Wow what a week. It has been full of wonderful opportunities. I still can not believe I spent Monday at Wimbledon. Such an incredible day! Huge thanks to Lavazza and Mariko. The atmosphere was electric in Centre Court and it was a perfect day to people watch while watching Nadal smash his way to victory. Not going to lie, having Nicole Ritchie sit behind you was a little surreal.  As you can tell I am a fan and she is even more stunning in real life. Anyway, I'm ending my week by watching the men's final. Wimbledon you have been fun, same time next year?

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You might remember I shared a few images from my day at Ascot with Mariko a few weeks ago. As well as shooting some still content we also created a short video of the day. I wanted to share the video with you today as I am particularly excited.  You see, I am packing my equipment as I am off to Wimbledon tomorrow morning. I can not wait! Last time I went with my aunt a few years ago and saw Robert Redford, drank champagne and ate strawberries and cream. Does it really get any better than that? Will definitely keep my eyes open to see who else attends. What a way to start the week!

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So this has been on my mind for a little bit and by the looks of social media I am not the only photographer who is a little sick of being asked to 'collaborate'. Don't get me wrong we all have to start somewhere and to be honest no harm in asking. More than once however, I have had people tell me they don't ever pay their photographer.  Seriously WTF?! I am sorry but I really can not agree with this attitude. Like most photographers I have had training (admittedly I went to university a few years ago), I have been lucky to work in this industry for well over ten years in two different countries and I  have purchased all the necessary equipment (camera, lens, accessories, laptop, insurance & software) to create these images you admire. You are not just paying for my time, you are paying for my creative eye and experience. I understand we don't always have the budget we want which is why if people tell me about their project and I have a personal interest I will be happy to try and negotiate a offer to suit everyone.  I always ask about peoples budgets to try and be as accommodating as possible. 

Another way to approach a photographer is to see if they would be interested in a test shoot. If there is a type of shoot that they have been interested in and haven't had a chance to do. More often than not we might have an idea we would like to experiment with or try a new lighting set up or piece of kit. This means working to their brief rather than yours.  For me it is crucial to keep pushing myself creatively and while it is great to perfect your style people do want to see diversity in your work. So earlier this week Sunny sent me a lovely message asking me if I would be interesting in a test shoot as she was travelling to London and had recently started modelling in her home town of Canada. As a new model you want to keep adding to your books and a little London shoot sounded perfect. I have always loved shooting portraits and something about Sunny's stunning features made excited to get her in front of my camera. Please take a look at some of my favourite images below.  

So when I first moved to London (many years ago) I had a list of activities that I wanted to experience. High tea, tick, Tower of London, tick and now finally a day at Royal Ascot, tick! I had the pleasure of attending the fifth day with thanks to Mariko Kuo and the wonderful people from Lavazza. It was absolutely incredible to people watch and see all the beautiful dresses and hats. I honestly couldn't tell you how many times I've watched My Fair Lady but the Ascot racing scene song was so stylish, it felt slightly surreal to be here and experience it all. Needless to to say I had an absolute blast and can not wait for next year!

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