‘You have it so easy’ say you out there. Perhaps not! As a photographer for Events and Public Relations in London I am asked to shoot various people or objects in situations that sometimes have not a great deal of control, but I need to come home with the shot.
Over past years in these situations, that can be, not stressing but certainly let the adrenaline rush through your body, I have only had a few moments where I can honestly say ‘Is this going to go right for me?’ Or is this going to work out, will I loose out or become a winner with the wow factor and obtain that perfect frame. One time I remember was when I was working for American Airlines and needed to take a photo of Gary Lineker who at the time was in his prime of his football career with the England team on a training day. We needed a run of images for a PR article, I managed to fire off about three frames before he turned ran away from the gathered photographers to join his team mates on the training pitch. This was one situation that was going all ok but the tide turns very quickly sometimes and even in efforts to request his return ‘could you please come back not quite finished’ fell on deaf ears and as yet have not had the opportunity to meet him again in the flesh to thank him for that one.The images I got were fine for the article.
This one was great fun! It was a very early start. 5.20am to be precise. But apparently these balloonists like to float on the early morning thermals. I believe that actually it’s because they don’t know where they may land and when so need the rest of the day to make their way home, but hay that’s just my opinion. All the preparation of erecting these huge floating bubbles was nearing the end and shortly they will be off. Quite a dramatic experience really as they fire up the balloon and the basket drags alone the ground to lift up into the sky. Then complete calm as they float away in the distance. So my opportunity is close to achieve that shot. How well was this going for me.
All the balloons left within a good time frame and the soft breeze gently let them gain distance, there it was. The moment I was hoping for. Now feeling somewhat alone, with a slight adjustment to the angle by running to my left in the long bumpy grass of the field, I had the three balloons in the frame. The nearest one dominant in the picture displaying bold colours, the others just starting to become faint in the distance but adding to the overall composition of the shot.
This was the shot to end the set. Was it luck or was it a calculated situation on my part that this could happen for me, that the timings of that early morning produced this situation.
To be honest it was a bit of both really!
