At the same time as running Ministry of Swimming my client also has created a second website called “Swimmall” where he is selling both his brand and other brands. As some of his suppliers already supply him with images the shots taken for this site had to fit with a strict standard. Basically each suit had to be shot on a white background with the model in facing in such a way that you saw the front, side and back of the suits. I joked with the models that these were essentially mannequin shots for them as you could easily replace a model with a mannequin and get the same result.

The shoot did not present any real challenges however after I had shot my first model I realised that a little forward thinking would have saved me a lot of processing time. You see Emma was shot in my usual style of hand holding the camera and I was also adjusting the focal length to get what I considered the best shot. This was a big mistake because it meant that I had three images shot from slightly different angles and sizes that I then had to compensate for in post. Not difficult but all adding extra time.

For the rest of the models I shot with the camera mounted on a tripod and left the focal length alone. This meant that no images needed any tweaking in this regard.

As it had been over a year since I did the original shoot for the Ministry of Swimming website I contacted the owner to see if he needed any new images. This was indeed the case and this time they were all swimsuits.

I ran a casting call and selected fours models to assist as the suits ranged in size with a number being only prototypes rather than the full size. One model failed to show so my daughter ended up stepping in at the last minute.

The client wanted the same urban style theme as we had come up for the original which was a little challenging when there were 23 different suits and unlike the goggles they did not have names, so there was nothing to guide me on. Still we managed to do it and over a week we shot all four girls in the studio as well as finding new graffiti art to composite in.

The images were delivered tonight and the client was very happy with them which is the result that I was after. Next year we are going to get some male models to complement to series.

This was another job through a connection. Pan De Muerto is a Wellington Bar/Restaurant specialising in Mexican cuisine. They also sell a range of clothing and the owner wanted to showcase a new range.

The shoot was set for a Sunday afternoon with a very fixed time as the bar opened at 4.00. Trip is a biker who has a very strong resemblance to Jessie James, and he told me that he had organised a motor bike to be part of the shoot. I was amazed when this beautiful customised Harley was brought it. That was therefore going to centre stage for at least some of the images.

The restaurant had amazing murals on the wall so we knew that we were going to get some great images. The crew were also great to work with and it shows in the final images.

Casey is an incredible athlete who swum Cook Straight in under 4 hours, and my client definitely wanted him for the website. In scoping graffiti locations I had found a stream that ran under the Hutt Road and came out by Belmont School. I thought that it was an interesting location as it also meant we could combine water and graffiti without the need for Photoshop.

We shot on a Saturday morning in bright sunshine around the base of the pond. I thought Casey was very brave to actually get his head under the water.

We then scaled the sides to shoot in the drain itself. Using a bare flash certainly brought out the muscle definition that Casey had.

The Ministry of Swimming range also includes some kids gear so John arranged for three of his younger, but no less talented students to come down to the pool.

There is an adage in showbiz “never work with kids or animals”. Well that certainly didn’t apply her. The kids were great and followed instructions well. They didn’t seem to mind repeating things until we got the shot.

Sarah is an accountant who likes to model on the side who I met through model mayhem. I asked her to help me with three separate elements that would be shot on the same day.

I met her by the Te Aro shops where there is an old petrol station that is covered with graffiti art and also has a high wire fence perfect for what I wanted.

We then moved on a carpark in Vivian Street. I wanted a shot of a girl in a bikini walking towards a large motorbike. Motorad kindly loaned us the bike.

We ended up shooting Sarah wearing a hoodie over the bikini because I won’t make models freeze in the name of art, as the weather has turned quite nasty.

John did not want the whole shoot dominated by pretty girls so he arrange for two of his top male swimmers to come into the Nae Nae Pool one Friday night. We shot a range of shots up on the stands, and the diving board and then I shot them in the water.

The shots came out really well. What was surprizing was that the lights in the pool produced a very good blue light and with no one else in the pool the surface gained mirror qualities.