Dave Charnley Photography: Newcastle, Durham & Middlesbrough Commercial Photographer: Fast Professional Service in the North East.

Although photographers are in general a friendly bunch, we all want the best pic for our clients so there is always a little bit of rivalry at big events.

But that doesn’t mean we tread on each other’s toes or don’t support each other. For instance I was recently contacted by a Newcastle press and commercial photographer who was stuck in traffic on the A1, and asked me if I could get over to do some PR photography in Middlesbrough and generate some ‘same day turnaround’ press photography for the following day’s Middlesbrough, Yorkshire and Newcastle newspapers.

Helping each other out is all part of a day’s work, and in those instances it’s a case of get the brief, get there, and get the job done. On jobs like these I would never want to tread on anyone’s toes by handing out my Dave Charnley Photography business card, as far as the client is concerned I’m just Dave.

We have to react equally quickly on a client job too. I’d say around 5% of my photography jobs involve an odd extra shot that was not on the brief, but it’s usually no problem. It often arises when a senior person has asked the in-house PR account manager to get a few shots of X,Y an Z. In those circumstances, it’s a case of if I have the time and it will save them a separate re-shoot I’m happy to help out. A board director might only have ten minutes to spares, so it’s important to be flexible and work fast.

Some photography commissions are a mix of product, lifestyle and portrait shots, destined for use in marketing material, on the web and in advertising. I like to create a variety of shots for the client so they build up a photo library they can put to a range of uses. For instance if they are commenting in the press about an incident or some low profit warnings they need a shot of the Managing Director looking sombre, while a news story about the business supporting a local childrens’ charity needs an altogether more cheery shot of him.

Some clients plan well in advance, and as I write this blog in June I already have some Newcastle, Sunderland and Stockton commercial photography shoots booked in for October. But the PR, marketing and advertising photography world moves at a fast pace, and I can routinely get a call from a client asking if I can do a shoot starting at 7.30am the following day, and going on until dusk.

A younger photographer might be stressed by the pressure, but to those of us with 25 years of press and commercial photography under our belts, it’s no problem. My days as a Middlesbrough pressphotographer working for newspapers turning out four editions a day gave me a good grounding.

Running my own photography business means being more than just a good photographer, I have to be good at the behind the scenes work too, such as studio work, admin, accounts and marketing. It’s about striking the happy medium between day-long photoshoots and the luxury of time spent back in my photography studio in Stockton.

Even when days are incredibly fast-paced and stressful, I still wouldn’t swap places with anyone.

I’m lucky to have an incredible variety of jobs in my diary, ranging from PR photography and product shots to sports and royal events, and as a north east freelance photographer it’s a case of ‘access all areas’. It’s a real privilege to work for some great clients and to see my photos used on the front page of newspapers such as the Journal, the Middlesbrough Evening Gazette, the Yorkshire Post and online.