Leek is full of great buildings, it’s also full of cars, so when I saw The Roebuck without anything blocking the view I just had to grab a picture. When it came to working on the picture I was struck by the fact that this great building was still a bit cluttered up with a lamp post and street sign.

With the wonder of photoshop and years of experiance, I set about cleaning up the view, first to go was the lamp post and street sign. Then I saw the TV aerial which then just had to go. The little square vent on the right was easily dealt with leaving the building looking much better, job done.  But it still looked a bit dull, so a quick touch up on the paint work, brightening the white bits, removing some of the marks and darkening the black wood work. There was a temptation to remove more, like the A boards and signs, but they are part of the pub and add to the picture.

It’s great to be able to play with a picture like this, when doing this sort of shot for an estate agent I have to leave the house and surroundings untouched so that people can see just what they are buying.

At this time of year that is a question that runs through my mind a lot, why go professional.

January is a strange month for me, it follows the busiest period for my business, 4 months work in 6 weeks, it’s the anniversary of me going pro, it’s the time of the year you plan forward and review what has been, it’s tax return time and it is normally the quietest month work wise. All in all a time to reflect on life and the choices you have made.

This January finds me tired, stressed, thinking too much and with time on my hands, not the best combination. So back to the big question, why go pro. The case for not going pro is stronger so lets start with that.

Between where I sit and the centre of Leek, about 2 miles, Google thinks there are at least 20 photographers and looking at their web site they all look professional, but most are not, most are part time at best, so what are the advantages that keep so many back from making it a full time career.

• Security, most have a full time job that pays a regular wage.
• Competition, at the level they are working at the battle for paying jobs is fierce, it’s safer not having to rely on the income
• Paper work, when it’s formally a business there is just so much admin, best to keep it on the quite.
• Tax, really there’s no need to bother Mr Tax man, it’s only a hobby and he’s so busy.
• Insurance, it’s not really needed as it’s not really a business!

So why go pro, admittedly after spending a week working on my tax figures and being constantly reminded about my costs as I print out receipt after receipt, not going pro seems like a good idea, but for the rest of the year it’s great.

• You are the boss, I’m nearly the worst boss I’ve worked for, I always seem to know when I’m slacking off.
• You are in control, if it all goes wrong it’s down to just you.
• Its very rewarding, and sometimes you get paid as well!

When ever you go self employed you are gambling all you have on just your skill and ability, be it running a shop or being a builder, the deciding factor is belief in your self. The reward is knowing you have made it, if you have, 20% of businesses fail within the first year, 50% within 3.

The reason I’m happy I went pro can be summed up in one picture taken on Blue Monday last year, taking this on what is supposed to be the worst day of the year really brings home how right I was to go pro.

Well I’ve finally had time to sit down and finish the pictures from Saturday night and Sunday, I just need to post them all on Facebook and my work is done.

I loved taking the pictures, going to the gigs, meeting some of the artists and enjoying the atmosphere in the venues, but I was not so keen on having to leave so many gigs 1/2 way through so I could catch more bands and having to drive meant spending more time sober in pubs than I have since coming of age.

All the shoots were technically challenging and all for different reasons, too dark, too crowded, bands that won’t stand still and lead singers that don’t open their eyes. Given all that I’m more than happy with the results and I think the whole set of photos gives a real insight in to the feel of the festival and what it was like to be there.

I do need to thank a lot of people, first of all everyone from the committee who were at the gigs helping me get access, being introduced as the official photographer helps smooth things out with the venue and artists.

Secondly the venues and artists, for a pub to have someone rush in push to the front of a gig and then rush out with out buying a drink must be a little annoying, but my welcome everywhere was excellent. For the band having someone moving about during the set and then leaving early must be distracting, in my defence I never left willingly and would have love to have stayed.

Thirdly a big thank you to the audience, not one complaint or harsh word from anyone I stood in front of, stood on, tripped up, hit with a camera bag, hit with a lens or nudged out of the way in an effort to get somewhere quickly. I tried my hardest to be invisible, but know I failed some of the time.

Lastly a big thank you to Caz and Trevor, from Wednesday they put up with me flying out of the house before meals, after meals, and even during meals, dragging them to gigs and then running off for hours and then coming back to drag them off to another gig.

As a business or an event organiser, how do you go about hiring a photographer from amongst the 100s that are out there, well the short answer is to call 07801 058345, but for those in a different time zone or for when I’m busy here are a few tips.

Look beyond the hype. Anyone can set up a web site, facebook page and get business cards from vista print, you have to look deeper to see the real story.

• First start at the beginning, how long have these pages, facebook, linked in and the web site been running for, it takes years to build up the skill to do any job well.

• Google the photographers name, not only will you get a good idea of who they are, but complaints have a habit of showing up in searches. If they don’t use their name, as in the web site just refers to the photographer as “the photographer”, think very carefully before you book, most photographers I known are proud of their work and want their name on it, with no named photographer you could get anyone turning up.

• Look at their photos, like the skills involved, it takes time to build up a portfolio, check the pictures to see how many different shoots were involved, what looks like 10 weddings could really be just 3, a big conference could really be just an event his boss sent him to with his day job and all those portrait sessions could just be a model night at the local camera club.

• Check out their customers, I’m happy to list some of mine on my site, I would list them all but by only listing some I don’t upset anyone by missing them off a full list. Then give a few a call, would you mind if someone called you to check out a builder you had hired in the past, I would be happy to recommend or warn them off, depending on the work done, most people would do the same.

Talk to the photographer

• Ask to see details of their insurance, not only should this cover you from faulty work, but if they cause damage to your property, the venue, your staff, customers or visitors then their public liability cover will pay out any claims. If not, you as the hirer could be responsible for any damages. My cover is £5 million, a figure insisted on by most councils before you can work on their properties, this amount reflects the size of claims they can foresee, could you afford to pay it?

• Ask to see work that reflects what you want done, it won’t be the same as your job, but it will give you an idea of what they can do and also what they understand about what you want.

• Ask for a written quote and a time scale for the whole job.

• Ask how images are stored and for how long.

• Ask about their emergency policies, extra equipment, off site back ups, sickness cover, most professional photographers know of a few contemporaries that they would trust to step in, their insurance should cover this or they will sort out any extra costs.

At the end of the day it is your responsibility to hire the right person, there are loads of people out there who would be happy to take your money and would produce good photos, most very good serious amateur photographers would do an adequate job and cost you a lot less, they may even do it for free, but people turn professional for a reason and its not the easy life and long holidays.

A professional photographer has staked his livelihood on his ability to do his job, if your photos don’t work then in a short time he won’t work either. Your photos are normally the culmination of a lot of time and effort on your  part, they will also be the first thing that people will see of all that hard work, do you really want to leave all that effort in the hands of someone who has not got the confidence in what they do to stake their whole future on it.

As a kid I always looked forward to the weekend, as an employee I hated having to work the weekend, now I am my own boss I find that even getting 2 days off a month a challenge. So this post is about how I spent Saturday and I will point out that although it was a bit special it is closer to the norm than you would expect.

6:30 am   A bit of a lie in, but only because some of the prep was done last night. First job to check all the kit for the shoot is ready, lenses clean, cards formatted and batteries charged, all this times two as I carry a complete back up set of kit. All this is done first as I’m 1/2 a sleep and as I’ve been doing this for so long I can really do it with my eyes closed.

7:30 am  Breakfast, coffee and porridge, not at the same time, finish loading both cars and head off to the show ground.

8:00 am  First task is to unload the cars, set up the stall and make sure Carolyn has everything to hand before I dessert her for the main part of my day. At this point it is worth pointing out that without her support I would have had to be up at least 2 hours earlier and would not of been able to do all I had planned during the day, and none of my customers would have had any Pimms.

9:00 am  The start of the task for the day, photographing the Leek Show. It’s already hot, and I have a lot of ground to cover, my brief for the day is simple, capture the show in all its facets to provide the committee with images to promote the show over the coming year. In reality its a massive tasks, there is just so much going on at the same time all over the site, here is where the visit to the site yesterday pays off, as I known where everything is and how to get there, but add in a killer heat, tons of camera equipment and 1,000’s of people, it makes getting around a nightmare.

As an amateur I would have done this for fun, wandering around in the sunshine with my dog, snapping what I wanted, with no pressure to capture this once only event, the culmination of a years works for an army of volunteers. Now I feel the pressure, not only having to photograph loads of different stuff, but to get it looking fit for purpose and to do justice to all the hard work that has gone in to the show.

1:15 pm  Back to the stall for 1/2 hour, no rest as Carolyn heads off to look around and I run the stalls and photograph the Shetland Grand National at the same time. It’s just gets hotter and hotter, thank god for the cool box running at full power in Carolyn’s car.

1:45 pm  Off around the show ground again, it’s so hot that even moving brings on a sweat, I rush around trying to catch things missed this morning, keeping an eye on the time as at 3:00 pm I need to be at the main ring for the Shire Horse Presentation followed by the Grand parade of Cattle and Sheep in ring 2 at the other end of the site.

4:15 pm  Back to the stall for 1/4 hour, lots of water and grab 2 samosas as I jog up the site to catch the Flyin Ryan Stunt team.

5:30 pm  Back to the stall for the last time, after photographing the stunt team and catching more of the show on the walk back, although by now it is winding down and gaps are appearing as stalls are taken down. At the stall I gratefully put down the cameras and chat to a few customers as we start to pack up the stall and gazebo.

6:30 pm  Carolyn’s car all loaded, she tries to head off to pick Ziggy up, but the battery’s flat due to the cool box running since this morning, I wander the site in search of jump leads and get her on her way before going back to packing my car.

6:55 pm  Up to the Roe Buck for Alecoustic, I said I would try to get some pictures, not really thinking it through, and even as I lean on the bar my eyes are closing, but a pint soon revives my spirits and I watch and photograph the most entertaining act I’ve seen in a long time, Mick Squalor, and even manage to wait while the next act sets up to grab a few of him as well.

8:30 pm  Home, at last. Car unloaded , cameras tucked away, 1/4 hour later I’m off out to a friends house for a bar b que. I’m the last to arrive, but there is loads of cold beer and even some burgers, just realised how hungry I am.

11:45 pm  Home and bed, up early tomorrow to walk Ziggy as he was left out of the fun Saturday and then to work on the photos as some are needed by the local paper first thing Monday.