In the run up to Christmas 2006 I was asked to photograph a series of room sets for a bathroom catalogue. Simple you may think for a lad of my talents? The only snag was they were near Eastbourne! And turn around time was rapid as some of the initial images had to be in China and in print by the second week of the New Year so would mean shooting in the week running up to Christmas then returning in January to complete.

An interior designer who normally works on film sets was commissioned to design the bathroom sets and they were built by a team of joiners in a brand new 4000 sq foot warehouse hired specifically for the photography. And after all the photographs were taken the sets were pulled down – so in the words of my client “no pressure then”!! I hired in the services of good friend and photographer Geoff Harris to provide additional expertise, and moral support, and hired in extra equipment. Chris the interior designer was tasked with sourcing all of the props and the corner of the warehouse looked like a factory outlet for Next Directory. We also had the services of 2 female models to pose in the bathrooms. When we turned up and unloaded our vehicle it looked more like we were there to shoot a feature film! We made 3 trips south braving the M25 in fog and freezing temperatures, and lodged in the strangest hotel I have ever stayed in, located on the side of the main road from Eastbourne to London, where rush hour seemed to begin at around 5am!

The job went very well with no hitches (well one very amusing incident involving a bubble machine and naked model draining a bath of soapy water onto a set!) and was testimony to the meticulous planning and hard work by everyone involved. We even got the chance to visit the traditional seaside resort of Eastbourne and stood on the Pier in the dark and a roaring gale.