Great to see the project getting the exposure and especially for the crews of ER24, who were part of it.

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When a poor township boy with a deep, traditional fear of the water is offered a chance to escape the violence of his community through surfing, he is forced to choose between friendship and his dream. The story is set during Apartheid times and it was great to be involved in the production and act in a few scenes.

The film will be shown in South Africa in May and I hope to see a copy at some point.

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I was concerned with access, it has always been a major issue for any of the projects i’d chosen before, and this wasn’t anything different. Thankfully, the ER24 team went out of their way to make me feel welcome. It must be hard for anyone to do their job when you are chaperoning someone like me, but to their credit, they really made me feel at home and ensured my constant barrage of questions were answered. Shooting in situations like this was tough – from a mental perspective to a technical perspective. On a mental note, you are witnessing someones most vulnerable moment. Sure you can go all gung-ho, paparazzi style and get in their face, but that’s just not the way I work. I’m a firm believer in respect and having a camera in my face whilst I was being attended to, isn’t something i’d like. Also, privacy is a key part of todays life, so whilst I had a number of strong images, there are some I just couldn’t use.

From a personal perspective, I’ve learned so much about the work that paramedics perform. At a time when greed seems to be the flavour of the day, especially in todays financial climate, here is a group of people who just want to save lives and make a difference. Whilst they did work shifts, we rarely clocked off when that shift was over, often going into the night and helping other paramedics out when help was needed. For me, this was just an amazing environment to be in. Here is a group that is obsessed with saving lives and making a difference. Honestly, as cliched and cheesy as it sounds, I felt so privileged to spend time with them, a humbling wake-up call.

It is a tough job, there is no doubt in that, and if there’s one thing I wish people of South Africa would take away from this project is how lucky they are to have these paramedics patrolling the roads. Sure, South African’s have great medical facilities on hand, but it’s the job of the paramedic to ensure you are stable, alive and able to get from the scene of the accident to that facility. They aren’t, as many do think, glorified taxi drivers.

So next time you are tutting under your breath about being asked to move out of the way of an advanced life support response car, or ambulance, remember it could be you in the back of that van next time.

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A big statement, especially for someone who’s invested a large sum of money into a fancy MA, spent two years studying and traveling and then spent even more on a final project and show. There is, however, a big sense of relief that i’ve come to my senses.

My style of photography is different. Many might not like it, I might never get accepted into any photo agency and the frustration of dealing with photo editors, who just couldn’t be arsed about you or your work, is a futile exercise. I read Laurence Kim’s, a photographer and business man, sobering truths about making a career out of photography and the epiphany occurred: Daniel this is not for you.

I count many amazing photographers as good friends and I respect the fact they are doing what they do, what they love doing, they are much stronger beings than me, that’s for sure. The overall attitude in the photography industry is strange. You have the buyers, who are no doubt overwhelmed by the sheer volumes of photographers baying for their pound of flesh,  to the consumers of the medium, who baulk at paying for anything in this age of always on and instantly free and available.

There are articles that big publications take what they want for free, even when the photographer has said they can’t use them without paying for them.  If you knew what most big name photographers get paid for images, you’d laugh and think they were all bloody mad. I guess the more I look into it, with a clear head, the more I realise this isn’t what I should be doing.

So, as a result, I’ve decided to put two fingers up at the industry and move away from even trying to earn a single penny. I don’t need to. What I will be doing is shooting images and projects that interest me. If publications want to use them, I’ll let them use them on terms I dictate and I don’t give a monkeys what others think. Shoot for free, actually give time to others, for free, just because you can.

Greed is a big issue in todays society, everyone wants their slice of the pie and at 35, I’m in a position where I don’t need to jostle for small tidbits. Moving back to the UK has woken me up, I’ ve got some good projects lined up and I’m excited about what’s happening over the next twelve months.

Now, back to editing the last two projects…

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A big thanks has to go out to Alix-Rose for the questions and giving me a chance to appear on the blog.

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So much work was put into this show, I underestimated how much is really required to put together a show. A massive thanks has to go out to my fellow LCC’ers who really took control, Yolanda, Ivy and Amelia, much love towards you all right now (and others of course).

There was always that niggly feeling that only a few would turn up, but how wrong was I when the flood started at 6pm (30 mins before the actual opening). From then on, they just came and came.

I had a good chat with Simon Norfolk and got to finally meet Mr David Campbell, which was a highlight for me. Too often in this virtual life we all seem to lead, you forget how good it is to actually speak to someone face to face.

Seeing the work on offer and how everyone’s final projects turned out was an immensely proud moment, it really looked amazing, even if I am biased.

The beer all went, I think we had one bottle left and from all accounts, a good night was had by all. Thanks to my wife, I actually have pictures to show. Yup, bloody photojournalist who didn’t take pictures, honestly!

The exhibition will run until May 24, Mon – Wed & Fri – Sat 12.00 to 17.00. Would be great if you found time to have a look at the diverse projects we have all shot.

Update:

Phil Coomes, Picture Editor at the BBC, has kindly written about the show last night and featured some of our work. There is just something amazing about having your work on the BBC, a feeling of job well done Thanks Phil!

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The Independent ran an article on the show today, for those in the uk, it’s on page three.

The projects on show are as diverse in subject and style as they are in geographical location. Works range from a study of Socotra (a remote island off the coast of Yemen) and a look at the disappearing culture of South African Bushmen to a psychogeographical investigation of the North and South Circular roads in London, via sea nomads of Indonesia, and Asian teenagers in the UK to name a few of the projects.

Participating photographers are Yolanda Crisp, Daniel Cuthbert, Ivy Lahon, Greg Laychak, James Morgan, Nektarios Markogiannis, Claudius Schulze, Amelia Shepherd, Alice Smeets and Darrin Zammit Lupi

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Big thanks must go out to Phil Coomes and the BBC team.

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As Tomas mentioned in his blog post, ‘New funding models, Part V – Crowd funding, The Good, The Bad and The Awkward‘ he outlines the cons to each different approach. These range from no updates once the money has been given to poor communication of ideas and approaches.

I spent the later part of the ’90′s working in the DotCom boom. As stupid as that phase was for recklessness and get rich quick schemes, I was experiencing why most projects failed, and feel some of this experience could now help photographers looking at using the Internet as a new source of direct funding. These ideas are my ideas, my experiences working with some of the success stories of the DotCom period and some of the failures.

• 1: Planning is key

I cannot tell you how many silly ideas I get told about on a monthly basis from those wanting to make money using the Internet. They all suffer from one fatal flaw and that’s a complete lack of planning. If you are attempting at asking for financial support, you had better ensure your plan is water-tight. Sit down with a pen and pad and really work out your roadmap. Yes you are a creative person, you take amazing images and can tell stories but how well does your business plan stack up? Can you handle awkward questions from those you seek funds from? If not, or if you get defensive, you are doomed to fail.

Ask yourself one vital question – Why should anyone give me money? (ask your partner, a trusted friend. If you cannot convince them, your plan is flawed so start again)

• 2: Focus.

What exactly are you doing? Why should anyone invest in your plan? What makes you different to John who has a Canon 5d and is a part-time photographer? As we’ve seen with some recent crowd funding projects, they were not completely focused, leaving many wondering what they were investing in (trips to the Middle-East or retreats?).

Too often the plan looses focus.

• 3: Original ideas are always more refreshing.

If there is one thing the disaster in Haiti showed the world, it was that the public get bored of a subject quickly if everyone is doing it. Your idea should be original, no-one wants to invest in something that has already been seen before. See point 2 about focus!

• 4: Your investors are not stupid

They might not fully understand photojournalism or the struggles we go through to produce content, but writing them off as stupid and still seeking financial help is not the way to go. People ask questions, you respond in a suitable manner by sticking to your plan. See number 1, this plan is the basis of your funding request.

• 5: People are scared to give money to people they don’t know.

Who are you to ask for money? Before you go public with your plea for help, it really does help to have an online presence. Updated websites, stories already produced, publications willing to put their trust into you.

• 6: Financial break-down

You will most likely be asking for a certain figure. It doesn’t help any investor if you just say “i’d like X amount please” without giving some idea as to what the amount covers. Is it just for you to produce the project? Does it take into account air fares or post production? Are investors looking at also funding your mortgage whilst you are away or do you require new equipment. Transparency, to a certain degree, is key.

• 7: Milestones.

Once the investor has agreed to fund your project, there needs to be milestones drawn up to so that they see when the results will come in. As Tomas pointed out, many failed to stick to this rule. What happens once you return? How long will the investor get access to the content before it goes public? will it go public?

I hope these seven points help those thinking about crowd funding. If there is one thing that is certain, it’s that we need to collectively think of a manner in which to keep photojournalism alive and sustainable for the future. If we, as photographers, just started thinking more about the business side of photography and not just the creation side, we might be in a better position than we are now.

I welcome your comments.

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I’ve always been in awe of those who have proper jobs, you know, jobs that actually mean something. Maybe it’s to do with my old man who’s been responsible for a large chunk of Southern Africa’s mines and chemical plants from a engineering/design perspective.

Forget shuffling paper around on a desk, don’t think answering your blackberry is a job, real people get their hands dirty and make a difference.

With this in mind, and the fact South Africa has some of the most dangerous roads in the world. Only this last season did we see over 1100 people loose their lives to reckless driving, drunken driving and general disregard towards road safety. This has always been on my mind, heading out for my rides as I do in the early morning, I see the carnage and end-results of no doubt some fatal accident that had previously taken place.

I wanted to highlight the work that the unsung heroes do, those who rush around at all hours of the day to get to the scene and make sure the victims are stable. I’ve partnered up with ER24, here in Durban, and spent a friday night with the team.

I’m hoping, if they’ll put up with me and my countless questions, I can gain a further understanding of what they do. As one of the chaps said to me last night as we were rushing to a MVA (Motor Vehicle Accident)

Yes it’s tiring but I know when I get in the car and turn on those lights, I’m making a difference to someones life.

The best part about it is, it’s all about the patients at the end of the day. No matter what colour you are, your social standing or where you live, their aim is to ensure you get the required medical treatment there and then. For a country that’s had such a struggle with colour and integration, this is a refreshing change.

From a technical perspective, I feel this could be challenging. Before, my subjects always knew my intentions and were happy for me to take their picture. In this instance, I will be a voyeur, invading someones most desperate time in need. I’ll be aware of this every single time I climb out of the support vehicle. Thankfully the team are incredibly supportive, it’s actually refreshing to be given such access and knowledge right from the start.

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