The Chertsey Agriculture Show is a great occasion for a reportage photographer as it provides lots of opportunities to capture candid photos of some great characters who are taking part in a typically British event.
The Chertsey Show in Surrey takes place every August and has run for many years (although like all other events it had to be suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic), and I have been going for several years now including creating 175 portraits over one weekend to celebrate the 175th Chertsey Show, which you can see in this gallery of photos.
The following group of reportage photographs was captured during the 2019 show and in the days before the show starts, which is when the site is built on Chertsey Meads, a fabulous meadow located on the banks of the River Thames. The show is run by volunteers and, apart from certain key services, they put the whole show together with most volunteers taking time off work to help. They usually start with the perimeter fencing and water supply (they’re fuelled by tea and coffee) and then build the various animal enclosures, arenas, show grounds, marquees and stalls within the fence.
I tend to travel light at this event as it is a big area to cover so there is a lot of walking and my step count always goes through the roof! Typically I’ll take just the one camera body and a couple of lenses, plus the usual memory cards and spare batteries and I’ll carry it all in my Billingham shoulder bag, which allows quick access for changing lenses as well as being showerproof if I get caught in a downpour which does occasionally happen at these outdoor events!
You can see a video slideshow of a selection of the images from this show over on my Vimeo channel.
All of the images here are available to buy as prints or alternatively are available to licence so please email me here to discuss your needs.