Ahhhh....Sunday.....day of rest right? Wrong! With a paw on the head and a lick on the nose with a raspy little tongue Daisy Buttons spoils my one chance of laying in today.

Head off up the road later to San Antonio for a photo shoot with the mighty Judas Priest. Actually it's with the three guitarists KK Downing, Ian Hill and Glenn Tipton for an EMG Pickups ad. Am kinda worried though as the rain has been bad the last few days and is threatening to drench us yet again in this afternoon. It's not a bad drive there, only a couple of hours but the South Texas landscape between where I live and San Antonio leaves a great deal to be desired.

Get to the venue and pick up my pass and call up Weasel who's KK and Glenn's tech. He arranged for me to park backstage by the tour bus and meets me as I pull in. Really nice guy who took pity on me not having an assistant by helping haul my gear from the Jeep. Usually at this venue I set up and shoot outside by the tour buses but being that the sky is slate grey and mocking us with beads of precipitation I set up under a big tent that's backstage. It's not ideal by far but when you're faced with no other option and a shoot with some rock legends then you have to pull the odd white rabbit from your camera bag from time to time....

Weasel is an old hand at this business. I ask him when he started in the biz to which he replied "1971".... hey, the year I was born! Needless to say he knows what he's doing and all of the guitars were tuned and ready hours ago so he continues to help me out setting up and posing for test shots. Super bloke! I've been very fortunate to work with some great folks that work behind the scenes for various bands. All too often they're the unsung heroes that save the day and the concert more often than not.

I'm supposed to get 15-20 minutes with guys so I know I have to work fast today... This is pretty much standard when a band doesn't know you and I've only ever shot them live once before back in �05. Ian Hill comes out first and we chit chat a little and get started. He's a really nice guy, not at all as I imagined. I ask him if he still lives in England and it turns out he does and not far from his roots... Get what I need of Ian with his Spector bass and KK and Glenn appear with their guitars at the ready. Shoot the three of them together which is really quite hard on this shoot as I can't back up any further. My mate and fellow photographer Gary takes a few shots of me working with guys, he's a rare breed is Gary, one of those photographers you meet in the pit that doesn't look down their nose at you because of what kind of camera you're using or even worse...just because you're there! Those types, and they are there at all levels are wankers... Ones that give photographers a bad name. Anyway, I try giving directions to the fellas but Heaven and Hell who are mid set as I work are so bloody loud that they can't hear a word I'm saying. They're good sports about it though and know what they're doing and I know when I have what I need so Ian departs and I finish off shooting KK and Glenn. All done in almost ten minutes, this has got to be a record for me so far! That and I didn't make a band groan with one of my limericks :O)



The admirable Weasel appears once again and starts helping me break down my gear and load it into the Jeep. People outside are being eaten alive by mosquitoes the size of sparrows! Everyone is being nibbled on and bitten except me... Some girl walks up and asks why they don't bite me.... I tell her that they don't like foreign food and she looks blankly at me... Humor bypass surgery will do that you kids ;O) Truth is that I made a humongous chicken curry the night before with two huge white onions and tons of garlic..... The mossies HATE both... My curries are legendarily hot.... So lip burningly hot and twice the heat coming out..... Hehehehe... More for me!