Day 2 of rehearsals and I'm doing a photo shoot with the guys.  The heat index is way over a hundred and it's just plain miserable...  Still, one must soldier on as they say and keep a stiff upper lip.  That's one of the good things about working with fellow Brits.....no whining and a stiff upper lip.  I head down to the rehearsal facility early and get the lighting and everything set up.  Phil's son Rory is working on the crew and helps me out with setting up and Nate models for my test shots against the white backdrop for the indoor shots.

We're scheduled for a 12:30pm shoot but it ends up being a 1:45 deal instead after everyone gets hair, make up and wardrobe done with the help of the lovely Gina and Leslie.  I keep using the "Herding Kittens" phrase but that's what it's like trying to get Def Leppard all in the same place at the same time.. One needs a big stick and a loud commanding voice of which I have neither but I somehow manage to corral them onto the spot.   The indoor shoot goes good although it's quicker than we would have liked due to the heat.  We kept stopping to dab down the guys as is was so humid but came away with some good shots.  Get done with that and I send them off for a break into the air conditioning while I move the lights outside to a location at the side of the building.  The idea is to shoot them around these old junk trucks standing in the long grass.  Check the area for snakes (I'm not kidding) and it's thankfully clear and get the lights set up.  Some of the local crew act as my Leppard stand in's as I do some test shots making sure the exposure is right.  Head off and herd kittens once again.  By the time we get them out there the sun is directly overhead and brutal, no whining though.  Lots of cold water on hand with Leslie and Gina to keep the guys powdered and dry and we're done in ten minutes.  The rest of the guys head in and Joe hangs around and we get some solo shots of him in front of a big old steel truck. 

Next up are Sav and Phil.  We do a quick shoot for Jackson guitars which has been over a year in setting up and funnily enough only takes five minutes to do.  Phil sticks around and we get solo shots of him standing on the hood of an old pickup truck with his new Dread custom Jackson, of course Phil doesn't mind the heat being a sun lover and he gets to top up his tan in the process so it's a win win.  Gina graciously takes some video of the shoot for us.

After we wrap the shoot they do a full run through the set again.  Taylor Swift and her band and family are here to visit and see the rehearsal and hang out for a couple of hours.  The heat is really up in the place now with all the lights and gear running.  They've added two new video screens in front of the left and right amp stacks that are in sync with the main backdrop one and it adds a great new dynamic to the show.  By the time they wrap up later on everyone is pretty much knackered from the heat.  Dinner is delivered and then everyone heads back to the hotel.  Meet Phil in the hotel bar and go over the photo shoot pics for the day.