10 December 2011
Most normal, sane people would not entertain the idea of a location photoshoot on a beach at Sunderland in biting winds and freezing temperatures in December. However, as I am neither normal nor sane, this didn’t put me off from undertaking just such a shoot a few days ago. I’m not sure my subject (or victim?) would agree though!
Corine Andrews is an upcoming vocalist and guitarist from my hometown of Mackemland *(Sunderland), and I came across her quite by chance through an old school friend that I became re-acquainted with on Facebook – where else? I have been itching to do a Sunderland shoot for a while now, so we discussed the possibility of having some promo shots done for Corine. This seemed to make perfect sense back in the balmy days of October, but less so in the first week of this month when gales and storms battered the North East with the ferocity of a taxi rank queue in Gateshead at chucking out time.
Still, they make ‘em tough up there and Corine was totally up for going ahead with the shoot. Consequently, together with Sian who came along to assist, I made the long drive up from Grantham on Saturday morning to meet up with Corine and her mum, Suzanne, with whom I had gone to school with all those years ago. I won’t say when, but if you remember the miner’s strike, The Falklands War, the Sinclair C5, Culture Club, shoulder pads, The Kids From Fame, wondered who shot JR, Michael Foot exchanging pleasantries with Mrs Thatcher and the Greenham Common protests then you’ll get the picture. If not, do as Frankie says and relax!
Corine plays an acoustic guitar and also sings, so the theme I had dreamt up was to picture her on the beach playing and singing surrounded by fishing boats drawn up along the beach, and later to use the towering cliffs and rocks at Roker as a dramatic backdrop for additional photos. This seemed like an excellent idea when I dreamed it up in the comfort of my house a couple of months ago.
As always on shoots, things did not go entirely to plan. We drove to Whitburn for the fishing boats, only to find that they had all vanished overnight. Well, admittedly not exactly overnight – its 20 years since I was last at Whitburn but I had assumed that they would still be there. How inconsiderate can you get? Fortunately, Suzanne had visited the area recently, and knew about some sheltered coves close by in an area that has been reclaimed from the long abandoned land that once housed Whitburn Colliery and turned into a coastal park and nature reserve. It was quite a walk from the car to reach the coves along an exposed coastal cliff top path, but the views are stunning and I saw countless cracking locations for shoot purposes as we walked along into the biting wind.
Eventually we made our way to the beach and I could instantly see several ideal spots for photos. The temperatures meant that any shooting would need to be short and snappy (no pun intended) so we went with the idea that Corine would perform a couple of songs live whilst I took the photos; then repeat the exercise out on the rocks and finally pose for a few photos without her guitar.
I was assisted here by Sian who scouted out the new locations while I was shooting each set to keep things on the move. I have to say that Corine was a real star – how many people can stand on a rock in the North Sea and perform a song in temperatures marginally above zero but effectively well below freezing due to wind chill? She has a lovely voice and I would have loved to listen to her properly; however I needed all my concentration to take the shots as it was only fair to limit her time exposed to the elements.
Three sets were shot in total; the fastest shoot I’ve ever done, before everything was packed up and we lugged the kit back to the car. Being a gentleman – don’t laugh, I can occasionally rise to the occasion – I offered to take the guitar. Big mistake. It got seriously heavy as we walked along and I began to see why people tend to limit themselves to simply carrying them on and off stage. This is why Jimi Hendrix never had a photoshoot at Sunderland, because no one would carry his guitar onto the beach.
Once back at the car we all headed off in search of warmth and cappuccinos at a lovely café on the seafront at Seaburn – a place I spent many happy hours as a child when my mum would take my brother and I down to the seaside on the number 18 bus!
Despite the cold it was a good shoot and Corine was great to work with, so I hope to return in more pleasant conditions for some more. She performs regularly in various pubs and clubs around Sunderland so be sure to check out her webpage for details and please support her by liking her page.
This was my last shoot for 2011 as the following Christmas themed idea had to be abandoned at the last minute, so happy Christmas one and all!
* For the uninitiated - Mackems are so called because you mak and tak as opposed to make and take. Simple isn't it?
