2018: A Year in Review
2018: The year of the dog. Well, looking at the state of the last twelve months, I think it's time for a one-way trip to the vets. Anyway, on with my annual retrospective of some of the interesting assignments, striking images and important moments that made 2018.
2018 saw two Royal marriages and with them came many photo opportunities. Despite dashing to military bases across the country, the image that we were invited in to shoot generally involved some people marching up and down a parade ground. Knowing that this was hardly likely to fly into many publications, I always took it as an opportunity to look for moments that made me smile, such as seeing this apparent recreation of the classic Police Squad scene.
Later in the month, the "Beast from the East" brought snow scenes the likes of which cause the Daily Express to have wet dreams. Sent out into Essex to record this snowmageddon, I stumbled across a frozen beast outside a garden centre.
March delivered a visit by the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman who would later go on to be in the headlines over the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Before this horrific murder took place, I was free to look at the juxtaposition in clothing between British Prime Minister Theresa May in a power suit and the Crown Prince in his flowing robes.
After that, it all went to the dogs.
April included a trip to Peru to document the incredible work done by the Orbis team in their flying eye hospital as it visited the region of Trujillo. Before I left, I had a bit of a "thing" about eyes and tried to avoid them whenever possible. If there's one way to get over that kind of thing, it's spending time on board Orbis 1.
The full post can be found here.
Returning from Trujillo via New York, I was able to drop in on the annual Nerdlesque festival in Coney Island which presented a totally different eye-opening experience. The full (potentially NSFW) post can be found here.
May marked the first anniversary of the bombing of the Ariana Grande concert in Manchester. During the day, many moments saw tears flow as the memories returned to those who witnessed the devastation or lost friends and family. However, the moment of the day for me came during a singalong in the centre of the City as young people threw their hands in the air in defiance of those who tried to stop their enjoyment. It seemed appropriate that as so many young people had died during the attack, it was their right to reply.
June began with a visit to Canada for the G20 summit and while I was there with the British press pack, attention inevitably fell on a different individual.
Returning from Canada, it was time for a different type of circus, this time in Scotland. In an attempt to find any new angle on the whole Brexit issue, I contacted Zippo's Circus to ask if I could spend some time with them on the road, as a previous conversation with owner Martin Burton had highlighted the impact that Brexit was already having on his business.
As June came to an end, football was the subject on everyone's mind and the fan reactions as they watched England successfully get through a match on penalties was pretty "enthusiastic", to say the least.
Brexit Brexit Brexit blah bah blah. My God, I'm boring myself by even including it in the annual summary but it truly had a grip on everything this year. Every interaction between Theresa May and anyone became an opportunity to analyse the current state of negotiations.
Thankfully, the month was given a jolt of interest with the arrival of Donald Trump and his wife Melania, who was given a crash course lesson in Crown Green bowls by the veterans at the Chelsea barracks. Finishing their English chores, it was across the border to Scotland for a few rounds of golf, or at least some vicious shrubbery hacking, with the President.
August is an infamously dull month as everyone goes on holiday and the news grinds to a halt. Still, at least we had the legal shenanigans of convicted fraudster, drug offender, police-assaulting false passport-carrier and now political advisor Stephen Yaxley-Lennon to keep us busy.
In September, I travelled up to Barnsley to spend a week with the Barnsley Chronicle as they put together an issue of their newspaper. Spending time with Northern types is always a pleasure but being able to melt into the background and see how the paper is run was a genuine treat. My post on the essay can be found here.
October marked a decade since the beginning of the financial crash so any early morning trip to the top of an office block in London provided a Stonehenge-like view of the financial district.
November arrived while I was halfway through the NATO Trident Juncture in Norway which provided some striking moments and beautiful scenery, as well as a major dose of exhaustion. More images and words from that assignment can be found here.
Aside from military capers in the fjords, it was back to business as usual with many hours spent in and around Westminster as Brexit rumbled along. Choosing to take a different angle for Theresa May's speech to the media outside number 10 provided a different angle on the moment, while loitering in the shadows during the CBI conference provided an equally different image as the PM left the stage following her keynote address.
So that's a wrap. 2018 is over and done. I'm just heading out to see in 2019 with the New Year's fireworks and it only leaves me to thank everyone who offered support, access and information to me through the year, allowing me to carry on doing what I love. Thanks to you for following this blog and providing me with your feedback through my social media accounts on Twitter and Instagram.
