TIME TO CELEBRATE
It’s
Friday afternoon and the end of lovely week of training up in the Lakes. I’ve met many new people, seen old friends
and had wonderful feedback from photographers who have left excited and with
new found confidence. The week began
with the announcement that I will be representing Nikon UK as one of their
Ambassadors. It is an achievement that I
am hugely proud of and many of the wonderful comments following the news acknowledged
that it is the result of a great deal of hard work and commitment to the
industry. A fair few also mentioned the
prospect of kit…
You
don’t take on the responsibility of being a brand Ambassador because of the new
camera bodies and lenses - although of
course this is a wonderful part of it.
As it goes I was a loyal Nikonian anyway. If any of you read the Lottery Wish List
article last month you’ll notice I spent the least and I chose a Nikon Df over
a medium format system because it’s what I genuinely wanted. And this was BEFORE the Ambassador scheme was
ever discussed.
I
absolutely love my kit – it works exceptionally hard for me and has become an
extension of my hands. When I am
training photographers I always say that you need to know your kit intimately
because at the end of the day our success as people photographers comes down to
the decisive moment. It is about knowing
exactly the right moment to press the shutter – having already made decisions
about lens choice and light.
So
enough about kit – Nikon are trusting me with their brand and it is a role I
will take very seriously. I am delighted
that I have been chosen to represent the Lifestyle sector in the UK – I believe
it is an exciting time for all of us who use this label to describe our work. According to Wiki ‘Lifestyle Photography’
is a ‘style of portrait/people
photography which aims to capture and document real-life events, situations, or
milestones in an artistic manner and the art of the everyday’.
I think
that this is a pretty good definition – I certainly try and reflect my clients
stories – their life and style choices – in a genuine and artistic way. For my clients it is a luxury item and they
come to me because they want something bespoke. I truly believe that this is a
growth market in the UK and one that offers great opportunities for
photographers. It is also a very easy
market for new businesses to enter and I often read people moaning about this
‘glut’ of newcomers and the resulting competitiveness.
The
reality of course is that most people enter the market with no real idea of
what it takes to be successful – they have no business experience, no brand and
they aren’t prepared to invest in the type of camera bodies and lenses that a
pro photographer needs. Do these
photographers worry me? Not in the
slightest because my clients would never be attracted to them in the first
place.
I am
often told that I am an inspiration to photographers who are at the beginning
of their journey and Nikon’s endorsement will mean even more people will look
to me for advice and reassurance of what is possible. And based on the last 4 years I am testament
to the fact that amazing things can happen.
However,
nothing that I have achieved is down to luck.
The wiki definition of this interesting word states that it is ‘a purposeless, unpredictable and uncontrollable force that
shapes events favorably or unfavorably for an individual’. I believe you create luck through huge effort, commitment and dedication. It certainly means that you appreciate
achievements when you know you have earnt them!
So it is
time for me to celebrate – to pop open a bottle of bubbles and pat myself on
the back. If you know me – and I don’t mean
on FB or Twitter – you will be aware that I don’t ever take time to do
this. I have absolutely no ego and am
constantly striving to be a better image maker and story teller.
I have a
wedding tomorrow and then I am jumping on a plane and heading to Turkey to
drink juice and do yoga on a mountain for 5 days. This isn’t normal for me and I agreed to go with
a friend when I was on holiday in South Africa very aware of the benefits of
taking time out. I’m going to go off
grid and have some me time. I mentioned
this to the team at Nikon (apparently the sunsets are amazing) and they’ve sent
me a Nikon 1 V3 and a couple of lenses to have a play with. Lucky Kate? I guess it depends on your outlook.
grt
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