GEOFF HICHENS SHOOTS THE PHOTOS IN ST IVES WITH ROB DONOVAN FOR TRIODOS BANK

A week ago today - on Wednesday 18 January - between 8.30 am and 11 am, I was graced with my 'fifteen minutes of fame', Andy Warhol-style. Admittedly, it was not national celebrity. At least not yet - that twist of fate lies in the hands of the Gods in the marketing world of Triodos Bank. But it was high exposure on the waterfront of our photogenic town of St Ives. And I did have the man that Triodos chose to take the pictures - Geoff Hichens - on hand to record these 150 minutes of local celebrity.

First an explanation for the Triodos connection. Triodos is an online ethical bank that believes in using money to ensure a sustainable future. It has offered savings accounts in the past and then in 2017 Triodos launched a current account. Louise and I had been waiting for this event for a couple of years and we were among the first to switch our banking accounts to Triodos.

We live in a time of surveys and I generally steer clear of such encroachments on my time. But Triodos was different - I agreed to become a customer case study and completed a questionnaire in

early December, 2017.

Question 10 - there were 15 questions in the survey - asked: 'Tell me why it is important to you that your bank supports your values?' I replied:
'It is so good to have a bank that is committed to ethical values in a system where most banks are primarily concerned with serving the interest of their shareholders and the profit motive, excluding social values and community values.
I am a socialist and I am only too aware of the role that the banking system plays in a neo-liberal shaped capitalist system. I want to be associated with a bank that fits in with my vision of socialism for the 21st century. That vision happens to be the one that is also articulated by Jeremy Corbyn as the leader of the Labour Party.'

One thing led to another and very soon, Will Spragg - my Triodos contact - was running past me the idea of a photoshoot in St Ives. How cool is that!

Inside the Hub on the waterfront - an excellent cup of coffee!

The photos speak for themselves but they also speak volumes for the man behind the lens - Geoff Hichens. Here is a bit about Geoff who I soon found out was well known to my contacts such as Steve McIntosh, my website designer (click here!), and Toni Carver, editor of the St Ives Times and Echo (and click here):

A Little about Me - Geoff hichens

I am a well-established and highly respected professional photographer with over 30 years experience working in the news and editorial sector. My work has been featured in many international and national publications including Time Magazine, The Times, The Daily Telegraph, The Daily Mail, The Sun, The Daily Mirror, Metro and many other magazines and periodicals.

For many years I have been contracted to supply images and stories to Devon and Cornwall Media, which publishes The West Briton, The Cornishman, The Western Morning News and the Cornish Guardian.

My clients have included Renault Cars, Seat Cars, St Austell Brewery, Devon and Cornwall Media, The National Maritime Museum, South West Water, Local Councils, Holiday Companies and many various magazines and publications based in the South West of England.

I am based in West Cornwall and cover all of Cornwall and South Devon.

Geoff has a website that tells you more and you can find by clicking here.