Somewhere along the line I have become the unofficial photographer at work so in this capacity I was asked to shoot a function at parliament where Prime Minister John Key was handling out the 2011 Pacific Prime Ministers Awards.

The function was in the main banquet chamber at the beehive which is a challenging venue as the stage is always set on the outside of the building which means it has large windows behind it.

The idea was simple. The name of the winner would be read out, they would come onto the stage the PM would greet them, we would take a photo, then the winner would move to the lectern and speak.

I got there early and we did some lighting tests and worked out where the best place for the PM photo. We even placed a big x on the floor.

Problem was somehow the instructions never got the PM, and so he was all over the place and so quick with the handshakes.

It was like a wedding, where you know that you only have one shot and can’t ask them to do it again.