The launch of a new newspaper failed to live up to its ‘star billing’ after ending up without a single picture of its celebrity guest.
Cheltenham Standard editor Eric Barton invited former Bond girl Fiona Fullerton to the newly-launched title’s opening bash.
Fiona is remembered as KGB spy Pola Ivanova enjoying the giant jacuzzi bubbles with James Bond actor Roger Moore in the 1985 film A View to a Kill.
However the bubbles at the paper’s launch party in a chic Cheltenham cocktail lounge fell flat after the the photographer hired to take publicity shots failed to realise who she was.
Former BBC man Eric said: “Unbelievably my young snapper (just out of journo college) didn’t snap her as she didn’t know who she was!!!”
Instead, the only picture put out from the launch featured the Mayor of Cheltenham and his wife alongside Standard publisher Paul Bates.
More than 150 hand-picked VIPs, including Cheltenham MP Martin Horwood, turned out to welcome the new 10,000 distribution publication which hit the streets last month.
The paper, published by Cotswold Style, will see 4,000 copies delivered directly to households in the town and 6,000 available for free pick-up from retailers and supermarkets.
Paul, a former Archant regional managing director, said: “This was an ideal occasion for us to thank our advertisers and staff for their commitment to the newspaper.
“We also wanted to publicly launch the newspaper in a fun-fuelled environment”.
One for the album , from left, publisher Paul Bates, Cheltenham mayoress Sandra Wheeler and mayor Simon Wheeler
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Maybe Eric could have introduced her to said ‘young snapper’ or was he too busy sipping champers..
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Just out of journo college? Whoever was in charge of the briefing..?
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Sounds almost like UGC….
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Nothing surprising about this. I meet young people these days who have never heard of Mick Jagger.
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I’m not in the least bit surprised the snapper didn’t know who she was. If she had been told specifically to get her, then there is clearly a disciplinary issue, otherwise it’s a briefing fail. If you put a “just-out-of-college” trainee on an important job without any direction, and are disappointed at the results, you have yourself to blame.
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Erm, rather than criticising his knowledge of yesteryear, let’s consider how many of the more senior commenters would recognise the stars of today if they had to?
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If it was that important, they could have employed a professional…
whoops, that might have meant paying……………………
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As a photographer, it could be argued that I’m naturally inclined to defend a fellow snapper, but this really does seem to be a case of pi*s poor planning preventing proper photography.
Fullerton, now a property developer (among other things), was surely paid an appearance fee, so why wasn’t she used properly to declare the paper operational, perhaps by posing with a dummy front page? That would have ensured a picture of her was taken.
And why put a trainee on what was undoubtedly the most important job of the day? Could it be that this young woman (the snapper) is the only photographer on this brand new title and we’re seeing the results of cost cutting?
But, fundamentally, the photographer should have been properly briefed and someone from the title (surely there was a reporter there) should have followed up at the event and ensured the photographer knew who the guest of honour was. I wonder if Fullerton was interviewed for a ‘what are you doing now’ piece. Presumably not, otherwise that would have required a portrait style image to accompany the story, which, again, would have ensured the photographer got a picture of Fullerton.
If I have a criticism of the photographer at all it’s that she really should have photographed every face in the place for a web slideshow and the paper’s archives.
But, essentially, the editor is passing the buck here by blaming the photographer.
And that’s really not news at all.
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Has HTFP cropped that image of the three people or is that how it appeared out of the camera? If so, it’s pretty poorly composed for a “professional” shot. Slightly off-centre and far too much headroom.
*slinks back off to skulk in Pedantry Corner*
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No staff photographer for such a big local event?
All sounds a bit mickey mouse.
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The one he got is a lousy effort. Should have shoved the background out of focus or got them to move. And why isn’t one holding a copy of paper?
Not his fault. Too green. Doesn’t anybody care about standards any more? Pay peanuts get….
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I bet Fiona Fullerton today doesn’t look much like the pic HTFP has used ….
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If that’s the image for the launch…it doesn’t bode well for the rest of pictures in the paper…………………………
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