2020 project
January.
Some reports of a virus in Wuhan began to gather but it seemed a long way away. I started the year with a portrait of HM Queen and her three heirs. The Daily Mail suggested this was the picture that pushed Harry and Meghan ‘over the edge’. Complete bollocks of course.
HMQ and the 3 Heirs.
January….
I spent the last 2 weeks of January in the Arctic Circle with Ray Mears learning how not to die in sub-zero temperatures. Obviously the best strategy is not to go to the Arctic in the first place but when I wasn’t consumed by the fear that I was going to die it was a genuinely awesome experience. I got a certificate.
Arctic Circle. Our quinzhee (not igloo) and some cold trees.
February.
News about the virus increased but work and life carried on.
Amongst other jobs we shot a nice set of portraits for Xero at a forge in Suffolk and had a week of winter sunshine in Abu Dhabi shooting corporate portraits for ADNOC.
Top: Richard at Made By The Forge shot for Xero
Bottom: ADNOC’s finest.
March.
The reality of Covid 19 really starts to become apparent. Work starts to be postponed or cancelled. Lockdown v.1 begins. Do a lot of yoga.
April.
I want to take pictures but of what? Having created a series of portraits of my neighbours a few years ago I asked them if I could shoot them again in their Lockdown v.1 lives. Turned out that I wasn’t the only photographer doing this but I think I was in there quite early.
I got some strong portraits, quite melancholy but evoking I think.
Lockdown v.1
May.
Having stuck my Lockdown v.1 portraits on Instagram I got a call from an agency looking to use them for a set of car ads. In the end they commissioned a completely new shoot based on them. We shot it while complying with the safety protocols so I was photographer, model, and location house owner. My daughter also modelled in one and the rest of the family assisted. My first zoom shoot and my first car ad. Sadly the campaign was spiked as the Covid landscape changed but it was, as they say, a nice little earner.
Behind the scenes. My ‘thinking’ face.
June.
The virus continued, people started to realise there was going to be no quick fix, except perhaps Boris Johnson. But the sun shone, and for those lucky enough to have access to outdoor spaces it was a blessing. My portraits of my neighbours continued but the tone changed. A ‘chin up’ and ‘we’ll make the most of what we’ve got’ attitude emerged.
Neighbours v2
June…
And I had another piece of good fortune, an agency put out a call for portraits of active seniors for a pharmaceutical client. I have lots of very friendly neighbours who were game and we had one selected for the campaign. Another welcome piece of business in an otherwise very quiet summer.
June…
Also, while shooting two of my neighbours, John and Chrissie, both passionate rock and rollers, I discovered that John had an amazing wardrobe of vintage shirts. I set up a studio in their garden, observed all the distancing rules and managed to shoot half a dozen outfits before my stands and background were blown into the next door’s garden.
July.
The sun continued to shine and the virus continued to spread.
My neighbour Dan runs a local football team and asked if I would take some shots of his players. I carefully checked my diary and found I did have some free time, quite a bit of it actually. We got some very nice shots.
July…
And then a flurry, relatively speaking, of work. Commissioned by Random House/Penguin to photograph Gareth Southgate for the cover of his book. A very nice man.
Gareth Southgate.
July…
And at the end of the month I managed to shoot 2 portraits for a Covid delayed project for the wheelchair charity Whizz-Kidz. It was good to be out working..
Samantha Renke and Ade Adepitan.
August.
Went to Pembrokeshire. It was nice. Was notified that one of my, ‘chin up’, lockdown portraits had been selected for the Portrait of Britain exhibition and book. Which was also nice. A portrait of the brilliant Philippa who you might also recognise as the keen wildlife photographer for the pharma ads.
A nice bit of Pembrokeshire and Philippa - Portrait of Britain winner.
September.
A couple more portraits for Whizz-Kidz.
Ruth Madeley and Hannah Mambu.
October.
Got possibly the maddest job of the year but, I can’t talk about it yet.
November.
Lockdown v.2! What to say? What to do? Every photographer in the country has done a series of portraits of people looking out of their windows by now.
In desperation I tracked Ray Mears down to his lair and got a couple of portraits of him in his natural habitat. He’s quite harmless if you move carefully and slowly but don’t mention Bear Grylls.
Reach milestone of 250 consecutive days of yoga. Consider becoming yoga teacher. Ten minutes later stop considering being a yoga teacher.
Ray Mears.
December.
Christmas! Something to look forward to…..Christmas Day receive positive Covid-19 test result.
Self-isolate until 5th January.
Happy New Year!