• When the prospect of being sectioned appeared to be the only alternative, Marie-Claire knew something had to be done. Leaving what was, quite possibly, the most ill fitting job in history EVER on 31st January 2012, she said ‘goodbye’ to a boss who could only politely be described as the Jekyll and Hyde of team leaders and off she went - with a month's wages nestled in her bank and a couple of years' worth of dreams and fuzzy ambitions.
“Stuff this, I’m going to be a photographer" she said.
Obviously the most sensible option would have been the business plan, career advice and mapping out the one month of money to carefully stretch as far as possible. But no, off she hopped on a plane to Tel Aviv to celebrate a friend's wedding & partake of the Jewish festival of excess, Purim. “Well, it’s not every day you get invited somewhere like that is it?” she explained (to herself) as she withdrew the month's wages.
So, with the money spectacularly squandered Marie-Claire thought it best to actually pull her finger out and go and do ‘some things what photographers do, like take pictures in return for money and stuff innit’.
And with this mission statement FlukePhotography, her baby, was officially conceived.
The year has taken her camping up the tallest mountains in Wales; to country houses where the men wear skirts in Scotland; to Ireland for a once-in-a-lifetime chance to use Bono’s toilet & pass a weekend existing on a diet of vodka, Kahlua, milk & no sleep - as well squeezing in all sorts of other photographic adventures including documenting the infamous Max Clifford at a Q&A session in Leeds, following a herd of vicars to a film premiere in Manchester and pushing three brides in a shopping trolley through a car park in Chester.
Marie-Claire’s objective for FlukePhotography this coming year is to keep making even more new friends and allies along the way and secure as much repeat business as possible. As the first twelve months have proved, “You’re more likely to work with people who like you, and it makes the work more of a pleasure & less of a job.”
So off she skips, enormous camera in hand and a big grin on her face to show everyone that business can be fun and if you have a dream then you too can do it. Watch this space to see what the next year will bring!
To keep up to date with what Marie-Claire is up to, she’d like to invite you to follow her on twitter @flukephotos or ‘like’ her on facebookwww.facebook.com/flukephotography or more importantly, if you’d like her to cover an event for you, get in touch before she gets snapped up – please contact her via her website www.flukephotography.co.uk
