05/09/2026
Life in the Day of a Photographer
Yesterday was what we might politely call a challenging day.
I started early with one job: finish editing for a client arriving at 4.30pm to see her photographs.
A perfectly reasonable plan.
Unfortunately, I’d been away for three weeks.
So before I could edit anything, there was the washing. All of it. Apparently every item of clothing I own had been quietly multiplying while I was away.
Then there was the house.
Then there was the small detail that my Airbnb guests were arriving that evening.
By midday, I had exactly two hours to clean, shower, and show my future husband my wedding dress before heading off for the final fitting.
What could possibly go wrong?
To be fair, for a brief moment, absolutely nothing.
I gave him the choice: see the dress now or wait until the wedding. This was his last opportunity before it disappeared back to the dressmaker until a few days before the big day.
He said yes.
I came down the stairs.
He had exactly the right reaction.
Excellent. One crisis successfully avoided.
A quick dash to the supermarket followed because, after three weeks away, the contents of the fridge could best be described as “aspirational”.
Then it was off to the dressmaker.
And there I was, standing naked in high heels, waiting for my fitting, when my phone rang.
Olivier.
Now, my future husband is many things, but a man who phones for a casual chat is not one of them.
So the moment I saw his name, I knew something was wrong.
Unfortunately, answering the phone while naked in high heels seemed likely to create more problems than it solved.
I called him back afterwards.
That’s when I discovered we had no water.
Not low water.
Not poor water pressure.
No water.
The kind of no water that becomes particularly relevant when:
You have Airbnb guests arriving.
You have a photoshoot the next morning involving paint and the client will almost certainly want a shower afterwards.
Perfect.
So while Olivier spent the next two hours wrestling with our plumbing situation, I carried on with my client reveal.
Because if there’s one thing I’ve learned as a photographer, it’s that people are generally more interested in seeing their photographs than hearing about your household infrastructure issues.
And because the universe clearly felt the day lacked variety, it was also ticket launch day for On Pose pour le Rose, our October Rose project raising funds for breast cancer awareness.
So between editing, cleaning, wedding dresses, plumbing emergencies and client meetings, I was also trying to remember to post on Instagram.
Professional. Calm. Organised.
Or at least appearing that way online.
By the end of the day, I desperately needed fresh air, so I headed out for a run/walk.
Five minutes walking.
Ten minutes running.
Five minutes walking.
Ten minutes running.
Five minutes walking.
I’m still rebuilding after my accident three years ago, so progress currently looks less like a triumphant sporting montage and more like negotiated intervals.
But it counts.
And finally, as the sun went down, we sat outside with a glass of bubbles.
The washing was done.
The client was happy.
The dress was fitted.
The tickets were launched.
The water was eventually flowing again.
And nobody had witnessed me answering a plumbing emergency call while naked in high heels.
Which, all things considered, feels like a win.
Cheers to getting through it. 🥂
