Wow what a week I've had - it's been tough but I've enjoyed it too.
Tuesday was spent with one of my PR clients and we first visited a manufacturing plant in Derby where I photographed their electrical lab and test facilities and some staff portraits along with some products as well. Then we moved on to a factory in Leicester where we took some shots of the factory for a PR story on energy efficient lighting.
Then I stayed overnight at the Premier Travel Inn at Luton Airport ahead of a trip to Switzerland to photograph the new HQ of the IUCN who are the authors of the endangered species red list and who campaign for the protection of wildlife across the globe. I had a 6.30am flight to Geneva and didn't get a wink of sleep for fear of missing the plane. I can remember the days when flying was fun and exciting but now it's just a complete hassle. You've got priority parking, priority security checking and priority boarding - all for extra money of course - what a bloody rip off!. What happens when everyone pays extra because the standard service is so crap (which it is)?.
Anyway the 2 day shoot went well and the first day was spent shooting stills and the second day shooting video clips and interviews on the 5D MK2. The video capability really opens up a new avenue and my client really liked the addition of the movie clips on the job. The new building is the first in the world to achieve a platinum rating for energy efficiency and sustainability so it was important to really show this is the photography and I focused on the materials and natural finishes within the space. I also photographed the Architect and recorded some video clips of him talking about the design of the building as well as photographing some of the senior members of the IUCN team.
We stayed in a hotel in Geneva opposite the railway station and we used the train to get to Gland (where the building is) as taxis in Switzerland are so expensive. I got a cab on the first day and a 20 mile journey was over £100!!! Add to this the fact that the driver got lost and I had to use Google Maps on my Blackberry to get us to the right place!!.
I was totally knackered by the time I got to Geneva airport for my 9.30pm flight home and was also feeling pretty ill after a dodgy Thai meal the previous night. Unfortunately the flight back was 2 hours late in leaving thanks to the French air traffic controllers being on strike so it was a long and very tiring haul back to Luton. I finally got back to the Luton Premier Travel Inn at around 1am and was too tired to drive home so I stayed over there again and managed to get a decent nights sleep at last.
Tuesday was spent with one of my PR clients and we first visited a manufacturing plant in Derby where I photographed their electrical lab and test facilities and some staff portraits along with some products as well. Then we moved on to a factory in Leicester where we took some shots of the factory for a PR story on energy efficient lighting.
Then I stayed overnight at the Premier Travel Inn at Luton Airport ahead of a trip to Switzerland to photograph the new HQ of the IUCN who are the authors of the endangered species red list and who campaign for the protection of wildlife across the globe. I had a 6.30am flight to Geneva and didn't get a wink of sleep for fear of missing the plane. I can remember the days when flying was fun and exciting but now it's just a complete hassle. You've got priority parking, priority security checking and priority boarding - all for extra money of course - what a bloody rip off!. What happens when everyone pays extra because the standard service is so crap (which it is)?.
Anyway the 2 day shoot went well and the first day was spent shooting stills and the second day shooting video clips and interviews on the 5D MK2. The video capability really opens up a new avenue and my client really liked the addition of the movie clips on the job. The new building is the first in the world to achieve a platinum rating for energy efficiency and sustainability so it was important to really show this is the photography and I focused on the materials and natural finishes within the space. I also photographed the Architect and recorded some video clips of him talking about the design of the building as well as photographing some of the senior members of the IUCN team.
We stayed in a hotel in Geneva opposite the railway station and we used the train to get to Gland (where the building is) as taxis in Switzerland are so expensive. I got a cab on the first day and a 20 mile journey was over £100!!! Add to this the fact that the driver got lost and I had to use Google Maps on my Blackberry to get us to the right place!!.
I was totally knackered by the time I got to Geneva airport for my 9.30pm flight home and was also feeling pretty ill after a dodgy Thai meal the previous night. Unfortunately the flight back was 2 hours late in leaving thanks to the French air traffic controllers being on strike so it was a long and very tiring haul back to Luton. I finally got back to the Luton Premier Travel Inn at around 1am and was too tired to drive home so I stayed over there again and managed to get a decent nights sleep at last.
This morning I had a meeting with a client based fairly close to Luton (which was handy!) then I drove up to Leicester for a shoot at the new Reiss menswear store at the new shopping mall in the centre of Leicester. This went well and I'm really happy with the shots I took despite feeling pretty jaded.
After a really long and tiring week it's great to finally sit down on the sofa with a glass of red and write down this blog entry.
I've attached a shot of the IUCN building showing the central stair core and some of my clients furniture on the ground floor.
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