11.08.10
True Story: Life of a Professional Photographer
I don't accept many photographic commissions these days, but when I do, there are always two reasons why I say yes. The first is the most important reason: because I want to work with the client and the shoot sounds creatively interesting.
The second: because I think it may provide some interesting insights that I can share with the Professional Photographer readers.
It was a Tuesday when the call came through from an art director Ive known for years and really respect, asking me if I could be in Milan on Thursday of that week to shoot a portrait of two of the leading women in the world of fashion and design. Franca Sozzani is the legendary editor of fashion bible Italian Vogue and her sister Carla is the creative force behind 10 Corso Como - the coolest shop/ restaurant/ bookshop/ gallery in Milan. They would be challenging but interesting subjects to photograph and the art director always gives me total creative freedom. I also knew that the images would appear in a beautifully printed and designed limited-edition book, so despite the short notice, I said yes, okay, Im in.
The shoot day was to consist of two separate shoots in two separate locations. The first would be with Carla in the office above 10 Corso Como at 1pm, and the second with Franca in the Vogue offices at 4.30pm. Having worked in Milan before, I knew that the right airport to fly into was Milan Linate, which is just a 20-minute cab journey to the centre of Milan, and not Milan Malpensa, which is a good hour outside the city.
So after a quick online search for flights, it was clear that my only option was to fly from Heathrow on the first flight out on the Thursday morning at 7.30am and return on Friday morning on the 8am flight. This meant I would need the client to cover a one-night hotel stay, which was not ideal as I had hoped to get in and out on the same day. The problem was that, with such a last-minute booking, the cost of the flight was an astronomical £647.20 and the only hotel I could find with a free room meant an additional £750.31. I was sure that these costs would be way too high for such a shoot and that, after I let the client know what they would have to cover, they would forget the idea of sending me over to Milan. However, you should never underestimate the power of the fashion elite, and despite the high costs, I was given the green light to book both the flight and hotel.
It was at this point that what started off as an exciting project became an expensive one, as the client said that I had to pay up front for all costs. That was a £1,397.51 hit for my credit card! Of course, I could add it to my invoice and be reimbursed, but I still needed to have a credit card to cover all the expenses first. It was on another shoot in Italy many years ago that I learnt the importance of having a dedicated shoot credit card with a high limit. I was working in Turin on a two-day interiors shoot when both my light meter and tripod decided to fall apart. I always travel with minimal kit so that I don't have to put kit in the hold and I had no spare for either.This meant very expensive replacements had to be bought at premium cost from Turin's closest answer to a pro supplier. Ever since then I have always made sure I have a card specifically to cover such eventualities.
Anyway, back to the Milan trip. I hadn't even shot a frame and it had already cost me, but never mind. I was still feeling positive about the shoot and the client had sent me a comprehensive schedule with all of the information I needed to ensure a successful day. Then things started to go wrong. An email from the client informed me that Franca had a problem and didn't want to be photographed, but that the journalist writing the piece was hoping to change Franca's mind and I should turn up anyway. This, to me, was wrong on every level, and I said so. It is never a good idea to turn up on the off chance on this kind of shoot. When someone says no, they mean no. The interview was still going ahead and I suggested they didn't jeopardise this with me turning up.
The journalist was not convinced and thought the shoot with Franca would still happen. I didn't. The reality of a shoot abroad usually means very early mornings and this one was no different. I left my home in Cheltenham at 3am to ensure I was at Heathrow in good time, having already checked in online. The flight was with British Airways so hand luggage restrictions were not as tight as with other airlines, and I was able to take a rolling case filled with three Canon EOS 5D bodies, a set of 70-200mm, 50mm and 85mm L series lenses, my laptop and a SanDisk card reader and a small Domke bag with a change of clothes. A minimal kit, but all I needed.
All, so far, was good, and the flight was on time. On landing in Milan, I turned my phone on to find a text message from the journalist I was due to meet up with at the first location. Franca was a definite no and she had cancelled the interview. I was not surprised, but we still had her sister to shoot, so I grabbed a taxi (not letting the driver touch the rolling case) and headed into Milan and the first location. I'd be an hour early, which was perfect as I like to get a coffee before a shoot and get a sense of the location and the light. Unfortunately, another text arrived from the journalist saying she was at the location already and that we should meet up. It was okay, but not ideal, as my 'getting my mind together' time was now lost. We met and the journalist still seemed to think that the Franca interview and shoot could still happen. I was not convinced.
At 1pm we strolled over to 10 Corso Como to meet Carla. She was not there and her press office knew nothing about a shoot. The journalist could not believe this and demanded that someone contact Carla immediately to find out where she was and when she would be back. After a 3am start, I was starting to flag and had a very bad feeling about the whole day. We sat in the courtyard restaurant for a further two hours, waiting for Carla to return. All around us were the glamorous fashionistas of Milan, but I wasn't feeling very glamorous. The journalist then told me that when Carla did return, she would interview her first and then I could take some pictures of Carla in her office. I never work like that for this particular client, or for any client for that matter. It's just a bad idea that's not conducive to creating strong images. I explained to the journalist that the best-case scenario would be for me to do the pictures alone with Carla first so that I could build a relationship with her, and for the journalist to do the interview afterwards. She agreed to this and saw the logic, while also saying that she had never thought of a shoot in that way before, despite her years of experience!
Finally, Carla returned and was very apologetic. She said she was 'supersorry' and then kept us waiting for a further half-hour. However, when she was ready for us, she could not have been more charming. Unfortunately, the journalist immediately started up a conversation with her, which showed no sign of ending, and I was left with no choice other than to start shooting. This was my worst-case scenario and I had to work around the journalist's conversation with Carla in two creative directions at once. After 10 minutes of running around grabbing shots, I knew I had exactly what I needed to supply the client with, as well as images I was happy with. From a less-than ideal situation I was pleased with the final images I checked as I downloaded them onto my laptop. I burnt a back-up DVD, said my goodbyes and left the journalist to her interview and headed off to my hotel.
When I'd landed in Milan earlier that day, the stewardess had mentioned something about a volcano, but it wasn't until I switched on Sky News in my hotel that the full implications of her comment took hold. It was clear that I was stuck in Milan. It was Design Week in the city and no hotel rooms were available even before the ash cloud emerged. A check with the hotel's concierge confirmed my fear that there were no hire cars free in the whole of Milan. I called my wife and asked her to check trains, but there was no availability. I was stuck with nowhere to stay the next day, a bag full of cameras, no clothes and my phone was running out of charge.
It was then that my emergency credit card tip came into play. The client agreed to cover up to €3,000 to get me back, but only if I paid first and claimed it back. The client put me in touch with a journalist working on a separate story also in Milan, and we hatched a plan to get back. Suffice to say we spent the €3,000 and our journey took us from Milan via Turin through Switzerland to Calais then Folkestone, and finally to Heathrow to pick up my car before I drove to the Cotswolds.
I had left home at 3am on the Thursday and arrived home at 6am on the Saturday, having spent approximately 10 minutes taking pictures. That's the reality of being a professional photographer. And before you ask, yes, the client was happy with the pictures.
Let us know your shoot experiences. Email feedback@professionalphotographer.co.uk we will publish the best in future issues.
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