Clandestine Affair

Eighteen years old, from a small country town living and working in the world of fashion and advertising in London, my head spun!.

I had secured a job as as photographers studio assistant to one of London’s (at the time) top photographers Jimmy Wormser a New Yorker spending time in England. I was also assisted two of the other photographers in the studio when not working for Jimmey. Robert a young photographer not really in Jimmeys league but pretty good, did non fashion and advertising to help pay his bills. It was one of these jobs that one day he said he had double booked and would I be able to fill in for him ? It was fairly straight forward, was I interested ?. My first Solo gig you bet I was interested! He told me what equipment would be required The Nikon gear long lens would be fine. He then gave me the location instructions in London I was to go this a particular address be there at 2pm go to the reception ask for Mr “what ever his name was” and then wait outside.

I feel i should preface the next paragraph with “I kid you not!”

So off I go found the address a typical big London building in a row of other typical London buildings asked for the gentleman by name and then went back outside to wait. About 5 minutes later this olive skinned gentleman with dark glasses and a full length black leather trench coat approached me. He said my name whilst not looking at me but sweeping the surrounding area from behind his dark glasses. “Yes that's me” “good come with me” we then strode of and got into a Mach 1 mustang , you know the ones with the white stripe over the body of the car. He pulled out of the parking spot and floored it into the centre of London. “I kid you not!”

During the journey my attempt’s of “nice weather we are having?” “excellent car” were meet with non committal grunts.

We arrived at a tall apartment building and rode up in the elevator together (the sunglasses still on) stopped at what I remember was the top floor and went into one of the apartments. The apartment was empty over by the window was two more men of the olive skin variety , no glasses they spoke to each other in a language that I had never heard. Sunglasses then said whilst pointing “I want you to photograph those people individually preferably with out there hoods on”

I was looking down on a obvious demonstration a small group of protestors were chanting at passers by and each other I don't remember exactly what the signs said I do remember the word Shah and Out being prominent what was different to the standard London protest was that most of the demonstrators were wearing sack hoods and scarves to obviously cover up their Identity. Thinking nothing more of it I set to work photographing. The long lens I had easily had the protestors filling my screen and I was pleased when I was able to catch them without their hoods or as they arrived before they put them on. After about half an hour and three rolls of film Sunglasses came back “that's enough and held out his hand I gave him the rolls of film he gave me an envelope with pound notes in it.

When I got back to the studio Robert said “interesting Job?” “you could say that “ i said

About two weeks later Robert got me to go with him saying we were doing a similar job This time he would wait for me as the Sunglasses guy wouldn't be there we were just to photograph this demonstration. We arrived at the location for the demonstration and drove past the hooded persons waving banners on the street Robert parked down the road and told me to try and get some pictures form the street whilst hiding behind a letter box I got out, set myself up and started snapping. As i was looking through the long lens I suddenly realised that one of the protestors was looking directly at me. A moment later I realised that he was getting bigger and closer in fact he was running towards me screaming obvious obscenities.

I turned and ran! Robert was sitting in his car reading the paper. “get going one of them is after me!! GO!”

Robert screamed away whilst looking behind. He looked at me and said “guess we might not do any more of those jobs”

Many years later I drew the conclusion that I was photographing protestors of the Shah Of Iran possibly Taliban and the guy in the sunglasses I'm guessing worked for the Iranian Secret Service or the Consulate and they were trying to identify the protestors. Or it could have been nothing who knows……………….