Commercial photographer Yorkshire: Trinity Square in Gateshead was to be my last port of call outside of Yorkshire before Christmas and, although only a small square in the city centre, it proved to be an enjoyable shoot. All of the decorations here were external so it meant shooting at the blue hour, outside and without the problems of artificial lighting usually present in the malls.  I was onsite in plenty of time but a very strong wind was blowing and I was pretty worried that there would be problems with vibration of the camera during long exposures. Shooting in the twilight with small apertures and low ISO means shutter speeds of several seconds so the camera has to be rock steady. I shot in live view for most of the images because the mirror is locked up at this point lessening vibration from mirror slap. The use of a very expensive but sturdy tripod and a cable release was also essential in my fight against the blur gremlins.

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Yorkshire commercial photographer: It was only a short jop from Glasgow down to East Kilbride for an overnight stay in readiness to shoot the lights at EK, East Kilbride’s major shopping mall. I’ve been to many shopping malls for shoots but EK is by far the biggest I’ve ever been in! I must have walked miles in that place as I dashed between different sections to get the images. As well as a vast atrium and long corridors there was even an ice skating rink! I managed to get down to Hamilton from here and mop up a shoot at the Regent Centre, a small town centre mall in the suburbs of East Kilbride, before heading off home.