Podcast Episode 141: This is Amy Sampson
New year, new Podcast episode! And not only is the brilliant Amy Sampson our first guest of 2025, she’s also our very first guest for the video edition of the Podcast – yes, that’s right, we’re going to start filming each episode as well this year, for those who like adding some visuals to their auditory pleasure 🙂
You can watch over on YouTube, where our channel is @thisisreportage, – if you’d like to subscribe to us over there, that’d be fab – or it’s also embedded below.
As always, you can listen on all the usual places: Spotify, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts, iTunes/Apple Podcasts, and more.
TiR members can also watch an exclusive video, where Amy talks about how she captured lots of her Reportage Awards and a Story Award. This is almost 1 hour in length, and Amy shares SO many insights. Members, make sure you are signed in to your account first, and then visit this link to watch.
On this week’s episode:
• Amy shares possibly the BEST STORY EVER about a wedding…!
• Public speaking is a new challenge for Amy, who is preparing to give a talk at Nine Dots.
• She aims to represent quieter, more introverted photographers in her talk.
• Amy’s journey into photography began with music photography for a local band.
• She emphasizes the importance of stepping out of one’s comfort zone.
• The conversation highlights the realities and challenges of being a wedding photographer.
• Amy’s dedication to capturing moments is evident in her storytelling.
• The episode showcases the supportive community within the photography industry.
• Her first wedding was in a cave, with no flash allowed.
• She learned to shoot weddings how she wanted to shoot them.
• Burnout was a real challenge while working full-time and shooting.
• Recognition from Rangefinder gave her confidence in her work.
• She focuses on capturing genuine moments at weddings.
• Shooting close helps create more intimate images.
• Overcoming shyness was a significant part of her journey.
• Technology like silent shutter has changed how she shoots. Capturing the perfect moment requires anticipation and patience.
• Documentary photography goes beyond just snapping pictures; it involves thoughtful composition.
• Building a successful photography business involves being approachable and friendly at events.
• Referrals often come from the connections made during weddings.
• Social media is important, but staying true to your style is crucial.
• Being memorable at weddings can lead to future bookings.
• The energy and emotions of post-ceremony hugs are some of the best moments to capture.
• Quick interactions can lead to significant future opportunities in photography.
• It’s essential to align your marketing efforts with your target audience.
• Enjoying the process and being yourself can enhance your photography experience.
Below is the Reportage Award Amy talks about on the episode:
We now have 141 episodes of the podcast, and each and every episode contains so many personal stories, bits of advice and tips from world-class photographers. Over here you can find them all – including all our wedding photography podcast episodes – or head over here for our family photography podcast episodes.
For those who prefer to read, here is the full transcript. This is an auto-transcript, so there may be mistakes!
Alan (00:10)
Hi and welcome to the This Is Reportage podcast. My name is Alan Law, I’m the founder of This Is Reportage and This Is Reportage Family and I’m a photographer too.
Today I have got the brilliant Amy Sampson with me. Amy is based in Devon in the South West of the UK, which is not the best county in the South West, but you know, it’s all right. And she is a multi award winning photographer, multiple Repetage Awards, Story Awards, and she’s also a Rangefinder 30 Rising Star. And before we get onto her in a second, you may have noticed this audio might be a bit different. That’s because for the first time I’m doing a video edition of this podcast as well. So you can head to YouTube and watch
our faces if you want to do that as well. And also before I get to Amy just to say that the TIR and TIR:F deadlines are really soon, a couple of days, they’re the first awards of the year and the deadline is 23:59 GMT on the 24th of January 2025. And also just to say that I’m doing my own workshop, law school in London on March 31st 2025 this year. If you’re interested in that head to alanlawfotography.co.uk.
But right, enough of all that, let’s get over to Amy. Amy, how you doing?
Amy Sampson (01:25)
I’m good, but that was a controversial start, know, disendevin’.
Alan (01:30)
I know, know, but it’s not Cornwall though Amy, is it? It’s not Cornwall.
Amy Sampson (01:36)
I mean, it’s not, no. mean, the thing that Cornwall does better is the cream tea. That’s the right way round.
Alan (01:42)
How do you do that? How do you have it? What is the Cornish way? See, I don’t even know that. What is the Cornish way? No, no. Jam for our… okay. What? Well, actually, I don’t have jam. I just love the clotted cream on it. I don’t like jam on them. yeah. No, I guess it isn’t, isn’t it? But, I haven’t had DNAs, actually. We live right near Rodders, actually. It’s only just up the road, so, yeah.
Amy Sampson (01:43)
Cornish way.
You don’t know that. It’s jam first and then cream on top. Now you’re gonna tell me you do it the other way around and that would be a shocking start.
don’t think that’s cream tea.
Do you?
That is a dangerous place to live.
Alan (02:13)
It
is, isn’t it? It is, it is, it is. And yeah, how are you in general? Thanks for joining me on here. Thanks for being my first like video podcast guest. How’s things?
Amy Sampson (02:20)
Thank you very much.
Well, this is, yeah, good. It’s probably the first time I’ve sat down for more than about half an hour in the last two weeks because I’ve been doing my 21,000 steps a day for 21 days.
Alan (02:30)
Right, yeah.
How is that, is that literally 21,000 steps a day for 21 days? That’s mad. How’s that been going?
Amy Sampson (02:35)
a day. Yeah. People keep asking.
Well, I’ve been basically spending my entire day walking and people keep asking, it for charity? Nope. It’s just because I was stupid enough to sign up and say yes, I will do 21,000 steps and I’m stubborn so I will. I have every day 16 days in a row now so only five days left.
Alan (02:53)
Wow, that’s… Have you been doing it? Have you literally got it every day? Wow.
Are you like secretly learn treadmilling underneath your table as you’re talking to me?
Amy Sampson (03:05)
Yeah,
I did actually buy, I did buy a little walking pad which I will use in summer now, editing under my desk. But no, don’t have it on now.
Alan (03:14)
Okay, that’s cool.
That’s funny. Is it that this is the thing that we’re all from Nine Dots has kind of started, isn’t it? that’s cool. Have you lost about like 20 stone then since started?
Amy Sampson (03:20)
It is, yeah, yeah. Yeah. Well,
I was about 5’9” when I started and I’m only 4’11” now, so, you know.
Alan (03:32)
that’s funny. Have you been a walker before that anyway? Has it got you into walking?
Amy Sampson (03:35)
I used to do about,
well, I have done about 14,000 steps a day on average for about the last five years. Hence, 21,000 steps a day would be a breeze. I hadn’t kind of like calculated it was twice, well, half as much again, so it was, yeah.
Alan (03:44)
That’s mad.
How are you doing 14,000 a day anyway? What are you doing?
Amy Sampson (03:56)
I’m just used to it now. I’m basically like a dog. I need walking a couple of times a day, otherwise I get a bit angsty.
Alan (04:04)
Do you have nice places around you where you live in Devon?
Amy Sampson (04:06)
Luckily
I can walk down to the beach from where I live. It is a massive climb up a hill afterwards, yeah, I and get down there once a day if I’m here. yeah, it’s a good, I live somewhere with really beautiful walks, so that’s a good incentive. But I…
Alan (04:15)
That’s nice, that’s lucky to be.
That’s cool. Did you have,
sorry, I was gonna say, did you have snow recently though? Did you have to walk in the snow?
Amy Sampson (04:27)
No, I did go up to Dartmoor to see the snow. We don’t ever get snow here, it’s too close to the sea sadly. But yeah, I did go to Dartmoor and have a very magical walk through the forest up there. It was like Narnia. I was very excited.
Alan (04:34)
Slay me.
Aw. Aw. Yeah,
that is nice. Like, yeah, we hardly ever get snow here at all as well. Like, my kids have only seen snow, like, kind of once properly in their whole lives, I think. So, yeah, that’s nice.
Amy Sampson (04:49)
Yeah, although you did, there
was one year I remember someone photographed a wedding on the beach in Newquay in the snow. Yeah, yeah.
Alan (04:56)
Really? I missed that. I missed that. I totally
missed the whole beast from the east. I flew, I went to Vegas like the day before that came and then I arrived back like the day after it had gone or whatnot so I missed all that.
Amy Sampson (05:08)
that was it. That
was, you’ve missed the only time it was snowing Cornwall. Which, another mark against Cornwall where Devon’s better because we do get snow on Dartmoor. Just saying.
Alan (05:11)
I know, got him, that is good.
And it
really is, we should put a poll up on something, do an Instagram thing, which is better, Devon or Cornwall.
Amy Sampson (05:21)
you
I mean,
I will caveat this with I do have a dual passport because I spent the first few years of my life in Cornwall, so I do get that out. If I’m talking to Cornish locals, I do like to reference that so that I don’t get lynched.
Alan (05:30)
Let’s go.
Well
that’s good, you’re more cornish than me then Amy, because I’m not cornish at all. Do you know, I don’t go to that much actually, just go through it on the way to my weddings. I don’t do many weddings there and stuff, no. Cornwall is better, Cornwall is better. Anyone’s listening now, they’re like, get on with it, stop this Cornwall, on with And Amy, we will talk about like kind of your journey into photography and stuff as well. But I was just wondering Amy, if we could start, do you have any kind of like…
Amy Sampson (05:39)
Well, quite, yeah. And I still think Dem is better.
Yeah, he missed an out. He missed an out. Yeah.
Alan (06:04)
funny or unusual stories from weddings that you could tell us at all.
Amy Sampson (06:12)
Well, Alan, just so happen…
Alan (06:17)
This is so good, this is so good. yeah, disclaimer, I’ve heard this story from Amy in the flesh before, but I just wanted to start this podcast with it because it is possibly the best wedding story I’ve ever heard. So yeah, not to build it up too much, but.
Amy Sampson (06:30)
It’s, yeah,
I mean, I will, also disclaimer, you know, this shows my dedication to capturing moment and not missing anything. And also, you know, the reality of glamour behind the scenes of being a wedding photographer. You just got it all. My career defining moment is what I’ll be remembered for. No one will remember the photographs. Anyway, yeah, so.
Alan (06:40)
Yeah, totally.
Yes, he’s got it all. It’s got it all, Amy. It does. It does.
Hahaha
Amy Sampson (07:00)
Well, I was at a wedding. I went to Green Prep and I went to Bride Prep and everyone was lovely and kept feeding me loads of coffee. And mugs were probably about this size actually. And yeah, I like to get hydrated for a wedding so I’d already drunk loads of water. Fine. Didn’t really think about the amount of liquid I was consuming.
Alan (07:13)
Yes, because we’re doing the video one if you watch the video you’ll see Amy showing a mug there. Yeah, cool cool
Amy Sampson (07:30)
I nearly missed the bride’s dad coming in the scene for the first time because I was desperate for a wee. like, quick, I’ve got to go. Headed off to the church, which was quite a long drive. It was about 30, 40 minutes from prep. Got to the church, realised I really need a wee again. It was a Catholic service. As you know, they’re quite long.
Alan (07:36)
You
Amy Sampson (07:55)
And after the service there was again about another 40 minute drive to the venue. So I was there calculating in my head, well I’m probably not going to get to go for a week or two hours. At this point I was scouring the church for, know, is there a toilet? I spotted there was one right in the back, there was a big queue and then someone was like, the bride’s coming. I was like, my God.
Panic, you know, I can’t go because I could go but then I might miss the bride and then she’s coming up the aisle and then that’s my life over. So I didn’t go to the actual toilet in the church. Bride comes, walks up the aisle, sitting there doing the pictures, thinking, I’m so, so desperate to go for a wee right now. There’s no way it’s gonna, I’m not gonna have time at the end of the ceremony because you just don’t do you, you you leave the church.
Alan (08:47)
Yeah.
Amy Sampson (08:48)
all hell breaks loose. So the vicar had very kindly shown me a little route from the top of the aisle through a little arched doorway, through the vestry to get to the rest of the church if I wanted to switch and photograph the rest of the congregation that way. So as the ceremony started I was like, I can’t concentrate because my bladder is so full.
thought the only thing I can think of is that vestry I’m going to have to do. So I went through the door, wait, there was a hymn on, went into the door and it was just this little vestry with a wooden wall separating me from the rest of the church. And it was maybe like seven foot high, this wall, so there was a gap to the rest of the church.
Alan (09:46)
Yeah.
Amy Sampson (09:46)
and I was looking around, I’m gonna have to go for a wee in this doorway. So, crouched down in this doorway. Turns out to be the longest wee I’ve ever had in my entire life. To the extent that, and unfortunately for him, it was one of those ones that had crescendos and then went really quiet and soft. And I hadn’t really thought through that.
Alan (09:59)
Hahaha!
Amy Sampson (10:14)
going for a wee on a stone on a granite floor. It was really noisy. It sounded like a racehorse going for a bit.
Alan (10:26)
my gosh, Amy!
Amy Sampson (10:26)
And every
time the chorus ended and the hymn went really quiet, I was like, oh my god, it must be over soon. And it was getting through towards the end of the hymn and it was still coming. And I was starting to get really, really anxious at this point because I was like, the vicar could come through the door, the hymn might end and I’m still waiting. And it was just, oh my god.
Luckily, Looked around, and there’s this doorway with this now great big puddle in it. At which point I was thinking, my gosh, when the ceremony ends, the bride walks out, they walk around, and they’re coming back for confetti, and they’re gonna walk through this door, and walk through this puddle. Well, there’s now what is quite a large puddle. So then I start desperately looking around, being like, what can I do? And was a teatime next to the kettle.
Alan (11:20)
my gosh.
Amy Sampson (11:26)
I’m mopping it up. I was like, I’m have to put the tea towel in the bin because I was like, the vicar can’t use the tea towel so throw it in the, you know, hide it in the bin. And at this point I am now shaking because I’m, you the anxiety and the shame and I’m just like, oh my god, the hymns go to the door ready in my camera and I slip and look down and there’s like wee splashed on my shoes and I was shaking. Oh my god, it was just, yeah.
Alan (11:37)
Yeah
my taste.
Amy Sampson (11:56)
horrendous
Alan (11:57)
Amy,
honestly, I know you’ve told me that before but it’s still so amazing to hear. I can’t believe it. I just cannot believe it. I just think, I just think nobody could have a story like that. It is amazing. It is amazing. Did they?
Amy Sampson (12:10)
It’s when people say,
oh you went for a wee in the church, well that’s not, you know, alright, yeah I’ve done that before. No, no, no, actually like, on the church, not in a toilet.
Alan (12:19)
On the church.
Amy, that’s, it’s amazing, it is, it really is. And did they come through and go through the vestry bit?
Amy Sampson (12:31)
Well,
no, so they came out at the end and I watched them walk to the side and I was just like heart in my mouth being like, I can’t believe this is gonna happen. Oh my God. I mean, the good thing was I was really hydrated. I don’t think it would, it was water. But yeah, I watched as they walked this door and then they went past it and there was another door around the side. But it was a few years ago and I didn’t tell.
Alan (12:44)
It’s just water.
Amy Sampson (13:00)
Actually, I came back from the… and I thought that was hilarious, gonna have to tell someone. So I told a photographer friend, thinking it was really funny, and they were absolutely horrified and appalled at me. And for then, I carried the shame with me for a couple of years. And I can’t remember how it got eeked out of me again. But that was it, I went back to the church. So a couple of years later, then I had a wedding there, and I didn’t click that it was that church.
Alan (13:10)
No.
I’m so glad I did.
Amy Sampson (13:27)
And as soon as I got to the church, was like muscle memory. And I was like, oh no, I’m just making a wee. So I confessed all to the best man. And I was like, please, can you stand by the door and make sure the bride does not come in? I am going to go and use the actual toilet in the back of the church. He thought it was hilarious. So I kind of unburdened myself, but I said, please don’t tell the couple that’s what happened. Yeah, so yeah, that was my career highlight slash low point.
Alan (13:42)
You
Ha
Amy Sampson (13:56)
the longest way of my life.
Alan (14:01)
Oh, I can’t believe it. I just can’t believe it. I think it’s amazing. But it’s nothing to be ashamed about. It shows, as you say, it’s your dedication. You know, aren’t gonna leave and miss the photos as well.
Amy Sampson (14:09)
Well, that’s the thing.
It was the gamble in my head where I could have gone to the actual toilet in the church, but I may have missed the bride walking up the aisle. I could have… Yeah, I was just like, can’t miss the ceremony and there isn’t going be an opportunity. once weddings start going, you don’t get the opportunity. The reality of being a wedding photographer, going to the Lou is a luxury. So, I never drink coffee in a wedding morning.
Alan (14:30)
Exactly. Yeah, totally. Yeah, totally. As it made you stop drinking coffees in the morning, prep planner.
Amy Sampson (14:40)
Which is hard for me because
I am a caffeine addict but no, not, I don’t know I have a church but I don’t forget it. I will go there, shriveled, dehydrated, prune, yeah, never again.
Alan (14:51)
Because that’s a
that reverse is a danger though, isn’t it? I remember when I started doing weddings I didn’t drink enough at weddings so I’d often get really bad headaches that dehydration is a real threat of weddings
Amy Sampson (15:00)
I know, that’s it. Yeah. And
then you can’t run the high-speed camera and it all rumbles. So, you know, I was coming from a good place.
Alan (15:07)
Yeah, you are. You’re thinking
of being able to do the best job you can. And you did though, by doing that.
Amy Sampson (15:13)
I mean,
I went, I had another wedding at the same church again this summer, just gone, and I was there and I looked and thought, I can’t actually leave my I must have been so desperate because it really was quite exposed. Like I said, it’s just that little wooden wall and you know, could have so easily, the vicar could have so easily opened the door to go, I’m gonna pop in, go for a wee, get a cup of tea or whatever. Yeah.
Alan (15:39)
Maybe that was his normal toilet. Oh
god. Oh Amy.
Amy Sampson (15:44)
But yeah,
anyway, top tip, if that ever happens to you, lay the tea towel down on the granite first to reduce the noise because never underestimate the noise of water hitting granite. It’s not something that, to go with quiet lulls in a hymn.
Alan (16:02)
That’s so great. I want to use that as a little sound bite or a little promo for this podcast episode. Not the full story, just that bit about the top tip, lay a tea towel on the ground. People will be like, what? What is that about? That’s so funny.
Amy Sampson (16:11)
Yeah!
Yeah, you can find that
on the education side of my website.
Alan (16:17)
You don’t, I notice you don’t have that story on your about page on your website.
Amy Sampson (16:23)
don’t know. I’m like, do I want that story to be attached to my name for rest of my life? Well, you know, it will be now, but thanks Al.
Alan (16:33)
No, I thank you Amy for telling that story honestly, it’s so good I remember when you told me it was at No Dots the Cornwall thing and I was just it’s amazing and so yeah Thank you. It’s so cool. I guess so do you like if you’d had a second shoot were you shooting that one on your own? Yeah, and I shoot all mine on my own so I would have had that same problem as well I guess that is a benefit of a second shooter that you could have
Amy Sampson (16:48)
I was, yeah, yeah, yeah.
It is, yeah. I am
thinking of hiring the second shooter at every wedding just for that eventuality so then I can drink coffee at weddings again.
Alan (16:59)
Yeah.
That’s funny, amazing, so cool.
Amy Sampson (17:05)
I did have,
there was only one other story that wasn’t quite comparable in its horror, but where I’d have to stop on after a long country drive at the beginning of this stately home sort of long driveway. I thought I’d hop over a fence and go for a wee, because, you know, I don’t know about you, when you turn up, you can’t just go, oh hi, hi, hi, yeah, can I use the loo? Especially if it’s all, know, so I just thought hop over the fence, I? And I could hear there’s a really loud buzzing, and was like, God, there’s a really loud bee around here.
Alan (17:26)
Yeah, it can’t.
Amy Sampson (17:34)
And then I was like, my god, it’s a drone. as I drove down the drive thinking, I really hope there’s not a videographer and there’s the videographer with his drone. So I’m like, hi. I think when he gets home, he’s gonna have an interesting shot there.
Alan (17:42)
Bye!
man, that’s awful as well! That’s a great story as well Amy! Wow. If I was you I’d just never drink again, I think. Just never drink again. those are both great, they’re awesome. And we’ve mentioned Nine Dots a couple of times already because you’re doing the walking challenge and that was when I heard your story and you are speaking at Nine Dots this year coming up.
Amy Sampson (18:00)
I know, yeah, it’s a dangerous activity drinking.
Yeah.
I am indeed.
Alan (18:16)
in November. How is that feeling? You know, are you excited to be asked? Are you nervous? Have you got a preview of your talk already? How’s it going?
Amy Sampson (18:19)
oooo
I’m
really honoured to be asked, that was very lovely. I ever so slightly terrified. Public speaking is not my usual arena. I’m very much a hide at the back, observe. But I am going to do a talk, kind of from that perspective and it being from, you know…
Alan (18:34)
Yeah, well, I can totally understand.
Amy Sampson (18:54)
being quieter and more introvert and how that sort of evolved how I shoot and how it can be used in photography. So yeah, I’m going to go from Nari.
Alan (19:04)
That sounds great. that sounds great. And that’s gonna,
so many people are gonna relate to that kind of talk as well.
Amy Sampson (19:10)
I hope so. feel like if you are quieter and more introverted, you don’t generally get a platform or you don’t tend to put yourself out there. You wouldn’t volunteer to do that kind of thing. I feel like it was really, really nice to be asked. And I feel like I want to give voice to that sort of sector of the industry because…
Alan (19:31)
Yeah, that makes
total sense. Because I think you’re right, I think people can think of wedding photographers as a whole as being these, this really extroverted bunch where they have to be because they’re surrounded by hundreds of people like every weekend and stuff. But that is not the case at all, is that? Is it? It really isn’t.
Amy Sampson (19:43)
Yeah.
No,
So, but yeah, I will, at the moment I’m feeling, I’m also feeling excited for it, but I think probably I won’t sleep for about three months in the lead up.
Alan (19:59)
Yeah,
I get that. I totally understand that. I totally understand. You’ll be great though and you’re gonna have so much support there as well. So yeah, you’ll be great.
Amy Sampson (20:07)
Yeah,
no, yeah, it’ll be lovely. It’s the community part of it is, yeah, definitely helping me through the feeling of nerves.
Alan (20:11)
Yeah, and it’s…
Yeah,
totally they’ll all be there whooping for you. You should start off with the with the church story as well. It’s still light in the mood
Amy Sampson (20:26)
Well,
we’ll see, we’ll see. not going to spoil any surprises, but…
Alan (20:34)
No, I get the nerves from it. No, that would be pushing it one, that would be one bit, a bit too high level that would be. But yeah, no, I get the nerves from it as well. I get nervous even when I kind of rehearse talks, you know, when it’s just me at home weeks beforehand. I literally am nervous as I’m rehearsing it and I just, it’s horrible in a way, isn’t it? Ugh.
Amy Sampson (20:34)
I’m not gonna urinate live on stage, don’t worry.
And you do it so often, must imagine
you’d be much more comfortable.
Alan (20:58)
Yeah but no, my nerves just never go. know, nervous obviously, I’ve met you loads of times, we’ve spoken loads of times and I’m still nervous about talking to you now on this as well, it’s a funny thing.
Amy Sampson (21:00)
No.
I know, it’s funny
isn’t it? I don’t know that it’s a bad thing having nerves. I feel like that with weddings and I still get nervous ahead of every wedding and I think maybe when I get to the point where I’m not, that’s probably time to retire.
Alan (21:21)
Maybe, yeah, I understand that and maybe it keeps you, yeah. Because we want to do the very best, don’t we? That is the thing. But I just hate that feeling. I do just hate that feeling.
Amy Sampson (21:29)
But yeah, it is.
I mean, I’ve been thinking through the talk and when I first started thinking about it, I thought, oh, you know, I should sort of start talking out loud or I’m in the car by myself. I was thinking, I feel too embarrassed to talk out was like, hang on, if I can’t feel too embarrassed to talk out loud to myself, I’m going have to overcome that. I think it’s about half an hour. So, yeah, it is.
Alan (21:46)
Yes, that is true. You’re going to be talking to like a hundred odd people. Yeah. Or how long is it going to be? Do you know? Okay. That’s a good length as well. That’s a lot of time.
Amy Sampson (21:57)
It’s very much something I would 100 % say no to. And so I feel like it’s very easy to get in your comfort zone and avoid things that scare you. And so when they asked me, I said, yeah, straight away, gotta do things that scare you.
Alan (22:15)
Exactly, I totally, I’m such a believer in that as well. So yeah, if I just stayed true to my natural self, I would say no to everything. But all good things have come from saying yes to things, I think.
Amy Sampson (22:24)
Oh exactly, I mean
I would not be a wedding photographer if I hadn’t faced those fears before, you know.
Alan (22:29)
Yeah, well that’s
a good leading question as well. can go to, how did you get into this, Amy? How did you become a wedding photographer? I mean, I saw on your website they used to do music photography, didn’t you? yeah, so.
Amy Sampson (22:33)
Hahaha!
Yes, yeah,
complete accident. I mean, probably the cliche story of many of us is I’ve always been interested in photography and had a camera as a teenager and all the rest of it. I wanted to become a photographer at 18, but I think it was kind of that stage where you had to go to university and my parents were keen for me to think about something a bit more academic.
In my head photographers were all very loud and very confident and had to be in charge of the whole day and being very, very, very shy at that age. It’s just like nothing’s like that. Yeah, I wouldn’t ever do that. So yeah, years rolled by. I started taking photographs on holidays and on travel stuff that I put in art exhibitions, local art exhibitions and sold a couple that way.
Alan (23:36)
Cool. What
Amy Sampson (23:37)
And just, they
Alan (23:37)
kind of subjects?
Amy Sampson (23:40)
were just sort of a landscapy, but with a little hint of life in there. So just random stuff. there’s one like an abandoned old chair on a beach in Greece. And a couple of like Cornish pictures. Nothing particularly exciting, but yeah, yeah, well, very…
Alan (23:51)
Yeah, nice.
No, I see Greece and Cornwall. Greece and Cornwall there, not Devon. See, just the beautiful places. Greece
and Cornwall.
Amy Sampson (24:04)
But yeah,
so they sold and I used to sort of think, well, I’d like to be a photographer, but I’m not very technically minded. I’m more sort of drawn to the sort of art of the image, I suppose, you know, just taking a picture that I sort of feel I connect to. And I felt like we’ve got to be really technically minded to be a photographer. So, yeah, so I never really did anything with it beyond that. And then one of my best friends, she was singing with a local
band that I don’t know if heard of Mad Dog McCray? They’re like, yeah, they’re a sort of Irish folkie band that are really popular around the West Country. And she did some singing with them and asked if I could take some pictures. And so I went along and took some really rubbish pictures. And the band really liked them. So then they hired me to photograph their end of tour gig. And so
Alan (24:38)
haven’t actually, no, but no. But I’m so bad with music, so yeah.
Okay.
Amy Sampson (25:02)
On the spur of the moment I just went to the local camera shop and bought a digital SLR. It was a 5D, Canon 5D. Yeah, bought that, bought myself a little nifty-fifty and I thought, well, know, if I make something of it, great. If I don’t, I’ll sell the kit in a few years, give myself five years. And then that spiralled into doing music photography, did band photography festivals and I worked for Boardmasters.
Alan (25:07)
What was it? What was your first one? nice, well that’s a good one start with.
Yeah
Amy Sampson (25:31)
and Lou Festival again, more Cornish ones. Bulk’s Fest, so I those for a few years. And then it just, again, bit of a cliche story, so I’m having a festival style wedding. Would you come and photograph it? So said yes. It was in Conglace Caverns, so it in a cave. My first wedding, my first wedding, I was told, not allowed to use flash because it would scare the bats.
Alan (25:31)
cool.
nice, yeah.
yeah.
Never shot there. Yeah, this is your first one
Amy Sampson (26:00)
And it had this beautiful hulk green light on the stage right where the ceremony was that turned people’s skin green. So in a panic I had to buy a couple of little studio lights, battery operated studio lights, to put on the side to try and alleviate. And yeah, it was a difficult first gig.
Alan (26:23)
Yeah, that’s
the rites of fire. What’s the phrase? Password? You know what mean. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Amy Sampson (26:30)
Yeah, was, I mean, didn’t sleep for about six months beforehand. And yeah, shot it the same as I suppose I would have. The festival was really in the, the festival photography, I do a lot of observational work where it was, you know, people enjoying themselves and, and all the interesting little layers and things that were going on in there, which is what translated well to sort of doing that style of wedding photography.
Shot that wedding shortly followed by another and I remember sort of taking the bouquet out and sort of balancing it on a flower pot and doing these things that I feel like, you’re meant to do this as a wedding photographer. Like the shoes, was hanging them off the windowsill trying to do something with them. And I was like, this is really, I’m not enjoying this part. It’s kind of not me. I don’t really know what to do. You know, it doesn’t really feel like the kind of stuff I want to do. So was kind of doing the stuff I enjoyed, which is.
photographing people and their interactions and then the things I thought wedding photographers did which was putting bouquets in weird places and stuff and hanging dresses on trees and and then I went to this workshop with this guy, don’t know if heard of Alan Law, it was called and it was perfect timing because it was very early in and the one thing that stuck with me in your workshop was you said you know I just decided just like shoot how I want to shoot.
Alan (27:34)
Yep.
No! No way.
Amy Sampson (27:56)
And it seemed a very simple thing at time, but I was like, yeah, just shoot it how you want to shoot it. You don’t have to shoot it a certain way. And so I went forth then on and I like, I’m just going to shoot weddings how I want to shoot them and see what happens. So that was the last time I hung a dress in a tree and did the weird stuff with the bouquets at that wedding. so, yeah, I then sort of started to go with…
the things I felt interested me at weddings and not interrupting and leaning more into my personality at weddings as it was just to sort of observe stuff and let it unfold and like get myself into the places that I thought were interesting. And it sort of spiralled from there. I did seven weddings the first year and I think after that it was 30. I was working full time at the time for a couple of years.
Alan (28:45)
Wow.
Wow, how did he do 30
weddings and full time as well? Gosh, that is hard.
Amy Sampson (28:53)
I actually don’t know.
Now when I look back, I I couldn’t do that. I had burnout. I was working in my day job. Then I’d come home and edit till about two, three in the morning, go to bed, get up at six, start again. And for a couple of years before I could sort get it off the ground to go, you know, I’m going to go fully self-employed. And yeah, it was a tough start.
Alan (29:00)
day.
Amy Sampson (29:22)
And then I finally quit and started and went full time in 2020. Which is a really good time to cry.
Alan (29:29)
Wow, it’s a great time to quit. Quit your day job and like…
Did you shoot like any in 2020? Did you do some micro weddings and things? Did you?
Amy Sampson (29:36)
Yeah, brilliantly chosen.
I did seven little
weddings in 2020. I know. Yeah, it brilliant, wasn’t it? Yeah, I spent all my money going traveling four months prior to that and then, yeah, shot one wedding in the February and then that was it.
Alan (29:47)
What a time start full time though.
Yeah
Yeah, mad time, wasn’t it? That’s good that you’ve got all your travelling out of the way though, just before Covid hit. That is good, that is good. And Amy, since, I mean, that workshop was years ago, wasn’t it? That was like, was it like 2015 or something?
Amy Sampson (30:04)
Yeah, yeah.
think it was 2015, 2016 I think. Yeah. Yeah. Yes, it was. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Alan (30:14)
somewhere, 25, 16, something like that. Really long time ago, really long time ago. That was the first time I met you then, wasn’t it? It would have been. Yeah, aw, that’s cool. That is really cool.
And Amy, you’re just so rocking it though. You’re so rocking it. And one of the questions I’ve got here as well is that recently you were Rangefinder 30 Rising Star, which is mental. It’s such an accolade. How was that finding that out? Do you remember where you were when you found out you were one of the 30?
Amy Sampson (30:40)
Yeah, I mean, I was with Clyde, my partner at time, and I remember that when the email came through, because you had to keep it quiet for everything, it was about at least a month. And the email came through because someone had nominated me and they’d gotten contacted and I’d applied. And yeah, when the email came through, I sort of read it and I thought, I they’ve sent that to me by mistake. Because I’d sort of…
Alan (30:50)
Yeah.
You
Amy Sampson (31:10)
grown up but you know having got into wedding photography in the olden days when you look at the magazine I see it in the magazine the rangefinder stars and I’d be like wow I mean also I’ll be like those people are so cool like I’ll never be like that because I’m not cool and I sort of look at it and in a dorky kind of way
Alan (31:25)
I get that. You are cool Amy, you are cool. That’s the coolest way.
Amy Sampson (31:37)
Yeah, so I’d looked at it over the years and I remember thinking, how do people even, how do you get spotted in the industry for starters? How does that happen? How does anyone notice you? And it was, I think it was one of the editors, I think, Blair, at the time. Did she? Ah, yeah, yeah. It was really humbling.
Alan (31:49)
Did you find out who actually nominated you? Did you know who nominated you?
that’s it. look, yeah, she nominated me as well. That’s funny. Yeah, yeah. That’s cool.
Amy Sampson (32:06)
I’m really surreal because I’d started, I’d gone into full time, like I said, 2020, so it was two years I’d been doing it full time, or two or three years, anyway. And two of those, yeah, I know. And it was also kind of off the back of, because a lot of the sort of style for the Ranged Riders was generally quite whimsical, or probably as we call it now, editorial.
Alan (32:18)
Yeah, and two of those were Covid years, so let’s not lie.
Amy Sampson (32:35)
And the sort of more reportage style wasn’t really featured that often. And so again, yeah, was, that year, the sort of reportage style wedding photography was really well represented. So yeah, I I felt really, really proud. But I did spend a month thinking that they were gonna email me and go, we’ve made a mistake.
Alan (33:03)
We meant Amy Simpson, Amy Simpson from like Pittsburgh or something.
Amy Sampson (33:05)
Yeah, exactly.
It was probably, I mean, I feel like, you know, I know there’s a lot of chat about awards and what they may mean. And, and, and I’ve got my own sort of views on that. I don’t think they are everything at all. But that sort of recognition, I suppose, from the industry was, it did give me a huge amount of validation and did make me feel very proud.
Alan (33:33)
And of course it should.
It’s an awesome achievement, Amy. I was gonna ask that, has it had any kind of effect on you since getting that? Has it had any, yeah.
Amy Sampson (33:41)
I I suppose it maybe just made me feel a bit more confidence in my own work and path of how I shoot. Because I feel quite strongly about how I shoot weddings and the style I shoot in. And sometimes it can get swayed, you know, you sort of have those moments where you’re like, oh, should I be doing this or should I be changing it? Because you know, you see industry trends and flows. But…
Alan (34:08)
Yeah.
Amy Sampson (34:11)
Because I feel like how you, well, I don’t know if it’s the same for everyone, but I feel like how a lot of people, a lot of the shoot, it’s quite instinctive and it’s quite already inbuilt within you. Like trying to change it doesn’t really feel right. so it coming from a place of how you observe the world and that kind of thing. Having that recognized by something as prestigious as Rangefinder, it was amazing. And I think great things have come off the back of it. I’ve had weddings that I suppose I would have never had.
that came off the back of that, the people that found me via Rangefinder. I love travel as it is, so getting the opportunity to go and fly to LA and shoot a wedding there would have not happened. Things like that would not happened without Rangefinder.
Alan (34:47)
so cool.
Wow, did you? That’s proper cool!
Wow, yeah. That’s so cool, Amy. That’s so cool. Were you not scared?
Did you go in under the radar though? Because that’s scary, going to America. Yeah.
Amy Sampson (35:09)
It is scary. Well, I’d say
Clyde with me. He’s my, you know, backup. Yeah.
Alan (35:14)
that’s good. Yeah, you can do that, Gary. And it’s like a two hour stuff. that’s cool.
And how was the wedding itself? it cool?
Amy Sampson (35:19)
it was
amazing. It was amazing. It was in the Hotel Bel Air. you know, very LA. And it was fabulous. It was crazy, intense, really beautiful, lovely people. still friends. I got on really well with the couple actually. had like, very, I said, very British sense of humour. So yeah, we stayed in touch actually, and plan at some point to go and visit them, obviously, when things are a bit more settled in LA. yeah, it’s…
Alan (35:29)
That’s so cool.
that’s cool.
Very cool.
I bet you never would have dreamt when you doing like, you know, like music photography or whatnot that you’d be, you know, you’d be like, it’s crazy.
Amy Sampson (35:49)
Yeah, that…
No, mean,
10 years ago, used to go, I worked in a job I hated, and I’d go and sit in my car at lunchtime and cry, something like, there must be something I’m good at, you know, there must be something that I can do that I would get enjoyment from rather than spending my days doing something I hate. And I would have never, you know, pursued wedding photography because I was too shy, too scared. know, the first weddings,
that I shot, especially at churches, I shot them from the back because I was so terrified of the idea of being looked at at the front. I shot the whole thing from the back. It took quite a long time to get. and it, and yeah, you know, it was sort getting past that barrier of shyness and being looked at to being able really like go think, you know, I’ve got to think past caring what people are thinking about me because that’s irrelevant.
Alan (36:33)
gosh.
Yeah.
Amy Sampson (36:52)
you know, that’s gone, the day’s gone. I need to be you know, be really pursuing what I need to do to make the pictures that I want to make.
Alan (37:01)
Did something cli-
Well how- What did kind of make you go from being at the back of room to being closer though? Did you just think, right I’ve just got to do this? Like I just, you know, what did you- Did you take baby steps? Did you get a bit closer or-
Amy Sampson (37:09)
Yeah, again,
was, again, thinking about sort of shoot how you want to shoot, sort of mantra. It was a bit like, well, you know, I know how with festivals, it used to feel a little bit easier in a way because I wasn’t there, you know, you could fit into the crowd very easily and, you know, it’s easy to infiltrate. So I sort of tried to just get into that mindset. was almost, it just sort of almost becomes acting in a way, I suppose you have to step out of.
your own sort of feelings inside and just step into this role. You know, like Beyonce and Sasha Fierce. It’s like, have to engage your, Sasha Fierce, she’s got an alter ego on stage called Sasha Fierce. So, you know.
Alan (37:50)
Beyonce and who?
I didn’t even know that. wait, okay. I’m so out of the loop.
Popular culture, this old man. I did not know that. That’s funny.
Amy Sampson (38:06)
Well, you you have to sort of channel your inner alter ego that you can adopt at weddings if you, know, because otherwise, sometimes still I would just either just sit in the car for whole day and not actually go into a wedding. Or go sit in the corner somewhere. So, yeah, just kind of now I will just sort of have to have a word with myself and say, you know, just…
Alan (38:20)
That wouldn’t be good, that would be hard to do. That would be difficult to do.
Amy Sampson (38:34)
it doesn’t matter. And I had a wedding last year where I got in really close to the couple. It was an outdoor ceremony. They were like, go where you want, do what you want. It’s free range and the rest of it. And I remember the bride’s dad came up to me afterwards and he said, how do you feel about being so conspicuous? mean, the ceremony, do you not feel awkward or anything? And I was like, that’s a really interesting question. And I said, oh well.
Yeah, I said I do, I said I kind of think, you know, people might watch me because they’re, you know, it gets a little bit distracting sometimes. But I said afterwards, you know, after the after the event is over, no one remembers what I’m doing. They remember the pictures and they look at the pictures and the feelings the pictures give them. And if I think going somewhere where I’ll be visible, you know, in the right circumstance, I’m not talking about, you know, in a church wedding necessarily, but, you know, if it’s
Alan (39:29)
Well, you’re in
the vestry anyway at that point.
Amy Sampson (39:30)
In the best tree then,
yeah exactly, so I’m not even worried. But yeah, it’s kind of, you know, I just try and really think what pitches am I wanting to make here and just getting out of my own head and my own awkwardness and just pushing that aside. Just ignoring those voices that, you know, and sometimes it takes me a little while to warm up into it at wedding. I might start shooting a little bit further away.
Alan (39:48)
Adina.
Amy Sampson (39:57)
And I do say I always tell the couple how I shoot as well and I sort of talk through how I am on the day ahead of it with them just so they know. And yeah, and people are cool with it. Yeah, and people are cool with it. you know, most people, so many times a couple, you must have the same where they go, you know, I didn’t even see you all day and I was like, well, I’ve been hanging around your elbow for most of it.
Alan (40:07)
Yeah, yeah, I think that’s really important
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, totally. And as you know, you’re 100 % proponent of shooting close as well, so yeah, I think it’s love it. The images you get are just so much more intimate. It’s, yeah, it’s a great thing. But I can totally understand it’s scary for a lot of people, especially when you’re just starting out as well, it’s scary, but just do it. And yeah, they don’t notice you there. Especially silent shutter now as well, silent shutter all day long.
Amy Sampson (40:41)
Oh yeah, that’s it.
Yeah, so I shoot, you know, I there have been technological advances that do help overcome that. And for me, Silent Shutter, I know some people don’t use it, but I’m Silent Shutter all the way. Yeah, I’ve just got an A93s actually. So I can shoot flash with Silent Shutter as well, which is a revelation because obviously flash is pretty intrusive anyway. I throw in having to use the…
Alan (41:01)
That’s cool.
Amy Sampson (41:09)
mechanical shutter so now yeah I can shoot silently the whole time so that helps a lot. Ask us being able to use a screen because now you can kind of interact with people a bit more and line up the shot you want before they necessarily know that you’re taking a photograph.
Alan (41:14)
Yeah.
Yeah, that’s a great point as well. Yeah, so I
haven’t used a viewfinder in about four years. I use it 100 % on screen. It’s great, isn’t it? Yeah, it’s good. You speak so well, Amy. It’s great having you on the air. It’s so good. Yeah, you speak so well. You really do, you really do. Let’s change tack though. And something I knew you were really looking forward to do. Cheers.
Amy Sampson (41:27)
No, same. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Do I? thank you!
no. Yeah,
I know what’s coming.
Alan (41:46)
You
do know what’s coming, you do. But if anyone’s not listened before or watched before, well no one’s watched before, this is the first ever podcast where we’re doing the video version as well. you are listening, you can head to YouTube and watch it in full. Yeah, so if anyone’s not heard before…
As a little, kind of this fun thing that do during the podcast is a little synopsis game where I’m going to read a synopsis of a series or a movie. It might be on Netflix, but it might not be. It might be any kind of series or movie. And we’re going to see if Amy can get the title from the synopsis and hopefully you enjoy playing it home. Before we began recording, Amy already said that she’s awful at this, putting a little disclaimer. So I’m sure you’re going to be great.
Amy Sampson (42:24)
I have
played along with all the podcasts I’ve listened to and I’ve never got a right answer. Never, never.
Alan (42:30)
No, you must have got some right. You must have got some right. Okay,
the bar is low. The bar is low. So that is, okay. Yes, that is true. Yeah, I need to, yeah, that is good though. It’s good, it’s good, it’s good. It’s all good. Right, okay, let’s go. Let’s go, Amy. You ready for your first one? You ready? Okay. Okay, so this is a movie, okay. And it’s recent, as a clue. Okay, so.
Amy Sampson (42:37)
Yeah. And everyone can see my confused face as well now.
haha
Right. Okay. Okay, I’m ready.
Alan (42:56)
Alphaba, a misunderstood young woman because of her green skin and Galinda, a popular girl, become friends at Shiz University in the land of Oz. After an encounter with the wonderful Wizard of Oz, their friendship reaches a crossroads.
Amy Sampson (43:12)
I mean, is that a trick question? Is it a Wizard of Oz?
Alan (43:15)
No, stop!
Amy Sampson (43:18)
Damn it, I thought that was really easy answer then.
Alan (43:20)
It’s super recent, so the film came out about a month ago and it stars Ariana Grande as one of the stars.
Amy Sampson (43:29)
No, I’m very out of touch with movies. know, a little bit. I can think of it now. I’ve seen some clips on Instagram and I can’t think of it. I mean, my era of films is kind of Jurassic Park. The original. Back to the Future.
Alan (43:33)
Okay, it’s based on a musical do you like musicals?
That means no!
That’s a good one. I’ve already asked that one on here though, so can’t ask that again I think.
actually, I’m not a Back to the Future fan actually. I know. Yeah. No, okay, I’m going to tell you what this is though. It’s wicked. It’s called wicked.
Amy Sampson (43:57)
Get out.
that’s it! I was thinking it’s like the sort of hulk kind of skin, the colour of the skin from that first wedding I had shot in the cave. Yeah.
Alan (44:12)
Oh yes, in the cave, yeah, with the green light. Honestly, it’s so
good though. I’ve seen the stage show about five times and the film now. I’ve watched the film now three times. It’s so good, it’s so good.
Amy Sampson (44:19)
Have you?
I have heard
people talking about it a lot, so I feel like maybe I’m missing out, I should watch it.
Alan (44:26)
It’s brilliant.
Yeah, you should watch it Amy, you should. zero. if you’re not, that is good, you should watch that. Okay, you should watch it. You’ve got a lot to watch, you’ve got a lot to watch. Okay, zero, zero out of one so far, Amy. But you can only go up from here, you can only go up.
Amy Sampson (44:30)
I’ve also never watched Die Hard either.
Excellent. All
Alan (44:43)
Okay, so
Amy Sampson (44:43)
done.
Alan (44:43)
your second one is harder, I think. So, sorry. This is a series, and it’s very beautifully filmed. The cinematography’s brilliant. Okay, so, wealthy man hires, there’s a clue in it, actually, okay. So, a wealthy man hires down on his luck grifter Tom Ripley to travel to Italy to urge his vagabond son to return home. Tom’s acceptance of the job is the first step in a life of deceit, fraud, and murder.
Amy Sampson (44:46)
no.
It’s got to be Ripley’s something hasn’t it? It was Ripley’s. Is it the one that was black and white? Yes, yes that was it. Yes, I’ve seen it, Yeah, that was beautiful. Yeah, yeah that was so well filmed. Yeah.
Alan (45:11)
Yes! Ripley! That’s it! That’s it! You got it! Yes! Exactly that. Yeah. Have you seen it? Yeah, it’s beautiful, isn’t it? Yeah.
each,
I literally, you can just pause it and like every few seconds and it’s this amazing composition, it’s the light and dark. I loved watching that and I Andrew Scott was brilliant in it. It’s really, really good. Even if you don’t like cinematography, people watch that, it is great. One out of two, this is good, this is good. Okay, your final one, this is a hard one. It’s something I’m watching at the moment in the second series. Okay, so this is on Apple TV as a clue as well.
Amy Sampson (45:32)
Yeah, no, it’s brilliant.
can’t believe I’ve got a score!
Okay.
Alan (45:52)
So a grieving therapist starts to tell his clients exactly what he thinks. Ignoring his training and ethics, he finds himself making huge changes to people’s lives, including his own.
Amy Sampson (46:05)
Hmm, I have no idea, but I like the sound of that. I’ll have to add it in a minute.
Alan (46:08)
No, that’s hard. It’s really good.
Yeah, it’s really good. Okay, so it’s called, it’s called Shrinking. Shrinking, yeah.
Amy Sampson (46:14)
Ah, okay,
no, I haven’t heard of that. I’m watching, um, Psylo at the moment, which is good. Yeah, yeah. That’s really good, yeah. Um, and there’s another one, which I can’t remember the name of, it begins with S, and it’s directed by Ben, yeah, Severance. Have watched that?
Alan (46:19)
that’s on Apple TV, isn’t it? Is that good? I’ve not seen that.
is it Severance? cool yeah.
I’ve not seen it yet though either. I want to watch it. Is that really good? I keep hearing good things.
Amy Sampson (46:35)
That’s really good.
Yeah, it’s very weird and it took a little while to get into but again, yeah, really, it’s filmed in a really interesting way. Yeah, it’s worth a watch, definitely. Yeah, yeah.
Alan (46:44)
is it? cool. Okay,
that’s good. All Apple TV series beginning with S, so Severance, Silo and Shrinking people get on them. Yeah, that’s good. Are you someone who can, I can’t personally, but are you someone who like edits while Netflix is on things or?
Amy Sampson (46:50)
Yeah.
I’m have to reveal my dirty secrets now. So, I can edit with a certain level of program on. So, you know, like Love Island or something like that.
Alan (47:08)
like Big Brother or something. no, that’s good!
No, Amy, it’s good! That is good! Trashy, reality TV is the best.
Amy Sampson (47:15)
It’s kind of like I
can have trash TV on in the background that keeps me entertained but isn’t so good that I have to watch the screen it’s on. So I can’t watch something that I’m actually interested or was filmed well when I’m editing, no. Because I can’t watch, no. But some trashy program that gets you really hooked. Perfect. So yeah, I’ll be devastated when they stop doing Love Island because it times perfectly for summer wedding editing season.
Alan (47:23)
Yes, that makes sense.
Yeah, not like Ripley. You couldn’t watch Ripley.
Yeah, I love all that.
That’s true. Yeah, do you
know what we used to we used to watch loads of love Island, but for some reason it stopped watching that but I love trashy TV I do and have you ever watched selling sunset on Netflix? I love that
Amy Sampson (47:45)
Hahaha!
Yes, I went past the,
when I was in LA, I went past the estate agent. was like, and then they had all these, they had loads of signs saying, don’t, please don’t come up to the glass. Please keep away from the glass. So it obviously had lots of people being there, like looking through the black windows.
Alan (47:57)
Did you go? I would be like there, like…
really?
Yeah, I would do
that. It’d be like goldfish, don’t knock on the glass or whatnot. I would do that, I love it, I think that is so good. I love that, that’s cool. Oh, Amy, that was fun and you did one out of three, it’s good. A lot of people don’t get any, so that’s good.
Amy Sampson (48:11)
Yeah! Yeah, I love it.
I can’t believe
I’ve got every podcast since you said about asking me to come on and I’ve been listening to those things. no, I’m to the Netflix quiz.
Alan (48:27)
No,
you did well, you did well. That was good, that was good and hopefully people enjoyed playing along at home as well. So Amy, let’s do something else. Let’s talk about one of your specific images and I, and if anyone’s watching the video version, I’m actually going to show the image now. If this works, this is my first time kind of doing this, so we will see. I’m going to bring it up in a second. I’m just talking to go over the kind of…
the gap while I’m trying to bring it up on here. Okay, and that should be showing now on, yeah it is, okay that’s good. So yeah, if you’re watching the video version, you’ll be able to see it. If you’re not watching the video version, then Amy, let’s talk about it. Can you describe this image if someone is listening to the podcast? And could you talk about it? Do you remember taking it? So this is one of Amy’s Reportage Awards, which is awesome. Yeah.
Amy Sampson (49:00)
Hey.
I do, yeah,
this is Daniel Costello-Sachs and is at Tunnels Beaches and he just is doing the most incredible leap in the air. Huge, yeah.
Alan (49:34)
Yeah it’s a huge leap, it’s so cool.
And you’ve got the frame perfect, you’ve got this leaping, it’s a saxophonist, is it? Yeah. So he’s leaping in the top right and then you’ve perfectly framed it to get like the crowds around the bottom and what I presume is the bride and groom in the bottom left. That’s so
Amy Sampson (49:41)
Yes, yeah, yeah, so I mean…
Yeah. And as the couple, yeah, in the corner.
I mean, I, yeah, I slightly wish he had his sax just turned slightly to the right, if I was, you know, but, you know, I’m still pretty pleased with it. Yeah, so he, he, it was the first time I’ve worked with him. I have seen videos of him before and his energy is crazy. So, you know, he’d been, he’d been working the crowd and doing these jumps.
Alan (49:58)
It’s great. Yeah, it’s so cool.
Amy Sampson (50:16)
And it just, yeah, watching him makes my old knees tremble. I’m like, my God, his knees is gonna really hurt himself. But Tunnels Beach is for anyone who hasn’t shot there, it’s on a sort of, that outdoor area is quite a slope down. So you kind of, you can lose the impact of someone jumping. It’s kind of like a slightly, so.
So I thought I really wanted to get, he’s doing these amazing jumps, he’s hopefully going to do another one. And so I thought I really wanted to get the real impact of how high he’s actually jumping and the crowd without the sort of background, because you’ve got the sea and the cobbles and the rest of it and it’s lovely backdrop, feel like it’s little bit distracting. So behind me here, he’s got this chair, there’s a chair sort of just, you can see just on the right.
that he was stood on. So I thought, I’m sure he’s gonna go for another jump. So I was squirreled down against, there’s a little wall. I was like right on the floor, tipped right back, squitching as far as I can against this wall so that I could get, you know, enough, prepped for enough height. And of course everyone’s going for it. I love the fact that literally everyone’s going for it and all their expressions are different. I’m the lady with the sunglasses and the blue dress who’s like going, ooh.
Alan (51:13)
yeah.
yeah!
Yeah, that’s so cool! Yeah, they are all different!
Amy Sampson (51:42)
Someone else has got a bouquet up.
Yeah. And it’s just like a little bit of a where’s molly of like people’s expressions. And just the fact that the couple were there as well. And it’s like, if he jumps, and it’s one of those, again, with sort of shooting documentary style, when you’re hoping, you line up a shot and you’re like, if this works, it’s gonna be magic. It might not happen. Like he might not jump.
So it was one of those and I was down in this corner and it’s really awkward. I think my leg like behind me and you know when you’re getting sort of pins and needles and I was like I really need to move. I’m gonna get cramped in a minute. But I’m just gonna wait, I’m just gonna wait. And then yeah, and then he did this almighty leap. Yeah. I think he must, he’s exhausting to watch. His energy is just insane.
Alan (52:19)
You
Yeah, it’s huge. It’s huge. see a basketball player in his spare time or something.
Well it’s really
clever though how you’d seen him do that kind of thing before so you anticipated that you might do this again and so you’re purposefully lining up that composition. I mean that’s all these things you have to think about which I think a lot of people just don’t, I think some people think we just turn up at weddings and just click what’s in front of us but there’s so much thought involved.
Amy Sampson (52:49)
Yeah, know there’s a, I
think when documentary was having its like heyday, you know, of trendy editorial period, there was this thing where people go, I’m a documentary photographer and it would just be sort of, yeah, snap, snap, snap, that’s what was happening. And I suppose sometimes people don’t know, know, there’s that and then there’s more, a sort of deeper level of thought of, you know, what you want from an image and what you want to portray that’s happening in that scene.
and then how you’re going to compose it and then waiting a lot of the time. There is quite a lot of waiting. I do say to my couples, you might want to let your family know how I work because you might turn around and be like, oh, Amy’s in a bush. What’s she doing there? She’s still in the bush. A few minutes later, like, what’s your photographer doing in the bush? You’re probably having a wee. Either having a wee or…
Alan (53:33)
Yeah!
Probably have in a week. Probably, probably have in a week.
Amy Sampson (53:44)
lining up some really cool shot. But yeah, you know, there is an element of waiting, anticipating, waiting, and then hoping. And hoping it falls into place. And so there is, you know, there’s also a lot of luck involved that things will go. For all the shots that work out like this, there’s the shots where it hasn’t happened or like someone’s gone off for a week, not me, one of the couple, you know, or the, know, the sex guy’s too tired and he doesn’t want to do another jump or anything like that. But on this occasion,
Alan (53:52)
Yeah, it’s a huge part of it.
Well…
Hmm.
Yeah
Amy Sampson (54:13)
It was one of those ones where you just want to chimp, and like internally I was like, yes, yes! I’m like, want to look at the back of the camera, but you know, couldn’t have to carry on shooting. But yeah, no, I was really pleased that it all worked out because he was doing these amazing jumps and I was like, I want to get it, but the ones I was shooting before, it was even part of the crown, it just kind of worked, but it just wasn’t very impactful. So I was like, I need to get rid of the background.
Alan (54:18)
Yeah, totally.
It’s so cool Amy, it’s so cool. It’s multi-layered as well, you’ve got the saxophonist but the couple as well and then the crowd in the background. It’s just really cool, brings your eye all around.
Amy Sampson (54:48)
Yeah, it was getting, because
a lot of the time the bride was running around with the bridesmaids. And so they weren’t necessarily her with her husband together. So I just liked the fact that they were in it as well. Yeah, she was so, Abby, amazing bride. They were such a cool couple. Like I loved that wedding so much. It’s one of those weddings where come home and you’re just like buzzing the whole way home. But yeah, yeah, so.
Alan (54:59)
Yeah, and she’s got her arm up like pumping like it’s, yeah.
That’s cool. Cool.
That’s that’s so cool Amy hearing your thoughts about that. Yeah, that’s awesome And if anyone is listening to this obviously you’re listening I should stop saying that if you’re hearing it you are listening to it in some way or not But yeah, if you’re listening to the audio version head to thisreportage.com and the post there I’ll include the image and also Amy is gonna do an exclusive video after this as well Which is for thisreportage members where she’s gonna talk about some more of her award-winning images and story as well So yeah, do head and check that out as well. So I’m gonna stop this share
now Amy, let’s talk a bit more. yes we’re back, kind of full screen and let’s go on to some kind of… let’s go to another question. a tricky one Amy. What do you think the secret to having a full diary of bookings is?
Amy Sampson (56:06)
Ooh, that is a tricky one. Ooh. And I feel like the sun has come out at the right time and now I’ve got this mystical light that I’ve been shrouded in.
Alan (56:09)
That is tricky, isn’t it? That is tricky.
Amy Sampson (56:18)
I mean that is,
Alan (56:19)
I know it’s so hard.
Amy Sampson (56:20)
yeah, that is a hard one. And if I knew all the answers, then I’d probably relax year on year where you get that moment where you’re like, is this gonna be my last year?
Alan (56:26)
Yeah.
That is true, isn’t it? It’s a rollercoaster doing this, isn’t it? We’ve been doing it a long time, it is a rollercoaster.
Amy Sampson (56:31)
It is a roller coaster, yeah. And
I feel like, I mean I’ve been lucky, so I don’t get like millions and millions of inquiries. I never have been one of these people that get like a hundred inquiries a month that you have to turn away loads. But I always get, I always book enough for the weddings that, you know, I always get to the number I need. And they’re the ones I want. And I know by shooting, how I shoot, I put myself into a bit of a niche.
Alan (56:45)
Same.
And they’re the ones you want as well.
Amy Sampson (57:01)
that won’t be for everyone. So there is an element of acceptance in that that I may not be able to fill my diaries easily as some people that because of the style I shoot but that the people I get will really be tuned into how I shoot and it’ll just be amazing combination. So I don’t know for me I
Alan (57:03)
Yep.
Yeah, you exactly.
Amy Sampson (57:29)
I feel like it’s just keep showing up and keep plugging away.
Alan (57:34)
Yeah, well that’s a huge part of it, you know, isn’t it? Sometimes photographers
can put their heads in the sand, you know, and not do anything and it just makes it worse.
Amy Sampson (57:41)
Yeah,
at weddings I’m very much like I’m generally hopefully quite a friendly person anyway and so and pretty smiley and so I you know if people come up like I really like if you come and chat to me at weddings I will very much give them time a day and I I know I know it’s a bit of a controversial one some people don’t like it but I like it if someone comes up and ask me about my camera or what am I shooting on or
Alan (57:49)
Yeah.
Amy Sampson (58:09)
know kind of because they’re just interested aren’t they they just want to chat so you know
Alan (58:09)
yeah.
Yeah. And especially if you’re shooting
most of day and you shoot mostly solo.
Amy Sampson (58:18)
Yeah,
maybe one wedding a year I might have a second if the couple ask but pretty much all the time solo. yeah, it’s nice to have a chat. People come and chat all the time. I will be friendly and open with everyone and hopefully make everyone there feel relaxed. And I think that’s a big thing. A, for being able to shoot. Again, what I say to my couples, when I have a chat, I chat with people before they book.
Alan (58:26)
So it’s nice to have a chat with someone if they come up as well.
That’s so important.
Amy Sampson (58:47)
and I’m very open about how I shoot and what my style is and what I don’t shoot. So I sort tell them I won’t be hanging a dress in tree or doing any of that kind of stuff. Flat lays, like, I don’t know how to do them. So I’m very open with people before they book. So when they do book, that tends to they’ll cement what they want and then they book.
Alan (59:02)
you
Amy Sampson (59:15)
And then at weddings, again, I will chat through how I work and stuff and people will then see the work and if they like how I’ve been and, know. I think being like nice to people at weddings and giving people time when they do come and speak to you is really important because you don’t know, you know, all these people at weddings, you don’t know who they are and what their connections are and what they might say and who they know that’s getting married. So that side is really important. And now because it’s a few years in now that…
Alan (59:38)
That’s so true.
Amy Sampson (59:43)
I have started getting quite a lot of referrals that come back around or like people that have seen pictures or friends of friends or you know.
Alan (59:48)
That’s cool.
Yeah and as you
say that’s from doing a good job but it’s also from your presence on the day and how you are, that’s a huge part of it. It really is, you know, if you’re like the stuffy photographer in the corner who looks like really kind of angry or like doesn’t want to be there, the guests are going to be like, oh I don’t want that person at my wedding as well. And it puts everyone else at ease when they see you just nicely chatting to someone I think, it’s all really good.
Amy Sampson (59:58)
Yeah, I think, I mean…
Yeah.
Also, think as well,
sometimes people, there’s a perception that, again, wedding photographers are all very loud and bossy. And that’s fine if that’s how people are and it works for them and how they shoot is absolutely fine. There is no, it’s the beauty of this industry is you can tailor how you are and how you run your business to suit your personality and there’s no one size fits all. And so I’m not criticizing people that are like that, but there are people that aren’t.
And that will work for some people, know, that some guests, you know, will be like, it’s nice having someone who’s not telling us to do this or be there or like, you know, it’s nice to be able to relax and concentrate on what we’re here for. So I get, yeah, that definitely helps. I think just really being nice and giving time to everyone that will speak to you at a wedding and just being, and being smiley and that kind of thing, because being memorable, feel like, know,
Alan (1:00:50)
Yeah
Hopefully.
Yeah.
Amy Sampson (1:01:11)
your best business card that you can leave at a wedding as being a nice presence to have around and to not underestimate the power that that can have for future bookings because people do remember the person a lot of the time.
Alan (1:01:28)
That was so good. I was just thinking that’s going to be a perfect sound bite that is, so I didn’t want to interrupt you then. That was like the best business card you can leave behind at weddings. I think that was really good. That was really good. yeah.
Amy Sampson (1:01:34)
That’s right.
It’s so true though, isn’t it? mean, you know, I’m
a friend, I was having a chat the other day with one of my grooms from a couple of years, his mum, who I’m friendly with on Instagram, we chat about gardening and stuff. And a couple of years before I’d shot the, sister-in-law’s wedding, sorry, her sister-in-law’s daughter’s wedding. And I remembered that bride’s mum because she was…
Alan (1:01:53)
Nice.
Amy Sampson (1:02:06)
so engaging and amazing and like all the couple’s friends loved her and she’s just like one of those mums that everyone just loved. Sorry, this like heavenly light’s coming through. And I was chatting with her the other day, the mum of the bride of old, passed away this week from cancer.
Alan (1:02:17)
That’s cool, that all good.
Amy Sampson (1:02:34)
And she’d been such an amazing presence and such an amazing person at wedding. And I just, I just wrote this little email and said, you know, I said, I remembered her so much. said, I see so many people at weddings. I said, so the fact she’d stuck in my memory because of how she was. And it was really nice to see her again at the wedding recently. You know, says a lot about who she was as a person. And I sent through this photograph. I said, I’ve got this photograph on my portfolio where she’s just going for it on the dance floor. And this,
The mum came back and said that’s what swung it for my son with booking you was because it was like, you know, there’s our aunt like absolutely going for it on the dance floor and like, you know, loved it. there’s that as well. think the pictures you can get of everyone at the wedding really showing like them as their true selves and having the best life also is another kind of sort of calling card of sorts to be like, ah, that person took, you know, that
Alan (1:03:13)
I am.
Yeah.
Amy Sampson (1:03:33)
And even, know, a gripping grins, good old gripping grins, people come in to go, can I have a picture of us, like, with the family? You know, and sometimes we slightly internally go, yeah, fine. Always, again, like, always do it with a nice smile on your face, because I know I’ve got, there was a wedding where I did that for a family, and it was, mum and dad were there, grown-up kids, and I shot both kids’ weddings as a result of that picture. They were like, they printed it out.
Alan (1:03:43)
Yeah.
Amy Sampson (1:04:01)
and more weddings spiralled from that one. know, that one Grip and Grin, they printed out. I think a lot of it is how you are. I mean, obviously that doesn’t get you booking straight away. That’s sort of more down the line. But how you are at a wedding day and how you interact with people is very much a big way of keeping that diary booked. Other than that, think like, I’m certainly not an expert on social media, that’s for sure. I feel like just keep showing what you…
Alan (1:04:20)
It really, really…
Amy Sampson (1:04:30)
want to you know how you shoot and the type of couples that you hope to work with because you know there will be people that find are looking for you and that niche so as long as you’re putting stuff out there and showing up um i certainly think you know if you’re going to join directories and things like that find directories that align with the type of couples that you would want to shoot with um that that’s also an awards body yeah so like if you’re going to enter awards again like look for ones that represent
Alan (1:04:41)
Mm, totally.
Yeah, or awards bodies, like there are good awards bodies out there.
Amy Sampson (1:04:59)
maybe the star you’re shooting and the area you want to be with. yeah, keep plugging, keep putting stuff out there showing up. I feel like the industry is sort of changing and certainly social media is starting to move at a pace where I’m starting to feel like that sort of separation of my age and the pace of things changing and that.
Alan (1:05:02)
Yes, yeah.
It’s… Yeah! It’s…
Amy Sampson (1:05:29)
I wonder how that’s going to unfold as time goes on. I think it’s very easy to lose your head sometimes when you look at social media and feel like everything has to be done a certain way because of what might be popular. But there’s very much still an industry for people that shoot… …reportage or whatever. I had a call with a couple this week that booked me a year ago. We hadn’t chatted. They just wanted a little video call to say hi.
Alan (1:05:51)
No.
Amy Sampson (1:05:59)
And they were like, we know we’ve got sent all the supplier the lists from venues and they’re, you know, the pictures are all sort of blurry or the couples were like, their guests were like, blurry around them, like ghosts. there was this, you know, kind of, and we just want to like have fun and have like some amazing pictures to really remind us of that. And I think it’s important just to honor how you want to shoot and what you feel your
Alan (1:06:09)
you
Amy Sampson (1:06:29)
the reason behind why you’re shooting and what you’re delivering. Like, keep that message out there. And interestingly, I do wonder whether, sorry, slight tangent, suppose, but as photographers, we’ll sort of label ourselves, don’t we? I’m editorial or I’m luxury or I’m reportage. And I don’t know how much of that makes sense to people looking for wedding photographers, which is something I want to look into a bit more this year as well, because I do wonder whether sometimes labeling ourselves.
Alan (1:06:32)
totally.
Yeah.
Amy Sampson (1:06:59)
doesn’t help because people might misunderstand it.
Alan (1:07:02)
Yeah,
that is true. That is an interesting point. And how a lot of people take labels in all different kinds of ways. know, documentary can mean so many different things to so many different people and so many different photographers these days as well. Yeah, it’s all interesting. But all that advice you gave there was so good, Amy. It really, really was. Yeah, really, really good. Yeah, it’s so good there. It’s so good. It’s so good. Let’s do some smaller quickfire ones because it’s already over an hour now. I could just talk for you for ages, but let’s do this.
Amy Sampson (1:07:11)
Yeah, yeah, that’s it.
Hahaha!
Alan (1:07:30)
this, because I saw this on your about page so I’m going to ask, if you could only have one of these three things for the rest of your life and none of the others, which would it be? Cats, travel or chocolate?
Amy Sampson (1:07:37)
Ooooo
Oh my god, that is really hard. Oh, well my cat is no longer with me. He was 19 though. But I now have a niece cat, because my sister has a cat, so suppose cats are kind of covered. So I’m going to go with travel. I would want travel, but keep travel. Over chocolate. I mean, that’s a really devastating thought, but.
Alan (1:07:44)
You can only have one.
I’m sorry. sorry.
Wow, gosh.
Over chocolate? You could never have chocolate again.
Hahaha!
Amy Sampson (1:08:12)
I feel like there’s a lot of the world left to be explored and I’ve probably eaten every chocolate bar available on this planet. I really like Tony’s. Do have Tony’s? They’re really chunky. That was, yeah. Yeah. I mean, yeah.
Alan (1:08:15)
Yeah
What’s your favourite? What’s your favourite chocolate bar?
yeah, that different, yes, they do lots of different types, don’t they? Yeah. Okay, that is good. That’s a good recommendation, that’s good. Have you had
the Hotel Chocolat peanut butter ones, square ones?
Amy Sampson (1:08:38)
Oh yes,
I have actually Montezuma’s. They do peanut butter, chocolate covered peanut butter balls and they are amazing. Yeah, they’re dirty. I ate a whole bag of them last week.
Alan (1:08:48)
Whoa, that sounds good. That sounds good.
Let’s aim, let’s do some more quick fire ones. Let’s do quick fire, okay? You ready? Okay, what’s more important to you, composition, light or moment?
Amy Sampson (1:09:00)
prepped.
I’m gonna go with moment and yeah moment and then I’m hope that I can get the rest in there but yeah obviously for photographers all three are important but I think when you’re thinking about your couples and what they’re getting out of those three if you have to choose then moment it’s gonna be what means most.
Alan (1:09:10)
I agree.
Yeah, I agree. I agree
with that. agree with that. Which part of the wedding do you enjoy capturing the most?
Amy Sampson (1:09:33)
I really love the hugs, post-ceremony like, oh my god, that part because everyone’s a emotional. I also really like speeches because I love finding out about my couples because often I don’t know, you you sort of then you’ve built up a picture of them and then you start to find out who they are as people and I really enjoy that part and all the like, you know, little interactions between…
Alan (1:09:54)
Yeah, that’s true. Yeah, that’s true.
Amy Sampson (1:10:00)
their loved ones that happen that are like micro interactions. But it’s probably going to be a really packed dance floor like it’s probably my favourite. Yeah, I love, I do. You’ve seen me on the dance floor.
Alan (1:10:09)
really? Yeah. Do you dance yourself?
But it’s funny because you say that you used to be like, you know, like really far away and stuff and like look at you now then like boogying in the middle of a dance floor. It’s mad isn’t it? It’s mad.
Amy Sampson (1:10:25)
Although it’s funny because
when I first, one of the sort of early days of shooting weddings, remember like a couple were like, oh you know stay behind when you finish, like put cameras away, like I’m a party and I was like, oh yeah that’d be great because I’m really in it and on the dance floor. I remember I packed my cameras away, they were like there’s room, you can stay, packed my cameras away, got in there and then I was like suddenly acutely aware that, I’m sober, I don’t know anyone.
Alan (1:10:48)
No.
Amy Sampson (1:10:50)
And I feel suddenly really self-conscious without my cameras. Like, don’t know, I’m dancing with these people I don’t know and I just feel really stupid. And I feel like cameras, having the cameras, it’s like a special, almost like an invisibility cloak. You can go anywhere. It’s like a triple A pass. You can go anywhere and you’re entitled to be anywhere and you can feel comfortable being anywhere. Take those cameras away, very different scenario.
Alan (1:10:56)
Yeah.
I totally get that. That was another really good sound bite. You’re like the queen of sound bites here. It’s really, really good Amy. Really, really good. Okay, let’s do like two more quick ones as well. Well actually I’m not going bring up my questions. remember this one. When you were growing up as a kid or a teenager, did you have any kind of like secret crush, slippery crush?
Amy Sampson (1:11:20)
Ha!
I was a bit weird as a kid when it came to crushes and I didn’t really have crushes on like typical people. I really had a really big crush. I mean, this is funny because of how tall I am. I had a really big crush on a local jockey that won the Grand National. And we went to meet him and the horse so you could go and have a photo with it. And I was so shy and awkward that I didn’t speak to him.
Alan (1:11:43)
Yeah. It sounds good, it sounds good.
wow, really? That would have been…
Amy Sampson (1:12:04)
and the horse stood on my foot. And he’s about four foot tall.
Alan (1:12:06)
wow, gosh, that must have hurt!
wow, I mean that is a bit different, I like that, that’s good.
Amy Sampson (1:12:13)
Yeah,
so that was my secret crush. Nigel is called.
Alan (1:12:19)
and you literally got crushed by the horse’s foot as well. Yeah that’s funny. I’ve never spoken to someone before I had a crush on a jockey. That’s a good one, that’s good. And final question Amy, let’s go with do you eat the canapes?
Amy Sampson (1:12:21)
And I got crushed by the whops. I don’t have a thing about jockeys anymore.
Oh, oh, yeah, well last year I made a concerted effort to eat canapes. But the thing is I’m vegetarian, so it’s a little bit awkward. I feel canapes, I’m a bit like, no, I go to swipe one and then I’m like, I don’t know, is this sausage or, I don’t know, is it veggie? So then I have to ask and then it just makes it more difficult to just swipe. So weirdly I find it really easy to swipe cake.
Alan (1:12:41)
Hell yeah.
You
Amy Sampson (1:12:59)
That’s
fine, no qualms about that, but canapes and little bits, little bit iffy. yeah, I’d last year I was like, I’m gonna do it. And my couples would go, just go for it. But often, you know, it’s like, people come with canapes and then they see you’re a photographer and they swerve like that.
Alan (1:13:15)
Yeah, yeah,
what is that about? We don’t deserve to eat. Yeah, come back, come back. Like sometimes hang around like the kitchen entrance so you know can grab them straight away or something. Yeah, yeah, it’s like salivating.
Amy Sampson (1:13:18)
And you’re like, Yeah.
Looking hungry So so yeah,
it used to be absolutely not no chance I was too scared and then last year I did a couple of times but then I was a bit like I don’t know if can eat this because I can’t tell if it’s meat or not. Yeah, so it’s a bit like Yeah, if it’s a veggie wedding or it’s very obviously veggie then I will but yeah, I’m still building up my confidence on that front
Alan (1:13:41)
yeah, yeah, that’s fine.
That’s funny. I was thinking that if any of your couples gonna listen to this, weddings going forward, they’ll be fine with like seeing you eat a canapé. But if they see you like having like two cups of coffee or something in the morning, they’re just gonna come over to you. Yeah, they’ll just take away that drink from you. I’ll have that Amy. Not till later Amy.
Amy Sampson (1:13:58)
Yeah!
Don’t be panicking. Yeah.
Yeah, don’t offer Amy a coffee. No one offer her a coffee when she gets there.
Alan (1:14:16)
Amy, it’s been so fun talking to you. I loved it. You speak so well, you really do. And you’re just so fun to chat to as well.
Amy Sampson (1:14:23)
you say that to all your guests, so…
Alan (1:14:24)
No, but what the hell? I don’t, not
to all. If you listen, not to all, not to all. You do though. You know, so many sound bites. It’s really good. Really, really good. Anyone listening now or watching on YouTube as well, Amy’s gonna do another video with me where she’s gonna talk about all her awards, which is gonna be fab. And that is just for This Reportage members. So do head to thisrepertage.com and join as those are hours of exclusive videos. But Amy, yes, I will be seeing, if I don’t see you during this season, I will be at the front, like heckling you during your nine dots.
Amy Sampson (1:14:31)
thank you.
Alan (1:14:54)
your nine dots talk? No, I won’t, I won’t. You’ll be great. You’ll be so good. You’ll be so good. You’ll be so good. Yes, okay. Cake or vegetarian canapes and I’ll talk them on. But
Amy Sampson (1:14:54)
Please don’t throw anything at me. Unless it’s cake. Yeah.
Alan (1:15:05)
yeah, thanks so much, Amy. All the best for the season ahead. Yeah, it’s been awesome. Bye bye.
Amy Sampson (1:15:07)
thanks for me on.
