Life Behind the Lens
The Ships Photographer, 2011–2012. Six months at sea with a camera, learning that the hardest part of the job was never the camera.
The Ships Photographer · 2011–2012
November 2011 to April 2012
In 2011, work took me somewhere slightly different: to sea, with a camera in my hand.
I joined The Ships Photographer, working aboard cruise ships and photographing the people, celebrations and little moments that made up life on board.
It was a strange and brilliant workplace. My studio could be indoors one minute and out on deck the next. I photographed portraits, parties, events and weddings, setting up professional cameras, lighting and equipment wherever the job required it.
And when you're photographing a wedding, there isn't much room for "give me five minutes while I figure out why this isn't working."
Part Photographer. Part Technician. Part People Person.
The job taught me that being a professional photographer involves far more than knowing how to use a camera.
I planned shoots, worked from briefs, maintained the equipment, helped prepare and style images, edited photographs using Adobe software and worked directly with passengers to help them choose photographs and packages.
But the biggest part of the job was people.
Cruise ships bring together people from all over the world, both passengers and crew. I had to quickly understand different personalities, communicate clearly and make people feel comfortable in front of the camera.
Sometimes you only had a few seconds to turn an awkward "I hate having my photo taken" into something natural.
That ability to connect with people has followed me throughout my career.
Teaching People to See Things Differently
I also delivered photography workshops, presentations and one-to-one sessions for passengers who wanted to understand their cameras better.
That became one of the parts of the job I enjoyed most.
Photography can become a swamp of aperture numbers, shutter speeds, ISO settings and terminology remarkably quickly. I enjoyed taking all of that and making it understandable, practical and, most importantly, fun.
Looking back, there's a pretty obvious thread running from those workshops to the things I do today.
More Than a Photography Job
My time at sea was only six months, but it gave me experiences that would turn up repeatedly throughout the rest of my career.
Technical problem solving. Customer service. Teaching. Creativity. Working independently. Looking after specialist equipment. Adapting when plans change.
And perhaps most importantly, curiosity.
Photography taught me to look a little closer.
Sometimes that's through a camera.
These days, it's just as likely to involve a multimeter.