2011; admission free.
www.nationalgalleries.org
To read our feature on the Düsseldorf School from the October issue go to the magazine
section on www.professionalphotographer.co.uk
FOR THE LATEST PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITIONS VISIT WWW.PROFESSIONALPHOTOGRAPHER.CO.UK

www.professionalphotographer.co.uk 87
 Liz and Max, the duo behind photography company Haarala Hamilton, have
two very different lives as photographers. One exists on the commercial What happens when a leisurely
side, involving client commissions from engineers to government quangos.
Then there are the personal projects they undertake, all a far cry, both
cycle ride through London turns into a
creatively and aesthetically, from the bread-and-butter work they refer
to, that “pays for life”. A couple both personally and professionally, Liz and
personal project that becomes an
Max do what few achieve: to work and live together as a happily married
couple. Max laughs: “Of course there are disagreements along the way, as
international commercial campaign?
with all things, but if you have someone else there you have another set of Cass Chapman talks to photographer
eyes. One person sees something and the other sees something else, so it
works really well for us to work together.” Liz adds that working by yourself team Max and Liz Haarala Hamilton to find out.
can be a lonely existence but in their experience it is a lot of fun.
Their professional collaboration began before they became a couple and
eventually married. Having met on their first day at Camberwell College of
Arts in London, they started working together five years ago. Before that,

SUPERMARKET
SWEEP
This image: Arthur Potts Dawson,
co-founder of The People’s
Supermarket. Opposite page: Some of
the facilities and produce on offer at
the store and (below, far right) Kate,
one of the members.

they worked independently but travelled together, their unity as

photographers metamorphosing along the way. “We weren’t a couple at
college or afterwards for quite a while,” Max tells me. “We graduated in 2000
so we’re going back a way, but we always worked together when we were
printing and we also did a few projects together so knew we could work as
a team. It just happened organically because we were both interested in the
same things. We always went to the same places and got excited about the
same things we saw.”
Since then they have successfully established their own company, Haarala
Hamilton Photography, which has a varied client list, but their really
attention-grabbing work stems from personal projects, one of which has
been garnering a lot of attention lately. The People’s Supermarket, an
eco-ethical co-op in Lamb’s Conduit Street in central London, is the latest
focus of Liz and Max. Promoting itself as a grocery store “for the people, by
the people”, it sparked their interest just before opening last year, began as
a personal project and quickly developed into something far more
commercial. Started by Arthur Potts Dawson, one of the players behind the
HAARALA HAMILTON PHOTOGRAPHY

capital’s eco-friendly restaurant Acorn House, The People’s Supermarket is

a not-for-profit organisation; members pay an annual £25 membership fee
and sign up to work a four-hour shift in the supermarket every four weeks,
becoming part-owners in the process.This gives them a say in key decisions
involving the business and also a 10% discount on their shopping. The idea
is that shoppers have a choice beyond the large supermarket conglomerates,
that the produce is all sourced from sustainable outlets and that volunteers

88 www.professionalphotographer.co.uk
 { WORKING PRO}

“...we’d
never heard
of anything
like it in the
UK, so it
seemed like
a unique
thing at
the time.”
Max Hamilton
{ WORKING PRO}
have a say in how and where their
“It was both the food is sourced, while giving
ethical cause something back to the local
community by working on the
and the premises for a few hours a month.
This system of ethical shopping and
commercial supplying was such an inspiration
that Channel 4 quickly came on board
possibility that and started filming events within the
premises for a television series that
drew us in...” first aired in February. Liz and Max
were impressed from the outset and
Max Hamilton contacted Potts Dawson about
shooting portraits of the volunteers at
work. Cycling around London, as they
often do together, the couple noticed the new development and peeked inside
as the interior was being completed. “We saw Arthur [Potts Dawson],”
explains Liz, “and he explained the concept of the shop to us. We thought it
was a really interesting idea and that maybe we could start working on a
little project or something. We had a few magazines and editors in mind,
thinking it might be something that would fit in with what they publish, so we
thought, ‘Why don’t we start a project?’ The following week we went back
and just did loads of photos. It built up from there, though we originally
imagined it would be only a few days of shooting.” That said, since starting
in June last year, they have been photographing regularly on the premises.
“Now the organisers at the supermarket know us and, indirectly, we
seem to have become their official photographers.”
The philosophy behind The People’s Supermarket impressed Liz and Max
who instantly recognised a fantastic concept. “I think someone mentioned
one in New York,” explains Max, “but we’d never heard of anything like it in
the UK, so it seemed like a unique thing at the time.” Not to mention
worthwhile. Of course, they instantly recognised the commercial viability in
shooting the project, believing it was something that could grow, but the
cause itself was what drew them in and, from there, everything flourished.
As a result, The Observer Food Monthly ran some of their shots alongside an
article about the supermarket, as did The Guardian, and no doubt the
Channel 4 television series will encourage others to follow suit. “The way we
work, we have to be interested in what we’re photographing, so if there is no
personal interest, then why do it? It was both the ethical cause and the
commercial possibility that drew us in – it is really interesting to us and it’s
such a great concept.” As Liz notes, the personal relationships that have
blossomed as a result have added a new layer to their involvement: “We meet
so many people there to shoot portraits. They’ve all got stories to tell and it’s
been really enjoyable. There is such a mixture of people: actors, barristers,
people from the local estates.” Max adds: “We also got interested in the
people who supplied the supermarket, so once we’d done the original shoot
we started talking with the people who worked there about their suppliers
and they opened up a whole new area of interest for us. We saw it as an
opportunity to go to some of the farms to shoot and do something different.”
The resulting images are wonderful, stark, honest portraits of a variety of
characters and faces; simple and honest but vivid as a collection. Liz admits
they would “ideally like to get them in some sort of book for The People’s
Supermarket, though it would be nice to hang the portraits as an exhibition
as well; there was talk of some sort of exhibit at the shop, using the shop
90 www.professionalphotographer.co.uk
itself as the exhibition space.” The buzz around The People’s Supermarket
will only increase with the television exposure and a book isn’t out of the
question if the business increases in popularity and scope.“It would be lovely
to do something with them when the time comes to do an exhibit,” offers Liz.
Aside from this unique, worthwhile, and now successful commercial
project, Liz and Max have other plans under way. They are starting a
photographic series on female footballers, Max mentions a project about
Skype and they have been working in Finland on a project “about a traditional
Finnish knife-maker which is going to be published into a book. The series
looks at dying traditions. The puukko is a traditional Finnish knife originally
crafted for hunters and everyday use. Once widely seen, these knives are
now used mainly for show and the practice of making them is dying out.
This is a project on Matti Hesitance (Masa), a traditional Finnish knife-maker,
a ‘puukko mestari’ [champion].” Interwoven with visits to Finland are the
commercial projects that enable such private ventures to occur in the first
place. I imagine it must be hard to change hats in this way, but, chatting with
Liz and Max, it clearly comes easily. “We do a lot of corporate work for
engineers, architects and others – obviously you need corporate work to pay
for life, but then we do other projects as well, so we’ll work on a personal
project always with the aim of having it published and used for something
else. It’s those personal projects that, we find, take us on to something else,”
says Max. “We don’t show our commercial work as much because it’s not as
interesting to us as the personal work which definitely tends to generate
further stuff.”
Neither had any formal training in photography. After graduating from
Camberwell, Max worked in a studio, “doing retouching and a bit of
assisting,” but admits to being “pretty much all self-taught. We both
graduated and just started working straight away.” Liz did an MA at
Goldsmiths, University of London, a few years ago, studying photography and
agriculture, “but that wasn’t technical photography as such,” she explains.
“It was more a sort of ‘theory behind the photography’ course.
I shot a lot and learnt from other people and learnt by accident.” What they
share, aside from an obvious love of photography and a talent in that
medium, is a confidence with their equipment and courage when it comes
to exploring new personal projects. Liz says they shoot with digital for
commercial projects because they have to, but a lot of their personal work
is, interestingly, still shot using film. As Matt explains: “We either use
medium format or large format. We just prefer it as a medium. It’s a different
way of working because when we use a large format camera it’s obviously a
much slower process and you have to think about composition and
everything and for two people to work with large format cameras is actually
easier than one of us having a digital camera.” Their equipment of choice is
“an old Linhof Color Monorail 5x4 and then for The People’s Supermarket
project we used a Mamiya RB67.” Liz likes the Mamiya 7II when they travel
but the couple always take the Linhof as well when they are away. Max and
Liz agree virtually all the time about equipment and subject matter. Such a
unified approach to work makes this happy collaboration possible and results
HAARALA HAMILTON PHOTOGRAPHY
in innovative creative photography. The People’s Supermarket project may
have attracted great interest in this couple, but it is clear that there is far
more to come. PP
www.haaralahamilton.com
www.thepeoplessupermarket.org
 Tom – a member of
The People’s Supermarket.
 Don’t expose yourself.
Get covered!

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TALKIN’
PHOTOGRAPHY
BLUES
photographed challenging to many and deeply personal to her, and the
manner of her death was almost an inevitable conclusion to a life devoted
to creating images of such personal introspection. A sad end was almost
preordained. It is easy to romanticise such a life but the stark reality is that
Arbus was a tortured soul who chose photography as a form of emotional
communication. She didn’t choose to take photographs – she needed to take
photographs. But she also suffered from depression, as had her mother, and
hepatitis, which worsened the symptoms of her depression.
The same could be said of the tragically short life and career of Francesca
Over the past year we have tried to Woodman, a photographer whose work received critical acclaim after her
death. She ended her life aged just 22 (Arbus was 48), distraught that her
raise awareness of the pressures and delicate, highly personal and ethereal images were not being given the
commercial recognition she wanted and expected. But personal turmoil also
stresses that professional haunted her work and life, and she had been receiving therapy for
depression. In retrospect her images are often explained and discussed in
photographers face, through a series these terms and as visual representations of her delicate mental state.
When an important relationship ended and combined with the way in which
of articles in the magazine and online. she felt ignored by the photographic world, she stepped out of the window
of her New York loft apartment. With her sad demise came the photographic
However, with the recent sad death recognition she had so needed.
Both Arbus and Woodman were photographers on a personal photographic
of photojournalist Penny Tweedie and journey largely unconcerned with bending to commercial requirements when
creating their images. Donovan, Carlos Clarke and Tweedie were all
the arrival of a reader’s email, travelling very different roads.
Terry Donovan’s story is well known. Many of his images have gone on to
PP Editor Grant Scott decided to become iconic statements of their time. Huge financial success through the
1960s and 1970s saw him living an enviable lifestyle, getting involved with
re-visit the issues previously raised film making and counting both Margaret Thatcher and Princess Diana as
friends. He was a photographer who had achieved celebrity status.
and attempt to put them into But creatively he had become confused and found himself out of step with
the times by the beginning of the 1990s with his celebrated work of
a photographic, historical context. the previous three decades largely forgotten (I wrote about my personal
experience of this in Being There in the February issue of PP).
That confusion led to him not being able to understand why he was no
Diane Arbus, Terence Donovan, Francesca Woodman, Bob Carlos longer getting as many commissions as he had done in the past and why he
Clarke and now Penny Tweedie. What do they all have in common? was no longer able to achieve the level of fees which had previously
Well, apart from all being photographers who made their personal marks funded the lifestyle he so enjoyed. Like a pop star who gets to Number One
through the images they created, they all decided to end their own lives. but soon finds himself replaced by the next best thing, it is hard to go
These are photographers whose names most of us know, who varied in age, from Number One to Two, Three, Four or worse. Despite a late revival of
work and approach. They also span decades in the history of photography. fortune, thanks to an excellent agent who managed to make Donovan’s
For many years Diane Arbus was seen as the archetype of a tortured work seem more relevant to a younger market, the photographer ended
artist/photographer. Her life was complex, the subject matter that she his life aged 60.

www.professionalphotographer.co.uk 93
{ YOUR COMMUNITY }
A similar tale could be told about the life and career of Bob Carlos
Clarke. Like Donovan he had achieved celebrity status through his
photography. His work changed hands for high prices and was widely
exhibited. He also lived a celebrity lifestyle hanging out on the Fulham
Road with many of the celebrities he photographed and counted as
friends. But there was a dark side to Carlos Clarke’s life and
photography. His approach to photography was singular and driven with
a sexual edge similar to that of Robert Mapplethorpe’s, except Carlos
Clarke was obsessed with the female form and not the male. He also
suffered from clinical depression for many years.
Like Donovan his work suffered from the vagaries of fashion and by
2006 his powerful women and sexual aesthetic defined the 1980s, not
the ‘new woman’ advertising that editorial clients were looking for.
Despite the strong market for his work within galleries, Carlos Clarke
found himself checked into that last refuge for many celebrities,
The Priory, but sadly didn’t stay for long. After checking himself out
he threw himself under a train – a terrible end for someone whose
photographic life had been so obsessed with perfection. He was 55.
I first met Penny Tweedie in the late 1980s. She was complaining even
then about the difficulty of making a living as a photographer but she
was a fighter and was not going to accept the reduction in fees as she
saw it. Of course, looking back, those fees look like the golden days but
the benefit of hindsight is a rare gift. Tweedie had paid her dues as a
photojournalist through the 1960s and 1970s shooting in Bangladesh,
East Timor, Vietnam and Uganda. She covered the plight of the
Aboriginal people in Australia, the war in Lebanon and the devastation
caused by the tsunami in the East Indian Ocean. Tweedie was a serious
photographer who took seriously her responsibilities to record man’s
inhumanity to man. She was also a single mother and often took her son
with her on assignments. Finally, everything became too much for her.
After what she had seen and the lack of commercial recognition for her
work, she chose to end her life aged 70.
Five very different stories about five very different photographers
who all chose to end their own lives. The same end but for many
different reasons and that is my reason for looking behind the headlines.
The response we have had to the articles we have run over the last year
on the pressures professional photographers face has been both
encouraging and enlightening. The main theme to all of the responses
we have received has been one of thanks. Thanks for speaking out
about the subject and thanks for giving photographers the opportunity to
speak about their experiences. That’s why I wanted to talk about these
five photographers; to show that we all have shared experiences
(however successful we are) and to help photographers not to feel so
alone or frightened to speak out.
I hope that any photographer reading this article will understand
why we have published it and applaud Andy Craddock for getting in
touch with us to share his story and feelings in the blog entry that
follows. Sometimes it is hard to step out from the crowd and make
a stand. It may be hard but we think it’s the right thing to do.
94 www.professionalphotographer.co.uk
The following blog entry was sent to us by a reader as a direct
response to an article I wrote in the August 2010 issue of PP on the
loneliness of being a professional photographer. It is an honest
and touching account, which I hope you will find moving, honest and,
most importantly, appropriate for a magazine with the title
Professional Photographer to feature. We publish it in the spirit of
sharing experiences and to show that we are willing to speak
about the realities of the profession that we are passionate about.
It’s good to talk.
Loneliness (Depression) and Photography
by Andy Craddock
I read an article written by Grant Scott in the August 2010 edition of
Professional Photographer magazine. It was about the loneliness of
being a freelance professional photographer.
As photographers, we do sit in front of our computers staring at the
screen wondering who to contact next looking for work and how.
We do wonder why nobody replies to our emails, returns our telephone
calls or rings us with the perfect job. We do look at other photographers’
sites, compare our work to theirs and wonder “why are they busy
and I am not, what do they have that I have not?”
Without the social elements of an office or studio full of people it is hard
to get up every day and motivate yourself to create new reasons for
people to come and see you, it is hard to find new clients and it is hard to
remain creative and continue the daily slog of self-promotion.
It requires a huge amount of determination, self-belief and stamina to
keep going. A photographer works in a profession that requires huge
self-belief in one’s work and oneself. We have nothing to sell other than
our personality and creativity. When either or both are rejected
our self-belief takes a battering and the more it happens the more our
self-belief declines dramatically. Few of us have anybody close to us that
understands the pressures of being a professional photographer.
We try, we desperately want, to give out a successful, positive persona
to persuade our prospective clients they are buying into a success story.
Thus we lie.
When we are asked how we are doing, how the recession is affecting us
and how we are enjoying things at the moment, we lie. We try to juggle
the truth; we create two versions of ourselves, the real one and the public
face that meets with the client and exudes success wherever and
whenever one advertises.
It is a hard act to maintain when you read the photographic press and
see the success others are having. It is a hard act to maintain when
you see the success your peers are purportedly having. It is a hard act to
maintain when in moments of ego and extreme self-belief you
compare yourself to the truly successful in the world of photography and
know, “I could have done that.”
There is a subtle difference to the paragraph above and the old joke
about photographers: How many photographers does it take
to change a light bulb? Fifty, one to change the bulb and 49 to say,
“I could have done that!”
Sometimes, if budget and equipment were not an issue some of us
really could “have done that.”
Sometimes, the editors and creative directors that we as photographers
are applying to for work forget that the Crewdsons, the LaChapelles
and the Leibovitzes of the industry are teams of other creatives, including
assistants, lighting assistants, make-up artists, stylists, post-production
teams and marketing assistants. They are not freelancers working alone.
In fact, Annie Leibovitz tells a story in her book, At Work, where Dorothy
Wilding was employed to photograph the Queen and wasn’t even in the
room when the photograph was taken! Apparently Wilding’s assistants,
who were trained in her style, often went out and took photographs
for her. Often, she wasn’t in the same country. At one time she employed
around 37 people in her studio.
In his Professional Photographer article, coincidentally, Grant Scott
mentioned a book called Shoot the Damn Dog. It was written by
Sally Brampton, the woman who launched the magazine ELLE and then
suffered a clinical depression. She recovered (or so she’d thought)
and became the editor of Red magazine, a position she was fired from due
to ongoing depression. I’ve just finished reading the same book.
On page 62 Sally describes how she felt after being fired: She felt that
her self, her sense of worth and her calling was that of a successful
magazine editor. By being fired, by losing her job as an editor of a
mainstream magazine she felt that she’d failed at being herself. If she
was no longer fit to be an editor then what was her worth? By failing
in the role of an editor she herself had failed. What did she have
left if her self had been taken away and she had no way forward or
way to regain that self?
That struck a chord with me too… If I fail at being a photographer then
what do I have left? I define myself as a photographer. I live to be a
photographer. If I cannot be a photographer then what do I, myself, have
“Motivation and creativity are all but impossible when you’re this lonely and depressed.” Andy Craddock
left? I cannot answer the question. I have no answers. I do not see myself
as anything but a professional and successful photographer.
For one moment in time, I’m going to refuse to lie. The public face is
going to be the real face. The real face is going public. Maintaining a show
of success where there is none is laborious and wearisome. Trying to
maintain momentum and enthusiasm in the midst of a clinical depression
is nigh on impossible. Motivation and creativity are all but impossible
when you’re this lonely and depressed.
Within the past month I could have and was more than prepared to die,
which I would have were it not for a sentence spoken to me. I can truly
understand why photographers and other creatives commit suicide.
I did not know them or could ever purport to know what they were
thinking at the time but I can sympathise with Diane Arbus, Bob Carlos
Clarke, Warren Bolster, Terence Donovan, Pierre Molinier, Francesca
Woodman and the many other not-so-famous unnamed photographers
who have committed suicide.
I will leave the last words on suicide to Kevin Carter, a Pulitzer Prize
winner. Part of his suicide note read: “I am depressed… without phone…
money for rent… money for child support… money for debts… money!!!
I am haunted by the vivid memories of killings and corpses and anger and
pain… of starving or wounded children, of trigger-happy madmen, often
police, of killer executioners… I have gone to join Ken (his recently
deceased colleague, Ken Oosterbroek) if I am that lucky.”
Since I took up photography as a profession I have failed (by the
definition of being a ‘professional’) and have therefore failed to be the
essence of who I perceive myself to be. If I am not a professional
photographer then I am just a photographer, a hobbyist.
Yet, in times of clarity I know I have the talent. I can be a professional
photographer. I can be a great professional photographer.
When I need reminding why I do this I try to read the compliments on
my website and take them on board; unlike the testament from Mrs Smith
in Blackpool on how Union Meerkat Insurance provided her with the best
service ever, the testaments on my website are real and verifiable.
I became a professional photographer because that was my dream job.
Being a professional photographer would also pave the way for my other
dreams to come true. So far I have failed and am crushed by depression
wondering, like Sally Brampton did, if I am not a professional
photographer then who am I?
I know I am not a corporate slave. I am not a member of the service
industry, neither am I a cook or a mechanic or a lorry driver. I am not a
wedding photographer and neither am I a photographer that sells
shoddy ‘portfolio’ photo-shoots to ill-informed want-to-be models for
30 quid a time.
I want to be a PROFESSIONAL, PUBLISHED, WORKING, ARTISTIC,
photographer/artist. But. I sit here at the computer, lonely and depressed
wondering who to contact next and how. I have the weight of fear, anxiety,
procrastination and depression crushing me every day and I have no one
to turn to for help.
My counsellor is only words in my ear once a week. My closest friends
don’t have the experience to help me and as yet, even though I’d be loath
to share my plans with peers, I don’t even have the peers with enough
experience to help me. I am the one they often turn to for advice!
So. I sit here at the computer, lonely and depressed with a plan to turn
everything around. A plan that I know will work, wondering who to
contact next and how. Knowing that when I do know the right person to
contact, I’ll have to put on my public face full of lies and stories of
success when, underneath, my current defeated self is cowering with
fear, procrastination and depression.
I have spent hours on my plan. It is a story, in itself, of self-discovery.
It is biographical. It is life changing. It is my dream, it is my dreams come
true. It is altruistic in parts, it is self-serving in parts. It is a wonderment
and an abhorrence. It is a thank you and a fuck you. It is charity and it is
greed.
I sit here at the computer, lonely and depressed, with a plan to turn
everything around…
I need encouragement when my motivation fails. I need someone to
have belief in me when I fail to have belief in myself. I need someone to
help financially support my plan for the next three months.
Who the hell do I turn to? PP
We established The United States of Photography as a direct result
of the response we received to Grant’s original article in
Professional Photographer (now available on our website). You
can find out more about this free-to-join photographic help group
by visiting our website www.professionalphotographer.co.uk
To share your personal experiences of being a professional
photographer, please email us at
feedback@professionalphotographer.co.uk
You can read Andy’s blog at http://blog.neolestat.com
If you recognise some of the points Andy raises and would like to
speak to someone, you can find a counsellor in your area by
contacting the British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy
(BACP) on 01455 883300 or visiting http://www.bacp.co.uk
Shoot the Damn Dog: A Memoir of Depression, by Sally Brampton,
is published by Bloomsbury at £15.99
www.professionalphotographer.co.uk 95
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Working the System

I picked up my first Hasselblad in 1998 and
Hasselblad’s latest system immediately fell in love. Everything about it
was right for me. The build quality was
updates are specifically impeccable, the sense of tradition was
designed to tempt unbeatable, the lenses were beautiful, and
easily available. I was hooked. I bought four
pros back to the Swedish bodies, a bag of lenses, countless film backs and
I started shooting. The square format worked for
brand but, as PP Editor me, as did holding the camera at waist level.
I created my way of seeing with those cameras,
and longtime Hasselblad won some awards, and built a portfolio of images
user Grant Scott and clients. I even had my work published
in a square book so the images didn’t need to be
discovers, going back to cropped. Then everything changed.
With the advent of digital capture my head
Hasselblad is all about was turned by a new mistress and my Hasselblad
marriage was over. I had to start from the
asking yourself questions. beginning again, re-learn to see with a DSLR and,
truth be told, even though I love the cameras
I now work with, I’ve always had a very soft spot
for my first love.
Now as I sit at my desk and look at the pile of
Hasselblad kit that has just been delivered for me
to review I can’t help but feel the same as when
you see an ex after years apart. There is a sense of
what could have been. If Hasselblad had given
me a realistic digital option in those early digital
days would I have remained faithful?
This feeling of regret leads me straight to the
CFV-50, the 50-megapixel digital back that is
sitting tidily behind the oh-so-familiar traditional
Hasselblad body of the 503CW. The back has the
same quality of build and familiar feel of a
traditional film back; it clicks on to the body in
the same way as a film back and suddenly I’m a
Hasselblad photographer again. It just feels right
in the palm of my hand and allows me to start
taking pictures in the way I so loved back in the
analogue days. It’s exactly the solution I wanted
six years ago and the right solution for me now.
The CFV-50 is designed to match the
appearance and functionality of the Hasselblad V
System and does it perfectly. With the CFV-50
strapped on I was back and shooting square
format 38-megapixel images – or 50-megapixel in
full rectangular format. That’s all I wanted to do
or know but if you want the headline specs and
facts, here they are: it delivers 16-bit colour, ISO
from 50 to 800, a longest shutter speed of 64
seconds, writes on to a CF card and stores 60
images on average on to a 4GB card. Which is all
fine with me. Hasselblad seemed to have got
everything right with the CFV-50, but then we
review
get to the price. The CFV-50 may bring all of your
Hasselblad kit back into operation but it’s going
to cost you £13,194 to do so. And therein lies the
rub. There is no doubt that it’s a great piece
of kit but that kind of investment requires some
serious thought.
The quality of the images the CFV-50 delivered
was exceptional but at that price I am afraid that I
expected it to. What I think is more relevant is to
consider what you are going to do with these
images. How are they going to be reproduced and
how? This is when we get down to the nitty-gritty
of the CFV-50. If you’re shooting billboards, for
large format printing, ad campaigns, complicated
set builds or if you need a large file for extensive
post-production, then the CFV-50 makes
complete sense. If the Hasselblad format fits your
way of seeing and defines the way in which you
create images, and you have been waiting for the
moment to return to it or move finally into digital
capture, then it also makes sense.
I would love to make this my everyday camera
solution for all of my commercial shoots and
as I have the bodies and lenses already it would
make sense for me to do so. I could trawl the
internet and eBay for rare and interesting lenses
to add to my system and go back to being a
Hasselblad photographer. But before doing so I
would have to seriously consider where that
leaves the digital investment in my DSLR system
over the past five years. Of course, every pro
needs a backup so I’m going to have to buy
two and that’s now become a £26,388 investment.
And that’s the problem.
If I were starting from scratch my decision
would be based on image usage and available
budget as much as anything else, plus, of course,
choosing to make a commitment to the
Hasselblad brand. In short the CFV-50 is a great
piece of kit which answers many problems for
current and lapsed Hasselblad photographers and
possibly new members of the Swedish
“The CFV-50 is designed to
match the appearance and
functionality of the
Hasselblad V System and
does it perfectly.” Grant Scott
www.professionalphotographer.co.uk 99
Hasselblad H4D-60 TECH SPEC
■ Sensor size: Dalsa 60.1 megapixels
(8,956 x 6,708 pixels)
■ Sensor dimensions: 40.2mm x 53.7mm
■ Image size: RAW 3FR capture, 80MB on
average. TIFF 8-bit: 180MB
■ File format: Lossless compressed
Hasselblad RAW 3FR
■ Lenses: Hasselblad HC/HCD lens line
with integral central lens shutter
■ Shutter speed range: 32sec to
1/800sec
■ ISO speed range: ISO 50,100, 200, 400
and 800
■ Colour definition: 16-bit
■ Colour management: Hasselblad Natural
Colour Solution
■ Focusing: Autofocus metering with
passive central cross-type sensor;
Ultra focus digital feedback;
Instant manual focus override;
Metering range EV 1 to 19 at ISO 100
■ Viewfinder options: HVD 90x: 90°
eye-level viewfinder with diopter
adjustment (-5 to +3.5D),
image magnification 3.1 times
■ HV 90x: 90° eye-level viewfinder with
diopter adjustment (-4 to +2.5D),
image magnification 2.7 times
■ HVM: Waist-level viewfinder, image
magnification 3.2 times
■ IR filter: Mounted on CCD sensor
■ Exposure metering, metering options:
Spot, Centre Weighted and CentreSpot.
Metering range – Spot: EV2 to 21; Centre
Weighted: EV1 to 21; CentreSpot:
EV1 to 21
■ Power supply: Rechargeable Li-ion
battery (7.2 VDC/1850 mAh)
■ Storage options: CF card type U-DMA or
tethered to Mac or PC
■ Storage capacity: 8GB CF card holds
100 images on average
■ Capture rate: 1.4 seconds per capture,
31 captures per minute
■ Colour display: Yes, 3in TFT type,
24-bit colour, 460,320 pixels
■ Histogram feedback: Yes
■ Software: Phocus for Mac and Windows
■ Host connection type: FireWire 800
(IEEE-1394b)
■ Operating temperature: 0-45˚C /
32-113˚F
■ Dimensions complete camera:
with HC80mm lens: 153mm x 131mm
x 213mm (W x H x D)
■ Weight: 2,290g (complete camera with
HC80mm lens, Li-ion battery and
CF card)
100 www.professionalphotographer.co.uk
Hasselblad CFV-50 TECH SPEC
■ Sensor size: 50 megapixels
(6,132 x 8,176 pixels)
■ Sensor dimensions: 36.7mm x 49.0mm
(lens factor 1.1) and 36.7mm x 36.7mm
(lens factor 1.5)
■ Single shot
■ 16-bit colour
■ ISO 50, 100, 200, 400 and 800
■ Longest shutter speed: 64sec
■ Image storage: CF card type II (write
speed >20MB/sec) or tethered to Mac
or PC
■ Colour management: Hasselblad Natural
Colour Solution – one generic profile
■ Storage capacity: 4GB CF card holds
60 images on average
■ Battery type: Sony InfoLITHIUM community, but it is an investment which
L NP-F series comes with a lot of questions before a decision
■ Colour display: 2.5in TFT type, can be made – all of which are about you and
24-bit colour your photography and not the CFV-50.
■ Histogram feedback So the CFV-50 claimed my heart but sitting
■ IR filter: Multi-coated, mounted on next to it like a grey super-sleek intruder in the
CCD sensor classic Hasselblad world is the H4D-60. This is
■ Feedback: IAA – Instant Approval the flagship model in the Hasselblad range and
Architecture; provides acoustic and with a 60-megapixel 40mm x 54mm sensor it’s
visual feedback the mother of pro cameras. The H4D-60 is less
■ File format: Lossless compressed about heart and more about mind. All of the
Hasselblad 3F RAW H system cameras are built using solid
■ Software: Phocus for Mac and PC stainless steel housings and a high-strength
■ 3FR files are also supported directly in aluminium for the inner core, so despite their
Apple and Adobe environments ergonomic, smooth styling they are tough
■ Camera support: Hasselblad V System pieces of kit. But these are Hasselblads for
cameras manufactured since 1957 (not photographers who don’t want waist-level
recommended for critical work together viewing and a connection with the past; these
with SWC models and ArcBody due to are very much for photographers wanting to
optical incompatibility. Some earlier SWC step up to medium format quality from
models need slight modification for DSLRs. Based on the H3D platform the H4D
battery mounting reasons). 2000 series system features Hasselblad’s True Focus
cameras and 201F with C lenses only. Technology. Most DSLRs are equipped with a
202FA, 203FE and 205FCC models need
a minor camera modification to use
F/FE lenses. All other cameras with
Hasselblad V interface “But these are Hasselblads
■ Digital lens correction supports the
following lenses: CF/CFE 40 FLE, for photographers who
CFE 40 IF, CFi 50 FLE, CFi/CFE 80,
CFi/CFE 120, CFi 150, CFE/CFE 180,
don’t want waist-level
CFi 250, CFE 250 Sa and CFE 350 Sa viewing and a connection
■ Host connection type: FireWire 800
(IEEE-1394b) with the past; these are
■ Battery capacity: Sony InfoLITHIUM L,
up to eight hours of shooting capacity
very much for
■ Operating temperature: 0-45°C / photographers wanting to
32-113°F
■ Dimensions: 91mm x 90mm x 61mm step up to medium format
[W x H x D]
■ Weight: 530g (excluding battery and
quality from DSLRs.”
CF card) Grant Scott
 review

“It was just a shame that the

battery charger and battery were
third-party pieces of kit without
Hasselblad’s customary attention
to detail and build.” Grant Scott

multi-point AF sensor which allows the
photographer to fix an off-centre focus point on
an off-centre subject, which is then focused
correctly. Due to the physics of an SLR camera,
the off-centre focus points that are offered are all
clustered relatively close to the centre of the
image. To set focus outside of this centre area, the
photographer is still forced to focus first, and
then shift the camera to reframe, with the
resulting loss of focus as a result. To overcome
this, Hasselblad has used modern yaw rate sensor
technology to measure angular velocity in an
innovative way. The result is the new Absolute
Position Lock (APL) processor, which is the basis
of Hasselblad’s True Focus. The APL processor
logs camera movement during any recomposing,
then uses these exact measurements to calculate
the necessary focus adjustment, and issues the
proper commands to the lens’s focus motor so it
can compensate. The APL processor computes the
advanced positional algorithms and carries out
the required focus corrections swiftly so that no
shutter lag occurs. The H4D’s firmware then
further corrects the focus using the precise data
retrieval system found on all of the appropriate
lenses. That’s all a long way from my first
experience of the H system with the H1 way back
in 2001, of which the less said the better.
The H4D range seems then to be a
well-conceived and well-resolved option for
those wanting to step up to medium format.
The H4D-60 I was sent came in a kind of kit form
with a removable back, handle, battery and, of
course, lens, all of which are easy to work out
and put together (even without a manual!).
Once together it’s a sturdy piece of kit which has
a real weight about it. It was just a shame that the
battery charger and battery were third-party
pieces of kit without Hasselblad’s customary
attention to detail and build. The menu system
and controls are easy to use and obvious in their
functionality; surprisingly so actually as it would
be easy to think that a camera at this price
(£31,800) would be intimidating, but it is one of
the easiest cameras to work out that I have used
for some time. So easy in fact that I challenged
some of the PP team who had never been
anywhere near a medium format camera to
shoot with it, which they did with ease.
Image quality in general use was
everything I would
expect of a camera of
this quality and
cost. My way of
testing this was
to use it as I
would on a
shoot, not in a
laboratory
environment, and
I found it responsive
on focus and easy to
manipulate to my own way of working on that
basis. Again I was impressed by how easily
I found myself feeling completely at home with it.
The only negative I found was with the overall
aesthetic of the back screen area, which had the
feel and look of an in-flight back-of-the-seat film
console. I know this has nothing to do with how
the camera performs but it didn’t have that
Hasselblad touch of class I expect from this
manufacturer. Of course, the true test as to
whether this is the camera for you is exactly the
same as I outlined with the CFV-50: how are you
going to use the images you create? For me the
same rules apply to the H4D range, and
particularly to the 60, as I outlined earlier.
For many both of these Hasselblad options are
going to overdeliver but if you need the quality,
they provide the solution, especially the H4D,
which gives you the option of an entry-level price
of £10,794 with the H4D-31 (which, not
surprisingly, features a 31-megapixel sensor).
It’s still a lot of money but it may well be the
right tool for the job and in conclusion that is
where I think I find myself at the end of four
days spent with well over £50,000 worth of
Hasselblad photographic kit.
I love the CFV-50 and if funds allowed I would
go out and buy myself one, two or three and start
using my Hasselblad kit again. If I were being
commissioned to shoot the kind of work that
requires Hasselblad’s quality I would invest in the
H4D at whatever level I could afford. As neither
of these things is currently true I will stick with
my DSLRs because they do the job I need them to
do. As professional photographers we need our kit
to do a job, and there is no doubt that Hasselblad
has now got a range of systems that do exactly
that. You’ve just got to decide if you are doing
that job. PP
www.hasselblad.co.uk

www.professionalphotographer.co.uk 101
stop press...
We’re always keeping our eyes open and our ears
to the ground to make sure we bring you the latest news, LATELY WE’VE BEEN
industry rumours and kit from around the world... HEARING...
● At a recent performance, Lady Gaga’s
people issued a release form for
VANGUARD PROFOTO photographers to sign stipulating not
NIVELO TRIPOD PRODAYLIGHT 800 only where and how the image couldn’t
Incredibly lightweight and The Profoto ProDaylight 800 Air is a appear but also demanding that the
compact, the Nivelo 204 has new continuous light source aimed at photographer transfer “all right, title
been designed specifically to photographers entering the world of and interest (including copyright) in
accommodate the latest DSLR film making. Designed for use and to the Photograph(s)” to the artist
compact system cameras. with some (but not all) of Profoto’s Light Shaping known for dressing in meat.
Small enough to tuck Tools, the 800W metal halide base (HMI) lamp Now that’s hard to swallow…
into a rucksack, provides daylight colour temperature, ideal for pro
its substantial HD video shooting as well as stills photography.
features include Built-in radio remote capability allows you to
shock-absorbing switch the unit on and off as well as increase and
rubber feet, decrease light output from 50% through to 100%,
Twist-n-Lock from up to 300m. To find out which Profoto Light
legs and a spirit Shaping Tools the ProDaylight 800 Air is ● Apple’s iPad2 is out, bringing a sinking
level on the compatible with visit www.profoto.com feeling in the stomachs of those who
pan head. have yet to pay off their credit card bill for
The 20mm-diameter legs provide the first-generation version. While it
support at 23 degrees, bringing stability to “It’s fantastic; it’s a does contain cameras both back and
this little tripod. The 360-degree rotating front, tech pundits on the internet are
head allows panoramic shots while great ride to be on.” underwhelmed due to the fact that
side-to-side tilting means you can get a HDSLR hero Philip Bloom on the growth screen resolution hasn’t improved and
unique take on the world. The Nivelo 204 is of film making with DSLR cameras, you still need the clunky white cable to
available in black and silver. RRP is £59.99 during a talk at the Convergence Festival connect it to your computer…
(including VAT). www.vanguardworld.com held at the British Film Institute, in ● There’s a strange and
London, in March. mesmerising beauty to
the image of a Pentax
LENSPEN SIDEKICK camera taken apart and
We first spotted the LensPen people at Photokina
LOWEPRO COMPUDAY in bits posted by
camera-friendly website
PHOTO RANGE
in Germany last September and featured their
handy camera lens cleaning pens in our Photojojo on its
November 2010 issue. This month they were back Lowepro’s latest Tumblr blog recently.
at Focus on Imaging at Birmingham NEC with range is www.professionalphotographer.co.uk/
a nifty new product, the LensPen SideKick. designed for sp04...
Designed to remove those unsightly marks from photographers ● Every revolution
the iPad’s supposedly fingerprint-resistant screen, on the move, to deserves a
it uses the same carbon-based cleaning compound accommodate a soundtrack and
as the award-winning LensPen. The SideKick laptop and a the HD video
comes with one replaceable cleaning head that single camera. revolution is no
lasts for 150 to 200 uses and costs £14.95; it costs The CompuDay Photo range has a messenger different. The laureate of convergence
£10 for two replacement bag and backpack, both of which will hold a might well be Romanian Cosmin Serban,
heads. Available from DSLR, laptop up to 15.6in and other pieces of who has recorded DSLR Song – a tribute
April in the UK from kit such as a portable hard drive. The bag and to all the DSLR film makers out there.
Jessops and independent backpack are aimed at photographers who Listen, if you can bear to, at
retailers, see need to get around and upload images on the http://vimeo.com/19327519
www.lenspen.com go. For more details visit www.lowepro.com

www.professionalphotographer.co.uk 103
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LIGHT METERS UK STOCK Canon UK Stock NIKON Professional Dealer Nikon D200 body £399
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PRICES INCLUDE VAT Gossen Digi Pro F £ 152 Hasselblad 35mm HC Lens £1495
7D Body £ 1189 D300S Body £ 999 Hasselblad HM 16/32 Film back £ 295 Nikon D60 + 18-55 VR £329
H4D - 31 + 80mm HC lens KIT Gossen Starlite 2 £ 458 7D + 18 - 135mm IS £ 1479 Nikon D80 body £295
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special offer £ 9499 7D + 15 - 85 IS £ 1672 D300S + 17-55 f2.8 D £ 2099 Hasselblad C 50mm f2.8 Lens £350 Nikon D2X body £599
Sekonic L358 £ 224 5D MKII Body £ 1699 Nikon F3HP Body £395
H4D - 31 + CF Adapter £ 9499 Sekonic L 758D £ 392 D300S + 10 - 24mm DX £ 1579 Hasselblad 50mm C Chrome £ 350
5D MKII Body + 24-105L IS £ 2344 D300S + 18-200 VRII £ 1529 Hasselblad 120mm CFE Macro £995 Nikon F3/T HP body £395
H4D - 40 + 80mm £13933 Sekonic L758 DR £ 432 5D MKII Body + 24-70 f2.8L £ 2575 D300S + 16-85mm VR £ 1459 Hasselblad 150mm CT* Lens £ 195 Nikon F5 body £449
H4D- 40 + 35-90mm kit £17730 Sekonic C 500 £ 799 5D MKII + 16-35 f2.8L MK2 £ 2719 Nikkor 10.5mm DX Fisheye £395
D700 Body £ 1699 Hasselblad 150mm CF Lens £450
H4D - 40 Body set £12877 60D Body £ 839 Nikkor 17 - 55mm f2.8G AFS £675
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BUNDLE 1 x Mini 2 x Flex NIKON £549 Bronica RF645 + 65mm Lens £595 Nikkor AFS 18-70mm G Lens £145
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50 - 110 mm zoom HC £ 3191 10mm f 2.8 EX DC Fisheye £ 487 550D +18 -55 IS £ 619 D7000 £ 969 Bronica 250mm PS Lens £ 195 Nikkor AFS 24-120mm f3.5-5.6 VR £325
50 mm MK II Lens HC £ 2910 24 - 70 mm f 2.8 EX DG £ 447 550D Body £ 549 14 - 24mm f2.8G AFS £ 1367 Bronica S-36 Tube £ 75 Canon EOS 1D MKIV body £1495
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120mm Macro Lens HC £ 2694 70 - 200mm f2.8 DG OS £979 17 - 40 f 4 L USM £ 609 24mm f1.4G AFS £1735 Mamiya 645 AF Polaroid Back NEW £95 Canon TSE-24mm £695
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legend James Nachtwey
1948-
Peter Silverton explores the
career of the American
photojournalist James Nachtwey,
an unrelenting documentor
of human tragedy for more
than 30 years.
James Nachtwey was born March 14 1948,
in Syracuse, New York state. As Robert Capa
was to the middle of the 20th century, so
Nachtwey was to its last decades. He is the
late 20th-century war photographer – outraged
that, after the Holocaust and Vietnam, war is
still, shockingly, an ever-present. He’s won the
Robert Capa Gold Medal five times.
Like Capa, like Goya, he is powered by the urge
to document. “I have been a witness, and these
pictures are my testimony. The events I have
recorded should not be forgotten and must not
be repeated.” That’s the opening statement on
his website. His is not a world of ironies or
doubts; it’s one of rage – an anger that has yet to
be assuaged or diluted. Never will be, perhaps.
Never can be, even.
He grew up in Massachusetts and went to
Dartmouth, the small Ivy League college in
GO ONLINE FOR MORE FROM THE LEGENDS OF PHOTOGRAPHY, VISIT WWW.PROFESSIONALPHOTOGRAPHER.CO.UK
114 www.professionalphotographer.co.uk
“I have been a witness, and these pictures are my testimony. The events
I have recorded should not be forgotten and must not be repeated.”
New Hampshire, where he studied art history
and political science. Then, though, he was swept
up and away by the radical tenor of the times.
In particular, he was driven to action by
the Vietnam war. Even more particularly, by the
images of that conflict. As he has said, he and
his generation were presented with a choice
about what to think about the world. They could
believe what they were told or they could
attend to the evidence they saw in photographs.
Nick Ut’s picture of a naked, running, napalmed
Phan Thi Kim Phúc. Philip Jones Griffiths’s
book, Vietnam, Inc.
He decided to become a war photographer.
Deliberately, he set about learning his trade.
In 1976, he took a staff job on the Albuquerque
Journal. By 1980, he was where he wanted to be:
in New York, a freelance photojournalist, ready,
willing and able to go to war. In 1981, he
went to Northern Ireland – the time of the IRA
hunger strikes. Since then, there’s barely been
a war or conflict he didn’t turn up for. You might
even say: It’s not a war until Nachtwey’s there.
Rwanda. Chechnya. Bosnia. Famine in
Sudan. Romanian orphanages. Kosovo.
The invasion of Iraq, where a grenade attack
smashed up his foot. He kept photographing
a medic who was treating the other injured, until
he lost consciousness. By the end of the
following year, he was up and off east, to cover
the aftermath of the 2004 Asian tsunami.
There is rarely a name on a Nachtwey caption.
His subjects are not people but ‘people’,
representatives of human tragedy – and therefore
of us all. Hence the echoic power of his
images. There is nothing romantic about his wars,
though. He doesn’t share other photographers’
admiration for front-line soldiers. Yet nor
does he share the nagging doubts of the latest
generation of war photographers – that their
images can actually prolong and deepen wars, that
the relationship between aid-giving rates
and images of hacked-off limbs is all too often
a mutual one.
His 1999 book, Inferno, is nearly 500 pages
long and weighs almost 5kg. Unable to
exhaust himself, he set about exhausting us.
The idea, I guess, is to go beyond desensitisation,
to a place where we cannot not look.
The book is prefaced with a quote from hell’s
own poet-in-residence, Dante: “There sighs,
lamentations and loud wailings resounded
through the starless air, so that from the beginning
it made me weep.”
He was in New York the day the Twin Towers
were hit and fell. He lived nearby. “I heard a
sound that was out of the ordinary. I went to the
window and saw the tower burning. I made my
way there through the smoke. It was virtually
deserted, and it seemed like a movie set from a
science fiction film. Very apocalyptic.
Very strange ambiance of the sunlight filtering
through the dust and the destroyed wreckage of
the buildings lying in the street.”
I’ll pause him there. Because that’s
where Nachtwey’s tragic genius lies: his capacity
for aestheticising conflict and destruction.
Or, at least, to find an aesthetic in them. All kinds
of war photographers record, vividly, the
destruction of war. The thing about Nachtwey,
though, is when all around is death and horror and
confusion and blood and pain, he can make a
formally composed, resonant image of it.
Not glamorous but aesthetically saturated,
generally with sorrow – the anguish of the
Adagietto in Mahler’s Fifth Symphony.
Back to 9/11. “As I was photographing the
destruction of the first tower, the second tower
fell and I was standing right under it. I was
underneath this avalanche of falling debris. I was
in a state of disbelief. The scenes were very
familiar. But now, it was literally in my own
backyard. And I think that one thing that
Americans are learning from this is that we are
now part of the world in a way in which we never
have been before.”
So he goes, uncoloured by cynicism, seemingly
inexhaustible. Afghanistan. Haiti earthquake.
Victims of AIDS and drug-resistant TB. So it
goes, perhaps inexhaustibly. PP
www.jamesnachtwey.com