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 It's
Show Time (shooting an event)
An invitation to take some general shots at Chelsea Flower Show for the publishing division of the Automobile Association was an opportunity I was not going to turn down. This is, after all, the biggest event of its kind in the world, and probably one of the best known dates on the social as well as horticultural calendar. There's stacks of interesting things going on to point a lens at, some stunning floral displays, loads of celebrities to spot and even the Queen makes a fleeting appearance. Quite a full day, as you might expect.
From experience I know that Chelsea Flower Show is a highly congested area, so my first task was to plan which bits of gear to take. Invariably you see some photographers heaving bags and boxes of equipment around, often piled on a trolley, plus a large tripod and sometimes even a ladder to stand on. Which is fine except that it's very exhausting carting all this stuff about, and at the busier events you tend to collide with an awful lot of people.
For this particular job, staying nimble and manoeuvrable seemed much more important than taking everything, as I usually do. So I opted for a Canon 35mm outfit of two EOS bodies with a clutch of EF zooms - 20-35mm, 28-80mm and 75-300mm - a 50mm if I needed a wider aperture, and some close-up attachments. With filters and sufficient film also tucked in the large outfit bag, plus a medium-sized tripod, I intended to stay the course for the whole day instead of 'resting' back in the press tent! The day dawned dry and fairly bright, and I arrived at the show site right by the Thames early - just as the gates were opening. Security gave a cursory glance at my press pass and I was inside, starting to hunt for pictures. To get into the swing of things, some Chelsea scene setters seemed a good idea. There are few elevated positions to give a good overview, but you can clamber up onto some of the temporary rostrums. Even a few feet up gets the camera position above head height so you can look over the milling crowd and get a flavour of the event.
There's so much going on at a major show that half the problem lies in keeping things out of shot! Sometimes you want to your picture to say 'this is Chelsea or wherever', while at other times you have to frame carefully to conceal the fact that it's a show. Because the gardens are placed directly next to each other, it's sometimes impossible to keep elements you don't want included out of shot. So choose your viewpoints with care - if you can find an area that's enclosed, so you don't see another garden or a great big marquee in the background, all the better.
A further advantage of taking zoom lenses, apart from their low weight, is the image versatility they offer. Once you find a good viewpoint, there may be more than one picture possible from that position. I peered over a hedge at one garden, and with the 28-80mm captured a broad view with the 28mm wideangle, then closed in on just one striking element in the foreground by setting the lens to 80mm. Keep an eye out for the unusual too. While everyone else seemed to be focusing on flowers, I spotted this lovely pair of 'guard dogs' tucked away in one garden. Though the plants and flowers are undeniably spectacular at events of this kind, there's plenty more subjects to keep an eye on. I particularly like to capture candids of people at work and play, and there are ample opportunities at horticultural shows large and small. Three images spring to mind from this Chelsea event. First, the concentration of someone carefully arranging a floral display inside a marquee. Second, a film crew busying themselves with a curved tracking shot alongside a display garden - go to any major show and you'll be jostling with these guys for the best positions. And third, the joviality of the inevitable Chelsea pensioners.
With lots of broad and medium-range shots in the can, it was now time to get right up close. Having had my costly Canon 100mm EF macro stolen, I had to settle for some rather less expensive extension tubes to reduce the camera to subject distance. As soon as you get this close to a plant, any minor movement of camera or subject will ruin the shot, so attach the camera to a tripod and wait patiently until there isn't a breath of wind. I've waited long minutes - what seems like hours - for any motion to die down, but it's worth it when you see the pin-sharp close up that results. With close-ups you again need to compose carefully to avoid background details spoiling the image. Slight alterations of the camera position mean you can place out-of-focus chunks of colour against your main subject to set it off. Keep one eye on your subject, and another to the side of the camera, so someone doesn't walk into your picture just at the wrong moment.
Part of the fun of major events like Chelsea is spotting
celebrities, if you like that sort of thing. I got so many pictures of
Alan Titchmarsh doing his thing to camera I couldn't choose which one
to include, so instead I opted for something completely different. As
the stands compete for attention, there are several staged photo calls
during each day, and these can be a handy source of images. I took this
shot of people in period costume well before the press scrum arrived.
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