William Clay Ford Jr, the great grandson of Henry Ford (yes that Ford), and Harvey S Firestone (yes that Firestone), is a most unusual scion of two of the very greats of the American golden age of industrial growth. I guess you like me, would expect a powerfully built individual, striding the floor, leader of men, surrounded by cowering minions, dispensing wisdom in a shout, perhaps accompanied at official events at a discrete distance by a nervous trial of executives […]
If you have a fascination about the production side of industry, a plant visit is one of the more exciting places to visit as a photographer. But the modern industrial process, whether it’s producing cars or card, has a certain commonality: Everything is hewn from a frantically busy, noisy, packed environment filled with gleaming machinery, whirling and crashing, and you’re very glad of the ear defenders that are obligatory in these environments. And without exception, wherever in the world, the […]
Should you work for a British national newspaper, there are two regular assignments you’re certain to cover. One is football, the other is the Prime Minister of the day. I’ve never got on with football, but have probably been stuck at as many big matches in various parts of the UK as the most dedicated well-heeled fans. And as for the PM, for a long time when I worked on The Times, that was the domineering, often quite ferocious, Margaret […]
Wonderful to see these flying miniaturised cameras soar skywards above our heads, their high pitched whine always drawing a crowd. Yet although we get more and more skilled in piloting the little buzzing marvels of modern technology, they still can exhibit a mind of their own as they head off cheerfully on a mission entirely of their own creation, getting smaller and smaller as they head to the horizon. I once joined a hot air ballon crew as they raced […]
The corporate colour for this most famous of motor manufacturers, the family company that launched the concept of mass production, the founder who declared all history is bunk, is of course, blue. And the stage set for the great man himself, grandson of the founder, has been enthusiastically lit by the set designers in a staggering deep blue. The only problem is, striking though this may be for the audiovisual show that is about to unfold, Bill Ford, Chairman and […]
It had been a long three days, with early starts, late finishes, and evening events. Exciting to be there, but also exhausting. And tonight being the last night, only a half-day to come, it will be a big celebration, a gala dinner, dressing up, everyone looking their best. It is a happy break from the routine of work, a chance to meet colleagues that many only ever got to talk to on conference calls or perhaps email. The work essentially […]
The perfect way to remember the week, meeting people and making new friends amongst colleagues you had only ever seen copied on emails, heard on conference calls, knew only of by reputation. The photographic answer is to get everyone together and get that photographer to take that special moment, The Group Shot. Except gathering everyone together in one place at one time takes some doing, managing to get everyone looking the right way, all paying attention, without being distracted by […]
