Went to Focus yesterday. The annual trudge to Birmingham to fight my way through the throngs of hobbyists who insist for reasons best know to them on walking round the show festooned with every camera they own. What the hell they expect to photograph I don’t know. The irony is that they seem to do so in the hope that they will be taken seriously by the exhibitors because they wear their cameras like a badge, when in fact the “serious” photographers are instantly recognisable by virtue of not carrying all their cameras.

Sadly, some years ago the specialist retailers realised that there was money to be extracted from these people, so they started being more proactive in selling at the show. As a result those that go to ask questions of manufacturers and distributors, or make supply deals that could save them tens of thousands of pounds a year, find that they are constantly fighting against the tide of equipment and gadget freaks.

The result? Well, I bumped into a friend, a respected photographer, publisher and writer on photography, and asked him how he was. “I’m at Focus doing my penance. What do you think?” came the reply.

Anyway. A productive show for me. Answered all the questions that I needed to address, has given me food for thought and opened new opportunities, all of which I will write about in good time. One thing I will share with you quickly though is Canson Platine Rag. Got hold of some samples, and just made a test print of this picture on it. Exquisite paper!

The show finished, I wandered back to the station (went on the train this time – so much easier), got a beer in the bar, and the phone rang. It was an editor with an assignment. So exciting an assignment (for me anyway) that I nearly dropped my beer. Just a couple of days to go, but if it comes off as planned, you can be sure I will be telling you about it!

Entrepreneur computer games developer Richard Garriott worked extensively with British schools before, during and after his trip to the International Space Station

A pro pos of nothing, I have been involved in working with a group of 14 to 16 year old students from a number of schools in the East End, in conjunction with an organisation called Venture Thinking. The objective is to introduce them to real world photography with a live brief and client.

Yesterday we managed to kill two birds as it were, when two of my projects collided. Cosmonaut Richard Garriott met me on the shore line at Coin Street for a photoshoot and took the time to meet the kids and tell them what life is like in space, and the students in turn took some time to engage themselves in helping me with ideas and logistics for the photograph. There is something kind of cool about being able to see the boy holding the light in this preproducton shot. A rush version of the finished image can be seen on my main site.