Simon Procter - Karl and Brides /Haute Couture S/S 2010 /Rue Cambon /Paris

About the picture : 

Chanel used a pavilion located on rue Cambon as the venue for the show. A much smaller space than usual.

I managed to stake out a position to the right of the main group of photographers that I thought could work really well for the shot. And then I waited. Normally at a fashion show two enclosed and strictly secured areas are designated for the photographers; these are called the "podium" (regardless of whether it is an actual podium). Often for what I try to achieve it's not the best position and I have been very fortunate over the years to have been given very special access to choose the place I want This is no small thing for Chanel to do as their shows are huge and immensely complex to run (and as a rule photographers are a nightmare). Sometimes confusion about who is allowed where and to do what can creep in.

Just as the show looked like it would begin a person with a microphone headset ran up and started shouting my name. My heart dropped. My first thought was that there was some problem with my access and I was about to be removed from the show. I raised my hand, slightly reluctantly. "Quickly, quickly, Karl is asking for you."

 

To my left fifty photographers gaped. It was a strange moment and I couldn't have been happier.