This was a simple brief from The Red Carnation Hotel Group – to photograph the hotel’s three leading ladies. That’s Mrs Tollman and her two daughters Toni and Vicki, who also work for the group. Apparently, whilst there existed a lovely portrait for each, that the press team were able to use when required, recent requests for one of all three of them together had highlighted the gap. And so it was that I was hired.
This was one of those shoots that takes longer to set up than actually execute. Preparation of lights, cables etc at my flat, off-loading (in the blizzard that day, thanks Mother Nature) in Victoria and setting up in The Grill at The Rubens Hotel. Then, in a flurry, as they had a conference to attend that day, the lovely Tollman ladies came in and posed for their shots. It was all over in less than 10 mins, though not before son Brett (who I’d shot before) and Manager Director, the charming Jonathan Raggett, plus Mrs Tollman’s dogs of course, had a chance to get their photo taken.
Seeing that the staff had also spent a long time perfecting The Grill’s main centre display, ahead of the photo-shoot, I took a professional shot of that too for the hotel, before I packed all my gear away again. Whilst packing up, I got a couple of plates of delicious canapes thoughtfully handed to me by the lovely head chef Ben Kelliher. Ah thanks Ben, what a star – some delicious food to fuel me as I put my gear away.
