I made sure that I was very early, so that I could combine the opportunity of photographing in the vicinity, namely the Strand and Trafalgar Square. Some time back I had heard about the Blue Chicken atop the fourth Plinth, but I was not prepared for its size, nor just how prominent it would be set against the black of the Landseer Lions or the pale green fountain statues, the cream stonework, or the grey of Nelson’s Column. This was a dull London Sunday, but even despite the overcast, this cock was the brightest sight in the square; it brought a smile to my face.
I just had to shoot it in contrast to its well-established neighbours. I spent a few casual minutes in the square, before walking slowly down the Strand and to the One Aldwych Hotel where the day’s briefing was to take place. Having travelled with a leather jacket, I was extremely grateful that the hotel would look after it despite my not being a resident, as I knew our final venue would be far from cold. I found the suite Canon and Park Cameras were using and joined other early birds to chat and sip a coffee prior to a presentation by Fashion Photographer, Tony Wellington and Mehdia from Canon.* To get into the swing of things I grabbed a few ‘snaps’ of some of the other photographers seated nearby as well as those presenting. •(Thanks to Mark Read of Park for assisting my failing short term memory here!)
At the end of the briefing we then headed out of the hotel and to Somerset House the venue of the London Fashion Week, where we reassembled to wait our time to enter the Photographers’ pit, giving us all a further chance to chat to others about our forthcoming treat. There were to be three separate opportunities and despite there being gaps when we could have wandered around outside very few did so and not out of fear that they might lose their chosen spot, simply because most of us wanted to socialise.
We had to be in place before the general paying public took their seats, so we watched the organisers efficiently bringing groups in to take up their places one row at a time either side of the catwalk in each of the two arms of the U-shaped catwalk or ‘runway’ as the Americans describe it. At the start of each show Angela Scanlon came in to describe what to expect and she also introduced us to a couple of the Designers. There was a fairly constant stream of video adverts on the screens either side of the catwalk entrance and loud rhythmic music backed the models as they appeared to strut their stuff. We had been warned that it would be fast-paced and we were not misled; it required immense concentration and it was all too easy to fail to follow the guidelines we had been given as to how to aim for the forward foot being flat on the deck with the other trailing, but after a while I began to realise exactly what that meant, however that did not mean I met with much success!
I hope the resulting shots can still give pleasure; it certainly gave me great pleasure to take them, then I had to start an impressive culling operation!
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