This was however the first time they had someone do them professionally. We discussed the look they wanted to convey and we soon settled on the clean and crisp look of having all the images black and white. Not only is a black and white image more flattering to skin tone which pleased many of the team it also tied the set of images together more as they were to be used all on one page of their web site.

This reduced any distraction where the team had different clothes and different hair colours etc. A simple decision but as you can see from their images in situ on their webpage we think very effective.

We rose above and covered between my partner photographer Dan Vernon and I 12 miles of the course. Managing the logistics and timing of capturing different aspects of the race was a challenge itself so we split ourselves in different parts of the course in the Trafford area. Our equipment suffered big time in the conditions as the rain interfered with the auto focusing system and the lens contacts but we are professionals and we always have back up bodies and so we are able to do the job required of us.

Event photography is a live working situation and as professional photographers we never know what we might be asked to shoot. That is why we thrive on our commercial photography and with Xtra Mile Event’s PR agency Breathe Unity also happy with our work we look forward to covering more mass participation events around the UK. We just hope we get some sunshine this time!

Peppermint PR provided the brief and we set about choosing some cool locations where we could use some flash guns to create an editorial look. Both Josh and Andy are self styled in these images and they were certainly well up for being in front of the cameras. Fair to say their alter egos were released for a few hours.

We walked all over Hale looking for nooks and crannies where we could spot some creative opportunities. We ended up round the back of the CO-OP, down the side of Gastronomy and in the garden at the back of Hale Fitness. As creatives we know what we are looking for and trust that we will always stumble on new spots that will offer our clients something unusual where composition, colours, textures, space and lighting are concerned.

We had two 580EX II flash guns with Lastolite mini soft boxes with us. This meant we could override the ambient conditions a little making it darker to allow the lights to give some Sunday Times Magazine editorial punch to our subjects.  We have our favourites so we have to just wait and see which images are selected by the team at Peppermint PR for their press releases.

It was a simple assignment until you factor in dozens of excitable kids and couple of crazy cows. Jobs like these require confidence and the ability to get strangers to do your beckoning. Timing is key as things happen at pace. One minute we were in the store the next on the roof shooting a cow dancing with a boom box over his head only then to be dodging traffic through Hale high street as about 30 Yogberrie supporters did the conga up to the bowling green and back.

We delivered their best images inside 24 hours for their immediate release to promote the opening of their new store in Hale.

As with all subjects who are not familiar with being on camera we saved the better locations for later in the process and worked them with our usual classified techniques to relax them.  Now they have been declassified we can reveal that our secret is a lot of conversation, engaging with them while we shoot so they are not stood and thinking ‘oh my god I hate having my photo taken’.  This always works and so it did as the boys dialled in to the rhythm of the shoot quite quickly.

It was cold which was a factor given the expensive guitars they had which are not comfortable in anything less than a 22 degree warm auditorium.  As is often the case, the best ideas came towards the end helped by mother nature who provided some amazing light offering us some great silhouette shots. You must check them out as they are a nod to another famous album cover, ‘Band on the run’.

It took us two days, dodging a bit of weather and waiting for the right light and the results have provided them with a library of images both abstract and formal but with creative twists to composition that will feature heavily across their marketing collateral.

Within a couple of weeks, they reported an increase in enquiries from companies wanting to look at leasing their office spaces.  A coincidence? Perhaps but we would like to think the visuals we have delivered have helped them create the right impression.

The challenge was that Sir Ian was not going to stop for photographs. Who can blame him,  he is walking 6 marathons in 10 days and as much as it is physical, it is also a mental challenge.  Stationed and poised outside Yogberries store in Fallowfield which happened to be along the route to Tatton Park, we had less than a second to get the shot we needed.

At 5 frames per second our cameras were the right tool in this situation and with a helpful last minute gesture from Sir Ian who pointed at the Yogberries store as he arrived at ‘the’ spot, we had our shot and the client is happy.