People think being a photographer is one of the most fun and glamorous
professions you can take up, but I’d have to disagree. It’s my assistant who
has all the fun. That’s him basking in the sea in the image of the boy
back-flipping (Picture 1 in the slideshow below). I asked him to swim
into view in order to give perspective to the shot, but he’s also having a
very nice time while I’m working hard! We were in Hawaii and I’d combined
two jobs in the one trip, which meant that we got to spend 10 days by the
beach. One of the highlights was a boat ride along the Na Pali Coast – it’s
beautiful, and only accessible by boat or a pretty hefty hike. We had
stopped for lunch when the kid threw himself into the water. With the boat
rocking, and my heavy camera dangling around my neck, I very nearly went in
after him.
My assistant pops up in a lot of my pictures, including the other beach shot (picture
2). But he wasn’t much help when I took the photo of Jackson Hole (picture
3). The lights look so warm and inviting, but it was freezing. I had to
stand in the snow for what felt like an eternity waiting for a test Polaroid
to develop, while he sat in the car laughing at me. The rest of the pictures
I took for this assignment were of a different aspect altogether: I had to
hotfoot it around the resort taking photos of good-looking men, for a piece
on why Jackson Hole would make a good girly getaway. Most of the guys were
happy to have their picture taken, although I did have to bribe one with a
beer.
With the exception of the shot of the boy doing the back-flip, these photos
were all either taken late at night or at sunset. In fact, it was after
taking the shot of the spooky-looking trees in Cobbs Hill (picture 4),
New York, that I decided night-time photography was going to be my thing. I
love the way that the fog reacts with the sodium vapour from the lights,
making the sky go that crazy magenta colour – I’m in my element when it’s
dark and foggy.
You need long exposures when taking night shots, and you should really use a
tripod to get a sharp image. If you don’t want to carry one, use a rock or
whatever firm surface is handy.
I left the picture of Joshua Tree National Park (picture 5) exposed for
five minutes, which is why the stars are blurry. It was actually the middle
of the night – that cool halo glow must be coming from the city lights of
Palm Springs.
I never used to think twice about wandering around by myself in the dead of
night, but after straying into some gang territory in Venice, California, I
learnt my lesson. Now, if I’m unsure of the area, I take my boyfriend with
me. We go to San Francisco a lot, as the fog is pretty much guaranteed. I
was there a couple of years ago and got a bit snap-happy when I saw the
brightly lit office blocks at sunset (picture 6).
Unsurprisingly, people often assume that you’re up to no good if you’re
prowling the backstreets at night with a camera. When I took the shot of the
deserted parking lot (picture 7), at a port in Los Angeles, I was
constantly being stopped by guards, even though I had an official pass. So
my main advice would be this: if you haven’t got an assistant, take your
partner. It’s safer, less suspicious – and at least they’ll be having fun.
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