Category: Journey

Stopping Nuisance Telemarketing Phone Calls

 Gavin   Journey, Musings

Apologies in advance because this post is way off topic for this blog but I wanted to document this little story in the hope that it will benefit others.

We’ve been battling with one organisation for a while now (i.e. at least a couple of years) to get them to stop their direct marketing phone calls. Each time they called it was the same conversation to get them to suppress all cals to that number. Each time the caller did absolutely nothing about it. Until today that is. Continue reading Stopping Nuisance Telemarketing Phone Calls »

Shoot and Run – Is this the new norm?

 Gavin   Journey, Musings

After writing yesterday’s post on the true cost (to me) of a free job, I feel inspired to follow up with this one based on a telephone conversation I had this afternoon. I’ve calmed down since then but nevertheless this may get re-written or even removed later on.

This afternoon I had a very challenging call from a potential client asking if I could cover a fashion show he was staging on June 19th in London. Unfortunately we couldn’t reach an accord over usage and copyright. Even more unfortunately he became extremely abusive, hurling a tirade or personal abuse at me. Needless to say I declined the job on those grounds suggesting that he needs to find someone else to work with which further exacerbated the situation.

I absolutely hate turning away work but I work on the simple premise that Continue reading Shoot and Run – Is this the new norm? »

The True Cost of a Free Job

 Gavin   Journey

DISCLAIMER – I’m going to keep this post anonymous as it is in no way intended to be a dig at anybody but it is based on a true story from a photoshoot I undertook recently. The reason for writing this post is simply to highlight the real costs involved in working for free. I’ve underaken a number of free jobs over the

Very recently I agreed to cover a show in a London theatre as a freebie or nil-paid job. TFP or TFCD as it is sometimes known in the industry. I entered into this fully aware I’d be doing it for free. Why? Because theatre presented a gap in my portfolio. This was a gap I wanted to fill and the experience I would gain from it coupled with the networking opportunities far outweighed any potential loss in revenue. So, why am I writing this post? Well, the primary reason is to highlight what the real cost is of undertaking free work whilst leaving aside any discussion on the loss of revenue. As an interesting comparison I’m going to compare this to my standard wedding package. Continue reading The True Cost of a Free Job »

New website launched – http://qtsoftware.co.uk

 Gavin   Journey

After a massive 1.5 days in development I’m pleased to announce that my new web development site is now launched.

Have I given up on the photography?
– Absolutely not. I see this as another source of income to supplement the photography business.

Why web development?
– Mainly because so many people have complimented me on my web design skills.

To see the site, simply visit http://qtsoftware.co.uk

Who the F*** is Alice?

 Gavin   Journey

This is a very unfortunate situation to be in.

Last week I was booked to shoot press and promo images for a new production of Alice in Wonderland at a theatre in London. Got there in good time thinking that after all the fashion shows Ive just covered this will be a breeze. Unfortunately not.

When I first arrived, nobody knew I was coming. Further, nobody seemed to know the person who’d arranged for me to be there. In hindsight I should have taken this as a big in-your-face signal to leave but I persevered and they agreed to let me stay. I’m glad I did too. Never before had the opportunity to see what goes on behind the scenes of a stage production, at least at this level, and watching the play begin to form and take shape in much the same way as a jigsaw puzzle was fascinating. Had the opportunity to chat with most of the cast, and the director too which was great for networking.

As they approached the start of the full dress rehearsal, the cast started to get into make-up, their costumes and their characters too. Great opportunity to get some individual shots although it was a little hit and miss with the tech. crew adjusting their lighting setup. Nevertheless I persevered and got some lovely images in the can.

Then it was straight into the dress rehearsal and wih the theatre to myself I could work in a T formed by the centre aisle and the gaps between rows 3 and 4 to get some cool shots (one of which features as the intro to this post). Unfortunately I couldn’t stay for it all as they were running and I was in severe danger of missing the lst bus home.

It wasn’t until I sent the proof images out that disaster struck Continue reading Who the F*** is Alice? »