Behind the lens - Tony Stubbings

In the first of a series which tracks his career, the Brighton-based photographer remembers his first model shoot.

Perhaps it’s because it was taken on my first ever model shoot, perhaps it’s the tight crop (I love tight crops), for whatever reason, this picture has a special place in my heart.

The model is Vicky Decay (now sadly living in Bristol), who had done several shoots and was quite experienced, as opposed to me - a trembling newbie not really knowing what to expect. Although I’d been shooting for a couple of years, both the technology - off-camera flash - and the situation - working with a model - were quite new to me.

For the shoot we where in the basement of a night club. I only had a single flash to light her with and luckily I managed to get this off camera and remotely triggered.

I wanted her to look like she was emerging from the blackness, as if pouring out of the corner ready to pounce or leap on the viewer.

Vicky delivered, the flash worked and, to my amazement, what I wanted was there, staring back at me from the camera screen!

I often wonder, had that initial shoot had turned into a disaster, would I have pursued model photography at all? Of course the pic is not without its faults, but I was (and still am) thrilled at the result. I knew there and then that as great as landscapes, reportage and wedding photography can be, it was working with fantastic models such as Miss Decay that I really wanted to do!

Vicky - I thank you.

www.tonystubbings.co.uk