A recent commercial photography commission to document The Princess Royal, Princess Anne’s visit to an engineering centre
in Middlesbrough came via my website, and was based on my press photography experience
covering many north east royal visits, including Her Majesty
the Queen, Prince Charles, Prince Andrew, the Duchess of Cambridge and even the Countess of Wessex.
Royal visits are choreographed
to the last detail, with the itinerary kept under wraps and usually known only
to a few of the people involved.
Careful briefings and at least one
walk-through will take place in advance, and I had several conversations with my
client the PR agency DMA Europe’s senior management, discussing the brief and
their requirements.
Engineering equipment repair
firm Sulzer employs 40 staff, and recently expanded into a £4.5m service centre
in Middlehaven, Teesside, hence the royal visit.
A large gathering was massed
for the occasion, including Middlesbrough’s Labour MP Andy McDonald and
Middlesbrough councillors, and Princess Anne arrived on time in a helicopter
fresh Northumberland to Acklam Grange School in Middlesbrough, which lead to a
short drive to the service centre.
People can sometimes be
over-awed by royalty, but Princess Anne is highly experienced at VIP visits and
took the trouble to put people at their ease, talking to at least 80 people,
including apprentice Josh Ferguson and Sulzer staff and management, and making
it a special day for many of them. This was followed by a tour of the facility and the unveiling of a plaque
to commemorate the event.
The two-hour shoot mean
working hard to vary the shots, rather than simply going for repetitive
handshake pictures as I followed Princess Anne around the facility, and I
included some interior and exterior shots of the building as well as photos of
Sulzer’s marketing collateral and branding.
Reporters and press photographer from the Middlesbrough
Gazette, Northern Echo and Tyne Tees attended, with all of us conscious of not
getting in each other’s way. I was lucky in that as the commissioned photographer
I had full access to all areas, while the rest of press were restricted.
Many of my pictures were
used in various publications and for social media, and it was my pleasure to be
on hand to support Sultzer’s big day as its new facility was given the royal
seal of approval.
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