PROFESSIONAL

SINCE 1982

WWW.PROFESSIONALPHOTOGRAPHER.CO.UK FOR PROFESSIONALS, BY PROFESSIONALS

FEBRUARY 2013 £4.20

THE REAL
RANKIN JULIA FULLERTON-BATTEN’S
PERSONAL PROJECTS

NEW COLUMNIST:
Kate Hopewell-Smith

Styled shoot
with DAVID
BECKHAM

BEST tablets for

your portfolio
CLIENT PSYCHOLOGY I DSLR MOVIE MAKING I FUJI X-E1 REVIEW
 february
FRONT COVER: RANKIN CREATIVE COLLABORATOR AND HAIR STYLIST ALAIN PICHON, MAKE-UP ARTIST LINDA ÖHRSTRÖM THIS IMAGE: © DAMIEN HIRST/SCIENCE LTD/RANKIN.

Well, it’s not often that you get

two huge photography-related
icons in an issue, but we have
managed it this month.
From behind the
camera we have the personality that is
Rankin, though he’s in a rather
reflective mood in our Big Interview.
And we all know who the other chap is. A style
icon, sporting genius and Posh’s other half, The
Beckster, Dave, sporting a tasty Breitling watch as the
new face for their ad campaign. We went behind the
scenes on the shoot with photographer Anthony
Mandler. We also have a new columnist, lifestyle
wedding and portrait photographer Kate Hopewell-
Smith. She introduces herself and sets the scene
for future issues. Another well-known female
photographer, Julia Fullerton-Batten, talks about
her latest project, while the Fuji’s X-E1 gets an outing
with Kevin Mullins. Part two of our new movies
section covers focusing and we have a round-up of
the latest tablet PCs too. Middlebrook finishes his new
year’s resolutions and we have a couple of must-read
business features. Enjoy Feb’s magazine.

Adam Scorey, Editor

adam.scorey@archant.co.uk

The cover image is part of

Rankin’s The Glow series for
S Magazine by LFI (Leica
Fotografie International).

3
4
 NEW PHOTOGRAPHY
14 PPOTY 2012
The sponsors of our PPOTY competition have chosen their favourite images of the month
19 Portfolio
We pick out the best images uploaded to our online gallery

NEED TO KNOW
8 Where are the Women Photographers?
Our NEW columnist Kate Hopewell-Smith introduces herself and her calling in photography

10 Fifty Shades of Craig

Craig Fleming debates the age-old dilemma for photographers... Canon or Nikon?
24 Middlebrook: New Year’s Revolution – Part Two
Middlebrook gets ambitious and decides to take over the world through photography

29 Fit for Work Blogazine: Breakfast Like a King

We all know how important breakfast is and Sky1’s Sarah O’Neill gets you set for the day

30 Psychology For Photographers

In a industry where solitude can become a familiarity Jenika talks about dealing with depression
33 Insider: Crowd Funding
Wishing for a money tree to fund your latest project? Matt Henry looks at a new source of finance
41 Styling your Shoot: David Beckham
Anthony Mandler reveals all about his shoot with the footballer, entrepreneur and icon, Beckham
47 DSLR Movie Making: 3, 2, 1, Focus
Something us photographers have got down to a key, how about focusing your camera for movies
51 The Business: Kevin Mullins
One year on from setting foot in the pages of PP, Kevin talks the perks of the passion, money
55 The Business: Child’s Play
Tax rules change more times than your underwear – Springfords tell us what’s new
57 The Business: Managing your Cash Flow
Follow our nine top tips for balancing your finances when chasing those late payments

INTERVIEWS & CHATS WITH...

58 Working Pro: Julia Fullerton-Batten
Celebrated for her striking, contemporary images Julia shows us her latest work
65 Big Interview: Rankin
A name, a legacy and a whole bag of stories, we bring you an interview with Rankin
100 Heroes: Basil Pao
Looking to painters and writers for inspiration, documentary photographer Pao names his heroes

NEWS & REVIEWS

74 Top Portfolio Tablets
Moving on with the times, we round up the best tablets for showcasing your portfolio
76 Gear: Fuji X-E1
Kevin Mullins compares the new Fuji offering to the beloved X-Pro1. Can it deliver?
80-85 Gear: HDD Masterclass from G-Technology
Testing out the new G-Raid with Thunderbolt, Tom Martin pushes its speed and security

86 Gear: Bowens in the Limelite

Craig Fleming shows how LED technology has changed with the Bowens Limelite Mosaic

91 Gear: Matthew’s Proverbs

Stepping away from commercial portrait shoots, Matthew shows how to make the most of light
95 Cool Britannia: Longridge Mount Cutters
Who’d have thought a simple tool would make mounting so accessible and photos so wow!
ANTHONY MANDLER

KEEP IN TOUCH
38 Subscribe
Subscribe to Professional Photographer now and get 5 issues for £5!

5
contributors
P8 Kate Hopewell-Smith P47 Tom Martin P51 Kevin Mullins
Our new columnist and PPOTY judge Kate is Tom owns an independent media production Kevin quadrupled his wedding photography
a lifestyle and wedding photographer who company, Fast Forward Media, and has a business year-on-year through the recession
teaches pros at Aspire Photo Training. degree in film and television studies. and shares his secrets to success with us.
)

FOR

PSYCHOLOGY ;#
 <


$#
)%


$
#% "$
$"# PHOTOGRAPHERS
)

@09
41
C:?
/:9>
3,@0
/0;<0==4:9
>30<0
,<0
>3492=
C:?
.,9
/:
>:

=?;;:<>
C:?<
1<409/=
,9/
,7=:
8,60
:?<
49/?=><C
,
=,10
;7,.0
1:<
PART 3 &6.0
&3
32
"852*5
21
)&+& )
!"-/"00&,+
++,1
"
1%,2$%1
,#
&+
1"/*0
,#
"*,1&,+0
;00<=
>:
>,76
,-:?>
/0;<0==4:9

THE DARK ROOM "5-"/&"+ "!
),+$0&!"
/"$2)/
)&#"
"3"+10

%"+
0,*",+"
&0
)&+& ))6

!"-/"00"!
1%"6
*6
#"")
!,4+
*,01
,#
1%"
!6
+"/)6
"3"/6
!6
#,/

14,
4""(0
,/
*,/"

+"
,#
1%"
-/,*&+"+1
#"12/"0
,#
!"-/"00&,+
&0
+,1

*"/")6
#"")&+$
0!
21
 12))6
"&+$
2+)"
1,
"5-"/&"+ "
-)"02/"



 


$*
  %"1%"/
6,2/"
%+$&+$
,21
,+


#,/2*
"+$$&+$
&+
!"1"
,/
,##"/&+$
/&1&.2"
+"3"/
#,/$"1
1%1
1%"/"
/"

/")
-",-)"
,+
1%"
,1%"/
0&!"
,#
1%1
0 /""+


,+1
16-"
4%1
6,2


$ #
$
 '$  "##
1
C:?
,<0
0B;0<409.492
/0;<0==4:9
C:?
,<0
9:>
,7:90
9/
,7>3:?23

0@0<C:90
4=
/4110<09>
1077:A
;3:>:2<,;30<=
74@492
A4>3
/0;<0==4:9

– Depression in %&0
,+!&1&,+
(+,4+
0
+%"!,+&
*("0
&1
!&##& 2)1
,/
&*-,00&)"
#,/

0,*",+"
1,
"+',6
 1&3&1&"0
1%"6
4,2)!
+,/*))6
),3"
)&("
0-"+!&+$

1&*"
4&1%
#*&)6
,/
"3"+
'201
-& (&+$
2-
1%"&/
*"/



4,2)!+1
06
1,
0,*",+"
&+
-"/0,+

##"/
,+01/2 1&3"
02$$"01&,+0
4%"+

/".2"01"!
+!
"
.2& (
1,
,##"/
-/&0"
4%"+
&10
!"0"/3"!

3,@0
:110<0/
,
10A
=?220=>4:9=
>:
307;
.:;0
A3470
<?99492

,
-?=490==

 #006
><0,>809>
F "-/"00&,+
&0+1
6,2/
#2)1
+!
&1
&0
1/"1)"

#

Former art director turned successful

LARGER THAN LIFE

%20
4%&)"
16-& )
0!+"00
*&$%1
"
*!"
"11"/
6
%+$&+$
,21
 %$
)%"#

"" " %

",-)"
4&1%
/"0"/ %&+$
3&))"
,-1&,+0
#"")0
,3"/4%")*&+$
0(
0,*",+"
),0"

photographer BASIL PAO has reached
the Photography
4&1%
#/&"+!0
,/
$,&+$
1,

*,3&"
-",-)"
"5-"/&"+ &+$
!"-/"00&,+
!"-/"00&,+
/"+1
)76
,/
4"(
1%"6/"
!")&+$
4&1%
+
&**"+0")6
1,
6,2
#,/
00&01+ "

%"/"
/"
,+)&+"
/"0,2/ "0
)&("
%"
) (
,$

*6
#&+!
+,
/")&"#
&+
!,&+$
1%"0"
1%&+$0
" 20"
1%"/"
&0
+,
-)"02/"
&+
%))"+$&+$
&))+"00

0
,+"
,+)&+"
,**"+1"/
.2&--"!
8!"-/"00&,+
&0+1
+01&121"
+!
"-/"00&,+
))&+ "
1%1
+
-/,3&!"

-) "
1,
01/1

1

!,&+$
1%"*

1%"/
1%"6
*6
,+)6
#"")
#1&$2"
,/
$2&)1
" 20"
1%"6
#2+
"+,2$%
1,
%,,0"
)7&+"00
1,
$"1
&1
:
#
-",-)"
,2)!
*("
&1
$,
46
*6
1("
1&*"
1,
#&+!
1%"
/&$%1
,2/0"
,#
 1&,+
21
0""(&+$
-/,#"00&,+)
some of the most remote corners of the
1%&+(
1%"6
0%,2)!
"
"+',6&+$
1%"*0")3"0

6
 %""/&+$
2-
1%"6
4,2)!


"
-1&"+1
+!
!,+1
,##"/
!3& "
2+)"00
%")-
&0
0
4,/1%4%&)"
#,/
!"-/"00&,+
0
&1
4,2)!
"
#,/
+6
,1%"/
&))+"00

+"
,#
1%"
%/!"01
1%&+$0
1,
$/0-
,21
!"-/"00&,+
&0
1%"
&!"
1%1
&10
/".2"01"!
globe through his documentary imagery.
World 0,*",+"
+
#"")
!"-/"00"!
"3"+
4%"+
1%"/"
&0
+,1%&+$
1,
"

!"-/"00"!
,21

"-/"00&,+
&0+1
)460
,21
0,*"1%&+$

%&)"

!"-/"00&,+
+
"
1/&$$"/"!
6

+"$1&3"
"3"+1
&1
+
)0,
,*"
,+
#,/

+,
0-" &#&
/"0,+
1
))

+!
0
,+"
-%,1,$/-%"/
-21
&1
83&+$

 $
$
$"
'$"
"
$
$)
'$
$
$


80(&+$
%,4
*
!,&+$
+
"

&1
%/!
" 20"

*6
+,1
"
!,&+$
4"))
9

+!
&#
*
+,1
1%"+

*6
+,1
/"))6
#"")
)&("
!&0 200&+$
&1
:
10
$,,!
1,

 ?>
:@0<A3078
-C
:?>=:?<.492
-?=490==
>,=6=
F
2++&+$


20&+"00
!,"0+1
*"+
6,2
%3"
1,
-"/#,/*
"3"/6
10(

2/3"6
4%1

+""!0
1,
"
!,+"
+!
!")"$1"
,21
/"0-,+0&&)&16
9
&1
*6
"
#/
)"00

,*-)& 1"!
,/
"5-"+0&3"
1%+
6,2
1%&+(

,7"+0
,#
-%,1,$/-%"/0

Each striking, contemporary image conjured up by JULIA FULLERTON-BATTEN tells
its own rich tale of modern life. Will Roberts speaks to her about her latest work
Lorna Dockerill asks him about his idols
 #-3
&5*
<385
4-373,5&4-.(
-*53*6
Depression is an all too common illness in "3"+
1%"
),0"01
,#
#/&"+!0
-/"00
#,/
"5-)+1&,+0
,+
"5 1)6
4%6

#"")

0,
!"-/"00"!
/&$%1
+,4
)&("
1%"/"
+""!0
1,
"

-/,-,/1&,+)
"3"+1
1,

0%,4
,+ "/+
+!
,*-00&,+
21
,+01+1)6
0(&+$
%,4
0,*",+"
&0

!,&+$
*6
*("
1%"*
#"")
"3"+
*,/"
%,-")"00
,/
$2&)16
1%1
1%"6/"
+,1

*"+1&,+"!
1%1
"!&1&+$
&+
-/1& 2)/
/,2$%1
,+
#"")&+$0
,#
&0,)1&,+
+!

&+!".2 6

%"/"
/"
,+)&+"
)0
6,2
+
0"+!
6,2/
#&)"0
1,

,2
*&$%1

 
-*,&
37*/(
&//
"
-05
#65
.:
)&30&4
5&/%
50
#&
1"*/5&34
"/%
83*5&34

3"5)&3
5)"/
1)050(3"1)&34
63/&3
*4
61
5)&3&

05),0

1&01-&
-*,&
5)"5

the creative industries, and photography is '201&#6
1%"
#"")&+$0
"5-"/&"+ "!
&0
3"/6
#/201/1&+$
:


3"+
4%"+
!"-/"00&,+
,*"0
&+
/"0-,+0"
1,

+"$1&3"
"3"+1

#"")&+$
"11"/


%&/"
+
 ,2+1+1
1,
%+!)"
6,2/
15"0

/
0%,4

3&/12)
00&01+1

%,4
6,2
/"0-,+!
1,
)&"+1
&+.2&/&"0
+!
)"1
1%"*
%+!)"
6,2/
&+,5


!4:
62
3,*(21+2/(
7/,$
7//(4621$66(1
$6
:274
>2/
297/6+8.
90
2/<
79>2/<
F
+8.
1</A
?:
=?<<9?8./.
,C
,<9>2/<=
+8.

 #-&7
.7
.6
&'387
7-*.5
:35/
7-&7
.264.5*6
<38
no different. Our resident psychologist, /"0"/ %
&+!& 1"0
1%1
&1
&0
01&))
&,),$& ))6
+!
-06 %,),$& ))6
 ($ "!%$ &$$#  " %&+$
,21
+!
&+3&1&+$
-",-)"
&+!
460
1,
#/""
2-
6,2/
1&*"
0,
6,2
+
#, 20
,+
4%1
*11"/0
*,01

3(4,/
(4
924.
&(/(%4$6('
,1
*$//(4,(5
$1'
=3=>/<=
%38-/
2/<
 
 

 
:<94/->

2/<
A9<5
2+=
/B+738/.


 
 !
!

  






37%/,&$6,215
$&4255
6+(
924/'
)24
$/0256
$
'(&$'(
90>/8
A3>2
=>+<>6381
</+63=7

>2/
:</==?</=
+8.
-98063->=
90
,/381
+
 /
5)&
$"4&
0'
63/&3

5)*/,
*5
*4
5)&
64&
0'
-*()5
"/%

53:
50






   

$
!
!

 

JENIKA MCDAVITT, offers her advice on

3"/))
&1
&0
+
&))+"00
/1%"/
1%+
+


""-
&+
*&+!
1%1





!&##"/"+1
#/,*
/"$2)/
0!+"00
"*,1&,+
+!
&1
!,"0
+,1
)460
/"0-,+!
1,
1%"
0*"
&+1"/3"+1&,+0
1%1

1,
!,
/"$2)/
1%&+$0
&0
,#1"+
1%"
"01
1%&+$
6,2
+
!,

/"'" 1"!
&+3&11&,+
!,"0+1
*"+
1%1
1%"6
!,+1
4+1
1,
%+$
,21
,/

+!
!*-
!,4+
1%"
6 )"
,#
-/, /01&+1&,+
+!
$2&)1
6(//5
4,&+
&2/274)7/
2)6(1
$1*564,''(1
5624,(5
9+,&+

'4$9
21
$
07/6,67'(
2)
,1)/7(1&(5
C9?81
A97+8
1<9A381
?:







3=
89
.300/</8>
&2/
</6+>398=23:
A3>2
2/<
9A8

(0
'03
"
.03&
1"*/5&3-:
'&&-*/(
*/
1)050(3"1)4

45"35&%
065
"4
"

1"*/5&3
#&'03&
#&$0.*/(
"
%&4*(/&3

40
.:
53"*/*/(
*4
$-"44*$"-

how to cope %")-
20
4&1%
1%"
+,/*)
2-0
+!
!,4+0
,#
)&#"
1%1
1%"
&+3&11&,+
40+1
3)2)"
1,
1%"*

,+1
-"01"/
21
!,+1

%"0&11"
1,
&+3&1"
1%"*
1,
$,
,21
#,/
)2+ %
,/
'201

%1
+!
!/,-
1%"*
+

 B0<.4=0 F "0"/ %
0%,40
1%1
01"--&+$
46
#/,*
6,2/
!"0(
+!

"5"/ &0&+$
%")-0
)"00,+
06*-1,*0
,#
!"-/"00&,+

1/1
0*))
&#

&2/
=?,4/->
90
2/<
A9<5
3=
=97/>37/=
.//:6C
:/<=98+6

09<
/3>2/<
2/<
9<

2/<
=?,4/->
>
-+8
=29-5

,?>
3>=
90>/8
A+<7

+7?=381
+8.
+--/==3,6/
79>2/<

90
-9?<=/

37:+->/.
?:98
>2/
:29>91<+:2C
E C
:+</8>=
=:63>
?:

A2/8

A+=
=>366
C9?81

+8.
A/
986C
09?8.
9?>
+,9?>
3>
+
0/A
A//5=

1"*/5*/(
3&"--:
<
3&/"*44"/$&
"/%
"--
5)"5
54
$-"44*$"-

$0.104*5*0/

.&"/

7&
4)05
"
-05
0'
456%*0
456''
"4
8&--
#&$"64&

64&%
50

E
A:<<C
:>30<=
A477
>3496
4>
4=
,9
0B.?=0
>3,>
8
5?=>
>::
7,DC
>:
+;?77
 "###
 $


$" )
%### "*&)
1,
)"1
1%"*
(+,4
6,2/"
1%&+(&+$
,#
1%"*

"$2)/
,+1 1
+
+" "00/6

83"+
&#

+1
"/
1%"
1%,2$%1
,#
)"3&+$
1%"
%,20"

4&))
<97
2/<
98.98
297/

=2/
>/66=
7/
29A
>2/
>A9
:<94/->=
=2/
09-?=/.
,/09</
>2/C
6/0>
/+-2
9>2/<
G
=2/
=+C=
E C
0+>2/<
19>
-?=>9.C
+8.
A/
79@/.
%0
"-#6.
$07&34
"/%
5)*/(4

40

$"/
-*()5
7&
"35
%*3&$5&%
1-&/5:
0'
3&"--:

8C=071
?;
:<
>3,>

,8
=006492
,>>09>4:9G
=,4/
:90
;3:>:2<,;30<
E
,8
%,1,$/-%6
&0
+"3"/
+
"06
-1%
21
&1
+
-/"0"+1
-/1& 2)/
*"+
*,/"
1%+
6,2
(+,4
#,/ "
*60")#
1,
$,
#,/

1&+6
4)(
!,4+
1%"
01/""1
+!
 (:
0&!
,+"
98
38


</:</=/8>
.300/</8>
=>+1/=
90
2/<
-+<//<
&2/
03<=>





>9
>2/
'
F
+
:6+-/

2+.
8/@/<
63@/.
,/09</

=9
>2+>
A+=
+
63>>6/
,3>
(00%
1)050(3"1)&34
"/%
5)"54
8)&3&

-&"3/5
.:
1)050(3"1):
3&"--:

#:

69:A9
,=
,9
0B.0;>4:9,77C
=><:92
A:8,9
,9/
,/84<0/
-C
:>30<=
49
8C
%))"+$"0
1,
0,*",+"
"5-"/&"+ &+$
!"-/"00&,+
9
"3"+
0&!"
#/,*
1%"
-%,1,$/-%"/

%60& )
 1&3&16
+!
"&+$
&+
1%"
,21!,,/0
)0,
%")-




2+=
-69=/
>3/=
>9
:</@39?=
A9<5

+66
90
A23-2
.<+A=
98
2/<
630/
+=
=29-5381
09<
7/G $01*/(
1&01-&
-*,&
7&%0/

40

+645
1*$,&%
*5
61
'30.
5)&.
65

%0
13&'&3

.4<.70G
=,4/
,9:>30<
E>=
3,</
>:
=3:A
+A0,690==G 202)
"*,1&,+)
!+$"/0
)&("
#"")&+$
,3"/4,/("!
2+!"/-&!
+!
 #$

8%"
"01
1%&+$
-",-)"
+
!,
#,/
*"
&0
1,
 (+,4)"!$"
1%1
/"(
2-
),+$
10(0
+!
/"!2 "
1%"
0"+0"
,#
&0,)1&,+
+
C9?81
13<6
1<9A381
?:
38
/<7+8C

7/<3-+
+8.
816+8. ?>
=97/
90
>2/
:3->?</=
2+@/
+8
/@/8
79</
.3</->
6385
>9
2/<
0+736C
+645
50
#&
065
5)&3&

64&
&9*45*/(
-*()5

.",&
5)"5
803,
"/%
-&5
*5
41&",

%"+

0"+1

02/3"6
1,
*6
,**2+&16
,#
),$
/"!"/0
0(&+$
1%,0"
4&1%
,*-/&+$
,+"0")#
1,
,1%"/0


&1
02 (0
1,
"
!"-/"00"!
:
%"+
0,*",+"
4+10
1,
1)(
)&01"+

,+1
1/6
&2/
=/-98.





6995=
+>
>2/
A3./<
>2/7/
90
,9.C
=3D/
F
>2/
03<=>
23=>9<C
"8/
38
>2/
-966/->398
=29A=
+
79>2/<
+8.
.+?12>/<
38
+
=>+<5

!"-/"00&,+
1,
0%/"
1%"&/
"5-"/&"+ "0
/"0-,+0"0
-,2/"!
&+
#/,*
/,2+!
+

#2+!*"+1)
)"3")
/2++&+$

-%,1,$/-%6
20&+"00
/".2&/"0
20
1,
#&5
+61%&+$
1%10
+,1
0,*"1%&+$
6,2
+
!,

+"
/"!"/
-"/%-0


#006
49=;4<492
.:8;,94:9=34; F ,*"
-%,1,$/-%"/0
4&1%
>37/
?63+
2+=
>+5/8
+
=>/:
+A+C
0<97
2/<
9A8
-236.299.
>9
+..</==
+
53>-2/8

+
A/..381
.</==
38
>2/
,+-51<9?8.
"86C
06+=2/=
90
</.
2+3<
,<381
 #-.(-
:5.7*56
.2
4&57.(80&5
*27-86*
<38
&2)
:-<

1%"
4,/)!
#01"/
1%+

,2)!
/"!
1%"*

%"
+2*"/
,#
/"-)&"0
0%,2)!
%3"
1,
"+!2/"
),+$
0,)&1/6
01/"1 %"0
&+
#/,+1
,#

,*-21"/
0 /""+
02**"!
&1
2-
"01
8"-/"00&,+
&0

3"/6
-"/0,+)
11)"

+!"/01+!&+$
!"-/"00&,+
#,2+!
1%1
)1%,2$%
1%"6
!&!+1
),,(
#,/4/!
1,
0, &)
1/8/<+6
=9-3+6
3==?/ +8C
A+<7>2
>9
>2/
=?::9=/.6C
@3<138A23>/
=-/8/
E&2/
.+?12>/<
38
>2/
 
-07&
065)
.&3*$"/
83*5&34
-*,&
>326&;
"/%
=-7"30
65*4
-40

"







#

!

 
""+
+,
02/-/&0"

01&*1"0
3/6
21
1
)"01
,+"
&+

!2)10
"5-"/&"+ "
-2+ 121"!
6
&+1"+0"
-"/&,!0
,#
0, &)
 1&3&16
4%"/"
-"/#,/*+ "
-1&"+ "
+!

4&))&+$+"00
1,
'201
"
1%"/"
/"
))

+""!
:

,+1 1
1%"6
4"/"
$)!
4%"+
1%"6
4"+1
,21

, )
,/
,+)&+"
35/
=9
7+8C
+<>3=>=
,/09</
2/<

?63+
2+=
=?--/==0?66C
:6?8./</.
2/<
:3->?</
3=
:</18+8>
G
=2/
/B:6+38=
E9>2
7C
79>2/<
+8.
7C
1<+8.79>2/<
$-"44*$
)*/&4&
(6:4
8)04&
/".&4

$"/5
&7&/
130/06/$&
)&:
1"*/5

!"-/"00&,+
+!
1%"
,/)!
")1%
/$+&71&,+
+1& &-1"0
1%1
6
 
"5-" 11&,+0
/"
%&$%

",-)"
"5-"/&"+ &+$
!"-/"00&,+
+
0&+(
#2/1%"/
-%,1,$/-%6
$/,2-0
+
-/,3&!"
/"0,+0
1,
$"1
1,$"1%"/


#"4
-",-)"
7/79<C
,+85=
09<
38=:3<+>398
09<
2/<
:+=>
A9<5
%2/
1</A
?:
38
/<7+8C
F
19>
:</18+8>
,/09</
>2/C
19>
7+<<3/.
+-2
37+1/
>/66=
3>=
9A8
=>9<C
9<
*."(&4
8*5)
5)&*3
803%4
"/%
5)"5
*/
"
8":
*4
8)"5

53:
50
%0
8*5)
.:

"
'39*
(03(/:.6*

'3&71&2
)3(/6
&7
&
3=3
9.00&,*
&032,
7-*
5.9*5
.,*5
&0.
37-*5






!"-/"00&,+
4&))
"
1%"
0" ,+! )"!&+$
20"
,#
!&0&)&16
/&$%1
"%&+!
%"/1
4%"+
0-"+!&+$
0,
*2 %
1&*"
),+"
+!
#&+!
&1
"3"+
%/!"/
1,
-21
"3"+
*"+1&,+"!
1%1
1%"
01/2 12/"
+!
0, &)
&+1"/ 1&,+
,#

-/1 1&*"
=97/>2381
>2+>
</6+>/=
>9
7C
:+=>

9<
/@/8
7C
79>2/<=
:+=>G 1)050(3"1)4

53:
50
$0/7&:
"
4503:
8*5)
"
4*/(-&
*."(&
&2)
(-.0)
.2
7-*
"38&5*,
9.00&,*
3+
"&'*037
.2
7-*
">2>5>
*6*57
.,*5
"**2&,*
&6.

#&55.35
1&/*6
&
+.5*
:.7-
&(&(.&
&2)
(*)&5
67.(/6
*2<&


#
"852*5

!&0"0"

"1
1%"
0&)"+ "
+!
01&$*
02//,2+!&+$
1%&0
&))+"00
0,*"1&*"0
,+

%--6
# "
1,
&+1"/ 1
4&1%
)&"+10
+!
*/("1
1%"*0")3"0
',
%")-"!

/
#/,*
$&3&+$
2-
,+
-%,1,$/-%6
1%&0
01/1"$&
0, &)
 



 
:9<><+C=
>2/
-97:63-+>/.
73B
90
69@/

+81/<

30'&)*52
&670*
 
.0
32
(&29&6

;
 (1
5.(/*7
&7

1
+7
.2

!   $
*("0
&1
0""*
)"00
-/"3)"+1
1%+
&1
&0

%& %
0!)6
*("0
&1
"3"+
*,/"
%"
20&+"00
0&!"
)0,
/".2&/"0
1%"
1&*")6
,,/!&+1&,+
,#
%2+!/"!0
1&*"
%")-"!
1%"*
#"")
"11"/
".2&--"!
1,
4,/(
,+
1%"&/
/1
 5*
7-*5*
&2<
4*340*
:-3
&5*27
.29309*)
:.7-
7-*
&576
7-&7
+5327
3+
7-*
82.
%81
32
7-*
53&)
+531
-.75&0
73
!-&2)85
&66
&/.67&2

"4*-4
803,&%
'03
5)&
-*,&4
0'
5-"/5*$
"/%
"3/&3

%))"+$&+$
#,/
-",-)"
1,
1)(
,21
,#
0*))
1"!&,20
!"1&)0
#&)&+$
15"0
,,(
(""-&+$
+04"/&+$
"*&)0

0<?=><+>398
+8.
A9<<C
A23-2
19/=
38>9
+8C
7+>/<8+6
</6+>398=23:

,?>

798>2=
,/09</
:3-5381
?:
>2/
-+7/<+

?63+
A+8>/.
>9
7+5/
=?</
/+-2

It is the first time I have ever shot in <38
&)1.5*
305)&34
&$03%4
*/
.&3*$"
"4
35
*3&$503
#&'03&
)&

%&0
0&)"+ "
-/1& 2)/)6
4&1%&+
1%"
-%,1,$/-%6
,**2+&16
&0
1/,2)&+$


%"
+12/"
,#
-%,1,$/-%6
+
*("
&1

-/1& 2)/)6
!&##& 2)1
"+3&/,+*"+1

!")&3"/&+$
-/,!2 10
4%& %
+
#"")
/20%&+$
"3"+
4%"+
4"/"
1

,2/
"01

" 20"
!"-/"00&,+
11 (0
,+ "+1/1&,+
0)""-
"+"/$6
+!
£ £

0
209>70
A4>3
C:?<=071
F
0
,+"
-%,1,$/-%"/
4/,1"
80")#
(&+!+"00
%0
""+
0
)&#" %+$&+$
0
1%"
/&$%1
*"!& 1&,+
:
"
*&+!#2)

=-/8/
A+=
+=
</+6
+=
:9==3,6/ people’s homes – normally it is much more  
806-%/5
,/08
8)&3&
50
45"35

"%.*3&
%*''&3&/5
1&01-&
'03

%*''&3&/5
3&"40/4

3&563/&%
50
0/(
0/(
50
16346&
)*4
1)050(3"1):
$"3&&3

*/


#,/
0,*",+"
"5-"/&"+ &+$
!"-/"00&,+

+!"/01+!&+$
4%1
!"-/"00&,+
*,1&31&,+
1%"0"
10(0
" ,*"
"3"+
*,/"
2*"/0,*"

8*

£
,#
4%1
6,2/"
06&+$
1,
6,2/0")#
+!
%))"+$"
,/
/"#/*"
+"$1&3"

E&2/
:/9:6/
38
>2/
:29>91<+:2=
+</
</+6
79>2/<=
+8.
.+?12>/<=
+8.
>2/C

+</
=29>
38
>2/3<
9A8
297/=
G
=2/
=+C=
E
A+8>/.
>2+>
6385

>2+>
,98.


set up. We have about two van loads of

'5&3
803,*/(
0/
"
#00,
8*5)
*$)"&-
"-*/
'03
5)&
0/5:

&0
%,4
4"
+
%")-
1%,0"
4%,
%3"
&1
+!
4%1
4"
+
!,
4%"+
4"

"5-"/&"+ "
&1
/"
("60
1,
*(&+$
,2/
&+!201/6

%")1%&"/
+!
*,/"

,3"/4%")*"!
6
*6
1, !,
)&010:
4/,1"
,+"
-%,1,$/-%"/
8
%3"

1/,2)"
*(&+$
!" &0&,+0

%3"
+,
11"+1&,+
0-+
*
"5%201"!;
*

1%,2$%10

+,1%"/
/"!"/
#,2+!
1%1
84,/(&+$
/"))6
%/!
1,
/"4/&1"
1%"

1-"0
1%1
-)6
,3"/
+!
,3"/
&+
*6
%"!:
%")-0

,+,2/
1%"
1%&+$0
1%1

>9
,/
>2/</
+6</+.C
A2/8

>995
>2/
:3->?</
)3>2
7C


=/<3/=

>2/
lighting equipment as well as stylists, hair 
3:
)3
<38
7-.2/
<385
4.(785*6
.264.5*
37-*56

 
%0/5
5)*/,
5)&:
%0
)&:3&
+645
4/"14
)0
%0&4/5
(&5
"306/%
.6$)

:5)0/
'*-.




5)&
1"*3
'03.&%
"
#0/%
"/%
"4*-

$0/5*/6&%
50
803,
8*5)
*$)"&-
0/
5&/
*--6453"5&%
#00,4

-/,!2 1&3"
-) "
0%*"!
1
1%"
#&)2/"
*
/&+$&+$
,+
*60")#
+!
*
,+01+1)6
£ %")-
6,2
#"")
"11"/
-/ 1& "
0")# /"
+!
#&+!
1/201"!
))&"0
4%,
+

:/9:6/
38
>2/
:3->?</
2+.
8/@/<
7/>
/+-2
9>2/<
+8.
>2+>
A+=
A2+>

A+8>/.

,/-+?=/

A+8>/.
>2/</
>9
,/
+
>/8=398
38
>2/
:3->?</
E?>
A3>2
>2/=/

and make-up staff. We need to find power "/:8":

)01&
1&01-&
8*--
5",&
"8":
5)&
(0-%&/
4&$5*0/
-"6()4

/0

+645
%0$6.&/5*/(

53"7&-
4&3*&4
*/$-6%*/(





'$
#  "##
)*&+$
*60")#
#,/
1%&0
#&)2/"
:


10
"06
#,/
+6,+"
1,
#))
"%&+!
&+
20&+"00
21
!"-/"00&,+
+

,1%
,##"/
02--,/1
+!
%")-
%,)!
6,2
 ,2+1)"
1,
*+$")"
$,)0

:3->?</=

635/.
>2/
3./+=
>2+>
>2/
79>2/<
+8.
.+?12>/<
A/</
38
>2/3<
9A8
for all of the lights and it soon gets quite 5)&
#&"65:
0'
-*'&
0.&5*.&4

(&5
"4,&%

8):
%0/5
:06
%0
8"34
"/%
5)*/(4

-*,&
5)"5
/%

4":

8&--
5)&3&
"3&
"
-05
0'
1&01-&
%0*/(
5)"5
"-3&"%:
"/%

 

"/%
.03&
3&$&/5-:


 

"4*-4
-"5&45
&9)*#*5*0/

!3"7&-4
8*5)
*$)"&-
"-*/

",-)"
,#1"+
20"
1%"
4,/!
!"-/"00"!
1,
/"#"/
1,
#"")&+$0
1%1
/"
!&##"/"+1
/"1"
6 )"0
,#
#"")&+$
,3"/4%")*"!
-/, /01&+1&+$
+!
#"")&+$
$2&)16

£
297/=
F
3>
7+./
>2/7
79</
</6+B/.

8/@/<
?=/
0+=2398
79./6=

=9

>2/=/
+</
89<7+6
:/9:6/
+8.
>2/C
+</
0<97
+66
.300/</8>
A+65=
90
630/
)2/8

cramped. I was sometimes worried that +645
/05
&/06()
1&01-&
8)0
"3&
13&1"3&%
50
4":

!0,":

8&
,/08
-*'&
*4
$&-&#3"5&4

:&"34
0'
"4*-4
1)050(3"1):
"/%
"%7&/563&4


#/,*
)&+& )
!"-/"00&,+

"
))
"5-"/&"+ "
"*,1&,+)
),40
9
1%&+$0
)&("

#/201/1&,+
&+
20&+"00
,/

!
/"( 2-

"
*&$%1
06
1%1
4"/"

,21
1%"
1%&+$0
1%1
#"))
1%/,2$%
1%"
/ (0
9
4%& %
,+)6
)"!0
1,

#2/1%"/
!"-/"00&,+

£ 0946,
.,@4>>
<?9=
 






 
>2/C
+</
38
+
=><+81/
:6+-/

3>
3=
79</
635/
>2/C
+</
+->381

,?>

09?8.
>2+>
when we turned up the people would open 46''&3*/(
)&
6%%)"
4":4
40
)*.4&-'
)&3&
*4
40
.6$)
#&"65:
063
5)&3&

7&/
*/
5)&
.045
%&40-"5&
1-"$&4
*/
"/
-(&3*"/
3&'6(&&
$".1

'03
&9".1-&


"/%
*4
$633&/5-:
#&*/(
4)08/
"5
)&
0:"-
&0(3"1)*$"-

0$*&5:
*/
0/%0/
6/5*-

"/6"3:
 
!"-/"00"!
" 20"
4"
#"")
!,4+
+!
)2"
#,/

#"4
%,2/0
,/
!60
+
1%"
-+")
1,
1%"
/&$%1

%3"
$&3"+
0,*"
!3& "
,+
%,4
1,
,-"
&#
,
-7:2
>3,>
307;=
;3:>:2<,;30<=
<?9
80,94921?7
,9/

>2/C
A/</
>2/7=/6@/=
A2/8
>2/C
A/</
=97/A2/</
>2/C
58/AG
=
:+<>
90
+
6/81>2C
-+=>381
:<9-/==

?63+
A9?6.
7//>
/+-2
79>2/<
+8.

their front door, see how many of us there 5)&3&
*4
+645
*/$3&%*#-&
#&"65:
5)&3&
0

461104&

)01&
1&01-&
4&&
5)&


"4*-
)"4
$0.1-&5&%
&%*503*"-

$0..&3$*"-
"/%
$03103"5&

#1"/4/!


21
!"0-&1"
1%"0"
!&##& 2)1&"0
4"
202))6
(+,4
1%1
&1
4,+1
)01

6,2
/"
02##"/&+$
#/,*
!"-/"00&,+
+!
4%1
4"
+
))
!,
1,
*("
02/"
;<:14>,-70
-?=490==0=
>3<:?23
,
=,@@40<

.+?12>/<
:+3<
38
2/<
9A8
297/

>+65381
>9
>2/7
09<
9@/<
+8
29?<
>9
038.
were, and say ‘hello, but goodbye’. JFB )6."/*5:
"/%
.045-:

)08
8&3&
"--
5)&
4".&
*/
.:
803,
:
1*$563&4

1)050(3"1):

"/%
"-40
803,&%
0/
5)&
&3/"3%0
&350-6$$*4

 
  
 

"
*&$%1
%")-
,2/0")3"0
#"")
"11"/
6
),,(&+$
,+
1%"
/&$%1
0&!"
"5-/"00&+$
,2/
4,/(&+$
"+3&/,+*"+1
&0
0
,*#,/1)"
0
&1
+
"
#,/
+6,+"
")0"
?9/0<=>,9/492
:1
;0:;70
#30
3:7/=
,
8,=>0<=

5)*/,

"3&
."*/-:
"#065
8)"5
8&
"--
4)"3&
"/%
5)&
%*''&3&/$&
"4
8&--
)&3&





9?>
+,9?>
>2/7=/6@/=
+8.

79</
37:9<>+8>6C

>2/
</6+>398=23:
>2/C
2+.
A3>2

$/1&12!"
+!
!,&+$
1%&+$0
4"
"+',6
4%,
*&$%1
"
!"-/"00"!

#
4"
0
+
&+!201/6
1("
2-
1%1
%))"+$"
/02<00
49
;=C.3:7:2C
7:@0=
=3::>492
;:<><,4>=
,9/
*4
"
$0//&$5*0/
5)&3&
"/%
)01&'6--:
5)306()
5)&
8":

1)050(3"1)

*5
#3*/(4

,4"3"/
)&+& )
!"-/"00&,+
/"#"/0
1,
+
"+1&/")6
!&##"/"+1
,+!&1&,+

0
+!
,##"/
(&+!+"00
1,
,2/
,))"$2"0
&1
4&))
+,1
,+)6
*("
1%"


>2/</
A/</
=97/

,+"
-%,1,$/-%"/
4/,1"
8,,
*+6
-",-)"
".21"
!"-/"00&,+
1,
%3&+$

/+-2
9>2/<
?>
A236/
>2/
3./+
90
=299>381
>2/
A97/8
38
>2/3<
9A8
297/=

=;09/=
1,<
>::
8?.3
>480
49
-::6=>:<0=
',@0
3077:
:9
,.0-::6 065
5)"5
$0//&$5*0/ 
+../.
+
</+63=7
+8.
A+<7>2
>2/
:29>91<+:2=
-%,1,$/-%6
4,/)!

0#"/
-) "
1,
1)(
,21
!"-/"00&,+
21
)0,
AAA;=C.3:7:2C1:<;3:>:2<,;30<=.:8 %28(

,4,$0
)420
6+(
5(4,(5


:<+->3-+6
:<9,6/7=
>9
9@/<-97/
%38-/
=2/
=>+<>/.
2/<
038/
+<>
:29>91<+:2C

0$*(5
)420
6+(
5(4,(5








,2-)"
,#
!
!60
:
%10
+,1
1,
!&*&+&0%
1%"
!&##& 2)1&"0
,#
"3"/6!6
)&#"
*("
&1

/& %"/
,**2+&16
#,/
))
,#
20
1,
1("
-/1
&+



AAA1,.0-::6.:8 =C.3:7:2C1:< 3:>:2<,;30<= 3325,6(
3$*(

!+(
#('',1*
$:
()6

7562':
$66/(
:::'&6.04&3(31
?63+=
,+-5=>+1/
>/+7
+8.
2/<
/;?3:7/8>
,+1
2+@/
1<9A8
+>
>2/
=+7/













P30 Jenika McDavitt P58 Julia Fullerton-Batten P100 Basil Pao

Jenika has a master’s degree in Julia is a fine art and commercial Basil was an art director at Warner
psychology and runs the highly photographer. She has received Bros and Atlantic before joining
successful, US-based blog, many awards and exhibited her Michael Palin to photograph the
Psychology for Photographers. work worldwide. BBC travel series books.

MEET THE TEAM

Features Editor Features Writer Multimedia

Kathrine wrote Jessica joined Writer Jade is
for a Danish our team a year our online news
broadsheet and ago and edits hound and the
edited an online our videos as guardian of
mag for two well as writes our Facebook
years before features for and Twitter
joining PP. the magazine. pages.

P65 Rankin P91 Matthew Seed

Art Editor Rebecca has six years’
Photographer, TV star and publisher Rankin Matthew is well-known for his fashion and experience in magazine design and
can’t be pigeon-holed, although many have advertising work, and is also becoming a big has been with the PP team since
September 2010.
tried. He opens up to PP in the Big Interview. name in equestrian photography.

7

Where are the
women photographers…?
“Where are the women photographers…?”
wrote Lilly in the comments box below an
article entitled ‘10 Photography Quotes That
You Should Know’. Followed by Tara who said:
“Wow… all men, but for Imogen. That’s a
disappointing reflection of the industry and its
history. Or a poorly researched piece, because
I’m certain there are thousands of amazing
women photographers who have ‘said stuff’.”
Adam Scorey is clearly sensitive to the lack of
female influence in the industry because he has
asked me to write a monthly column for
Professional Photographer magazine to help
redress the balance; no pressure then! But
I guess I should begin with an introduction.
I’m a prime example of the kind of ‘new’
photographer that winds up the ‘lifers’. It all
started as a hobby. Photography was an antidote
for my Groundhog Day existence as a full-time
mother who left the media world and London
to bring up her family. Photography brought me
back to life, and reinvigorated my self esteem.
I don’t regret one day of my four years as a
full-time mother, but it took its toll.
I needed to go back to work – mentally and
financially – and had a choice: get on the
commuter train to London or turn a hobby into
a business. I chose the latter, but my husband
made it quite clear that I had to make it work
because we used savings to finance the start-up.
Sound familiar?
The question that I know people want
answering is: how have I created a successful
and profitable business in less than three years
in a recession? Part of the answer lies in where
8
EWELL
OP
KATE H
-SM
ITH
NEW COLUMNIST
Say hello to our new columnist, KATE HOPEWELL-SMITH,
a lifestyle, wedding and portrait photographer, business
woman, mother and wife. Over the coming issues she’ll be
sharing her views and insights into our world
I invested the savings – there were three key
areas that I started with:
1: I enrolled on a respected and proven 12 month
long photography business course, Aspire
Photography Training’s Bespoke programme
(with a limited portfolio, no brand or website
and pretty basic kit!).
2: I created a real brand.
3: I built a decent, functional website with said
brand, rather than spend on camera bodies
and glass.
What I did have was 10 years’ business
experience in the world of media – advertising,
marketing, sales and branding – as a Client
Director. I ran the budgets, projects and the client
relationships. But behind this ‘business’ woman
was a fine art painter who studied History of Art
at degree level, and a father who gently insisted
that I needed to get some business experience
before following my heart and artistic instincts.
He was right. I’m very grateful for this now – not
quite so much at the time!
The first big task was to create my brand –
strategically and visually. I’m still amazed at how
very, very few photographers in this industry
have a brand. Critically I positioned myself from
launch as a ‘nine’ on a scale out of 10. I warn you
all now that I am a brand bore – and I’ll explain
why in future columns. In parallel I was building
my website, my portfolio, skill base and then my
kit. I shoot Nikon. Why? Because my husband
brought me my first camera and it was a D80.
I have no interest in discussing the merits of one
manufacturer over another… once you are using
the best professional kit for your market that is.
After launching the business in April 2010 I
spent 12 months getting established and building
critical supplier networks. But by the close of
2012 I have achieved far more in my business
than I had ever dreamed of – yet it is young and
I still have plans! No, I have not been lucky. I have
worked incredibly hard and consistently to get to
this point. And my husband… he now looks after
our children, seven and five, full-time. I could not
do what I do without his support. So that’s me.
My opportunity with this column is to be
relevant, to inspire others to achieve and to give
you my insight on the world of photography as
I see it and have experienced it. So, readers,
please get in touch with what you want to hear
from the heart and mind of one of the (many)
female photographers in the industry. PP
www.katehopewellsmith.com
@Kate_H_S_Photo
 to clear that up. That’s actually the first time I’ve set foot in a school
since I left mine back in, ooh, about 1734. I even saw one of my old
teachers; can’t for the life of me remember his name but I do remember
he had to have compassionate leave because he’d been involved in an
incident. All we knew was there was a Toblerone involved and when he
came back he was wearing glasses and he had a limp. That’s how I

FIFTY
remember it anyway.
I was recently diverted to one of those Canon rumours websites on my
twitter and asked what I thought they could possibly be working on next.
Well, I have it on good information that they’re possibly working on a
camera of some sort, possibly with a few megapixels more than the last

SHADES
one, maybe even a faster processor of some sort, it will have HD video
and it will have a battery and that’s pretty much it. Don’t write in if you’re
a Nikon fan either, just get a pen, cross out where I’ve put Canon and
write Nikon in there instead because the same applies. In fact, if you’re
that anal about the whole Canon/Nikon thing, roll up your copy of

CRAIG
Professional Photographer, relax in a seated position, holding the rolled
OF

magazine at 90 degrees to your body along the same angle as your

thighs. Then with as much force as you can muster proceed to beat
yourself about the face until you come to your senses and realise that
the name on your camera matters not one jot. That was a bit of a rant
there aimed squarely at the moronic photographer who recently emailed
me saying my photographs would improve in quality if they’d been taken
Wondering whether to stick to Nikon or on a Nikon. Obviously it makes no difference whatsoever, he was just
Canon? CRAIG FLEMING has a, err… very a dick, but he firmly believed what he said – and that’s worrying.
What’s also worrying is one major camera manufacturer’s recent ad
practical guide to finding the answer, and campaign featuring a beauty shot that quite frankly sent a shiver
a sure-fire way to impress teenage bands down my spine. I’m not one for just slagging off images, but here

L
we have a major player in the camera market who wh back in the
ast week I was asked by a friend who works at 70s and 80s produced some of the most iconic campaigns
a local school to photograph a group of children se
our industry has seen. I won’t
who had released a charity single or as people you’v probably
go into detail, you’ve
d. Now
over the age of 42 call them, a record. I say is next
seen it, all I’ll
I don’t engage with children particularly well but m
time maybe book a
given it was all for a good cause I thought I’d ma
make-up artist
make the effort. I say children, they weren’t i
instead of
children at all. No these were the next lifecyclee a cake
metamorphosis of children… these were d
decorator.
teenagers. If any of you aren’t familiar with S
Surely, to sell
teenagers, they’re a lot like children, except a bit a camera the
taller and they know everything… about, like, i
image used
everything… or something. Another true fact should be inspirational at least.
ck
about teenagers is they smell a lot like livestock That was a mini rant on behalf of o me.
at Bakewell market. O off the
One th joys
j off b i a ffreelancer
being l i that I get to
is
Upon meeting the delightful warbling mutants nts it w Employee of The Month every month and no one
win
soon became apparent I was going to have to gain c object. Although I am running out of room on my
can
their respect, and the best way to do this with teenagers w for all my certificates. The downside is I can no
wall
is by lying. Lying through my teeth. “Have you photographed d l
longer phone in sick. Well, I can but I don’t get paid.
any other singers, Mr Photographer?” said one girl. “Yes, I just had what seems like an eternity of illness,
I’ve
Beyoncé,” I replied. Obviously I haven’t but they’d seen the 04-reg Jazz but what is in fact a two-week virus. I say two weeks... 10 days. Okay, a
parked outside and even teenagers know you don’t pay for wheels like that week then. Anyway, I found myself having to complete a hair shoot
shooting portraits of your dog, so it was totally plausible. The crowd gasped. whilst ill, a prospect I wasn’t happy about but that’s what being
“Really??” “Yeah... me and Byoncey, as I call her, are like best buddies now... self-employed means. I had to dig deep, keep smiling and keep working.
I go there every Thursday for tea; she loves my beans on toast surprise.” What would Churchill say? I thought to myself, so work I did; that
Respect gained. I finished the job and got out of there but not before telling bulldog spirit is after all what Britain was built on. Oddly, it was my best
them about the time me and Rhianna got drunk in Miami and took my shoot in a long while. So much so I’m thinking of marketing my virus as
speedboat, which I’d won on Bullseye, to Cuba, where we danced till 6am. an aid to photographers.
Oddly the kooky-looking kid in glasses at the back (every class has one) My Grandma, upon hearing about my infection, was convinced I’d
was more impressed about the fact I’d been on Bullseye… which of caught it from an email, god bless her. She’s never had an email or sent
course I hadn’t. one but she’s convinced that swine flu was started by a group email from
I must point out to anyone south of Chesterfield that what we call Tea is the Peppa pig fan site. Odd how the brain works. PP
in fact what you possibly call dinner, and we call dinner what you call lunch.
That’s a disclaimer there for anyone confused about tea – just felt the need www.craig-fleming.com @CraigMFlemingPP

10
 ALL THIS FOR YOU...
FREE IPAD EDITION, REALLY? Did you know that, as a subscriber, you’ll receive exclusive
access to digital editions of both current and back issues of Professional Photographer
which are optimised for your smartphone, PC or tablet (Windows/iOS/Android)... for free?
Just log on to: www.subscriptionsave.co.uk/howto to find out how to view your copy.
TWITTER
If we were to say that the Twittersphere would be lost without our
news feeds, we’d be telling the truth. Ask our 14,000 followers. With
free breaking gear news, competitions, requests and off-beat photography fun,
our following is growing every day. Hop onto www.twitter.com/prophotomag for
more than just an info blast. You won’t be disappointed.

OUR WEBSITE
More than just a place to find the latest news, gear, competitions and
subscription offers, our portfolio area is a busy place with people from all
around the world uploading their images – the quality of the work is
breathtaking and we are never short of a great image for the print version of
Portfolio in the magazine. www.professionalphotographer.co.uk

OUR APPS
Read PP on your tablet device and you’ll be able to download and save
individual pages or full editions to enjoy offline when you are on the go. Our app
features search functionality to find keywords relating to recent content,
a zoom function to enable clearer reading and social networking integration to
keep your friends up to date with news from the magazine. You can purchase
the app from the Apple Newsstand.

FACEBOOK
We let you have a sneaky peek of our front covers before the magazine

Looking to subscribe to Professional goes on sale each month, and Facebook is our hub for conversations
with our readers on anything from gear to the ethics of retouching. We have as
Photographer ? Scan the much fun as you do commenting on photos and stories, as well as sharing
QR code which takes you pictures, links and videos with friends, so join in!

directly to a subs offer! www.facebook.com/prophotomag

12
PROFESSIONAL 20 12 y PROFESSIONA
EAR LP
HEY HO
T
T

OG
OF

RA
ER

PHE
APH

R
AL PHOTOGR

OF THE Y R 201
PHOTOGRAPHER

EA
ESSION
OF THE YEAR 2012

2yP
ROF

RO F
y P
0F THE YEAR 2012

ESS
012
2 ION
EAR L PH A
OTOG E Y
RAPHER OF TH

The PPOTY competition has come to an end, but the best part is still to come: now it’s down
to us to look through the 2,000 beautiful, inventive and well-crafted photographs that you,
the readers have uploaded to our website. The shortlist will be ready for next month’s issue,
and then it’s time for the winners to celebrate at our prestigious awards ceremony. Until
then, we’ve picked a few of the team’s favourites. Enjoy!
Á

Judge & Wedding Photographer Kevin Mullins

WWW.JANPLACHY.COM

Window by Jan Plachy

I really love this image for many reasons. Firstly, it’s obviously at a real wedding, secondly it’s a real reportage moment –
there is an element of doubt as to whether the B&G even know the photographer is there at all. Obviously shot through a
window of some kind, it could be that the photographer wasn’t even the official one on the day? It doesn’t matter to me – it’s a wonderfully
tender moment, captured with the killer detail being eye contact between the B&G. A really lovely photograph.

14
 Á PP Features Editor Kathrine Anker
Walk of the Sperm by Manoj Aryan
Who knew that the shape of a sperm cell could be
so elegant! This is an image that stands out from
afar, even when displayed as a thumbnail among other PPOTY
submissions on PP’s website, and the lines are so aesthetically
pleasing in their own right that the sperm cell connotation is
unnecessary; the subject doesn’t have to look like anything,
it’s just beautiful. It’s amazing what you can achieve by
keeping things simple and well-lit. The contrast between the
deep, vast darkness and the finely-lit details of the subject’s
skin completes the perfect composition and makes this a
true masterpiece!
WWW.MANOJARYAN.COM

PP Editor Adam Scorey

Á
WWW.DANRAYNER.COM

WWW.JAYESHPANKHANIA.COM

Starlets by Dan Rayner

Hidden in a dark alley lit only by a towering street
lamp the last thing you would expect to see is a
group of children accompanied by their mothers with a
pushchair in tow. The first thing that draws you in about this
image is the beautiful lighting and the warming hues of yellow
Á

and orange which gradiates toward darkness as it reaches the
subjects. It reminds me of the story of Peter Pan and the lost
boys that are pointing to the stars dreaming of something
beyond the norm. The texture on the ground is reflective of a
starry sky pattern while the background, although not entirely
smooth, is a non-distracting backdrop that puts focus on the
children illuminating their angelic features. The fact that they
are in silhouette adds to the mystic of the narrative and the
composition is spot on, separating the light from the dark. An
endearing photograph that spurs on a whole array of thoughts
and emotions.
PP Art Editor Rebecca Stead
Colour Run by Jayesh Pankhania
I looked through all of the PPOTY entries and
I could not get Jayesh’s picture out of my head.
There was so much good work but this one really stood out and
has done since Adam chose it as his favourite in the October
issue. It is such a striking image. The pink lip gloss is a perfect
contrast for the matte black lips and Jayesh has got the lighting
right too - just enough to highlight the lips but not bring out the
rest of the face.

15
 20 12 y PROFESSIONA
EAR LP
EY HO
TH T

OG
OF

RA
ER

PHE
APH

R
AL PHOTOGR

OF THE Y R 2012 y P
EA
ESSION

OF THE YEAR 2012

ROF

RO F
yP

ESS
012

2 ION
EAR AL
P HO
TOGRAPHER OF THE Y
Á

Judge & Lifestyle

Portrait / Wedding

WWW.AEGINAPHOTOGRAPHER.COM
Photographer
Kate Hopewell-Smith
Lady of Moat View by
Luke Woodford
In all three images Luke has captured
soft, ethereal light which gently touches
Á

the fascinating location. The beautiful

and intricate fashion sits strangely at
peace with the decay and dirt. The detail
and textures invite the eye to roam the
frame yet it always returns to the ‘The
Lady’. There is a story yet you are left as
voyeur. Gorgeous toning in post. I Love
them and find them reminiscent of Lady
Havisham and Satis House.
Judge & Sports / Commercial / Celebrity Photographer Ben Duffy
Before the Rain Comes by Dimitris Vlaikos
This is an image taken straight from my own playbook. First thing I do on an
editorial job is check out the sky when I get out of the car and if I saw this
one I know I’d be able to work a bit of magic just as Dimitris has here. It’s the perfect
trifecta of great sky, great location and interesting subject. Throw in a simple light source
from the right direction, a tweak of the colours, a bit of vignette, and the result is a
beautifully cinematic image.

WWW.LUKEWOODFORD.COM

OUR SPONSORS

16
We’ve chosen our
favourite images
from Professional
Photographer’s
online gallery.
Don’t forget to
upload your work
for a chance to
be featured
next month

REKHA GARTON,
UK

19
ANA LUI GOLEBIEWSKA,
SPAIN

SEBASTIAN SCHOFIELD,
UK

LUKE WOODFORD, NIKKI HOPKIN,

UK UK

20
 PORTFOLIO
MARGARET
YESCOMBE, UK

PETER FARRELL,
UK

CHUBKO GENNADY,
RUSSIA

21
 GREGOR REID,
UK

NATALY BUHAIENKO,
UKRAINE

PAUL RICHARD
RAILTON, UK

RICHARD PARDON,
UK

22
New Year’s Revolution
t Two!
P a r
The second part of Middlebrook’s New
Year’s resolutions includes sticking it to the
law and starting his own country

O
KAY, so we have The Book, The Exhibitions, Convergence, various), an aquarium and a lorry load of batteries. My new project had
Personal Projects and a Big Wardrobe - that leaves five more started, ahead of schedule, and I couldn’t be happier. It was inspired by
resolutions for 2013. Even I don’t know what they are, but I feel a photographs of the Louvre, the long and dismal winter evenings, the need to
tingle of excitement as I fashion my year ahead out of the urgent do something different and because of substantial gaps in my technical
need to write this article. So if my year is a disaster, it’s your fault and creative knowledge. It’s so broad a subject that almost anything sits
right? – agreed! under its banner, but it means I will never be restricted, because all it needs
True to form, and no sooner than I had imagined them, I commenced my is ‘ideas’ and I am never short of those. The project is called ‘_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _‘
New Year’s Resolutions. In mid-November. In need of broadening income (well I am not going to tell you, am I). And I am powerless to stop it
streams and being too old in the tooth to take up my usual fall-back in happening, I had no say in its origination; it’s a benign tumour that festered
these circumstances, ‘Male Escort’, I began drawing up plans for a more unseen before appearing as an excited lump in my throat. That’s the
commercial website. I plundered extinct and defiled folders of exquisite problem with this disease we call photography, it controls us, it’s the boss,
artifice (or as I told my clients at the time ‘I have just loved shooting your it’s in charge!
bolt cutters Bob, here’s my mobile, call me when the spanners are So as they say, if life gives you nothing but lemons…
ready’) when I began to see unseen patterns popping into position like the
jigsaw puzzle of my career. Broadly, these folders fell into three categories;
photojournalism – LOVE, personal work – LOVE, spanners…
My head is like nuclear fission, pumping out a billion ideas as each new
atom splits, though sadly my limbs mostly fail to keep up. I have been
thinking more than ever about my work since I wrote parts 1-5 of my
resolutions for last month’s article. And this is what I discovered:
photography is a disease! There it is, I’ve said it now, Pandora’s box has
sprung a leak and the truth has seeped out like an ugly wrecking ball. It is a
filthy addiction like any other drug, and I can’t kick the habit. Resolution
No. 4 was ‘Personal Projects’, and this search through the zeros and ones of
my life, combined with my atomic brain, and the self-discovery that
photography is a disease, led to three days on the Paris Metro, the purchase
of a light stand and various adaptors, six pieces of card (colours and sizes

6. TECHNIQUES AND SKILLS

Because photography is a disease that rules us, my resolutions are
designed to give me back some control over the whole darn thing.
Obviously my new personal project does not involve me photographing
lemons, I just wanted to teach myself some skills that I might apply in a
broader sense. I have always loved the discovery side of creating. There is a
childlike wonder to looking at the back plate of my camera and exclaiming
‘blimey it worked’. I have never lost this. People have been photographing
lemons dropping into water since Moses parted the Red Sea, so the only
value in these images is in the process of learning itself. And yet I have wet
myself with excitement as each deft refinement to my setup brings ever
better results. I should be embarrassed really, but when all the pieces 

Right: Once you have worked out your lighting, then it’s up to your imagination!
Left: If life gives you lemons, then make some lemonade!

24
 MARTIN
MIDDLEBROOK
MARTIN MIDDLEBROOK

25
come together, I will be the one having the last laugh, you’ll see.
Nearly every technique I have taught myself I have somehow applied on a
commercial shoot, or whilst dodging bullets. The long, dark winter evenings
are just that, long and dark, and I can think of nothing better than turning
my Parisian apartment into a working laboratory and seeing what I might
create. I am, as we speak, priapic with excitement. Nuclear fission is
continuing unabated and there is no telling where it might end.
7. MAKE MORE MONEY THAN LAST YEAR
Shouldn’t be difficult this one, bon courage MM!
8. BREAK ALL THOSE RULES
A couple of years back I was asked by the previous Editor of PP to write a
piece about Street Photography and The Law. I used it as a rallying
call to all photographers to get out there and shoot whatever they could
(within the realms of the law of course). Photographers are being penned in
from all sides, the rise of digital, online, disappearing budgets – all of it
designed to squash our freedom of expression. Last Summer I ended up
calling Peter Dench whose book England Uncensored had just been
released. As we chatted he was busy wandering the streets of West London
on assignment for Stern.
I wonder how he did it, I marvel at his tenacity. I presume he had to take
the inside leg measurements of each and everyone within a 30 mile
radius of ‘the photograph’, multiply it by the obliquity of the ecliptic
(allowing for leap years and ambient temperature) and then get the whole
thing signed off by God. What a complete arse, just to show future
generations what West London looked like in 2012.
You built the world’s biggest iron structure, stuck
it in the middle of the world’s most famous city,
asked everyone to come and see it, and now you
won’t let anyone photograph it at night. MM
26
There are so many rules designed to prevent this kind of photography
existing these days, and with it will be a lost opportunity to chronicle and
document daily life for future generations. I was in WH Smith in Paris
last weekend with some French friends, and I noticed a copy of PP on the
shelves. So I skipped a bunch of pages, went straight to my column
and shoved it under the noses of mes amis. There was a brief moment of
pride and fame, followed swiftly by incredulity. ‘Did you get permission
to photograph the Louvre, you can’t photograph in public in France, the
Eiffel Tower is protected by law and you can’t photograph it at night – have
you considered incest, it’s so much less embarrassing than being a
photographer don’t you think?’
Well really I can’t be doing with any of it. I see, on any given day, 20,000
Japanese tourists photographing the Eiffel Tower and posting it to their
Flickr account. Why as a professional do I need to get a model release
form for everyone in the image and permission from the Chief Executioner
to print it? I know, I know, I understand the law and rights and blah blah
blah, but I am not going to roll over and have my tummy tickled. You
built the world’s biggest iron structure, stuck it in the middle of the world’s
most famous city, asked everyone to come and see it, and now you won’t let
anyone photograph it at night. When I look through pages of photography
magazines I see nothing but studio photography, uncomplaining animals or
travel photography from far off places, but I don’t very often see ‘daily
life’ in Europe. If we lose the Peter Dench’s of this world, we lose our take
on society now, and how history will review it in years to come. So I am
just going to break a lot of rules this year, go and shoot whatever I see, and
woe betide anyone who gets in my way!
9. LOTS OF BALLS AND BE FLEXIBLE
If I have learned anything this past couple of years, and that’s debateable,
I have learned to be flexible in my thinking – and to have enough balls in the
air. And to keep my options open. And to be prepared to change. And…
but also not to lose sight of your overall goals. And not to confuse yourself
by leaving options open to change whilst sticking to long-term plans.
Have I learned anything? It’s debatable.
10. ANOTHER COUNTRY
I came to Paris in the early summer of 2012 as a little space away. War
zones have a slightly deleterious affect upon your demeanour and it
was time to refill mine. I have however stayed longer than I expected, due in
no small measure to the plenitude of wine and cheese and galleries.
French women have also played their part, as did the desire to wear long
scarves and dodge dog *%&@ in the streets. Nothing lasts forever, however,
and I can’t sit here getting fat and shrugging my shoulders whilst there
is a big wide world just waiting to be photographed. So at some point in
2013 I will pack my bags, tear the apartment apart in the hope of finding my
Yellow Fever certificate and grab a ‘big white bird’ to somewhere. It’s only
right, ‘the old dreams were good dreams; they didn’t work out but I’m
glad I had them’.
But where to go? Well I have been drawing up an exhaustive list, which so
far extends to two countries. Both rely upon the good auspices of
sitting governments and prized connections. If neither happens, then I have
been thinking of starting my own country. The President (for it be a
Left: Isn’t everything about light?
Right: In so many forms, and shapes, and intensities…
 MARTIN
MIDDLEBROOK

republic) would be Don McCullin, all picture editors would be obliged to

commission work that I personally would like to see (there would be a
...I have been thinking of starting my own
body to ruthlessly manage this overseen by Sebastião Salgado), and the country. The President (for it be a republic)
internet would be a safe haven where images were protected and valued
accordingly. This country will be called Photopia (having thought of this
would be Don McCullin, all picture editors
I ‘Googled’ the name with the intention of buying it for myself, but as is would be obliged to commission work that I
often the way someone got there before me) and central to its
constitution will be Artisan values, whereby ‘clever creatives’ are
personally would like to see... MM
afforded significant tax breaks and people must bow and curtsey when
they meet you in the streets. I will be in charge of maintaining quality of
output across all genres. A Vote for Me is a Vote for YOU! PP

Follow Martin’s journey on:

www.martinmiddlebrook.com
www.twitter.com/martinmiddlebro
www.facebook.com/Martinmiddlebrook

27
 Fit for Work blogazine FFIT
IT FOR WORK by Sarah O’Neill

Watch my workout videos – click www.sarahoneill.co.uk

Fuel up 3 COMMON BREAKFAST MISTAKES:

+ Mistake 1: Overdoing the fruit juice.

before
sugar. A small glass
Fruit juice is loaded with calories and
t as one of your five a day, but five glasses won’t
DOES coun
ss that’ s extra pounds of
help you meet your five… unle
of drink ing lots of juice before a busy shoot
weight! Beware
n any other sugary

the shoot
eate
– you’ll crash the same as if you’d
opt for who le fruit as oppo sed to the
breakfast. Always
more it is processed
juice, as the GI of fruit increases the
ed appl e to appl e juice ).
(e.g. from apple to stew
ola.
It’s the most important meal of the day + Mistake 2: That delicious-looking gran
s prett y heal thy… it taste s… like crunchy maple
It look
but there are so many sugary traps to pot contains 579kcals
syrup?! It basically is. A Pret granola
who ppin g 49.5 g suga r, prett y much your entire daily
and a
avoid. SARAH O’NEILL shares her tips to allowance. Cue scuffling for snac ks in the camera bag.

fuelling up before a long shoot + Mistake 3: That healthy-looking Spec

ial K cereal bar.
high in suga r but also cont ains trans fats, linked
It’s not just
An astonishing two thirds of Brits don’t eat er. Alpe n and Jordans offer a
with heart disease and canc
y fill you up until lunch?
breakfast at all. ‘Breaking your fast’ is Top tip healthier choic e, but will it reall
the opportunity to provide your Keep your breakfast varied
morning self with a welcome boost to avoid boredom and think
of nutrients which will make sure what new colours you can
introduce. A cup of green tea
Best breakfast for...
you don’t flag half way through a
AN OUTDOOR SHOOT
shoot, resulting in you reaching for will also provide a welcome
Porridge made with 50g oats plus water and/or milk,
sugary snacks to get you through. boost of antioxidants and topped with a handful of blueberries (or other berries),
If you have a busy day ahead a good contains lower levels chopped banana or two tsp honey. A shake of
of caffeine than cinnamon is great for balancing blood sugar levels
breakfast will set you up, meaning you
coffee
won’t spend the first few hours propping EARLY START
your sleepy head up with your camera. Added A banana and handful of brazil nuts (15-20 nuts), or
bonus: studies suggest breakfast-eaters have lower body fat and are two to three oat cakes with nut butter or Philadelphia
better at losing or maintaining weight than those who skip breakfast.
But not all breakfasts are created equal! Breakfast cereals E
PREP THE NIGHT BEFOR
are fortified with vitamins, minerals and fibre, but sadly many , slic ed, plus sliced beef tomato
Hard-boiled egg
two slices of rye or seeded
and spinach on one or
manufacturers decided to offset this by chucking a bucket full of
ita, plu s a little Philadelphia or
sugar into the mix. Anything with over 15 per cent sugar per serving bread, or three Ryv
gets a big shiny red traffic light from the Food Standards Agency. Per tahini spread
bowl, Coco Pops has 14.8g sugar (37 per cent), whilst Crunchy Nut
LONG DAY AHEAD
tte (if you’re feeling extra
Cornflakes has 13.6g (34 per cent), and supposedly-healthy Special Scrambled egg or omele
whites) on one slice of
K 6.8g (17 per cent), all more than the 5.4g sugar in a slice of shop- virtuous just use two egg
gra in or rye toast with a grilled
bought chocolate cake, and we all know that’s not something you wholewheat, whole
mushroom
ought to have for breakfast. tomato and grilled field
So what’s on the menu for breakfast? Try to opt for foods that are
as natural and unprocessed as possible. Oats are the perfect WEEKEND LUXURY
breakfast choice, a great slow-release source of energy which avoids Two slices of soda or rye
bread topped with one
scrambled or poached or two
rapid spikes in blood sugar (followed by a crash). With mueslis it’s eggs and thin strips of sm
salmon (no need for but oked
best to build them yourself – you can buy muesli bases from health ter or margarine on the
bread)
food shops, then add in natural, unsalted nuts and fresh fruit.

29

THE DARK ROOM
– Depression in
the Photography
World
Depression is an all too common illness in
the creative industries, and photography is
no different. Our resident psychologist,
JENIKA MCDAVITT, offers her advice on
how to cope
“I worry others will think it is an excuse, that I’m just too lazy to ‘pull
myself up,’ or that I am seeking attention,” said one photographer. “I am
known as an exceptionally strong woman and admired by others in my
circle,” said another. “It’s hard to show ‘weakness.’”
When I sent a survey to my community of blog readers asking those with
depression to share their experiences, responses poured in from around
the world faster than I could read them. The number of replies should have
been no surprise. Estimates vary, but at least one in 10 adults experience
depression, and the World Health Organization anticipates that by 2020,
depression will be the second-leading cause of disability (right behind heart
disease). Yet the silence and stigma surrounding this illness sometimes
makes it seem less prevalent than it is. Which, sadly, makes it even more
challenging for people to talk about.
This silence, particularly within the photography community, is troubling.
The nature of photography can make it a particularly difficult environment
for someone experiencing depression. Understanding what depression
is, how we can help those who have it and what we can do when we
experience it, are keys to making our industry a healthier and more
productive place.
WHAT IS DEPRESSION?
People often use the word ‘depressed’ to refer to feelings that are different
from clinical depression. We all experience emotional lows – things like
frustration in business or a bad break-up. We might say that we’re
‘depressed’ because we feel down and blue for a few hours or days
afterward. But despite these difficulties, we usually know that it won’t last.
We might help ourselves feel better by ‘looking on the bright side,’ expressing
gratitude and doing things we enjoy.
However, clinical depression refers to an entirely different condition. As
one photographer wrote, “Too many people equate depression to having
a couple of bad days.” That’s not to diminish the difficulties of everyday life,
30
but clinical depression cannot be thought of in terms of emotions
experienced alongside regular life events. When someone is clinically
depressed, they may feel down most of the day, nearly every day, for
two weeks or more. One of the prominent features of depression is not
merely ‘feeling sad,’ but actually being unable to experience pleasure.
This condition, known as ‘anhedonia’, makes it difficult or impossible for
someone to enjoy activities they would normally love, like spending
time with family or even just picking up their camera.
Thus, while typical sadness might be made better by hanging out
with friends or going to a movie, people experiencing depression
may find no relief in doing these things, because there is no pleasure in
doing them. Rather, they may only feel fatigue, or guilt because they
think they ‘should’ be enjoying themselves.
One of the hardest things to grasp about depression is the idea that
someone can feel depressed even when there is ‘nothing to be
depressed about.’ Depression isn’t always ‘about’ something. While
depression can be triggered by a negative event, it can also come on for
no specific reason at all. And as one photographer put it, “Having
even the closest of friends press for explanations on exactly why I feel
so depressed right now (like there needs to be a proportional event to
justify the feelings experienced) is very frustrating.”
Even when depression comes in response to a negative event,
research indicates that it is still biologically and psychologically
different from ‘regular’ sadness. Overall, it is an illness rather than an
emotion, and it does not always respond to the same interventions that
help us with the normal ups and downs of life.
DEPRESSION’S IMPACT ON A PHOTOGRAPHY BUSINESS
Photography is never an easy path, but it can present particular
challenges to someone experiencing depression – even aside from the
usual emotional dangers like feeling overworked, underpaid and
comparing oneself to others.
On a fundamental level, running a photography business requires us
to endure long, solitary stretches in front of a computer screen,
punctuated by intense periods of social activity where performance
expectations are high. People experiencing depression can sink further
when spending so much time alone, and find it even harder to ‘put
on a happy face’ to interact with clients and market themselves.
The business side also requires the timely coordination of hundreds
of small, tedious details (filing taxes, book keeping, answering emails,
delivering products), which can feel crushing even when we’re at
our best. Because depression attacks concentration, sleep, energy and
motivation, these tasks become even more cumbersome. “I’m
overwhelmed by my to-do lists,” wrote one photographer, “I have
trouble making decisions, I have no attention span, I’m exhausted… I’m
ashamed at the failure I’m bringing on myself, and I’m constantly
blaming myself for this failure.”
It’s easy for anyone to fall behind in business, but depression can
create cycles of feeling overwhelmed, procrastinating and feeling guilty
about the things that ‘fell through the cracks’ – which only leads to
further depression.
In the panel to the right, I have given some advice on how to cope if
you are suffering from depression, and what we can all do to make sure
our working environment is as comfortable as it can be for anyone else
who might be depressed. If we, as an industry, take up that challenge
and offer kindness to our colleagues, it will not only make the
photography world a safer place to talk about depression, but also
make it a richer community for all of us to take part in. PP
) PSYCHOLOGY
5 THINGS YOU CAN DO TO SUPPORT OTHERS
Even if you don’t have depression, there are things you can do to
support your friends, and also make our industry a safe place for
peers to talk about depression:
1) BE A GOOD CITIZEN ONLINE - Whether you’re hanging out on a
forum, engaging in debate or offering critique, never forget that there are
real people on the other side of that screen. Don’t type what you
wouldn’t say to someone in person. Offer constructive suggestions when
requested, and be quick to offer praise when it’s deserved.
2) EDUCATE YOURSELF AND REFRAIN FROM JUDGING - People with
depression aren’t lazy or weak, they’re dealing with an immensely
challenging illness. As one online commenter quipped, “depression isn’t
fun enough to choose laziness to get it.” If people could make it go away
by ‘cheering up’, they would. Be patient, and don’t offer advice unless
it’s requested.
3) LET THEM CONTROL WHETHER OR NOT THEY WANT TO TALK -
“Asking how I’m doing can be a bit hard because I may not be doing well –
and if I’m not then I may not really feel like discussing it.” It’s good to
show concern and compassion, but constantly asking how someone is
doing may make them feel even more hopeless or guilty that they’re not
feeling better.
4) EXTEND FREQUENT INVITATIONS - Reaching out and inviting people
to do regular things is often the best thing you can do. Keep in mind that
a rejected invitation doesn’t mean that they don’t want to hang out, or
that the invitation wasn’t valuable to them. Don’t pester, but don’t
hesitate to invite them to go out for lunch or just a chat, and drop them an
email to let them know you’re thinking of them. Regular contact can
mean more than you know.
5) LISTEN - “The best thing people can do for me is to acknowledge that
it sucks to be depressed.” When someone wants to talk, listen. Don’t try
to ‘fix’ anything, that’s not something you can do. One reader perhaps
summed it up best: “Depression is a very personal battle. Understanding,
patience and a willingness to just be there are all I need.”
£ £
£
£ help you feel better, practice self-care, and find trusted allies who can
£ Jenika McDavitt runs Psychology for Photographers,
FOR
PHOTOGRAPHERS
)
PART 3
5 TIPS TO DEALING WITH DEPRESSION
If you are experiencing depression, you are not alone. And although
everyone is different, fellow photographers living with depression
have offered a few suggestions to help cope while running
a business:
1) Seek treatment – Depression isn’t your ‘fault,’ and it is treatable. If
researching available options feels overwhelming, ask someone close
to you for assistance. There are online resources like The Black Dog
Institute and Depression Alliance that can provide a place to start. It
may take time to find the right course of action, but seeking professional
help is as worthwhile for depression as it would be for any other illness.
2) Cut overwhelm by outsourcing business tasks – Running a
business doesn’t mean you have to perform every task. Survey what
needs to be done and delegate out responsibility – it may be far less
complicated or expensive than you think. Dozens of photographers
mentioned that editing in particular brought on feelings of isolation and
inadequacy. There are online labs you can send your files to. You might
hire an accountant to handle your taxes. Or show a virtual assistant
how you respond to client inquiries, and let them handle your inbox.
Find ways to free up your time so you can focus on what matters most,
and damp down the cycle of procrastination and guilt.
3) Exercise – Research shows that stepping away from your desk and
exercising helps lesson symptoms of depression. Start small if
necessary. “Even if I can’t bear the thought of leaving the house, I will
force myself to go for a tiny walk down the street and back,” said one
photographer. Physical activity and being in the outdoors also help
break up long tasks and reduce the sense of isolation.
4) Seek inspiring companionship – Some photographers with
depression found that although they didn’t look forward to social
contact, they were glad when they went out. Local or online
photography groups can provide reasons to get together. A few people
even mentioned that the structure and social interaction of a part-time
job helped. Far from ‘giving up on photography’, this strategic social
time helped them feel better equipped to work on their art.
5) Be gentle with yourself – As one photographer wrote, “self-
kindness has been as life-changing as the right medication.” Be mindful
of what you’re saying to yourself, and challenge or reframe negative
thoughts. Another reader found that “working really hard to rewrite the
tapes that play over and over in my head” helps. Honour the things that
both offer support and help hold you accountable to manageable goals.
a blog that helps photographers run meaningful and
profitable businesses through a savvier
understanding of people. She holds a master’s
degree in psychology, loves shooting portraits and
spends far too much time in bookstores. Wave hello on Facebook!
www.psychologyforphotographers.com
www.facebook.com/PsychologyforPhotographers
31
ED THOMPSON
{INSIDER }

CROWD FUNDING
Can’t get a book publisher on board for your latest venture and haven’t got the cash
to self-publish? Then get others to pay for it! MATT HENRY talks to ED THOMPSON
and HARRY WATTS about their experiences of crowd funding
MATT: Greetings to documentary multimedia piece about Occupy that went semi- closely guarded secret and no one wanted to
photographer Ed Thompson and viral but I knew that I wanted to do something tell me. The one lead I did get was way out of my
fine art photographer Harry Watts, solid and permanent, which means a book, and budget so I found an old mom and pop family-run
both of whom have financed books a book means money, ergo crowd funding. business and did it through them. There are
using crowd funding. We’ll start with Ed. Is it plenty of them all over London.
just the one project you’ve funded this way Ed? MATT: So you took the self-published route for
ED: Yes, just the one project so far. the book? MATT: And did you have an idea in mind about
Normally my photo stories are quirky ED: Yes. the format?
and go to magazines and ED: What I wanted was to create something
newspapers. I showed the series I did MATT: Did you go the Blurb route? historical about the event, not your traditional
about Occupy London to the editors of the ED: No. It’s over-priced and poor quality. I photo book with 20 pictures and a series
weekend supplements and the attitude was very emailed a lot of people involved in self-publishing of essays.
much that we’ve already seen this work for two and asked, ‘Hey guys, who do you print with?’ But
weeks now and it’s not news. So I did a it seems like the choice of printer is a bit of a MATT: Before we go into the logistics of 

33

The most important thing for me was to do the push in stages,
not all at the front end. If you do all your press and publicity in
the first week and get everything out on Twitter, email
etc., then interest will quickly fall off. HW
crowd funding, I’ll ask Harry about his project
that he funded in this way?
HARRY: Like Ed I really wanted to
make something physical and needed
crowd funding to facilitate that. I’d
produced a series of works called
Finds, the first part of which I’d already published
in the same newspaper format through self-finance.
I wanted to get other people involved in the
production of the next part of Finds.
MATT: Tell me about Finds. Obviously Ed works
in photojournalism and this is a very different
photographic approach.
HARRY: It is the opposite end of the scale. Crowd
funding is perfect for documentary work with a
humanistic ethos. My work is more what you’d
call fine art and it’s certainly more difficult to get
people to fund work like this. It was certainly
a challenge.
MATT: Yes my work is very different again and
I did think about the possibility of funding my
own publication in this way, but it does seem
like most of the photography that is crowd
funded is photojournalistic in approach. I’m
34
sure it’s easier to get people on board for a
worthy cause.
HARRY: Crowd funding has been around for quite
a long time. We have got to the point that we know
what works and what doesn’t. It does work well for
photojournalism because there’s always a story
that people can grab onto and they become
interested in seeing the finished article. I think it’s
more difficult to sell fine art photography unless
you’re already a name.
MATT: Ed, what’s your take on this?
ED: I don’t think it’s that difficult. I went to
a lecture by Slavek Rubin, the guy who
started Indiegogo…
MATT: Sorry, what’s Indiegogo?
HARRY: That’s the platform we both use.
ED: The reason I used them was at that time you
couldn’t use Kickstarter without an American
credit card. And Indiegogo has an interesting
ethical backdrop. As well as people funding all
sorts of things, like solar powered lights for
Africa, there are a lot of people in America trying
to get funding for serious operations.
HARRY: It’s absolutely fascinating when you put
a project on there and then you start looking up
other people’s campaigns and people start
commenting on yours. The highest amount of
money raised on this site was for a lady abused on
a bus in America and people funded her to have
a trip around the world.
MATT: I know nothing about this, how does it
all work? Do you just put your project up there
and ask your friends on Facebook to chip in,
like when you do a marathon or such like?
HARRY: It’s different to charitable causes in the
sense that there are different tiers of donation,
some of which will usually result in the giver being
provided with something in return. You might have
a $1 thank you, then $10 for a book. Indiegogo
also has something called the ‘gogofactor’. The
more people that look at your site, and comment on
it, the more likely you are to get on the front page.
ED: I spoke to Slavek about this gogofactor and
all it does really is put you nearer to the top of
the Indiegogo website. It means that people who
are already on that website are more likely to see
the campaign but I don’t think you can really rely
on the fact that there are just philanthropic
people out there browsing and looking to donate.
HARRY: I think there are. I received several
hundred dollars from people just browsing and
finding the campaign on there. And I made $1200.
It’s not a lot though. I know you made $2500 or
more, Ed.
ED: It’s still a ridiculously low amount for
publishing a book. I had three groups of funders.
People who have known my work over the years,
people who were obviously pro-Occupy (and I had
some big donations there) and the randoms,
which is kind of cool. I think what matters more
than the gogofactor is Facebook, Twitter, and
incorporation onto my website which gets maybe
100 hits a day.
MATT: How do you get people to go to
Indiegogo and be in the position to donate to
your campaign, do you just need a lot of
Twitter and Facebook followers?
HARRY: I didn’t rely on indiegogo to bring people
in. I just used it as a platform to direct people. I’ve
built up a good Twitter following over the last year
and a half and also relied on media contacts that
I’ve made over time. The most important thing for
me was to do the push in stages, not all at the front
end. If you do all your press and publicity in the
first week and get everything out on Twitter, email
etc., then interest will quickly fall off. You’ve only
got 60 days to be able to get your money.
MATT: Ah, this is interesting. So you really
need some sort of plan of attack?
HARRY: Yes. So the way I did it is on the first day

it went out I strategically put tweets out every hour
to different people and different groups of people
using different hashtags as well as a group email to
all of my closest friends and family for the first wave
of donations. Then the week after that I emailed my
media contacts, then the next week my photography
contacts. I had several different writers put together
pieces about this style of work and every week I
released a new bit of work, some of this text and
sometimes a video.
MATT: So your predominant platform
was Twitter?
HARRY: Yes I’d say so.
MATT: And what about yourself Ed? Any plan
of attack?
ED: One thing we should mention before we
forget is that there are two types of crowd
funding on Indiegogo. There’s the ‘raise as much
as you can’ type and there’s the fixed funding.
The first can be problematic because if, say, you
only raise $250 and all of a sudden you’ve got
people asking for their book you’re in a bit of
trouble. You can’t print a book for $250! So it’s
really important to get that right from the start.
MATT: I see, so you’ve got to do your sums
before you start asking for donations.
ED: Slavek doesn’t like the term donation
because people are actually contributing to a
product they’re potentially going to get in return.
For my funding, people got a book for basically
a tenner and in the end the cost of production
worked out a tenner so by the time you factored
in postage I was losing money per book. I got
funded but I also spent hundreds on it, but it was
okay for me because it was ideological. I wanted
this movement to take its place in history so it
was important that a book of the photographic
evidence was made. Back to the plan of action…
I put the work out and the website went live on
indiegogo and I put out a video, which is very
important. The one thing Slavek mentioned in the
mini-conference is the importance of producing a
video. And it’s not good enough to produce a
video of just your product or your photos. You
need to say a little bit about yourself and I think
it’s good to use a bit of humour. My cat kept
interrupting me as I was speaking and I think this
went down well. It was a bit stupid but the point
is, humour’s good.
HARRY: The video is so important. In a lot of
{INSIDER }
cases with online content people will choose to
watch a video rather than reading a couple of
paragraphs of text.
MATT: I’m the opposite. I must be old. Videos
piss me off generally and I’ll always
favour text.
HARRY: I made a little bit of a faux pas with
mine. I dressed up in a shirt and a tie and it was
ridiculous because I was asking people for money
and there I was dressed up all smart. It was a good
experience though because I’d never spoken to
camera before. I saw your video, Ed, when I was
making mine and did like the bit with the cat in it!
ED: There was also a cat litter tray in the corner
so everyone ended up staring at the cat shit! On
my Indiegogo page there’s an update button and
it shows everything that I did as an update.
People who were interested or had already
funded would get that update.
MATT: Ah, I see.
ED: There are lots of different videos and photos
or if I had a lecture coming up I’d put that up as
well, assuming that if people are interested
enough to buy a book then they’d also come 
35
 {INSIDER }
to a lecture and a lot of them did. I had a fair few
people fund anonymously…
HARRY: …yes, that’s quite annoying in a way
because you want to have it publicly noted.
ED: I had some well-known critics say they
would make donations and then they did it
anonymously and it would have helped so much
more if I could point people to the fact they’d
donated! Another thing worth mentioning is that
there’s a thing called ‘perks’ on crowd funding
where you can encourage levels of donation. You
have a set minimum; mine was $15 for the book.
Then it went to $30 for a book and a print, and for
$100 you got a signed book and set of five prints.
It’s another way of trying to get a bit more cash.

MATT: So you have to incentivise things rather

than making a simple plea to charity.
HARRY: Some crowd funding platforms don’t
have this; people just donate what they want but
it’s actually a great tool because you can work out
how to market to different demographics. I was
very conscious of what I was giving away. I didn’t
want to have to spend more money than necessary
I distributed 50 of the copies to museums and libraries to ensure
so everything that I offered extra to the book I had its legacy which was important for me. I didn’t want it just ending
already had produced, such as the first version of
Finds, or prints I’d had made. Crowd funding is
up in someone’s pile of photo books. ET
actually a great lesson in both self-promotion
and sales.

MATT: Obviously you’d like to get the most

lavish book possible with heavyweight paper
stock, but not everyone wants to spend £50 on
a book, so I guess you really need to think hard
about the price point too.
HARRY: Exactly. Ed, there’s one thing I wanted to
ask you about your book; are you selling copies
outside of Indiegogo?
ED: Most of the copies went and I distributed 50
of the copies to museums and libraries to ensure
its legacy, which was important for me. I didn’t
want it just ending up in someone’s pile of photo
books. I am selling the remaining copies though
for £20. At lectures I sell them for £15 as people
have already paid £4 to come and hear me
talking shit!
HARRY: I made a decision to let people know that
I would have no financial gain from the project
whatsoever. I printed 5,000 newspapers and am
going to give every single one of those away for
free. The £1000 I raised went to printing. I raise
this point not about your book Ed, as I know it has
cost you money, but I have seen several
photographers raise large amounts of money and
then go on to sell a $40 book.
ED: Many crowd funding books you’ll see require
$25,000. And they want $50 a book. Well mine
was $2500.
HARRY: This is what I’m saying. There are many
photographers out there using crowd funding to
produce lavish books and making large
profits afterwards.
MATT: To play devil’s advocate, if it isn’t
billed as a charity thing and people are getting
a lavish book at the end of their donation,
surely it’s okay to sell any existing copies for
extra profit?
HARRY: Well I think it’s something that should
be used as an alternative to funding arts or social
projects. There is no funding anymore. You can’t
get arts council funding. And this is where crowd
funding steps in.
MATT: Okay. Ed, to backtrack, was Twitter
your main vehicle for drawing people in as
with Harry?
ED: I did use it but I also produced multimedia
about Occupy which got into the Telegraph arts
and culture section with the help of Occupy Wall
St. and Occupy London. Occupy and Anonymous
put it on their websites as well along with lots of
other different groups, so I got a lot of help in
that respect. I made the multimedia open source
so people could embed it wherever. The
multimedia came before the idea of the book so
when it came to getting funding, the links were
already there and I could just build on them.
Everyone on Occupy was already familiar with
the work.
HARRY: Again that shows the power of
photojournalism in gaining funding. I think it’s
much harder for fine art photography.
ED: It’s just a market; you can appeal to any
market. If people can use crowd funding to get
their teeth fixed, then you can use it for anything.
HARRY: I certainly think more photographers
need to get involved in crowd funding. It isn’t as
time consuming as you might think. If you spend a
lot of time at your desk anyway, as many
photographers now do, it’s just a matter of working
your existing social media base.
MATT: I’m very tempted to have a go myself
now, though I think I need a fair few more
Twitter followers! Thanks to both Ed
Thompson and Harry Watts for that
illuminating discussion on crowd funding! PP
www.harry-watts.co.uk @harrywatts
www.edwardthompson.co.uk @_EdThompson
www.matthenryphoto.com @matthenryphoto

37
 OVERSEAS?
You can still take advantage of a great
subscription offer.
Simply complete this order form and send it to
Professional Photographer magazine, FREEPOST, Europe – 13 issues delivered direct to you
LE6423, Leicester, LE87 9BY, UK for £48.00 a year!
YOUR DETAILS
Rest of the World – 13 issues delivered
Mr/Mrs/Miss/Other
direct to you for £50.00 a year!
First name
Surname Visit www.subcriptionsave.co.uk/PP today!
Address

Postcode
Tel Mobile
Email

[ ] YES I would like to get 5 issues of Professional

Photographer for just £5. I understand that I can cancel my
trial subscription at any time. If I do decide to continue with
my subscription then I don’t need to do anything, my
subscription will continue at the low rate stated below.

OPTION 1 - DIRECT DEBIT

[ ] I would like to subscribe to 5 issues for just £5.00 by
Direct Debit, my subscription will then continue at just
£20.45 every 6 months, saving 25% thereafter.

Instruction to your bank or building society to pay by direct debit

Service user Reference:

number 415266 (Office use only)

To the manager (bank name)

Address
DIGITAL ONLY SUBSCRIPTION
Postcode

Name of account holder Perfect for all you Tech Fans, take out a
Branch Account digital subscription to PP and read it on
sort code number
Instruction to your Bank or Building Society: Please pay Archant Community Media Ltd Direct
your Tablet, Laptop or Smartphone for
Debits from the account detailed on this instruction, subject to safeguards assured by the
Direct Debit Guarantee. I understand that the instruction may remain with Archant Community
Media Ltd and if so, details will be passed electronically to my Bank or Building Society
just £17.99 a year.

Signature Date Visit: www.subscriptionsave.co.uk/PP

Banks and Building Societies may not accept Direct Debit instructions for some types of account

OPTION 2 – CREDIT/DEBIT CARD

OR CHEQUE
I would like to subscribe for just £38.00 for 13 issues –
saving 30%.
[ ] Please find enclosed a cheque made payable to
Archant Community Media Ltd
[ ] Please debit £38.00 from my [ ] Visa
[ ] Mastercard [ ] Switch/Maestro

Card
Number

Expiry date Start date Issue number

(Maestro only)

Signature Date

T&CS: Savings stated are based on the cover price of £4.20 an issue. Professional
Photographer is published 13 times a year. After your first 5 issues your subscription
will continue at £20.45 every 6 months, saving 25% thereafter. Details of the Direct
Debit guarantee are available upon request. You will receive an acknowledgement
letter before payment is taken. Offer ends: 13/02/13

PROMOTION CODE CPPPG02A

ENJOY 5 ISSUES
FOR JUST £5!
Where’s the catch?
There isn’t one, enjoy
your first 5 issues FOR
JUST £5, if you decide
to cancel your
subscription after
that then you will pay
no more!

Save up to 78% on your Plus receive

first 5 issues and receive
every issue delivered FREE
access to the digital
direct to your door.
edition worth
£17.99 a year

Subscribe today online at

WWW.SUBSCRIPTIONSAVE.CO.UK/PP
Or call 0844 848 8050 and quote CPPPG02A
*Lines are open 8am-9.30pm Mon-Fri, 8am-4pm Sat. BT calls to 0844 cost no more than 5p per minute, calls from mobiles usually cost more.
 Styling your shoot

Right on time
In his first interview about the Breitling-Beckham collaboration,
ANTHONY MANDLER talks to Jessica Bracey about shooting an icon

B
ehind every great man is Gretzky that have stood as ambassadors for football boots with the California team LA Galaxy,
a great photographer. And the brand that alludes by longevity and quality. this was Beckham’s next venture with Mandler that
behind every legendary Speaking about the pairing, Beckham said: “I’ve not only aimed to sell a watch worth the same
celebrity there is Anthony always been a long-time admirer of Breitling. As a amount of your average car, but promote a desirable
Mandler. Videographer for company they create not only the highest- lifestyle that onlookers would aspire to with a
the likes of Rihanna, The performance watches but also timeless designs that chiselled face recognised around the world. “He’s
Killers and Jay-Z, he has now taken on one of have inspired generations. It was a natural choice for the ultimate professional. Always on time, always
Britain’s finest exports in a high-end me to partner with this fantastic brand.” Working willing to go the extra mile. He’s just an incredible
advertisement shoot. Enter David Beckham with Mandler on previous shoots for Adidas, guy and an amazing subject. He understands
ANTHONY MANDLER

and Breitling watches. The new face of the Sharpie, Motorola and his own fragrance, the model- photography, he understands lighting and the process
Swiss brand’s Transocean Chronograph to-photographer relationship has been built upon and helps to push the ball, always wanting to be
Unitime Worldtimer watch, he joins a list of eight years of commercial, print and editorial shoots better than the last time. You can’t ask for more than
icons such as John Travolta and Wayne until the present day. Having just hung up his that,” praises Anthony. 

41
BRAND BREITLING
“With Breitling there was already an established
aesthetic and they wanted to continue on with a look
that was inherited with the Breitling brand, which
was this idea of taking the watch and the subjects of
aviation and power, and then combine it with a plane
and hedge all those things together,” says Anthony
explaining the brief that encapsulates the watch
manufacturer. “We wanted to use the creative ideas
that they have used before with John Travolta, but
my job was to take what had been previously shot
and bring it into the Beckham brand world. More
graphic, more fashion and a little bolder, stronger
and aspirational with a touch more drama by making
it darker,” he continues, speaking about bringing the
brand forward with a contemporary style that stayed
true to its heritage.
Location settled upon by previous campaigns shot
at the famous Mojave Air and Space Port four hours
from Los Angeles, the convoy of a ten-strong
production team headed to the Mojave Desert.
“There’s a quality of light and emptiness that you
can’t duplicate other than there, it’s very specific and
gives the feeling of vastness while keeping the
campaigns consistent,” Anthony says about the
location choice.

SELLING A LIFESTYLE
A photographer familiar with the Breitling brand,
Anthony’s preconceived plan to promoting the watch
whilst pushing the lifestyle that goes with it was led
by the model. Building trust with Beckham by
understanding his character was key to the direction
of the shoot. “You start with the star, which in our
case was David. It begins with the way he was
wearing the watch, the stance he has as a man, the
simplicity of how he wears the watch and how
confident he looks. Then it’s about making sure you
have the focus and the depth-of-field that doesn’t
lose intimacy and that the watch is lit in a way that
makes it stand out,” says Anthony about the order of
prominence when constructing the advert.
“The client is committed to having the watch take
on a major role in the frame, which will then
determine the type of pose. When you see the Tag
Heuer adverts the model is holding the watch close
to their face because they want it to be a primary role
and the depth-of-field moves from the watch onto
the face, so it’s a very well lit, high aperture shot.
Breitling were much looser in their interpretation
because they wanted to create a lifestyle and a world
where the watch was prominent but not dominant, so
they gave me a lot more room to showcase the
landscape, David and the subject. You also need to
take into consideration that they add on a product
shot at the bottom of the image, advertising.”
Moving the brand beyond aviation whilst keeping
true to the narrative of travel, an element of fashion
photography was also added into the advertising mix
to portray a lifestyle affiliated with brand Beckham.
“It wasn’t just about aviation, even though that is an
undercurrent in the Breitling brand, they’re selling a
lifestyle with the watch. So with David, there was
one end of the styling which was this British, James
Bond, heroic, suited-up version, and the other side
was more casual, but still well dressed, accessible,
the day-to-day Beckham. One idea with the styling
was the trousers and suit presenting that British
manner, whereas with the other you get David as a
traveller getting on the plane with the bag thrown
over his shoulder with a great leather jacket and
slicked back hair. It’s that dressed-down feeling with
an air of being a well-dressed man. Those styling
factors were then brought together with the
sharpness of his look and the energy in his pose and
posture, finished off with that masculine strength he
portrays so well. Then we matched the landscape
with the power of the plane and lighting, it all counts
for much more than a watch but presents what
Breitling is about.”
GETTING TECHNICAL
With a handful of components that were a must
when bringing together the final result, the next step
was to make sure that each level stood out in their
own right whilst maintaining focus on the watch and
its wearer. Combining everything from the plane to
the landscape and forefront subjects meant a number
of frames being taken to ensure quality control over
each element, and that meant precision with lighting.
“Depending on the scenario we have to make sure
we have the right gear all loaded up in a big truck.
Sometimes we just use bounces, others we use 20
lights,” Anthony says about the scale of equipment
used on his iconic shoots. “On this particular day it
was really about us shooting plates for the
background and density, that was for the sky and the
plane, and then we wanted to focus on David with
the lighting and have the pop of the watch. We were
combining landscapes, automobiles, an aeroplane,
fashion photography for David and then the product
itself all in one shot. It was very complicated to put

42

{
{
all the layers together because the quality of
light changes depending on the subject.
Then you have the trouble of one being
over-lit or under-lit, along with natural light
too.” A big feat to tackle when you consider
the size of a plane compared to a man. “We
used 18Ks and hot lights on the plane. I didn’t
want to over light the background elements
but I didn’t want to underlight them either so
that they were silhouetted in the background.
{
It was about getting the highlights in the right
place in order to showcase the shapes of each
piece,” Anthony says outlining the available options.
“As far as David was concerned it was a
combination of Briese lights, 6Ks, HMI and bounce
lights. I like to use the sun in order to create that
feeling between reality and hyperreality,” he
continues, specifying why he likes to use both
natural and artificial lighting following on with what
technique is best when using the two sources. “If
you’re using natural light at the right time it’s not
difficult at all, it’s your friend. But if you’re trying to
counteract it and get it to do something it doesn’t
want to do it can be very difficult. There was a trend
in photography where everybody went out there with
Styling your shoot
ANTHONY’S TIPS
ON ADVERTORIAL PHOTOGRAPHY
< Use the best light source that your camera
can manage
exposures for the background you really have to
watch your depth-of-field so that there’s a
{
< Don’t be afraid to light over the sun and light
with the sun
< If you’re going to get into taking different
believability, because if you’re focusing too far you’re
going to get into a place of matting, whereas you
want to be in a place where you can blend the
shots together easily and reconstruct the image
in post-production
< Consider the end result and what is going to
happen with the pictures in terms of reproduction
when you choose what kit you will use for
the shoot
their Magnums and reflectors and just blasted over
the sun and crushed the sky down, where subjects
looked so over-lit that the soul of the image is gone.
What we wanted to do with this piece was protect
the soul of the image. It’s aspirational but it’s also
tangible; if it was too over-lit then you would alter
the believability of it.”
Lighting aside, the question we all want answered
is: what was his camera of choice for a shoot on such camera. The lesson I have learned in stills
a scale as this? Hasselblad, of course. “I bounce
around with kit depending on the job, I’ll go from
a Hasselblad to a Canon or Nikon. Back in the
pre-digital days I was famous for carrying around
a suitcase of cameras. I like the aesthetic that
different cameras give you, the way they feel in your
hand and the multitude you have with shooting,” he
says about his ever-growing collection. “When you
get into advertising photography at this level, when
you know that the images you have to produce will
be held up on the side of buildings and on big
billboards, your options start to narrow in terms of
resolution and what’s out there. Because of the
play of light between light and dark in my work
I have to be careful that the image is not going to
break up, the highlights aren’t going to clip too much
and I have to make sure I have that range and
resolution in order to push the image if we need to
crop it and make it grow.”
Working on layer upon layer in post-production,
Anthony’s intense edit ensures that everything is in
place by recomposing the backplates, for example,
and in this particular shoot making sure all
reflections from the watch were correct and the
atmosphere is just right. Doing as much as
possible in a single frame with the knowledge
of wading through the shots
at the end of the day, the biggest challenge
he faced was one many a photographer
battles with: lighting. “The only difficulty
with this shoot was just making sure we
were in the right place at the right time.
We wanted the lighting to be on our side,
whether that was lighting David in the right
way with regards to the sun or just waiting
for it to be in the right place. We didn’t want
to be fighting with the sunlight, I wanted it
to work with us.”
WORKING RELATIONSHIP
In a decade, Mandler has not only grown his client
base but his craft as a photographer too, and his
work relies on expertise through years of experience
but also a special relationship with the model that
brings out that unique spark. A master in both
videography and stills, he offers words of wisdom on
the art of both mediums: “There’s a camera and a
subject, and then between that there are changes in
the lighting, setting, frames per second, etc. What
doesn’t change and what’s always consistent is the
emotional connection between the subject and the
photography are the lessons that have paid my way
43
 Styling your shoot

in motion and commercial film. The difference SHOOT STATS

obviously is that in motion the camera has a life to
Photographer: Anthony
it, it has a beat, while in stills the camera has a
Mandler
precision in capturing a single frame. In stills it’s Model: David Beckham
much more organic because you have an infinite Brand: Breitling Watches
number of possibilities.” Location: Mojave Air and
Although us Brits know David Beckham as a Space Port, California
footballer-turned-ultimate-entrepreneur, Anthony has Time: Mid afternoon to
also seen him develop as a model within the lasteight sunset
Team: 10 people
years and praises his professionalism in the job. “I
Camera: Hasselblad
was always a fan of his work as a footballer and then Lighting: Briese 180 H
as an iconic persona of fashion and culture. Eight Focus, Profoto HMI,
years ago when I got the opportunity to work with Profoto Strobe
him I wanted to make sure that I made my mark and
really put my stamp on the project,” he says.
Transatlantic buddies with a definitive future that
lies ahead, it looks like golden balls is set for a
British return with Mandler and his camera in tow:
“We had some great shoots early on and developed
a working relationship and a friendship, and I have
been fortunate to work with him over the years,
whether that’s in London or Spain, Italy, LA and
now hopefully in the future back in England.”
It’s about time. PP

www.blackhandcinema.com

45

3, 2, 1,
FOCUS!
Some things just work differently with moving images, and focus is one of them. TOM
MARTIN gives us the low-down on getting the right points sharp when filming with a DSLR
Aside from shutter speed,
one of the biggest
differences between
shooting stills and video with
DSLRs is focusing. Much like
the aforementioned shutter speed, many of the
same basic tenants of focusing still apply
when shooting video, with one major twist; the
lack of autofocus.
DSLRs have long had incredibly capable
autofocus features built in, allowing the camera
to do a very good job of quickly finding sharp
focus. Video, however, is a little different.
Autofocus has also existed in the video world
for a long time, but is exclusively the sole
preserve of low-end consumer cameras. The
reason? Simply put, autofocus systems are
not good enough to judge what should and
shouldn’t be in focus reliably throughout the
course of a shot. If, for example, you a filming
a group scene with one person talking and then
one person gets up and walks in front of your
shot, the camera’s autofocus will re-adjust to
capture the closer passing figure – assuming it
is closer and needs to be in focus, thus throwing
the speaker out of focus – when in fact you
wanted him to remain the focal point of the
scene. Worse, once the subject in the foreground
has walked out of frame, the camera will attempt
to refocus on the original group. This constant
‘hunting’ will make your video unwatchable, and
will likely infuriate your audience!
DSLR
MOVIE
MAKING
YOUR
ON
This is compounded when shooting video on
DSLRs as their large sensor allows a desirable,
shallow depth-of-field aesthetic to be achieved,
which makes accurate auto (and manual)
focusing even harder. The autofocus functions
on DSLRs will work during video recording, but
they will be slow, inaccurate and very noisy –
particularly problematic for dialogue scenes.
This is why focusing is almost universally
achieved manually on all professional video and
film shoots. In fact, on Hollywood sets there
is a crew member whose sole job it is to control
the focus of the camera, called the focus puller,
or 1st AC. With so much movement going on in
the frame, and the focus often needing to be
shifted multiple times in the course of one 
47
TOP 10 TIPS FOR FOCUSING TOP 4 FIELD MONITORS
1. Use the digital zoom in function If you want to make sure you nail the focus on your shots every time, you’re
to focus before the start of the shot definitely going to want an external monitor. These aren’t just useful for judging
accurate focus, they also add a myriad of useful features, including framing and
2. When zoomed in, use areas of exposure aids, plus the larger screen sizes
high contrast, like eyes, to make make seeing what you’re shooting much
judging accurate focus easier easier. Here’s four of the best for DSLRs:

3. A deeper depth-of-field
makes pulling focus easier. f/4
is a good compromise 1 SmallHD DP4-EVF – This fantastic
4.3in monitor is great value. It
combines good build quality and a high-
4. Unless using Nikon fit lenses resolution screen in a small package. It’s
(which focus backwards) remember also two products in one; acting as both a
to turn the focus ring clockwise for field monitor, and with a click on the
closer focus, and anti-clockwise for attachment, it becomes an EVF (Electronic
more distant focus View Finder).

5. If you can, measure the distance

between the camera and the
position you’ll be pulling focus to
before the start of the shot
2 Zacuto EVF – This is another good
option for shooters wanting a great
quality EVF. The EVF allows you to operate
your DSLR ‘in-line’ with your support
6. Practice the focus pull a couple system and an offset viewfinder in front of
of times before rolling cameras to your eye. It’s also powered by the same
get used to the movement and batteries as Canon DSLRs to save carrying
ensure a more accurate focus pull lots of different batteries and chargers
around on shoot.
7. Using vintage or cinema style
lenses with hard stops will make
pulling focus much easier

8. Use focusing aids, e.g. peaking, to

3 Marshall V-LCD70MD – The
snappily named LCD70MD is
another great monitor from industry
help judge focus stalwarts Marshall. Like the SmallHDs, it
features a DSLR ratio adjustment to
9. Don’t forget to be careful when ensure that the output completely fills the
using zoom lenses – they won’t screen. It might not be quite as pretty
maintain focus if the zoom position looking as the SmallHDs, but with good
is shifted build quality, a comprehensive feature set
and swappable input modules, it’s another great option.
10. Practice makes perfect!

SmallHD DP6 – The DP4’s big brother is

FOCUSING JARGON BUSTER

Sharp: In focus.
4 also a fantastic monitor. Its 5.6in screen
is incredibly high-resolution, and it has a
plethora of connection options making it very
Soft: Out of focus. future proof. Like its little brother, its secret
Rack focus/focus pull: Adjust the focus from one point to weapon is the scaling software, which will
another during the course of a shot, often to follow an object or scale up the lower quality output from a
character’s movement through the frame. recording DSLR to fill the screen, allowing
Depth-of-field: The distance between the nearest and farthest focus and framing to continue with ease.
objects in the shot that appear acceptably sharp in focus.

48
 MOVIE

DSLR
MAKING

YOUR
ON

shot, to follow a character moving through frame

or to draw the audience’s attention to something
important, for example, auto focus just won’t be
able to keep up.

THE ART OF FOCUSING

Ultimately, the camera can’t read your mind! So,
you’re going to have to learn how to set, and
most importantly judge and adjust, focus
manually throughout the course of a shot. This
can be quite a hard task at first, especially if
you’re used to the camera doing it for you.
Unfortunately, this task is made even harder
when shooting on DSLRs for a number of
reasons. Firstly, unless you use cinema style or
vintage lenses, most modern photography lenses
lack hard stops (i.e. the focus ring stops moving
when it reaches the point of minimum or
maximum focus). This, when combined with the
lack of focus marks on the lens barrel, and the
very small focus throw of stills lenses (i.e. the
physical distance you have to move the focus ring
between focus distances) conspire to make fine
and accurate adjustments very hard.
Thankfully, there are a few things you can do
to help. Using the built-in digital zoom allows you
to zoom the image into an area of high contrast
(eyes are a good area to judge focus), allowing
you to set focus easily before shooting. If you’re
shooting a lot of moving objects, investing in
an external LCD monitor can really help.
Apart from showing you what you’re filming
on a much larger, higher quality screen, they
come equipped with focusing aids such as
peaking, which will superimpose a coloured line
around the edge of an object once it is in focus,
which really helps you to pull focus accurately
with confidence.
One final tip; generally speaking zooming in to
make setting focus easier, then zooming out
again is a great way of easily setting focus
manually. However, be careful when using
photography zoom lenses, as unlike their video
equivalents, they aren’t par focal, i.e. they do not
maintain their focus when the zoom position is
adjusted. It’s better to use the digital zoom
function instead.
Ultimately, while these tips will help, learning
to manually focus and pull focus accurately all
comes down to practice, so get out there and
shoot some video! PP

www.fastforward-media.co.uk

49
 THE BUSINESS
PART 13

MONEY!
In KEVIN MULLINS’ first year anniversary
article for Professional Photographer
he discusses something that is very
close to all of our hearts: Money
I speak to lots of photographers all around the country, many of
whom love running their own business and completely embrace
every aspect of it. Understanding that running a successful
photography business requires a healthy knowledge of all the
business elements, as well as the artistic and creative side of
photography is very important to grasp early on.
It’s very easy when setting out down the exciting road of business and
entrepreneurship to get carried away with the creativity, and concentrate
too marginally on key elements of the business as a whole; marketing,
branding, advertising and finance. 
KEVIN MULLINS

51
Getting a good sense of what you are likely to need as cash flow should be
part of your business plan, and your annual review of your business. I know
that some people struggle because of the often seasonal nature of
photography (wedding photography especially) and I am no exception to
that rule.

CHRISTMAS EXPOSURE
I’m writing this article just before Christmas and it reminds me of a
situation I found myself in at the end of my second full year as a
professional wedding photographer. I know many other wedding
photographers experience this phenomenon too. It occurs every year, and
I’ve learnt to deal with it now. I’m referring of course to the ‘Christmas
Albums’. No, I don’t mean another re-issue of the Slade and Shakin’ Stevens
classics on vinyl, I’m referring to the uncanny ability for clients whose
weddings were months ago (and in some cases years ago) to suddenly
descend on you en-masse with their album orders, usually in November,
and expect them ready for Christmas.
Logistics such as design, proof and manufacture of albums aside, the
sage lesson I have learnt is that there always needs to be a reserve of cash
available for these situations. I now have a separate bank account set up
that is simply an exposure reserve account. When I receive the deposits
from the clients for their bookings, I immediately move the amount of their

I do, however, adjust my deposits accordingly.

For example, if the booking is for next winter I
will often take a smaller deposit, which means
I have a greater income during the winter when
that wedding occurs. KM

‘product’ cost into the exposure reserve account. This means that come
Christmas, when the phenomenon returns, there is always cash in reserve
for the albums.
I keep a running tally via my management software that tells me at any
given time what my product exposure is for the future and as long as
that is covered in my exposure account I can sleep happily at night. It’s very
easy to monitor your product exposure. I use a simple Access database,
but you can easily use Excel to keep track of this.
SEASONAL ADJUSTMENTS
During this time of the year, there is often a lull in business and bookings
and so it’s even more important to make sure there is a cash reserve for
your business to survive. It’s important to make sure you prepare for a
couple of months of low turnover but will still be able to pay the bills – and
pay yourself.
It seems almost sadistic, but all of my taxes are also due during this time.
Corporation tax and PAYE bills need to be settled around the beginning of
the year leading to more cash leaving the business.
I know some photographers (again, especially wedding photographers)
offer seasonal discounts to combat this. I see absolutely no problem
with this at all. Personally, I don’t practice this as I use the quieter months
of January and February to catch up on holidays and also re-evaluate the
business, products and marketing etc. of the business.
I do, however, adjust my deposits accordingly. For example, if the booking
is for next winter (and the booking has come in during the busy months)
I will often take a smaller deposit, which means I have a greater income
during the winter when that wedding occurs. Similarly, if a booking comes in
during the winter, for a summer wedding, I may take a larger deposit. It all
helps cash flow during the lean months.
Traditionally, also, the first two months of the year are the busiest
for enquiries so I always make sure my website, galleries and marketing
material are all up to date and shiny at that point.
TAX AND ACCOUNTING
When it comes to paying those dreaded tax bills I tend to take a (what
I consider) conservative approach. Every time I draw money from the
business for myself as earnings, I deposit a further amount into another
account which is a tax reserve account. Both this account, and the product
exposure accounts, are business savings accounts and as such draw
higher rates of interest (which as we all know at the moment is still a
pittance). I feel more comforted knowing that I have money in separate
places for tax and product spend. It also allows me to make informed
decisions on spending much quicker and easier.
I’m presuming most professional photographers make use of
accountants, as indeed I do, but I still like to keep a full understanding of my
finances all the way through the year. I use QuickBooks Pro as my
accounting software which makes it amazingly quick for me to journal the
business. I also use a simple Access database, as mentioned, to be able
to run very quick reports that extrapolate data such as product exposure
both in the future and for past weddings. Often these figures are quite
sobering, especially coming into the winter months.
Although this may sound a little patronising, it’s amazing how many

52
 THE BUSINESS

MONEY TIPS
• Keep tax and product
exposure cash separate
• Monitor cash flow – use
people don’t keep an eye on their cash levels. There available tools to make this easy TURNOVER
is no reason not to these days. Most banks offer • Keep an eye on approaching Keep a careful eye on your turnover (turnover is very
text messaging systems for deposit, withdrawal and VAT thresholds different to profit, remember), or ask your accountant to
balance alerts. My bank also offer an ‘app’ for my • Increase level of deposits do so. If you are approaching the VAT threshold it would
phone which means I can keep an active eye on the during the lean be wise to decide if you wish to break through it, or not –
movements of my current account at all times. months that decision will form part of your economic strategy for
the business.
VAT Finally, I think it’s worth mentioning product cost and the cost of
I have a love/hate relationship with VAT. In my previous businesses VAT time alone. There is huge debate in the industry about photographers
made perfect sense. It was a two-way thing, made my capital expenses (especially in the wedding industry) charging ‘too little’ for the packages,
more manageable and it was a level playing field with all other vendors and thus driving the price points of the industry down. Personally I have no
in my industry. Apart from the additional accounting fees and paperwork, issue with any pricing model and it’s a very subjective matter – as long as
there was little else to consider. people pay taxes and understand the value of time. For me, time is the
For a photography business however, breaking the VAT threshold in the greatest commodity of them all. My time at the wedding, editing, marketing,
UK can be the difference between remaining competitive in a very tight product design and handling all comes into my pricing model. Simply
marketplace or not. If your turnover of VAT taxable goods and services collating your fixed costs and adding a ‘bit on top’ will leave you with a very
supplied within the UK for the previous 12 months is more than the current competitive price, but in my experience will also leave you working yourself
registration threshold of £77,000, or you expect it to go over that figure in almost into the ground for very little reward.
the next 30 days alone, you must register for VAT. Whilst some or all of the above will be obvious to some, hopefully it may
Now, imagine I am selling a wedding photography package for £2,000 act as a reminder or refresher to others. Ultimately, keeping a solid eye on
and I am VAT registered. That immediately means my return from the cash flow and profit is extremely important. As ever, I’d love to hear what
package is £1,600 – before any other costs or taxes. That puts me at a huge you think about the article and you can contact me directly via my website
disadvantage to other photographers who are not VAT registered. I either or twitter if you wish to. PP
start charging £2,400 or concede the fact and compete with the £1,600
package range. As a caveat, the Flat Rate Scheme for VAT scheme can www.kevinmullinsphotography.co.uk
benefit photographers: www.hmrc.gov.uk/vat/start/schemes/flat-rate.htm. www.twitter.com/kevin_mullins

53
 THE BUSINESS

CHILD’S PLAY?
If you receive Child Benefit and you or your partner earns more than £50,000
you need to watch out for the new tax rules, explains FIONA DONALDSON
Over a million families who
receive Child Benefit will soon
receive a letter from HM HOW IT WORKS: AN EXAMPLE
Revenue & Customs outlining In 2013-14, Mr Kidd has an adjusted net income of £54,000 and he and his wife have two
the new ‘high income Child children. Mrs Kidd doesn’t work and claims Child Benefit of £1,752 for their children. A
Benefit charge’ (HICBC), coming into force on HICBC will apply at 40 per cent (£54,000 - £50,000 = £4,000/100) against the benefit his
7 January 2013. wife receives. This means he has to pay £700.80.
This new charge applies to taxpayers with an A couple of years on, Mr and Mrs Kidd have had twins. Mr Kidd’s 2015-16 adjusted income
income of over £50,000 in a tax year, if they or is £63,000 and Mrs Kidd now claims Child Benefit of £3,146 for four children. As all of the
their partner are receiving Child Benefit. If there’s benefit will be clawed back as a HICBC for the year, Mr Kidd will have a tax liability to meet
more than one person in a household with of £3,146.
income over £50,000 the charge will apply to the
person who earns the most, even if they’re not a
natural parent of the child in question and WHAT TO DO WHAT TO WATCH
regardless of whether they’re the All taxpayers affected by the charge will need to OUT FOR
recipient of the Child Benefit. declare their liability through their self-assessment Claiming Child Benefit can
The term ‘partner’ JARGON tax return, and it’s estimated that up to 500,000 create eligibility for the state
includes a spouse, civil BUSTER taxpayers will be brought into the self- pension, so taxpayers who don’t
partner, or simply High Income Child assessment regime (which carries penalties currently receive the benefit but
someone with whom Benefit Tax (HICBT) for non-compliance) as a result. become eligible in the future
you live with as if you New tax charge applied to Some taxpayers with income exceeding and who are considering an
were married or in a families claiming Child £60,000 may prefer not to receive Child election should make sure that
civil partnership. But Benefit and having a Benefit, to prevent the inconvenience of they do claim the benefit in the
household income
HMRC will put declaring it and paying tax on it. This choice usual way and then choose to
over £50,000 per
confidentiality procedures must be made by the claimant, even if they receive a nil award, so as to
tax year
in place as not all couples wouldn’t suffer the tax charge. If income is lower preserve this protection.
will necessarily wish to discuss than expected, the decision not to receive Child BEWARE: Some people who
their respective incomes with each other. Benefit can be revoked within two years to reinstate receive a letter may not in fact
The charge will be one per cent of the Child it for the tax year in question. Many couples will be be liable to pay the charge,
Benefit award for each £100 by which ‘Adjusted inclined to opt out, avoiding self-assessment and while others who will be liable
Net Income’ (see Jargon Buster) exceeds retaining the ability to review the position later. may receive nothing. However,
£50,000. This means that all the Child Benefit is There are indications that HMRC will allow the it’s still the responsibility of the
withdrawn once your income reaches £60,000. same treatment where income levels fall between individual to notify HMRC of
The cumulative cost for a family with three £50,000 and £60,000. a liability.
children who stand to lose all their Child Benefit
could be as much as £50,000 by the time their
JARGON
youngest is 18 – potentially more than a year’s BUSTER
net salary – so it’s important that you review your include equalisation of Adjusted Net Income Fiona Donaldson is a Partner at
position now. HMRC have provided a calculator at incomes, salary sacrifice, Total income, reduced by Springfords LLP, a firm of
www.gov.uk/child–benefit–tax–calculator to increased pension pension contributions accountants and tax advisers,
assist in reviewing the potential impact of the contributions or and Gift Aid advising mid-sized and small
new rules. charitable donations, and donations businesses and private clients
Time to panic? Not necessarily. There are careful timing of business on tax, auditing and start-up
many ways to structure your affairs to minimise expenses. So instead of business issues.
potential HICBC charges. The possibilities will panicking, seek sound tax advice and make the www.springfords.com
depend on exact circumstances, but could best of your situation. PP

55
 THE BUSINESS

9 TIPS FOR MANAGING

YOUR CASH FLOW
The start of the year is a quiet period, and many of us are living on a shoestring while
chasing late payments from clients. But you don’t have to starve while you’re waiting
for the bookings to pick up in the spring. LEE PERKINS, Managing Director of Sage’s
small business division, explains how to balance your finances

CREDIT CONTROL ...and be aware that business will change

It’s important to create a good credit
control system. Set clear credit limits
and payment terms for your customers
and send out invoices promptly and
firmly chasing all debts when due. You
should also stay on top of customer
payments and be quick to stop offering
credit to bad payers.
PREDICT YOUR FLOW
As soon as you have a month’s sales
behind you, you can start
forecasting cash flow. Using
from month to month. It’s better to be
overly cautious than optimistic.
DON’T TIE UP CASH
If you’ve got orders coming in, it’s always
tempting to buy the latest equipment or
splash out on impressive new kit. But
think wisely before splurging on excessive
purchases and try to hold on to liquid
cash. If you really need new equipment
ask if the supplier will offer a finance deal
over a year or consider taking out
an overdraft.
SPOTTING THE
WARNING SIGNS
A drop in turnover, customers taking
longer to pay, incurring late
penalties from HMRC and being
forced to settle supplier invoices
later than usual — these are all
classic signs that your cash flow is
suffering. Don’t ignore the warnings
— it’s generally easier to work out
ways to increase working capital
before you’ve built up a lot of debt.

3
your market knowledge,
CUT
think about
UNNECESSARY KEEP ON GOOD ...its value. If you’re growing, it can be a
your pricing, the level COSTS TERMS good option and some lenders will give
of competition, the When it comes to preserving WITH LENDERS you up to 90 per cent of the invoice
state of the economy cash flow, think lean and mean. Times might be tight and amount. Fees can be high, however, so
and so on to work Scrutinise every item you buy, it’s harder to get a loan always shop around — it’s a very
out demand. For know exactly where your cash than it used to be but it competitive market.
photographers, the is going and always get value still pays to keep on the
time of year is for money. Work out what right side of the bank. BE REALISTIC ABOUT
particularly important... you really need. Always keep your books up to YOUR BUSINESS
date so you can show your Sometimes you need to take a step back
figures, just in case you need to to see things clearly and running a
NEGOTIATE GOOD TERMS borrow — and don’t forget, if you’re business is no different. If you’re always
WITH SUPPLIERS struggling with repayments, talk to your struggling and your cash flow statement
It’s always worth investigating to see lender rather than burying your head in is poor, ask yourself why. Are your sales
if you can extend payment terms with the sand about the debt. too low? Are your products poorly
suppliers. After all, if you can settle priced? Can you chase payment more
your bill in 60 days or even 90 days INVOICE DISCOUNTING quickly? Be level-headed about your
rather than 30, you get to hold on to It won’t suit every business model but one venture and its future — although it is
your money for longer and this helps way to regulate cash flow is to use invoice your passion, if you’re not making a
regulate cash flow in a business. discounting, where a third party ‘buys’ profit, you might need to readdress the
your invoice and releases cash based on... way you do things. PP

57
 {WORKING PRO }
LARGER THAN LIFE
Each striking, contemporary image conjured up by JULIA FULLERTON-BATTEN tells
its own rich tale of modern life. Will Roberts speaks to her about her latest work
Try to pigeon-hole Julia Fullerton-Batten at your
peril. Her work, celebrated in galleries and
publications across the world for almost a decade,
tells rich, colourful, often angst-ridden stories which
draw on a multitude of influences.
The subject of her work is sometimes deeply personal, for either her or
her subject. It can shock, but it’s often warm, amusing and accessible.
From her London home, she tells me how the two projects she focused
on in 2012 represent different stages of her career. The first, Mothers and
Daughters, has close ties to previous work, all of which draws on her life as
a young girl growing up in Germany, America and England.
The second, Unadorned, looks at the wider theme of body size – the first
time Julia has taken a step away from her own childhood to address a
general social issue.
Like so many artists before her, Julia has successfully plundered her
memory banks for inspiration for her past work. She grew up in Germany –
58
the homeland of her mother – and grew up surrounded by brothers and
sisters. Since her 2007 Teenage Stories project, her work has examined,
often with startling realism, the pressures and conflicts of being a
young woman growing up.
Mothers and Daughters is no different. The relationship with her own
mother, of course, impacted upon the photography. “My parents split up
when I was still young, and we only found out about it a few weeks
before they left each other,” she says. “My father got custody and we moved
to the UK – a place I had never lived before, so that was a little bit
shocking for me.”
But some of the pictures have an even more direct link to her family
history. One in the collection shows a mother and daughter in a stark
kitchen, a wedding dress in the background. Only flashes of red hair bring
any warmth to the supposedly virgin-white scene. “The daughter in the
picture is pregnant,” she explains. “Both my mother and my grandmother
got pregnant before they got married. Each image tells its own story or
something that relates to my past, or even my mother’s past.”
Mothers and Daughters portrays the complicated mix of love, anger,
frustration and worry which goes into any maternal relationship, but
months before picking up the camera, Julia wanted to make sure each
scene was as real as possible.
“The people in the photographs are real mothers and daughters and they
are shot in their own homes,” she says. “I wanted that link, that bond,
to be there already when I took the picture. With my Awkward series, the
people in the picture had never met each other and that was what I wanted
because I wanted there to be a tension in the picture. “But with these
pictures I liked the ideas that the mother and daughter were in their own
homes – it made them more relaxed. I never use fashion models, so
these are normal people and they are from all different walks of life. When
they are in a strange place, it is more like they are acting, but I found that
they were themselves when they were somewhere they knew.”
As part of a lengthy casting process, Julia would meet each mother and
daughter pair in her own home, talking to them for over an hour to find
JULIA FULLERTON-BATTEN
out about themselves and, more importantly, the relationship they had with
each other. But while the idea of shooting the women in their own homes
added a realism and warmth the photographs, there were some
practical problems to overcome. Since she started her fine art photography,
Julia’s back-stage team and her equipment bag have grown at the same 
It is the first time I have ever shot in
people’s homes – normally it is much more
set up. We have about two van loads of
lighting equipment as well as stylists, hair
and make-up staff. We need to find power
for all of the lights and it soon gets quite
cramped. I was sometimes worried that
when we turned up the people would open
their front door, see how many of us there
were, and say ‘hello, but goodbye’. JFB

Above: Miriam from the series Unadorned.

Images from the series Mothers and Daughters.
Opposite page: The Wedding Day. Left: Custody Battle.

59
 {WORKING PRO }

From the series Mothers and

Daughters. The Divorce

rate as her reputation, meaning that a shoot would quickly take over even a
generously-sized home.
Nudity is a very sensitive subject, but we really
“It is the first time I have ever shot in people’s homes – normally it is enjoyed shooting it. I found that people become
much more set up. We have about two van loads of lighting equipment as
well as stylists, hair and make-up staff. We need to find power for all of the
very honest when they take their clothes off. JFB
lights and it soon gets quite cramped. I was sometimes worried that when
we turned up the people would open their front door, see how many of us
there were, and say ‘hello, but goodbye’.”
Julia said she used lights extensively to get the most out of otherwise
bland scenes. “We would go in to the house and find different areas or
interesting environments. But even the most dull background can be
brought to life with lighting. So we would use lighting very carefully. There It’s perhaps in her second series from 2012 that Julia’s subtle use of
is one picture of a woman outside a house and at first it looked to be a lighting is most effective – after all, is there a better canvas to showcase
little boring, but with lighting certain areas in certain ways, it really brought the effectiveness of light in photography than bare, naked skin?
it to life and actually I think there is something quite interesting about Unadorned, says Julia, is a reaction to a modern fascination for a thin,
the graphicness of that particular picture.” sometimes too thin, frame. She showcases larger, voluptuous bodies in all
Julia says that lighting has become more important for her over the their curvy glory. The pictures are not always glamorous, but they are
years, and she works closely with her assistant and stylist to achieve the always attractive, always appealing.
right results. “It is a lot more elaborate now in terms of lighting,” she says. “It is only fairly recently that thin has become fashionable. It’s obviously
“But that obviously means a bigger team and a need for service power.” great to be healthy but people have now become obsessed with it – I 

61
 I try and do as little post-production as possible. Obviously, there is some very minor retouching
here and there, but I don’t like the idea of a picture being manipulated too much and people being
able to see that. JFB

JULIA’S KIT LIST

+ Hasselblad 503CW
+ Phase One p65+ digital back
+ Tripod
+ 8 x Broncolor A4 Grafit 3200 J
+ Broncolor spill kill reflectors
+ 3 x Grid set for Broncolor P70 reflectors
+ Softboxes with grids, different sizes and
shapes
+ 2 x Beauty Dishes (Silver and White)
+ Profoto Ringflash
+ Cirro mist hazer machine
+ Wind machine
+ Sandbags
+ Stands for all the flash heads
+ 3 x Triple wind ups including mega boom
+ Long extension leads
+ Radio transmitters
+ Rolls of black wrap, diffusers, CTO and
CTB gels, ND gels and a wide range of
other coloured gels.
+ Gaffer tape

Images from the series Unadorned.

Above left: Simon. Below left: Ava
Opposite page: From the series Mothers and
Daughters, Pretty New Thing.

WANT MORE?
There are plenty of opportunities to see
more of Julia Fullerton-Batten’s work in
2013, with exhibitions planned on
three continents:

Washington DC Talk, National Geographic

Magazine Photography Seminar, Thursday
10 January 2013

Solo Show, Tokyo Arts Gallery, ‘Mothers

and Daughters’, Tokyo, 8 February 2013

DA2 Museum, Salamanca, Spain

28 February – 25 May 2013

Solo Show, PHotoEspaña, Camara Oscura,

Madrid, June – July 2013

62
 {WORKING PRO }
wanted to celebrate larger bodies. With botox and plastic surgery people
have now become obsessed with looking thin and young and I think
that’s a bit crazy.”
Julia sought inspiration from 18th century paintings, where pale-skinned,
curvy subjects are lit naturally or by a candle. The photographs pay homage
to the old master painters – they are rich with colour and texture, the
lighting and striking shapes made by the models adding to the drama of
each scene.
Julia uses the light, sometimes warm, sometimes cold, to highlight the
curves of the human body – the shadows on the skin and the differing
texture of wrinkles. “Nudity is a very sensitive subject, but we really enjoyed
shooting it. I found that people become very honest when they take their
clothes off. I found that when we were casting, we would talk to them, get
to know them, and then when they took their clothes off they would open up
about all sorts of aspects of their lives. A lot of them thought that this was
an opportunity they may never get again so really took to it.”
But unlike Mothers and Daughters, Julia didn’t want her subjects to look
entirely comfortable during the shoot. “With these pictures it was less
about the expression on their face. I wanted them to look as though they
were sitting there for a painting, but not to look aristocratic. I wanted them
to have a confidence from the fact they were sitting in the nude.”
Julia wanted to capture all ages, from a cherub-like toddler in the forest
to a bearded pensioner sat in a utility room, with everything in between.
This brought with it another sensitive challenge. One of the most striking
pictures in the collection is of a teenage boy, sat in on a table in the centre
of a Victorian kitchen, rotting fruit surrounding him. “The boy and his Mum
were there with us, but when it came to shooting the picture, all of the
team, apart from me and my assistant, would leave the room and we had to
think about how we were going to shoot it in a sensitive way,” she says.
Julia’s attention to detail before and during the shoot meant that Mother
and Daughter and Unadorned required little work on the computer. She
says: “I try and do as little post-production as possible. Obviously, there is
some very minor retouching here and there, but I don’t like the idea of a
picture being manipulated too much and people being able to see that.” She
is now working on a project looking at the lives of blind people – like
Unadorned it’s a subject which interests her, while not being something
inspired by her past. “These are social issues which I think are worth
looking at,” she says. “It may be that I revisit some of the more personal
things in the future, and look at them from a different perspective.” PP
www.juliafullerton-batten.com
63
 INTERVIEW He’s one of the

N
E BIG

I
TH

K
biggest names in

RAN
photography
right now, and is
known as much
for his cocky
persona as for
his ingenious
images. Kathrine
Anker went to
Kentish Town to
find out what the
person RANKIN is
really like

Heidi Braced, 2009.

65
66
Medusa, 2011.
© DAMIEN HIRST/SCIENCE LTD/RANKIN.
 THE BIG INTERVIEW
RANKIN

got
airs and what Leica’s
: l me abo ut the exhibition downst
ns on my list for KA Yes , tel
One of the first questio to do with it
d of being an issue of the Leica
Rankin was ‘are you tire d me the chance to shoot
t the man who RA NK IN : Leica offere ore, I’ve always
profiled as a w* nke r?’ Bu lly shot with a Leica bef
magazine, S. I’d never rea now, 20 years in,
sits across from me, dre
ssed in a bit scared of Leicas but
cool hair on shot with Mamiya. I was test ed it out before the shoot to
h poi nty sho es and ly handle one, so I
black wit
rt of I thought I could probab e something nice
a white leather sofa in
the hea camera and could produc
is really make sure that I liked the me slow down a bit,
the legendary An nro y Ga ller y photographer and it made
for them. I’m a very fast over that I started to
rather nice. d at first, but after I got
shoot dragged which I wasn’t sure if I like ich I used to shoot with.
It’s been a long day, the oy it. It rem ind ed me of an old Pentax 67, wh
enj
models, ke-up artists,
ma
ut twenty young things –
on and I’ve watched abo ground floor, ng with Ilford, right?
fro in the big studio on the KA: You’re also worki ibition are
assistants – whizz to and ibit ion in the foy er of all the images in my exh
adm irin g Ran kin ’s rec ently opened Leica exh
crib ed as RA NK IN : Yes, Leica set it up and alw ays use d Ilford,
while ore me have des I first started out I
what many journalists bef ted on Ilford paper. When we did
his HQ, and waiting for sfu l prin
, but I’ve never been bra
nd con scio us. So
h an arro gan t, una pol ogetic d-bag with distres I me an, eve ryb ody did hno logy has
an encounter wit s. ts was amazing. Tec
and a gla nce as col d as the neon light in his picture som e test s and the quality of the Ilford prin to fit wit h
mannerisms sort of reserved pted their produc ts
do get a me asu red fac ial expression at first, the cha nge d so mu ch and they’ve really ada stu ff, and ove r the
And I one which I choose to so we print a lot of
tha t mig ht be inte rpr eted as indifference but a the tec hno logy. I do a lot of shows we prin ted on the Ilford
loo k After all, Rankin run s better, and then wh en
unt il pro ven wro ng. rs it’s jus t got bet ter and at
interpret as exhaustion bi-annual magazine,
yea lise that for wh
his many books and his es better. We started to rea
publishing house printing vid eos on Hu nge r paper it was a million tim inc red ible qua lity, it looks like it’s
ple, he presents his ow n on an inkjet you get this
r, plo ys 50 peo ’re prin ting n great,
The Hunge he em
and somehow
you e done it if it hadn’t bee
ots and app ear s on TV for multiple charities Ell e, the fuc kin g best. And we wouldn’t hav nk you ’ to Ilfo rd.
TV, sho raphing covers for and said ‘no tha
a full-time top pro, photog uld have just turned around
also finds the time to be a private vie w of we wo
e it. Yesterday he hosted
Esquire, Vogue – you nam a bre ak fro m a full-day shoot and le in the digital realm
?
his new exhibition, today
he’s barely had
s one per son KA: Are you comfortab free dom bec ause I felt I could
for another one – how doe me it’s been an amazi ng
he’ s flyi ng to Du bai RA NK IN : For wded with
tomorrow this and many oth er ans that the market cro is
nag e to run this pho tog raphic empire? I asked him it exp erim ent with things, but it me we re less of them because
ma
a rep hra sed ver sio n of the w*nker query), and cre peo ple and I thin k ten years ago there
questions (including who himself me dio Bryan Adams taking
I got a ver y diff erent picture of the man wo uld n’t hav e got ten away with it. It’s like Bryan
didn’t take long bef ore ng difficult to you once asked me, ‘What are
on the w-w ord in the past and who admits to bei pho tog rap hs, it’s a fucking joke. Someone nea rly as
has played e an epiphany and bably
wind down, open up, hav ?’ and I said, ‘They’re pro
work with, but who I saw pse of a per son Adams’ photographs like l pho tog rap her – a photographer
is jus t a glim s not a rea
re less ons of sor row with me. An interview for goo d as his music.’ For me he’ ks, lea rns their shit.
sha ality cut out craft, reads their boo
a slice of a layered person s to college, learns their
at a given time and day, re of wh at this goe tog rap her , the re’s nothing
wh o am I to say that I got the full measu t’s wh at I did . I’m not a mediocre pho her but
you to sample , and
– read on and make up you
r own mind. Tha urally a talented photograp
ial pho tog rap her is like me dio cre abo ut me. I don’t think I’m nat
controvers
n and I’ve learnt my shit.
you put a lot of me aning into your fashio t
KA: Would you say to where you are withou
KA : Do you thin k you would have gotten
beauty work? es
where your work becom
You go through periods your confidence? 
RA NK IN : Sometimes. a rec ess ion on, som etim es you do
k wh en the re’s
more or less deep. I thin you’re still on the Ugne Shows Off, 2006.
y to the cro wd a littl e bit; you try to make sure
pla
ed you off.
stage, that they’ve not boo e them. A lot of
son al pro jects and have always don
I do lots of per ic sometimes.
perspective, it’s quite iron
my work has an analytical t you r instincts as
do you, you’ve got to trus
But you just don’t know h you r sub jec ts and
got to be in love wit
a photographer. You’ve on the sho ot to be able to
feel something
you’ve got to make them
get something.
to create that
otions into your shots
KA: So do you bring em
wow-factor? ionally I will, but
tension on my set. Occas
RA NK IN : I don’t create as other
out of the subject, where
I try and seduce something of the person.
sion to get something out
photographers will get ten mo ve around in
ore, I always want to
I’m also just a bit of a wh lov e exp erim enting, that’s
ng one thing; I
styles and I get bored doi
so exciting.
why the S Magazine was

67
 THE BIG INTERVIEW
RANKIN
Tongue Tied, 2011.

RA NK IN : No, God no.

100 per cent no. You hav KA: Why do you think
confident in your own opi e to be supremely people say you’re arr
ogant?
nion and your own beliefs RA NK IN : I get in front
. of people and I’ve got a
cocky but that’s one par mouth and I might be
KA: Some people say t of a person. It’s not eve
you’re arrogant? was I don’t think I’d be rything about me and if
able to take good picture it
RA NK IN : [Genuinely loo s because I wouldn’t
ks surprised and disappoin be able to put myself in
know, just like you’ve got ted] Arrogant? You somebody else’s place and
to have confidence to get them. Do you know what have a feeling about
stand-up gig, you’ve got on stage and do a I mean? I think in the 90s
to have confidence to go successful I was young and when I became
everyone to trust you and into a studio and expect a bit loud and hedonistic
believe in you. And that really good time, so maybe ; I took drugs and had a
come across as arrogance, confidence can there’s a bit of a hangov
but I’ve never been at a I definitely believe in my er from that.
I haven’t been my bigges poi nt in my career when own opinion and that’s som
t critic. I have sleepless like. I’m very vocal abo ething people don’t
work is any good, wheth nig hts wondering if my ut my opinions but… I don
er I’ve done a good job and myself as arrogant. ’t kno w, I don’t think of
I want to reach. I think I’v reached an audience
e had the arrogance of you
the arrogance of self-belief th, as opposed to
. I don’t have inherent self KA: No, you don’t com
confidence and I have a -belief, I have e across as such.
critical and an analytical RA NK IN : I think I’m righ
of them is a little bit big par t to me and I think one t most of the time [laughs
ger than the other but it’s that’s arrogance, it’s jus ]. But I don’t know if
a very small margin. t that in the world I inhabi
stuff that I do. And I’ve t I thin k I’m right about the
created a world that I hav
e to be right in, 

69
 Shoot for a new career
Learn Photography in Central London

Day - Evening - Weekend

Beginners welcome

Portrait
Fashion
Lighting
25%
discount if
Wedding you book
Black+White
early
Still Life
Re-touch advanced

20 new courses now available

www.media-courses.com
0870 62 65 100
 THE BIG INTERVIEW
RANKIN

Gisele Sparkly II, 1998.

g on behalf of a lot of people. But it’s

because if I’m wrong then I’m wron
ions, I totally do. I would hate for
not that I don’t listen to people’s opin
people to think I’m arrogant!

le expect, and when you’ve already

KA: I think it’s probably what peop
before meeting them it’s
made up your mind about someone
that.
sometimes difficult to see beyond
up of layer s. And I think I’m more reflective
RAN KIN : Peop le are mad e
five years ago, and I think that’s
now than I was 20 years ago, or even
nts pass ed away it’s like the glass ceiling of
just getting older. When my pare
face and I think photography is
death was gone. You stare death in the
photographers. I’m doing a project on
about is life, so death is very scary to Leica S Magazine exhibition, Annroy Gallery.
scared of it. It took me starting a
death at the moment and I’m really…
.
project to realise that I’m scared of death
on you?
about KA: It must have had a big impact
KA: Did you start that project to
work with your feelings me; my son reaching an age of being able
RAN KIN : It definitely changed
and my parents dying changed me,
your parents? to understand what I did changed me
I do are to work out feelings that I have
RAN KIN : Yes, most of the projects completely. That’s a really good obse
rvation.
about certain things.
KA: So is this the New Rankin?
KA: You mentioned ‘five years ago’
, is that when your parents haven’t changed. I’ve always tried to
RAN KIN : Well no, in some ways I
are assistants or celebrities. My Dad
passed away? treat people the same, whether they
ago. Almost to the day. How funny ld be treated equally and that’s staye
d
RAN KIN : Yes! Actually six years always said to me that everybody shou
doin g that!
is that! I didn’t even realise I was with me. 

71
Lock Stock I, 2012.

CREATIVE COLLABORATOR AND HAIR STYLIST WENDY ILES, MAKE UP ARTIST YASMIN HEINZ
The S magazine exhibit
ILFORD GALERIE Pre ion was printed on
stige Smooth Gloss 310
gsm media.

IMAGE FAR LEFT: S MAGAZINE BY LFI (LEICA FOTOGRAFIE INTERNATIONAL)

‘Wow, that really makes me feel
something that makes people think. es
KA: Does that reflect how you work
as a boss? e films. There’s a satisfaction that com
something!’ I’m also hungry to mak
you’ ve got to lead. But I think – or hope – is good. I get off on that satis facti on.
RAN KIN : No, I think as a boss from making something that you think
that they can talk to me and
that all the members of my team know
g disrespectful. I don’t know if I’m phy you feel you haven’t
be straight with me if they feel I’m bein KA: Is there anything in photogra
know if I’m a good leader, but I lead
a good boss, but I’m a boss. I don’t achieved yet?
go in a direction. It is a bit like living in me, hello! There’s so much. I don’t
people. They follow me and we RAN KIN : Oh God are you kidding
ens for me, which is quite strange. by a long fucking way.
a weird bubble where everything happ think I’ve reached my full potential
ry,
KA: I bet it must be, you live upst
airs on the third floor of your galle d & Confused and AnOther, what
KA: You’ve still got a stake in Daze
bi-annual magazine, The Hunger?
don’t you? made you decide to launch your
sometimes, but I think at this level most uce The Hunger was that I’ve
RAN KIN : Yes, it’s quite confusing RAN KIN : The reason I wanted prod to
a CEO of a company I’d live in a ten years and it’s a very good
people would live in a bubble. If I was published books for myself for the last
tube and I don’t because I need to d that it’s quite easy to make your
bubble. Someone asked me if I use the business. Very few people understan
always be working and I’ve created
that world for myself. game, you put your money into it and
money back on a book. But it’s a long
t even know how many books I’ve
five years later you get it back. I don’
a photographer? ably around 50. But I was doing all
KA: What would you do if you weren’t produced over the last ten year s, prob
publ isher . I like publishing. that energy of constantly collaborating
RAN KIN : I’d prob ably be a these books on my own and missed s
give books a back seat and do magazine
with people and thought maybe I’ll or AnO ther
into Daze d & Conf used
KA: Well, you already are? again. And I knew I couldn’t go back
RAN KIN : Yeah I am, but if I wasn
’t a photographer I would just force my opin ions on peop le, so I thought this is probably the last
and
what I’d do if I was blind. That would be from here on it’s going to be fairly
concentrate on that. I don’ t know chance I get to produce a magazine;
to succeed in with sight, so the
fucking bad. I do everything that I want difficult to launch magazines.
would be if I was blind. And even then
only reason not to be a photographer
s I’d be a blind photographer [laughs]. from The Hunger?
I’d still want to take photos, so I gues KA: What do you hope to achieve
s to the ceiling and starts talking h film stuff and I’ve always been
It would be unique, right? [Rankin look RAN KIN : I was working on so muc
ting a shoot, then looks back at me of bringing all that into one thing, one
as if he was a blind photographer direc directing and I suddenly saw a way
to do poetry, actually. Because I want e a media brand that had lots of diffe
rent
and smiles]. I guess I’d probably want ethos. I realised that you could creat but
phy becomes – a description of the stylish and with a smal l read ershi p,
to describe stuff, that’s what photogra facets to it, it could be very niche and can be
le onlin e. I like that you
world through your eyes. at the same time reach millions of peop
time. It’s like with the music industry,
stylish and mass market at the same
KA: Do you have a favourite poet
? t came from that.
the bottom fell out of it and the hear
: as Hard y. Imag e is poetry. You’re getting a really
RAN KIN Yes, Thom
different interview from most people! g to photography?
KA: Do you think that’s happenin to
of that. It’s all changing and you have
RAN KIN : Yes, there’s an element and foug ht and
ts did that, they fought
KA: How so? move with the change. Musical artis
RAN KIN : I don’t think I’ve talked
about poetry for many years. of the gam e. I gues s that’s how I think; I’ve gotta stay
now they’re ahead
and ahead of the game. PP
tions of The Hunger back at you
KA: Can I fire one of the key ques
ask you, what are you hungry for?
in the first issue that I’m hungry for
RAN KIN : Yeah, sure, I think I said
le all the time who I love and I’m
everything; for life. I come across peop be www.rankin.co.uk
in to an image, and for that image to
hungry to experience that and get it

72
 THE BIG INTERVIEW
RANKIN
© DAMIEN HIRST/SCIENCE LTD/RANKIN.

The Painted
Skulls II, 2011.
// Motorola Xoom //
This tablet sports a hef
ty amount of
storage space, up to 64G
B, and also has MOTOROLA SPEAKER
the option to use 32GB DOCK:
memory cards so If you’re into making vide
there’s plenty of room os and
for storing all your you want to show them
media. The tablet can off in
also make your style then you’re going
media look great, thanks to want
to its 10.1in them to sound fantastic.
1280x800 screen, great This
for showing off speaker dock will not onl
your videos recorded at y make
720p and played movies sound great but
back at 1080p. Photos it also
can be captured via the doubles up as a hub wit
also a 2MP forward-fac 5MP camera with dual h HDMI
ing webcam to round it flash and there is
ACCESSORISE
your videos and images off. What’s more, you can and Bluetooth connectivi
captured on your tablet instantly share ty, which
Facebook and Picasa, or by posting them straigh makes it easy to set up
you can view them live t to YouTube, and
Core processor means on a HDTV via HDMI. The watch films while the tab
slicker web browsing and NVIDIA Dual- let
10 hours of continuous video downloads, and the charges. £27. www.ama
video playback, excelle tablet boasts zon.co.uk
out there. £250. www.m nt for the budding or pro
otorola.com videographers

y of
capacit
a n d y storage ls o runs
a
exus 7 // d is p la y and a h
g o n th e go. It
s. It pac
ks

// Google N
h a 7in peratin ring file
b le ta blet wit s t ta b let for o n d s h a n y v ideos
g h t a n d porta o r th is is a fa n e tw orking
a
a n p a c k as ma
s l media o you c
a thin, li d-Core proces g, socia back, s tablet to
us 7 is 3 Qua rowsin eo play ing this
e G o o gle Nex T e g ra t w e b b a n d v id li fe . U s 280x80
0
Th
it h a NVIDIA n fo r efficien g , e -r eading ti n g battery a n k s to its 1
32GB. W e a rowsin of ope ra th
Jelly B l web b tablet, /nexus
roid 4.2 0 hours of this
off And o u r s o f genera ith around 30 k in g th e most w .g o o gle.com
nine h , all w of ma HSPA+
) ww
around you like eat way
th e 3 2GB as s is a lso a gr G B , W i-Fi and
into photo ith 32
se your £240 (w
showca ti o n d isplay.
solu
high-re
LEATHER STYLE ROTATING CASE:
This case not only protects your tablet but it is also adjustable
for portrait and landscape viewing, great for portfolio previews.

ACCESSORISE
£20 www.mobilefun.co.uk

// Blackberry Playbook //
Following its recent mo
bile phone success,
Blackberry has brough
t out an all-new,
all-singing 3G Wi-Fi tab
let. It may have one
of the smaller screen size BLACKBERRY
s of the tablet
round-up at 7in and 102 SOFT SHELL:
ACCESSORISE
4x600 resolution,
but it makes up for this Style and safety are bot
loss in other areas. h
It can reach up to 64GB important aspects to con
in storage on the sider, but it can
Playbook Wi-Fi and has be difficult to get the two
a 3MP forward- to gel effectively. The
facing camera and a 5M BlackBerry Soft Shell
P rear camera has all that sorted; the
with 1080p video record shell casing fits the tab stylish
ing capabilities. let efficiently and provide
Like some of the other protection from bumps s good
tablets it includes GPS and scrapes. Users can
Blackberry mobiles by and a dual-core proces access all the important still
allowing you to use you sor. It interacts with function buttons, so you
You can also manage all r mobile keyboard for wir leave the shell permanen can
of your business docum elessly typing on the tab tly attached to the
spreadsheets and buildin ents on the tablet, multita let.
g graphs to show to pot sking between tablet. £7. www.amazon
ential clients whilst on .co.uk
download all the latest the go. And you can
apps to keep up with the
some infographics to rea ever-changing times of
lly wow your clients. the tech industry, or ins
£130. www.uk.blackbe ert
rry.com a
uch of
, a n d it ’s not m t fo r
n
website r conte
o n A m azon’s il a b le for use e h o u r s on
items GB ava nd nin
selling und 5.5 for arou
hottest and aro h videos for you
r
e // o f th e m o r y w a tc to o l h
box wit
ir ing one rnal me ks and anothe
r

// Kindle F
b e c o m B in te d e b o o u ld b e o m th e
e b y a n d 8 G e b , r e a le t c o a ig h t fr r
ery nam Hz processor f the w is tab go str or you
s new fi can sur 69ppi, th ire is ready to cebook
li v in g up to it ta b let’s 1.2
G
e ss o r. Users in s c r e en at 1 in d le F u m s from Fa a z o n.co.uk
is c lution 7 lb
The Kin
dle is
u c o n s ider th a n it s prede e l r e s o l is th at the K u r fav ourite a 1 3 0 . w ww.am
yo ance th 00 pix e usefu ing yo en. £
e when perform althy 1024 x 6 en mor upload on scre
surpris n t faster h e W hat’s ev e th er with ig h resoluti
e r c e it h a o li o . to g a r, h
a 40 p ry life.
W r portf ed and its cle
n batte ing you wnload e go on
the give
photog
raphy b a g in preview
stall. E
diting a
p p s c a n be do
s you to
import
a n d e d it on th
ACCESSORISE
s o ft w are to in F ir e enable KINDLE POWERFAST CHARGER:
no
te r, th e Kindle If being ready from the box isn’t quick enough for you
compu and you just can’t wait those painstaking long hours for it to fully
charge for the first time, then the Kindle PowerFast charging accessory
will cut the time down to three hours. £18. www.amazon.co.uk

74
 // Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 //
This slightly bigger tablet boasts a
10.1in widescreen for optimised view
and 149ppi and four-way rotation. ing with a resolution of 1280x800
The memory stems from 1GB RAM
The screen also lavishes Full HD video to a choice of 16, 32 or 64GB ROM
playback with 1080p at 30fps. Incor .
division qualities, this tablet also pack porating its Samsung camera
s a 3MP autofocus camera with 720p
around the back, as well as having HD video recording, hidden
a 2MP front camera. As if that wasn
one tablet you can also instantly shar ’t enough camera capabilities for
e your captures via Gmail, messaging
features that will keep your busin and Picasa. There are various
ess side satisfied; from communicatio
tablet keeps the working profession n via remote access to meetings,
al on side, as well as having improved this
even better on tablet. Around £230 its screen to make photos look
. www.samsung.com

SUNG GALAXY TAB 10.1:

BLUETOOTH KEYBOARD FOR SAM e a few notes whilst on a shoot
your webs ite quick ly, reply to a client’s email or mak
If you need to update sung Galaxy tablet, and it gives your
the perfect accessory for the Sam
then a Bluetooth keyboard could be . £50. www.uk.cellphoneshop.net
photos or watching videos back
tablet a base to sit on while viewing
ACCESSORISE

With all the latest hype over the new and

TOP TABS
around with you and flick it open at any occasion. And contrary to the belief of many, the one
with the bite-marked fruit on the back is not the only tablet that is built for great
seemingly unending line of iPads streaming
onto the market it may well be worth taking
a step back and looking at the alternatives
They’re not to every agent’s or editor’s taste, but let’s face it, having a tablet makes it easy to carry your portfolio

display. We’ve rounded up the tablets that we think can do your

portfolio justice, so take your pick

T r a n s f o rmer // inly
// Asus Eee Pad choice
– certa
– brave
name
from G
PS,
th e E ee Pad t e v e r ything d 5 MP rea
r
e of kit r it’s go era an
ACCESSORISE
d p ie c s fo r m e n t c a m x 8 0 0
-line ue tran MP fro 1280
in, slim ike a tr th a 1.2 ous 10.1
For a th t o f tech. L p a c king bo n d a gener h ic h can b
e
lo to y a , w
carries
a
d A n d roid 3.2 G B o f memor o o t H D video r m u lt i-touch
th an rage, 1 also s h 0 fing e he
Bluetoo B of sto ras can ports 1 glass. T ASUS TRANSLEEVE:
m e ra , 16/32G e n . T h e came h e s c r een sup tc h -r e sistant m th e If all of that kit, tech and extras still
ca scre 080p. T dy scra life fro
on LED TV in 1 me han battery and
resoluti to a H D a n d s o te n d e d p o w e r isn’t enough and you hunger for
output ctivity rs of ex r extra
directly t intera 16 hou oard fo enefit more, then why not treat your Eee
t fo r efficien p ressive -c u m-keyb th e go. A b
supp o r
a sts a n im
g s y ste m
ta n tl y o n
u lt ra -wide Pad to its very own Transleeve. This
o bo dockin se cons has an
Eee als l 9.5 , v ia a fo r th o w h ic h your hard cover sleeve has a foldable
origina , great panel, ing off
e r in te raction e r s is the IPS r e a t fo r show b . design which allows the user to
us jo
tograph ing ang
le, g on the
for pho ree view clients position the Eee Pad in a variety of
178 deg e e ti n g or to
m
ots in a s.com
angles for optimised viewing and
best sh .uk.asu display. There are a number of
. w w w
£300 colours available to enable you to
stand out from the crowd. £30.
www.amazon.co.uk

// Sony Tablet S //
CRADLE FOR SONY TABLET S:
Apart from its wide array of already This 9.4in tablet screen has been
supplied designed for image
accessories, including an AC adap optimisation, and with a wide touc
ter, power cord hscreen and 1280x800
and strap, you may want to add the resolution it could be the ultimate
stylish Cradle viewing template for your
to your collection. This posh stand photography. The tablet runs Andr
allows you to oid 3.1 (which is
position your tablet to display a clock upgradable to 4.0.3) for fast usag
or photo e while utilising its Wi-Fi
slideshow alongside your bed or to connectivity. It also has a handy GPS
securely function, so
watch movies whether you are heading off to a new
shoot location or
while keeping your you took a wrong turn out in the wilde
rness, this
tablet supported. tablet should get you back on the
right track. It has
Around £30. 1GB of memory and runs off a NVID
IA Tegra 2
ACCESSORISE
www.sony.co.uk mobile processor with a speed of
1.0 GHz.
Around £300. www.sony.co.uk

75
 X
ANOTHER
ON THE LIST

76

Is Fuji’s new X-E1 just an X-Pro1 without the Optical Viewfinder,
or is it a valuable addition to your kit bag in its own right?
KEVIN MULLINS investigates
Around two years ago I fell in love. I fell head over
heals for a slinky little number that not only looked
sexy, but felt great in my hands and treated me oh
so well. We had fun. Lots of it. We are still friends,
and still see a lot of each other, however, around a
year ago I heard rumours about a new sexy little
thing that was on the way. Sure enough, in February
my first love affair ended and I fell for another. She
was still sexy, but a bit bigger, more butch perhaps,
but still felt great in the hands and treated me oh so
well too.
My new love was so much better that I would take
her to work all the time and work she did, lots, and she
was a wonderful performer too.
Apart from in my silly little fantasy in my head, I’m
obviously talking about the evolution of the Fuji X
range of cameras. My first foray was with the now
legendary X100. Brilliant, but quirky. Fixed lens and a
few teething problems it was certainly a marmite
camera for photographers. They either loved it or they
didn’t. I loved it.
Second on the scene was the Fuji X-Pro1. I wrote the
review in Professional Photographer and I think it’s
safe to say I was blown away. I use it all the time as a
jobbing wedding photographer. Yes, it’s also got some
quirks, and it’s not the bullet fast AF that we expect
from DSLRs, but it offers so much in terms of image
quality, size and functionality.
So now the X-E1 is here. I’ve been shooting with it
for a couple of weeks. I didn’t really know what to
expect. I’d been led to believe that the only difference
between the X-Pro1 and the X-E1 was the lack of
Optical View Finder (OVF). If that was to be the case
I thought I may struggle as I use the OVF exclusively
with the X-Pro1.
As it happens there is more to the X-E1 than simply
a removed OVF, and I like it. I like it a lot.
FIT FOR PURPOSE
I’m not going to go into the full specifications here, you
can find them online, but in essence the camera is very
similar to the X-Pro1. Both cameras share the same
processing engine and the elegantly named 16.3
APS-C X-Trans CMOS sensor. Both cameras are in
Fuji’s chosen retro-looking style and both cameras
offer incredible image quality straight out of the can.
I’m a professional wedding photographer by trade
and I shoot in a pure documentary style which means
I’m a huge fan of the way Fuji are moving with these
GEAR: FUJI X-E1
range of cameras. I shoot weddings with a combination
of the X-Pro1 and DSLRs. I’ll say it right now though;
the only reason I think someone who currently has an
X-Pro1 would need an X-E1 is if they needed to shoot
with two X-Trans cameras. I don’t think the X-E1 is
aimed at replacing the X-Pro1, in fact, they are the
perfect companion for each other.
FINDING THE VIEW
The primary difference between the two (except the
price) is the lack of OVF in the newer camera. I am of
the opinion that the OVF is faster to use in the X-Pro1
than the EVF so I’m an avid OVF user. I also miss the
‘rangefinder-like’ viewing that you lose when removing
the OVF.
Of course, lacking an OVF and its functionality is
mitigated by the associated benefits. The X-E1 is
approximately a third smaller than its big sister and
even though the X-Pro1 can’t be classed as heavy, the
X-E1 feels more like the X100 in terms of size and
weight (this is a good thing!).
The X-E1 has a very nifty pop-up flash built in. I’m
not a big user of flash, but while testing this camera
I came to find it very useful when required. What I
really like about it is the ability to ‘pull and push’ the
flash. It essentially means I can direct and bounce the
flash if necessary, immediately negating the horrid
harshness that onboard flash often leaves in images.
As mentioned, the X-E1 doesn’t offer an OVF and,
because of the construction, the LCD on the back of
the camera is smaller than the X-Pro1. Additionally
the X-E1 supports a 2.36 million pixel OLED viewfinder
compared to the 1.4 million pixel LCD viewfinder in
the X-Pro1.
ON ASSIGNMENT
So, shooting; I’m a full time professional wedding
photographer and so I really wanted to put the X-E1
through its paces at a wedding. Unfortunately,
I only received the camera a couple of days
before my last wedding of 2012. I did get QUICK SPECS
to use it briefly during the wedding but I + 16.3MP CMOS Sensor
didn’t have enough knowledge or + ISO: 100-25,600 (Expanded)
experience of the camera to use it + 2.8 460,000 dots LCD
thoroughly throughout. However, I’ve + Only 350g including battery
managed to get out and about with it of + HD Movie
course and I’m amazed (again) at the + SD, SDHC, SDXC
image quality that Fuji produces from Support
these little things.
77
 The image quality is identical to the X-Pro1 of course.
I expected that but it doesn’t detract from the fact that
The X-E1 is approximately a third
these amazing images are being produced from an even smaller than the it’s big sister and
smaller footprint camera.
The ISO performance, as with the X-Pro1 is next to
even though the X-Pro1 can’t be
miraculous I think. I didn’t use the camera much at the classed as heavy, the X-E1 feels
wedding I took it to, but when I did use it I wanted to put
it through its paces and really stretch the legs.
more like the X100 in terms of size
One of my favourite lenses that Fuji has produced for and weight (this is a good thing!). KM
this range of cameras is the XF 60mm f/2.4 Macro lens.
This lens is simply beautiful for both macro and
non-macro shooting. It’s very slow to focus but produces
amazingly detailed images. Couple that with a December
wedding, in a very dark marquee at 7pm at night and it
was the perfect terrain to really try out the X-E1’s low
light shooting capability.
The first image [pictured bottom right] was shot at VERDICT
f/2.4 at ISO 6,400 on the 60mm lens. Remember, it’s The X-E1 is to all intents and purposes a smaller version
very dark in this environment. It was a challenge to get of the X-Pro1 with the optical viewfinder removed. The
shots using my DSLR and yet with a little ‘looking for the sensor and image processor are identical, and control
light’ I managed to capture this image. The photo hasn’t layout and user interface practically identical.
been edited. No noise reduction has been performed. The question I wanted to be able to answer after
This is the photo as it came out of the camera. There is testing the X-E1 was; would I buy one? Well, the answer
marginal noise in the image, considering it’s ISO 6,400. is not clear-cut. If I didn’t already have an X-Pro1, yes,
The second image [pictured bottom left] was again I would more than likely be in the market for an X-E1. As
shot on the 60mm lens at f/2.4 at ISO 6,400. You can get it stands, I do have an X-Pro1 and whilst I can see the
a feel for amazing image quality again in this photo benefit of using an X-E1 as a second body while shooting
(which is also straight from camera with no processing). weddings, I really do use the Optical View Finder a lot on
I also shot a mid-ISO range image [main image] which the X-Pro1.
is shot at ISO 1,600. This image was shot in one of the For those who perhaps can’t justify the price of the
black and white film emulation modes (as per all the X X-Pro1 I think the X-E1 is a camera of significant value.
range cameras, the XE-1 features several in camera film- The price is on a par with some mid range DSLRs and
emulation conversions). Again, a lovely depth to the I would certainly consider this camera as an equal in
photo with a good dynamic range through the shadows terms of image quality as my high-end DSLRs (at least
and the highlights. up until the ISO 6,400 range).
One of the criticisms of both the X100 As with the X-Pro1 - it isn’t a DSLR and that needs to
PROS: and the X-Pro1 was the autofocus be in mind when shooting with both, but its small
> Superb image quality speed (and to a certain extent the footprint, incredible image quality, low light support and
> Small form-factor even with manual focus mechanism). Fuji the ability to change the lenses and competitive price
lenses attached. Even smaller addressed those issues in would be enough for me to purchase a Fuji X-E1. PP
than the X-Pro1 firmware updates but I’m
> Incredible high ISO performance pleased to see with the release www.fujifilm.eu/uk
(with the monochrome filters) of the X-E1 Fuji has rolled out www.kevinmullinsphotography.co.uk
> Great Dynamic Range the best of the best in terms of
> Well constructed body and AF and manual focusing. It’s
button layout. quick and responsive and manual
> The ‘Q’ button is very useful. focus is now performed with
> Amazingly useful the aperture always set
pop-up flash wide open, allowing far
CONS: greater accuracy in
> Still hunts occasionally bright light.
in low light.
> Small (ish) rear
LCD panel

78
 GEAR: FUJI X-E1

60mm 1/125sec f/2.4 ISO 1600.

60mm 1/60sec f/2.4

ISO 6400.

60mm 1/60sec f/2.4

ISO 6400.

79
 STORAGE FOR
PHOTOGRAPHERS
We’ve asked the techies at G-Technology
- th e b a s i c s
CF card to the two separate external storage solutions for added protection.
It’s also good practice to transfer photos from the CF card often, just in case
to address the unique challenges a card decides to retire too soon.
professional photographers face and Reliable storage solutions that offer portability, compact size and
outline the basic storage requirements flexibility are important in this stage of a photographer’s workflow. Mobile
hard drives can weigh less than 517g, feature fast 7,200RPM
they need to maintain their creative performance with up to 140MB per
workflow effectively and securely second transfer rates, and can
store up to 1TB. The G-DRIVE
rofessional photographers are some of the most creative mini with an all-aluminium

P individuals, and in order to maintain and nurture this creativity,

their work environment has to be free-flowing as inspiration can
be found everywhere.
Professional photographers also work in very unpredictable
environments. And with state-of-the-art HDSLR cameras now reaching up
to 36 megapixels per photo, there are additional challenges in how best to
capture, store and manage a growing collection of digital images – whether
enclosure is perfect in a fast-
paced or rugged environment.
Some external drives are even
bus-powered so there’s no need to
bring along an A/C power cord when
on the road.

in the field or in the studio. EDITING

Regardless of location, equipping yourself with the right storage The next stage to consider is high-performance and high-capacity storage
equipment is critical. And while there is no one ‘right answer’ when it comes for editing. Retouching, colour enhancement, layering and countless other
to storage in the workflow, having a backup plan, which includes at techniques are used in the editing process, which requires a high-
minimum having two copies of your data at all times, is the foundation of performance storage solution to help finish the job quickly. Storage
any sound data protection strategy. solutions in this stage of the workflow must be readily available and fast,
because time is money, and slow storage solutions
YOUR OWN PERSONAL WORKSTYLE can have an impact on productivity and
Looking specifically at digital photography, we often hear how new consequently profitability. USB
photographers struggle to properly ingrain storage into their workstyle, 3.0 and Thunderbolt based
whether that’s because they don’t have the time to think about it or find it storage solutions can help
difficult to choose the right solutions and devices. Many photographers also with this, so ensuring the
feel frustrated by the amount of time they spend at their computer device you chose has one of
managing, storing and protecting their photos. But, rest assured, selecting these interfaces will be a
and using the right storage solutions can be simple. bonus. Devices like the
G-RAID with Thunderbolt in
CAPTURE AND TRANSFER RAID 0 (performance mode) are
It’s important to choose a device that offers both performance and perfect for this type of environment.
reliability and can work in a flexible and mobile environment. You should Thunderbolt provides double the data transfer rates
also consider a backup storage solution in this decision. of USB 3.0 and is over 12 times faster than FireWire 800, addressing the
The technicalities of storage devices such as capacity, physical size and need for high availability, reliability and speed.
interface connection are all important but professional photographers need
dependable solutions. They should always consider factoring in at least two BACKUP AND DATA PROTECTION
portable storage solutions into their capture and transfer stage – from the The next stage in your workflow where storage should be considered is

80
 masterclass
part 1

backup. This is where it can be all your data, for example the G-DRIVE Mini or even a couple of mobile
tempting to opt for as big and as storage products such as the G-DRIVE Mobile. What is crucial in any device
cheap of a solution as possible. and strategy you choose is reliability.
However, it is still important to For example, Jeremy Cowart, a professional photographer from
consider the availability of the Nashville who shoots musicians, entertainers and celebrities and is also the
data and information you’re founder of Help-Portrait, a worldwide movement of photographers giving
planning to store, so again, free portraits to those less fortunate, is an advocate for reliability. He
speed of access has to be believes that although device performance can
considered. Essentially your save time, nothing matters more to a
backup solution should also photographer than reliability. Any professional
be fast to ensure that in a photographer needs to know that the work they
worst case scenario you can capture will survive intact all the way into
access your data quickly and editing and still be available for retrieval many
minimise downtime. years later. Next week, Jeremy will share his
A storage solution such as the behind the scenes tips and tricks related to
G-SPEED Q is an incredibly fast storage and workflow on PP’s website,
system and offers RAID 5 www.professionalphotographer.co.uk.
protection, meaning that files Make sure the devices you choose and the
are safe, even if a hard drive fails processes you put in place give you the flexibility
in the unit. This peace of mind and peace of mind that comes with being able
along with the fantastic to trust your digital media storage.PP

performance makes it easy to

use this drive for all of your work
files. This solution can address both the editing and backup stage in your
workflow – so if you’re someone who needs a simple backup and archive
solution, then this type of system is perfect.
So essentially what can be considered a challenging process of
considering storage from the point of capture all the way to archiving, and
the rule of two in terms of backup, is far less of a challenge than you might
think. And there are devices that help merge these stages and deliver
across all aspects of a prosumer’s or a professional photographer’s
workflow and style.
THE ESSENTIAL BASICS
As an absolute minimum solution for a professional photographer, we
would recommend a device that can be used on location and can back up
www.g-technology.eu
NEW G-TECHNOLOGY SERIES – STORING LIKE A PRO
Professional Photographer will be partnering with G-Technology over
the next three months to help readers learn more about storing
photography like a professional with G-Technology’s high
performance external storage.
The G-Technology experts will be offering advice about secure
storage on location or in-studio and offering you the chance to win
user friendly devices like the new G-DRIVE Mobile and G-RAID with
Thunderbolt. Stay tuned for more details or visit G-Technology to see
which storage device is right for your photography needs.

WIN Share your most extreme moment to win

a G-RAID with Thunderbolt
We’re pleased to announce that G-Technology
is offering our readers the chance to win four
brand new USB 3.0 external drives so you can
store photos like a professional.
The go-to brand for top photographers
including Tim Flach, Philip Bloom and Jeremy
Cowart, G-Technology offers sleek, high-
performance external storage solutions with
USB 3.0 connectivity to help you back up
photos, edit multimedia files and store data
fast and flawlessly.
We’ll be running a series of competitions
over the next three months with one of G-
Technology’s new USB 3.0 drives up for grabs
each month. The best overall entry over the
course of the three months will then bag a G-
RAID with Thunderbolt unit (worth £575.00)
for high-speed, high performance storage and
editing that keeps up with your creativity.
This month, we’re giving you the chance to
win a G-Drive Mobile – the perfect companion
for shooting on location. The compact little
drive delivers 1GB of fail-safe storage with
USB 3.0 and FireWire connectivity in a sleek,
high performance unit, ideal for backing up
that perfect shot when you’re on the go. To be
in with a chance of winning, all you have to do
is send us a snap of the most extreme place
you’ve ever had to back-up your photos. The
best entry will get their hands on a G-Drive
Mobile unit, and will also be in with a shot of
winning the G-RAID with Thunderbolt.
To enter, just upload your photo to www.
professionalphotographer.co.uk/Portfolio/
G-Technology-competition
Deadline: 28 January 2013.

81
 GEAR: G-RAID

Speed demon
As a long-time user of G-Technology products, I was eager to get my hands on one of
their latest drives; the G-Raid with Thunderbolt, says TOM MARTIN
I’ve used a standard 2TB G-Raid, connected to
my editing suite via FireWire 800 as my main
media scratch drive for around 18 months now.
I’ve been very impressed with its speed,
reliability and rock-solid build quality, and
have since added several other G-Tech drives
to my setup. I was therefore very keen to see
how much of a difference the addition of
Apple’s new super-fast Thunderbolt
connection would make to an already
impressive product.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Like all G-Tech products, the first thing that
strikes you after removing the drive from its
packaging is the very high build quality and
equally impressive design. Modelling itself after
Apple’s iconic design language, the drive is a
weighty chunk of durable, brushed aluminium
and looks fantastic. Its design perfectly
complements the Apple products it’s based on,
and looks great next to an iMac, or on top of a
Mac Pro. I’m not usually one to wax lyrical about
how something as utilitarian as a hard drive
looks, but this is one you’ll want to display in
pride of place rather than hide away out of sight.
Its rugged aluminium construction inspires
confidence in its ability to withstand the rigours
of daily professional use.
The front of the unit has a small, white LED
status light, which flashes when the drive is in
use, which along with the electric blue
Thunderbolt badge and a slight increase in
physical height and weight are the only things to
distinguish it from its non-Thunderbolt brethren.
The back of the unit, however, is where the
differences are more readily apparent. Along with
the unit’s cooling fan, which ensures the
reliability and longevity of the unit, there are two
Thunderbolt connectors, allowing the unit to be
connected to a compatible Apple Mac (PC uptake
of the Thunderbolt connection is limited at time
of writing, though all G-Tech drives are PC
compatible after a reformat)
This also enables another five devices to be
daisy chained, allowing a total of six devices to be
connected to one port. Missing, however, are any
legacy connections, which limits the unit’s usage
to only the newest generation of iMacs and
MacBooks; older models and the
still-to-be-updated Mac Pro need not apply.
POWERING UP
As my iMac is a couple of years old, it lacks the
requisite Thunderbolt connection, so I enlisted
the help of a colleague who had recently invested
in an entry-level 13-inch MacBook Pro
(Non-retina) to put the drive through its paces.
One thing to note at this point is that, unlike other
G-Tech drives which come with a plethora of free
cables, I was disappointed to find that the drive
did not come packaged with a Thunderbolt cable
as standard. My review copy came bundled with
the requisite Apple branded cable which carries
a price tag of £39. This is definitely something to
consider when purchasing, as it adds a not
inconsiderable sum onto the total price,
especially if you decide to take advantage of the
aforementioned daisy chaining capabilities of the
drive and need to buy multiple cables.
TESTING
As a user of the standard G-Raid, the first thing
that struck me was how much quieter the fan in
this system is. While a small detail, its
importance can’t be overlooked, especially if
you’re editing with the unit on your desk day in,
day out.
The drive is formatted in a Raid 0 striped
configuration as standard, which allows you to
use the full 4TB available. This provides the
fastest possible speed by splitting the data into
two and writing it to two drives at once, at the
expense of security; if one drive fails, all of your
data will disappear. That’s why these drives are
best used as working drives, with a separate 

83

The G-Raid with Thunderbolt clocked in an
impressive average of around
270 MB/s which is much faster than the
64 MB/s achieved by my older drive. TM
GEAR: G-RAID
back-up kept on another drive.
Unlike my G-Raid, which has a hardware Raid
controller, this drive’s Raid abilities are software
configured, allowing it to also be used as a Raid 1
or mirrored array. This mirrors the data onto two
drives, giving you security at the expense of some
speed and space. Only 2TB is available when
used in this configuration. This flexibility is a
great new feature, and adds a lot of extra value
to the drive.
I then began to test the drive’s capabilities.
Thunderbolt promises data transfer rates of up to
10 gigabits per second, or 1.25 gigabytes per
second. In comparison, FireWire 800 offers
around 800 megabits per second or 100
megabytes per second, so Thunderbolt should be
a whopping 12 times faster.
Testing the drive in its standard Raid 0
configuration, I started by copying a 4.5GB
Quicktime file. It took only 41 seconds. By
comparison, my G-Raid with FireWire took one
minute and 20 seconds to copy the same file.
This was fast, but to really test the drive, I
turned to Blackmagic Disk Speed Test and AJA
System Test, two excellent free applications for
stress testing professional hard drives. Here are
the results from Blackmagic Disk Speed Test:
In the Disk Speed test, the G-Raid with
Thunderbolt clocked in an impressive average of
around 270 MB/s which is much faster than the
64 MB/s achieved by my older drive.
I then ran a similar test using AJA System
Test, which showed the drive hitting a peak
transfer speed of around 300 MB/s. These are
incredibly impressive results, albeit not as fast as
the advertised specs. This is likely due to the
limiting factor of the speed of the hard drive
platters used in the drive itself not being able to
keep up with the potential data rate Thunderbolt
can offer. Regardless, this is an almost five times
increase in speed over the older drive, and should
ably cope with all but the most demanding
of uses.
VERDICT:
While the lack of an included Thunderbolt cable
is a disappointment, and the drive doesn’t quite
reach the speed potential that Thunderbolt
offers, it remains an incredibly fast hard drive
with excellent design and build quality built to
survive daily professional usage. If you need a
fast, rugged drive, and possess a compatible Mac
(and credit card!), then it’s a fantastic choice. PP
www.g-technology.eu
85
GEAR: BOWENS LIMELITE MOSAIC LED
LIT WITH LED
CRAIG FLEMING puts his flash aside to find out what the Bowens Limelite Mosaic LED
panels can do for boots, cupcakes, people and pens
There seems to be a mind-numbing array of
lighting options for the modern photographer
these days, not that I’m complaining. Most
professionals are asked to shoot everything
from location portraits to studio-based
products and now we’re even being requested
to cover the moving image. This movement
into video has meant I’ve had to look at other
lighting options that possibly cover not only
the moving image but might also be useful for
commercial imagery too.
HANDLING
The Bowens Mosaic Limelite is, by it’s own
admission, a modular LED light bank system.
Daylight balanced to 5600k and featuring 576
LED’s providing up to 4200 lux of light these
30cm lights can run either off standard mains
power or an optional battery pack system, more
on that later. There are three modes on the
Mosaic, which is controlled via the back panel.
Firstly you have the USR mode, this displays the
86
power output in a range from 000 to 255 giving
you plenty of scope for fine-tuning your setup.
You can even save your settings so the unit
remembers for next time it’s powered up.
Next we have the FST mode which basically
means F-stop and in this mode you basically alter
the power setting by +/- 1/10th of a stop so again
a good level of usable control. Next up we have
the DMX mode. DMX is an industry standard
means of controlling professional lighting setups.
Put simply in this mode you can link up numerous
Mosaic heads and control them all separately
from one unit. Mosaics can be linked either in a
chain or in groups of two or four giving you
the option of creating an altogether larger
light source.
STUDIO TESTS
With portraits and beauty being my main area of
specialism I couldn’t wait to put the Mosaic to the
test with a model, just to see how a single bare
panel would light the face.
RIGHT: With the light about a metre away from
the model and metering from her face, I’m given
an exposure of 1/60sec at f/4 with ISO 100.
That’s actually a decent amount of light —
certainly enough to work with. What did catch my
eye though was the beautiful soft edge to the
essentially harsh shadows, certainly for me,
a lot more pleasing than say a bare reflector
with flash.
Next up was a job I had lined up for a local
cupcake company. Because the lights give off no
heat whatsoever, I figured they’d be ideal for
shooting objects topped with buttercream icing.
BOTTOM LEFT: Continuous light sources are
naturally lower powered than flash so the fall off
of light from the subject to the background is
often quite noticeable. In this image I’ve used a
standard bare panel on the subject and another
panel lighting the background at half a stop
more. To avoid that back light spilling too far 
 QUICK SPECS
+ 30x30cm
576 individual LEDs
Daylight balanced to 5600k
Power source: AC/DC
RRP £750

87
 62 Cheap Street,
Cameras
50 High Street, 13 Market Street,
Newbury, RG14 5DH Witney, OX28 6HQ Swindon, SN1 1RZ
01635 528788 01993 702687 01793 523332
newbury@t4cameras.co.uk witney@t4cameras.co.uk swindon@t4cameras.co.uk

LEASE RENT THAT EF LENS

THAT YOU HAVE ALWAYS NEEDED!
EF 24mm F1.4 L USM II £37.26
EF 35mm F1.4 L USM £32.67
EF 50mm F1.2 L USM £35.83
EF 85mm F1.2 L USM II £56.76
EF 300mm F2.8 L IS USM II £178.95
EF 500mm F4 L IS USM II £229.44
EF 8-15mm F4 L USM £34.39
EF 16-35mm F2.8 L USM II £31.53
EF 24-70mm F2.8 L IS USM II £61.93
EF 70-200mm F2.8 L IS USM II £61.93
EF 199-400mm F4.5 - 5.6 L IS USM £34.10
TSE 17mm F4 L £55.90
TSE 24mm F3.5 L II £37.26

All Canon equipment is available to lease rent, we will be happy to discuss or advise you
of the benefits of lease renting should you so wish. Title of the equipment can pass to you
at the end of the 3 year term by paying just one additional monthly payment.
Note
The above lease rental figures are based upon a 3 year rental term per month and
excludes VAT. Lease rental facilities are subject to status, terms and conditions apply.
Written quotations are available upon request.

PHONE NOW FOR FURTHER DETAILS

01993 702687
www.t4cameras.co.uk
 GEAR: BOWENS LIMELITE MOSAIC LED

forward onto my subject I’ve used the barn door

attachment. The angle of light output is 40
degrees which isn’t going to cause too many
issues like this, particularly at close range, but
lighting is all about subtlety and control.

PREVIOUS PAGE, MIDDLE: A backlight can

really help to accentuate texture, not just in
a raspberry and white chocolate macaroon as
shown here, but also in skin when shooting
beauty. Too large a light source and this effect VERDICT
can be lessened, but the small proportions of the The last two shoots were
Mosaic lend themselves perfectly to the job in relatively quick affairs
hand as shown here. designed to show just how
instantly usable the Bowens
OUTDOOR TEST Mosaics are, and for me that’s
I’m giving the Limelites a run out, shooting where their beauty lies; I
commercial images, and first off I’m shooting a wouldn’t use them on portrait
pair of work boots outside. It’s not a particularly or fashion shoots I don’t think,
nice day so I’m going to need some form of but for commercial product
illumination to give the shots a boost of contrast. photography they are worth
As I mentioned earlier there are a few options their weight and with video
for using these lights away from mains power. rearing its ugly mug ever more
Options are available for attaching either a frequently then you really
V-mount fitting battery or an Anton/Bauer wouldn’t go far wrong having a
G-mount type battery, I don’t have either of those couple in your lighting
so instead I’m choosing to power the lighting armoury. I recently shot some
using my Innovatronix XT explorer pack. video for a beauty blog
thinking I could light it with the
TOP: In this image, shot using only available light, modeling light on my
you can see the lighting is flat and fairly lifeless, monoblocs. All was going well
pretty much the norm for a December day in the until the cooling fans kicked in,
Peak District. you never realise how loud
they are until you hear them
MIDDLE: By adding a couple of Limelites I’ve start up while someone does a
managed to boost the contrast and the colour piece to camera.
somewhat and lift the image to something a As I write this the RRP on
little more punchy. I’m using both units on full the Bowens website is £749.70
power as they don’t kick out vast amounts of light but there is currently a special
and I do want to overpower the natural light offer on at £653.40 which is a
even though it is a little flat. The units are about pretty good saving although it
two feet away from the workboots and at is still worth shopping around.
ISO 320 I’m getting an exposure of f/6.3 at
1/100sec. From that you can tell we’re not talking
flash power here. But then again, if you need
flash power, use flash. LED lighting does have its LEFT: Taking the Limelites back
uses in stills photography but for me its primary inside and plugging them into good
use is for video. old faithful mains power I decided to
shoot something a little more
2ND FROM BOTTOM: This gives you an idea of testing. Highly reflective surfaces
the simple setup used. My plan was to use the such as steel and satin could easily
lights on full power and then alter the intensity by have blown out when using flash but
moving the lights closer or further away from the here the Limelites have coped
subject to tweak the lighting ratio and show you admirably. There’s plenty of detail in
more options but my fully charged Explorer XT the fabric lining of the pen case and
battery pack lasted only five minutes. Not sure if the brushed steel texture of the pens
this is normal but I will be getting it checked over. themselves are also lit well. PP

89

MATTHEW’S PROVERBS
A portrait shoot with
young children is the perfect
opportunity for photographer
MATTHEW SEED to put
Profoto modifiers through
their paces. But just which
accessory came out trumps?
Getting to test the individual Profoto
light shaping tools over the past
few months has really shown the
intricacies involved in perfecting the
art of lighting, but I thought this time around it
would be great to combine a few tools on the
same shoot to get a sense of the differences
between each. A portrait shoot was the ideal
subject material as there are so many different
ways of lighting people in terms of soft light,
hard light and accent lights. The aim was to go
for something with a bit of a magazine editorial
feel and avoid the bright white backdrop and
‘funky’ colourful post-production of the
Venture-style portrait, which I think has
become a little bit tired really. I think the
Venture thing has conditioned people to think
that this is what portraiture is. The lighting’s
all gone a bit out of the window. Everything’s
got a bit staid.
I do run a portraiture business alongside the
fashion and corporate work. I don’t do a lot of it but
what I do is I try to treat it in the same way as
fashion and do something a bit more creative with
the lighting. My subjects here were a pair of young
MATTHEW SEED
brothers and I was looking for something with a bit
of attitude that would breathe fresh life into the usual
‘boy having fun against white background and lit by
softbox’ approach. Aside from trying to be more
creative with the lighting, I do try and capture the
child’s personality rather than just relying on the
kids laughing and thinking that that’s enough to sell
the picture. A lot of people seem to think that kids
are just about laughing and running around like
idiots. I know it is part of it, but you’ve got a
million shots like that yourself. I prefer to do
almost a classical study of the person, like you
would an adult.
Lighting-wise I pulled out quite a few Profoto
accessories. Up for comparison were the Profoto
White Softlight ‘beauty dish’ fitted with the 25
degree Honeycomb Grid (the only option for the
Softlight), a standard Profoto 4x3ft Softbox by way
of comparison, the Profoto Magnum Reflector, and
the Profoto Telezoom Reflector. First in test was the
Softlight and I used it to light the boys from about 45
degrees above and a little to the right with the aid of
PRO LIGHTING
Mainlight: Profoto
Softlight, 45° above and
slightly to the right of
the subject.
Background: Zoom
Reflector with 5°
Honeycombe grid
camera left.
a boom stand. Lighting the background from camera
left was another Profoto head fitted with a standard
Zoom Reflector and 10 degree Honeycomb Grid to
concentrate the light into a relatively small pool, so
much of the surrounding area stayed relatively dark.
There was also another light coming from the left
and behind the boy to rim light one side; the effect is
most obvious on the image pictured above. Again a
standard Zoom Reflector was used, but this time
with a very narrow five degree Honeycomb Grid to
prevent the light entering the lens. It’s great that
Profoto offer a grid this narrow. If you pull
the light back any real distance, the angle, and thus
the potential for lens flare, will increase. Something
as narrow as five degrees gives you a lot of room
to experiment with.
The first shot of the series (above) was a half-
length portrait and it was the one that
the parents went absolutely mad for. It was their 
91
 Mainlight: Profoto
Softlight, 45° above and
slightly to the right of
the subject.
Background: Zoom
Reflector with 10°
Honeycombe grid.

favourite of the whole set. Interesting for me

was that although the light modifier is labelled soft,
there’s still a lot of shadow edge definition and
shadows are still plenty dark, so contrast is good.
Perhaps ‘even light’ is a better description as it’s
completely even across the face with none of the
usual bright highlight areas you’d associate with an
undiffused reflector dish. The Honeycomb grid most
likely aided the shadow areas, so without it the
Softlight is likely to have a fraction less contrast and
shadow edge definition. It’s still a lovely accessory
for portraiture though and interesting that it’s the
one the parents went for, though doubtless they
will have been focusing more on the pose and
facial expressions.
Next up I went for the Softbox which really is the
traditional modifier of choice for portraiture. It’s
popular because Softlight is relatively easy to use. It
gives such a soft, even spread that you don’t have to
worry about positioning the light with precision with
regards to your subject, and there’s also no worry
about having to throw in a second fill light if you
don’t want the shadows to fall too dark. You tend to
get quite a bit of fall off from softboxes as you can
see in the half-length portrait (pictured opposite page It’s not my modifier of choice here as I’m trying to do something
top) where the bottom half is falling quite dark rather
quickly. Lifting the light higher helps reduce the
a bit less traditional, but if you’ve got a moving subject (often the
issue but then you also tend to get a flattening out of case with younger children!) then the softbox can’t be beat. MS
illumination on the background area, so you lose a
bit more of the circular effect. tone down the contrast. If you want that sharp-edged, close it’s almost like a ringflash effect. It’s certainly
It’s not my modifier of choice here as I’m trying dense shadow look that’s popular with a lot of studio harder than the Softlight though a fraction softer than
to do something a bit less traditional, but if you’ve fashion, then this is probably the light modifier for the Magnum. There’s great shadow edge definition
got a moving subject (often the case with younger you. You could go even harder with a Honeycomb and fantastic contrast but it’s not so high that you
children!) then the Softbox can’t be beat. Hard light grid. You can also add Profoto Barn Doors to better necessarily need a fill. There’s a really nice quality
generally requires precision angling, which makes control the spill from the light or add the Pro Tube to the shadows; they’re not jet black and not as hard
handling movement a bit hit-and-miss; you can end reflector for an even tighter, hotter light pattern. as they might first look.
up with dark shadows in all the wrong places. The Finally, I put to the test the Profoto Telezoom The other great thing about the Telezoom is that it
great thing about the Profoto range of softboxes is Reflector, which has come to be my favourite seems to have less fall off than other light modifiers.
that fabric grids are available for the front, which modifier over the last few months. I actually tried You can see in the full-length shot (pictured far
allows you to cut down spill and improve the shadow something very different here, raising the light right, the light is about five feet higher) that the
intensity. A good compromise if you do need to go almost directly above the boys and using the bottom of the legs look like they’re receiving almost
this route. reflector to light the backdrop as well as the subjects, as much light as the head, despite the fact that the
Next up in the portraiture shoot out is the Magnum so that the whole thing was done with a single light. reflector isn’t that high up. You’d get much greater
Reflector, which is billed as giving maximum output The beauty of the Telezoom is its ability to produce fall off with the other reflectors. The advantage over
with normal beam spread. It throws out more light a strong-edged concentric beam so that it can almost the Magnum is that the effects also change to a much
than the standard Zoom Reflector which is useful in act like a spotlight. You can see that the boys’ greater degree as you zoom the reflector. Move it
certain circumstances. You can immediately see the shadows are now visible on the paper, which adds to up and down on the light and you can produce
difference over the Profoto Softlight (and obviously that spotlight feel. They’re standing close to the distinctly different effects. The parents were also
even more so over the Softbox). Shadows are much curve of the paper (about two feet away) so you get very pleased with the shots I took using this
sharper and denser and the lighting across the face is that lovely shadow where it goes along a bit and then modifier, and I think again it proved to be my
less even. There are more specular highlight areas goes up. absolute favourite overall. PP
too, making it perhaps more suited to studio fashion With the first shot (pictured right) I had the
than family portraiture, though a second fill light or reflector in close. You can see the wonderfully www.mspstudio.co.uk
a piece of tracing paper over the front could help punchy and crisp white light on the face. Up this www.profoto.com

92
 PRO LIGHTING
Mainlight: Profoto 4x3
Softbox, high above the
subject. Background:
Fall off from softbox.

Special thanks to:

Parents: Jason & Angela Meadows
Kids: Connor & Sean Meadows

Mainlight: Profoto Mainlight: Profoto

Telezoom Reflector in Telezoom Reflector
close, camera right. higher above subject,
camera right.

KIT LIST
Hasselblad H3D Mark II
1 x Profoto Softlight Reflector White
1 x Profoto 4x3ft Softbox
1 x Profoto Magnum Reflector
1 x Profoto Telezoom Reflector
3 x Profoto Acute/D4 Head
2 x Profoto Acute2R 2400 power pack
1 x boom stand

93
when quality
counts

• Exhibition / portfolio standard photographic

printing on a range of materials
• Gallery style canvas printing
• Acrylic prints
• Block mounted prints
• Simple contemporary frames
• Box frames
• Mounting and window mounting
• Classic framing
• Film processing
• Imacon film scanning

01925 821281
info@photech.co.uk
www.photech.co.uk
 - LONGRIDGE MOUNT CUTTERS
COOL BRITANNIA

CUT TO to th e in v e n to r o f the Longridge

Kathrine Anker chats IS LONGRIDGE, about the tool

IM P R E S S Mount Cutter, CHR

that made professio
n a l m o u n ti n g a c c e ssible for all

F
or someone who owns something as intangible as a ‘virtual
business’, Chris Longridge makes a tangible face-to-face
impression. Those who’ve had the pleasure of meeting him at
Focus on Imaging in Birmingham, or at other trade shows, will
recall his red bow tie and white shirt, his impeccable manners
and that attentive gaze you only get from a really dedicated listener.
And as I sit across from him in our Cheltenham office, Chris sporting
a cravat this time, I am treated to what is probably the most impactful
sales pitch I’ve ever experienced. It takes about three seconds; Chris
holds up a photograph of a seascape taken by Tony Gill from
Dorchester Camera Club, framed by a white double bevel mount, for the
viewer to admire. Then, just as your eyes have settled, he lowers the
picture and raises it again, this time with a black mount around it. The
effect is jaw-dropping. Wow!, says Editor Scorey who sits next to me.
“That mount picks up the dark tones and colours so much better!”
Although the image is stunning on its own, it’s just amazing how big a
difference the ‘package’ can make.
Chris Longridge is not the maker of the package. He is, for want of a
better word, the facilitator of the making of the package. Longridge Mount
Cutting Systems was born out of listening to photographers and other
artists’ needs and finding solutions.
“30 years ago I wanted to learn how to frame pictures and decorate
mounts, and the method my instructor showed me was archaic. There were
bits of cardboard and designs on corner pieces and drilled holes in the
corners… it was unreal! I thought, there must be a gizmo for this, surely?
But there wasn’t,” says Chris, whose ancestors were engineers dating 

95
 COOL BRITANNIA - LONGRIDGE MOUNT CUTTERS
all the way back to the 1700s (one of them helped Stevenson build his
rocket, a fact that can be found in an old, frail-looking book about the
Longridge family history which his product designer has shown me). Chris
discovered that he wasn’t the only one who found the mounting procedure
frustrating. The photographers and painters he spoke to would start out
optimistically, only to be disheartened when one mount after the other
came out the wrong size or had dodgy window corners. “It’s a disappointing
experience when it doesn’t work. If you’ve got to do 20 mounts for an
exhibition and there seems to be no logic to when the cut is successful and
when it’s not, you start dreading doing it,” Chris says from experience and
adds that most photographers he spoke to would blame themselves when
their attempts failed. “It’s quite sad that people buy products that aren’t the
best and then think ‘oh, it’s me, I’m at fault, I can’t make it work’.”
Chris asked his framing instructor, Mike, if he would be Chris’
guinea pig, and went off to try and develop a more efficient
system for mount decoration. “I invented this little
marking tool, which I patented, and that started the
business,” he says.
The little tool, the corner gage, took Chris all
over Europe as the framing business discovered
I invented this
his invention. “I talked to lots of people in little marking tool,
different markets and identified the
marketplace, and as a result, I started being
which I patented,
approached by individuals – not so much the and that started the
trade, but individual photographers and artists –
people who wanted to do their own presentation,
business. CL
saying, God, I have real problems cutting my own
mounts, the hand tools are a nightmare to use,”
explains Chris.
After the success of the corner gauge, another common
problem presented itself: people had issues drawing straight lines when
marking out where their decorations were supposed to go on their mounts.
The solution? The marker gauge, a measuring shaft with a pencil attached
to the end and a round, yellow block which can be locked at any point on the
shaft and ensures that the distance between the desired line and the edge
of the mount remains constant. “It’s innovation, it’s seeing people having
problems, it’s having an engineering inclination and a practical inclination to
spot a problem that nobody has solved,” says Chris. “Nobody had ever done
this before, we’d all seen tools with a spike at the end but nobody had
actually connected a pencil to the concept, nor a measuring system. So
simple! That led people to saying, can you not make a simple tool that will
make it easy to cut a mount? And what about all us left-handers in the
artistic market, there is nothing left-handed, it’s all biased, right-handed
design.” Chris happened to be left-handed himself, and knew exactly how
difficult it can be to work with tools that aren’t designed for your needs.
So the creation of the ultimate cutting device began: The Longridge Mount
Cutter was born.
A CUTTING-EDGE SYSTEM
The Longridge Mount Cutting Systems are packed with patented features
developed by Chris and the Longridge team with the purpose of making it
simpler to cut a mount with precision. The measuring facility, a small but
96
precise ruler on the parallel bar, allows you to preset the border of the
mount. The mount board slides underneath the rail and registers against a
parallel bar, which is attached to the main guide rail with two swing arms to
allow it to be adjusted to suit the width of the mount. The cutter itself runs
along the rail and is designed to be pushed gently with the whole palm,
avoiding stress and strain injuries on your joints.
Many of these features had never been made before Longridge arrived on
the scene, but the thought Chris and his team have put into the mount
cutter doesn’t stop with the cutter itself. “People were complaining that it’s
so hard to push the cutter through the mount, and that could partly be the
blade, but it could also be something else,” Chris says. Being the inquisitive
person he is, Chris took a look around the industry to see what was being
used as a base underneath the mount board. “People used scrap bits of
mount board, bits of card, all sorts of things, and I asked, is this the
designed solution? No it isn’t. The blade is going through the mount
board and into a protective cutting layer, so what should this
product be doing? Obviously, it could protect the base of
your machine. But it could also help support the blade –
that’s a really important part to keep intact because it
does all the work.” The solution came in the form of
a Sprintmat, a cutting mat in which all grains were
aligned in the same direction as the cut. When the
blade goes in, it slips in between two fibres and stays
between those fibres all the way through, almost as
if there was a rubber bearing on both sides of the
blade, making for a straighter cut. It also causes less
wear on the blade, less drag and less effort. It
approximately halves the effort in terms of pushing,”
Chris says with confidence.
Once a solution so simple and obvious comes along, it sometimes
beggars belief that nobody in the industry has thought of it before. Chris
blames tradition. “One of my pet hate words in the design industry is
‘tradition’. Think of the average clothes washing machine – it’s got that little
drawer for detergent in the top, and the theory is that water dribbles into it
and leads the detergent out, but have you ever found one that really works?
They always clog up. You pull the drawer mechanism out, turn them over
and it’s covered with mould and junk that you wouldn’t want to put
anywhere near your clothes. And yet, every year there are new models out
with the same flaw. It’s tradition. It takes a lot of time for many industries
to get rid of that word, and it’s the same in the framing industry. Nobody
thought about what would be the best thing to put under a mount cutter.”
VIRTUAL BUSINESS
In our Cool Britannia series, we’ve heard the most fascinating stories
through the loud clatter of sewing machines or plastic moulding devices at
the heart of the British businesses we visited, but Chris Longridge has come
to us because seeing how his product is made would involve visiting about
six factories. Longridge Mount Cutters belongs to the most common kind of
businesses in the UK, what is termed ‘virtual businesses’. Longridge make
use of the best expertise in the UK to source each individual component,
and the Longridge HQ is where everything is assembled, and where the
products are designed and prototyped. This is how most products are 
97
 HOW TO CUT A BEVEL MOUNT Chris Longridge takes pride in having produced a mount cutting
system that can be used successfully, even by people who have never
cut a mount before. So we put him to the test and got him to
demonstrate how easily it’s done, using a Longridge Signature Midi

The cutter hooks

1 Adjust the little 5 onto the main
ruler on top of the
parallel bar guide rail with
according to how one end, and at
thick you want the the other end it’s
borders to be. We got a sharp, v-
opted for 6cm – shaped indent.
the ruler, though Line up the
small, is very cutter with your
precise and shows drawn pencil line
inches as well as so it leads
centimetres straight into the
middle of the v

Then mount slides

2 Use the cutter 6
underneath the stop to fix the
rail up to the cutter on your
leading edge of pencil line. The
the parallel bar, cutter stops slide
which you’ve along inside the
preset in step 1 main channel of
the rail and lock
into place with a
firm push

3 With the mount Cut using the whole

inside of your palm
7
up against the
leading edge, to press the top
use the edge as part, which will then
a guide to mark press the blade into
out the four the mount. Using
sides you are your whole hand
going to cut with makes it an easy
a pencil movement with
minimal effort
needed. The cutter
and blade are both
designed to put
minimal stress on
the body

Make sure your

4 blade cuts right to 8
Slide the mount the end. No need
back in, and to press hard, but
locate it in two if you get lazy
directions this when the cutter
time: one against reaches the
the leading edge cutter, stop, your
of the parallel blade might
bar as before, retract slightly
and the other and not cut all the
against the way through the
mount stop mount, causing
underneath the the paper at the
rail so it front of the mount
can’t move to stick

98
 COOL BRITANNIA - LONGRIDGE MOUNT CUTTERS

made in the UK now, but it’s

not always been the case.
From the industrial
revolution onwards,
manufacturing in the UK
tended to happen in a
single plant where raw
materials came in at one
end and finished
products came out at the
other, and the company
did everything that was
involved in getting the
product made. But since the
First World War, Britain’s
mass production declined
because labour rates went up, and
it became impossible to compete with
the emerging economies of the Far East
and some of the Southern European countries.
Instead, Britain developed as a pioneer of high-end TIP
engineering. “The industrial backbone of this RULE OF THUMB
country turned from being single-product plants to When you slide in the mount
multiple small plants that did a very specialist job before cutting it, press your
for many customers,” Chris elaborates. “The car thumb against the hole at
industry is a very good example of that now; the end of the rail and lift the
a manufacturer like Honda or BMW don’t actually rail slightly so the mount
make anything worth talking about in their factory. doesn’t brush against
The factory is an assembly plant that gets lots of the rubber underneath
the rail
different pieces from different manufacturers and what
they really do is put it together. Now, the advantage of
that for any manufacturer is that you can pick each particular
service or skill you need from a sub-contracting company, adjust the and will last for 10 years. And that costs a lot of money to make, £2-3000
right price and quality level, and you may use five, 10 or 15 minutes of their at least. But ‘Joe Photographer’ wants that same precision. So our
time per week. You’re not paying for the machinery on the whole, you’re challenge was to produce a product with the engineering that ensures
only paying for the time that you use it.” As a virtual company, Longridge consistency, but at a three-digit price rather than four.”
aim to get the best of every single part that goes into the mount cutter, by
contracting it to the manufacturer that has the most relevant skill in that ALL ABOUT IMPACT
particular field, be it plastic or aluminium. “The setup of the virtual Back to the photograph by Tony Gill that Chris showed me in the beginning.
company wasn’t because it was a whizz-bang management idea at the time, Chris had been asked to give a presentation on mounting your picture at
it was pure necessity,” says Chris. “Take for example the rail, it’s a very Dorchester Camera Club and had been sent the image, Lost Coastlines, by
critical, high-accuracy piece of aluminium extrusion, there are probably 20 Tony, a member of the club, so he could prepare some mounts to use for
companies in Europe that can do it, three in the UK, so Longridge couldn’t demonstration at the event. “We went through single and double bevel
afford to melt aluminium for making half a tonne every couple of months. mounts in different colours to show the difference presentation can make.
So we go to one of these companies and with their skill and ours, we We didn’t know the photographer was there, but he happened to stand next
designed that bit of aluminium and they make it for us in batches every nine to our product designer Richard and just said out loud ‘wow, I’d never have
months or so. We haven’t actually ever seen a piece of our aluminium made, guessed it would have that effect. That is so stunning! It makes my image
not in over a decade! We’ve never been inside that part of the factory and look ten times better’. It sounds like a cliché but it’s all about presentation.
we’re never going to be.” When people ask me what I do and I say I make mount cutters they yawn
This technique of using very specialist suppliers in small chunks of their and think it’s boring, but when you show people what the end result is and
time gives Longridge a product with a much higher degree of accuracy than tell them they can do that themselves, the reaction is ‘wow!’.” PP
they could have achieved if they were doing everything themselves, at a
much more reasonable cost. “The professional framers who frame and
mount everything they do need a machine that is quick, simple, reliable www.longridge.co.uk

99
Former art director turned successful
photographer BASIL PAO has reached
some of the most remote corners of the
globe through his documentary imagery.
Lorna Dockerill asks him about his idols
LD: Who are your photographic heroes?
BP: I like Irving Penn a lot but my heroes tend to be painters and writers
rather than photographers. Turner is up there, Rothko, people like that.

LD: What it is about their work that inspires you?

BP: In the case of Turner I think it is the use of light and I try to

UPCOMING EXHIBITION AT ROYAL ACADEMY OF ARTS: CONSTABLE, GAINSBOROUGH, TURNER AND THE MAKING OF
J. M. W. TURNER 1800. PHOTO: PRUDENCE CUMING ASSOCIATES LIMITED © ROYAL ACADEMY OF ARTS, LONDON.
go for a more painterly feeling in photographs. I started out as a
painter before becoming a designer, so my training is classical
painting really – renaissance and all that. It’s classical
composition. I mean, I’ve shot a lot of studio stuff as well because I used to
do album covers and things, so I can light. I’ve art directed plenty of really
good photographers and that’s where I learnt my photography really, by
coping people like Avedon, so I just picked it up from them. But I do prefer
just to be out there, use existing light, make that work and let it speak.

LD: Which writers in particular enthuse you and why?

BP: I love South American writers like Márquez and Álvaro Mutis. Also

LANDSCAPE 8 DECEMBER 2012 – 17 FEBRUARY 2013

classic Chinese guys whose names I can’t even pronounce! They paint
images with their words and that in a way is what I try to do with my
photographs. I try to convey a story with a single image.

LD: Are there any people who aren’t involved with the arts that
you admire?
BP: I wouldn’t know where to start! I admire different people for
different reasons.

LD: How do you think your pictures inspire others?

BP: I don’t think they do. They’re just snaps! Who doesn’t get around much
anyway? I hope people will take away the golden section (laughs), no, just
the beauty of life. Sometimes I get asked, why don’t you do wars and things
like that? And I say, well there are a lot of people doing that already and
just not enough people who are prepared to say, ‘okay, we know life is
suffering’. The Buddha says so himself. There is so much beauty our there.
Even in the most desolate places in an Algerian refugee camp, for example,
there is just incredible beauty there. So I suppose I hope people see the
humanity and mostly, how we’re all the same in my work. My pictures,
I think, are mainly about what we all share and the difference as well. There
is a connection there and hopefully through the way I photograph, it brings
out that connection. PP

www.basilpao.com

100

Above clockwise: A boatman docks at a Bozo village along the river Niger, Mali; Mother
BASIL PAO 2012
and child in the Touareg village of Tabelot in the Ténéré Desert, Niger; Teenage Masi
Warrior makes a fire with acacia and cedar sticks, Kenya; J. M. W. Turner R.A.
Dolbadern Castle, 1800, Oil on canvas, 119.4 x 90.2cm; Cricket at 3,050m (10,000ft) in
front of the Buni Zum on the road from Chitral to Shandur Pass, Pakistan.
Basil Pao on Turner
[
[
BASIL PAO BIOGRAPHY
+ Basil’s worked for the likes of Atlantic and Warner
Brothers Records in America as Art Director before he
returned to Hong Kong to pursue his photography career
in 1980.
+ After working on a book with Michael Palin for the Monty
Python film Life of Brian, the pair formed a bond and Basil
continued to work with Michael on ten illustrated books
documenting BBC travel series including Pole to Pole, Full
Circle, Sahara and more recently Brazil With Michael Palin.
Basil’s latest exhibition, ‘Travels with Michael Palin’
celebrates 25 years of Basil’s photography and adventures,
and is currently being shown at The Royal Geographical
Society in London until 25 January 2013.
+ Basil has completed editorial, commercial and corporate
photography, and also worked on the Bernardo Bertolucci’s
The Last Emperor
101
 CLASSIFIED
FRAMING CANVAS PRINTERS

CARTERSMOUNTS.CO.UK
Specialist Folder and Strut Makers
Web: www.cartersmounts.co.uk The Best Value Premium Grade Canvases in the UK
EM: info@cartersmounts.co.uk STUDIO SAMPLES OFFER
T: 015395 32815 Email: info@procanvas.co.uk for details,
quoting ref. PP13F
Project List can be found on:
uk.linkedin.com/pub/david-carter/34/b99/20a 01395 233266 www.procanvas.co.uk
INSURANCE
PRINTERS

ARE YOU READY TO

GO WILD?
STUDIO HIRE

The Studio TO ADVERTISE CALL 01242 211099

FULLY EQUIPPED STUDIO
WITH EDITING ROOM,
KITCHEN AND SHOWER
Near Stevenage - Call for more details - Low hire rates
01438 - 821090
ONLY
£6.99
Something for everyone...
Order your copy today for just £6.99 including P&P to the UK

 www.subscriptionsave.co.uk/wildtravel
For delivery overseas please add £3 for Europe or £5 for the RoW
 Professional Photographer is published every four
weeks by Archant Specialist, Archant House, Oriel
Road, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, GL50 1BB.

GROUP EDITOR - Adam Scorey

adam.scorey@archant.co.uk
!   
          FEATURES EDITOR - Kathrine Anker
kathrine.anker@archant.co.uk
    
 # $%&   ART EDITOR - Rebecca Stead
rebecca.stead@archant.co.uk


          FEATURES WRITER - Jessica Bracey
jessica.bracey@archant.co.uk
'  
  
'  !
   MULTIMEDIA WRITER - Jade Price
jade.price@archant.co.uk

REPROGRAPHICS MANAGER - Neil Puttnam

neil.puttnam@archant.co.uk

GROUP SALES MANAGER - Eleanor Godwin

01242 216085, eleanor.godwin@archant.co.uk
MULTIMEDIA SALES EXECUTIVE - David Lennox
01242 216054, david.lennox@archant.co.uk

MD, ARCHANT SPECIALIST - Mark Wright

MD, ARCHANT LIFESTYLE - Miller Hogg

PUBLISHING PRODUCTION MANAGER

Kevin Shelcott, 01603 772165
PRODUCTION TEAM LEADER
Mikey Godden, 01603 772876

SUBSCRIPTIONS/BACK ISSUES
Customer care 01858 438832
Order hotline 01858 438840
Visit www.subscriptionsave.co.uk
Email professionalphotographer@subscription.co.uk

HEAD OF DIRECT CUSTOMER MARKETING

Fiona Penton-Voak, 01242 265894
SUBSCRIPTIONS MARKETING MANAGER
Lisa Flint-Elkins, 01242 264751,
lisa.flint-elkins@archant.co.uk
WHOLESALE AND RETAIL DISTRIBUTION
If you have difficulty obtaining Professional Photographer,

.4 contact Seymour, 86 Newman Street,

London W1T 3EX Telephone 020 7396 8000

=
= www.professionalphotographer.co.uk
feedback@professionalphotographer.co.uk
01242 264767
<    
   <   
    @prophotomag Pro Photo Mag
     
 © Archant Specialist. Archant Specialist is part of

<       
  
    
 Archant Community Media Ltd.
N While reasonable care is taken to ensure the accuracy of the

          information in Professional Photographer, that information is obtained
from a variety of sources and neither the publisher, the printers nor any
distributor is responsible for errors or omissions. All prices and data are
<    <    accepted by us in good faith as being correct at the time of going to
press. Pound conversion rates correct at the time of going to press.
<        < !   Advertisements are accepted for publication in Professional
Photographer only upon Archant Specialist’s standard Terms of
Acceptance of Advertising, copies of which are available from the
<       < " 
 ### advertising department. All advertisements of which the content is in
whole or in part the work of Archant Specialist remain the copyright of
Archant Specialist. Reproduction in whole or in part of any matter
appearing in Professional Photographer is forbidden except by express
permission of the publisher.

    !" Competition terms and conditions: N The closing date for competitions/
giveaways is displayed alongside the competition/giveaway online. N
Employees of Archant Specialist, and those professionally connected

#$ % $&' with the competition/giveaway, for example, employees of the sponsor
company, are not eligible to enter. N Unless otherwise stated,
competitions/giveaways are only open to UK residents. N Prizes are as
described and no alternatives can be offered. N The editor’s decision is
 ()*+* *),((* % - !./.0  final and no correspondence will be entered into. N Archant Specialist
may wish to contact you in the future, or pass your details to selected
third parties, to introduce new products and services to you. If you are
1 %  $ - 2 #
 " $% 22% 3  45 6
 ! %%7  8/ *95 " $% : 5  
5 
 %25 04( );;
sending your entry by text and do not wish to be contacted, please add
the word ‘NO’ to the end of your text message. If you are sending your
entry by post, please tick the appropriate boxes on the entry form.

106
‘POLICY PORTFOLIO’ Including the
following benefits
TAILORMADE INSURANCE PACKAGE
FOR THE PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER for your business:
• EXTRA BENEFITS INCLUDED FOR
MORE COMPREHENSIVE COVER
• QUOTES WITHIN MINUTES
• NO FORMS TO COMPLETE
• THEFT FROM UNATTENDED VEHICLES
• PROFESSIONAL INDEMNITY
• 14 DAY MONEY BACK GUARANTEE (IF
POLICY PORTFOLIO YOU DECIDE TO CANCEL)
• 24 HOUR FASTTRACK CLAIMS
HELPLINE
• NO CLAIMS DISCOUNT
• MONTHLY PREMIUMS
• PHOTOGRAPHERS’ ECONOMY QUOTE
AVAILABLE

Morgan Richardson Ltd. (Established 1994)

Authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority

CALL US NOW FREE ON 0800 731 2940

or email quotes@morganrichardson.co.uk • www.morganrichardson.co.uk
(Telephone calls may be monitored and recorded)