School, College and Assisting 1981-1991
Where it all started
This is my first published photograph. It also happened to be my first ride in a helicopter, and my first attempt at aerial photography.
My school had a visit from a military helicopter and gave a few students a short ride around the surrounding area. I lived near the school, so there was just enough time to run home, grab my camera, a roll of film and try to catch the last ride of the day.I was lucky.
One of the helicopter crew saw my camera and suggested I wear the winchman’s harness. So for my first helicopter flight I sat on the floor with my legs dangling out while we flew around the town. I was more excited than scared.
What really worried me was losing my shoes somewhere over the town, and how angry my mum would be if I lost them. My aerial was published in The Wellington Weekly News.
I think I got paid £2, which is about $3 for my first published shot. It was on page 7. It’s funny how life goes full circle. I had no idea I would end up shooting a lot more aerials.
Flying with 771 NAS
I was lucky enough to arrange to fly in a Royal Navy Search and Rescue Helicopter from RNAS Culdrose in Cornwall as a photography project between finishing school and going to college.
On a rainy September morning I went up with the crew from 771 NAS on a flight exercise.They practiced hovering close to the cliffs. And I mean really close to the cliffs – the blades were maybe 20 feet away from the rocks. Because the instruments can’t tell you what is beside you, only your altitude from the ground below, the observer had to look out of the side door to tell the pilot how many yards away the rotor blades were from hitting the cliff.
This was the only guidance the pilot had. These guys were really good. I wanted to get some shots of the helicopter hovering over a rocky outcrop. So they dropped me off in a field. Later, after I had finished my shots they retrieved me by winching me back in, dangling outside the helicopter door.
This was a bit unnerving to say the least .The last part of the morning flight was to simulate a total engine failure a few times and land with no power. This was my first experience of autorotations, and a crew member kindly suggested I unplugged my headset in case I threw up as the sound would annoy everyone. Happily, I didn’t get sick.
Pre- College Portfolio
These were part of my portfolio review as part of my college interview. These were all taken at a livestock auction in Taunton apart from the punks. I love how engrossed they are in the auction and not paying any attention to me. Looking back on photos I took 40 years ago I had a good eye for composition even then and especially enjoyed capturing the more candid moments.
Photographers Assistant London 1986-92
Assisting photographers is like being a poorly paid apprentice. I spent the first 18 months of my London life working full-time for two different photographers. After that, I became a freelance assistant. I worked with over 50 photographers, who shot everything from still life, products, fashion, architecture, and automotive. I learned a ton about lighting and which cameras worked best for different types of shoots. I even got to travel outside the UK.
Working with photographers who shot people taught me how to interact with everyone from politicians to musicians and celebrities. This was super helpful when I started working for magazines. Assistants were also used as stand-ins to test lighting. Here are a few of my favorite polaroids that I kept, taken by Tim O’Sullivan. Tim was one of the photographers I worked with full-time and taught me a lot about how to photograph people.
