Not nervous because of the large scale of the event; not because of the range of shots required of the guests, entertainers, band and location; and not because it was a well paid job. No, I was nervous because I work for OMD, their main competitor! Both agencies are powerhouses in Australia and regularly slug it out over pitches and bragging rights for largest billing figures. This year both agencies billed over $1 billion, ranking 1st and 2nd out of all Australian agencies.

And there was no hiding my allegiance either as several OMDers had moved to Mitchell’s and would recognise me straight away. And sure enough as the coaches arrived and the guests made their way into the venue, I was greeted with a range of comments about whether I had left OMD, whether I had joined Mitchell’s, or whether I was just plain spying on them!

But it was all in good humour and I was quickly over that hurdle and into my stride. The party went really well and so did the shoot. The crowd were up for a big night and very comfortable in front of the 5D2.  I filled a whole 8GB card with over 700 photos which were later distilled into a final cut of around 200. Here are just a few of them, starting with the venue:

The Crystal Palace

There was also an outdoor area which provided a range of excellent backdrops throughout the evening and into the night, including fairground rides and The Harbour Bridge

And of course there was action on and around the dancefloor!

At the end of the night the coaches returned and took us to the after party. And that’s when the camera went back in the bag!

Dateline: Thursday 22^nd Oct

Time: 18.30

Venue: Simmer On The Bay

Mission: Investigate rumours that eight of the biggest media agencies in Sydney were congregating for an almighty showdown, armed with sharp knives, hot plates and, er, blunt spoons.

Yes, it was that time again for the Better Homes and Gardens Agency Cook Off; think Masterchef meets Ready Steady Cook with eight pairs of budding Jamies and Nigellas fighting it out for bragging rights. Oh, and a trophy which handily doubles up as a saucepan.

There was a 50s theme to this year’s event, so the crew from organisers Pacific Magazines turned up as extras from Grease, and the Mitchell’s girls followed suit by forming a posse of pink ladies to cheer on their cooks. In fact I think the supporters from all the agencies made an effort…apart from our rabble from OMD.

Still, the proof is, as they say, in the pudding. Or rather in the stir fry, as the culinary theme of the evening was unveiled as Asian. Yep, I’m still wondering how that relates to the 50s.

Anyhoo…there were four workstations spread around the converted warehouse, meaning two first rounds with the top two agencies from each round (decided by the Danny and Sandy lookalike judges) going through to the final. There were also four proper chefs on hand to guide the teams and prevent too much hot oil from going into the woks. After all one doesn’t really want to burn down an award winning, architect designed, waterfront building does one?

To cut a long story short, OMD’s duo of Cook Off veteran Jane Whittington and newbie Cate Mathers did a proper job on the others by going through to the final and winning it! And for dessert, Jane treated everyone to a belting impromptu rendition of a presumably “sung many a time at karaoke” Hopelessly Devoted To You.

And then we all got drunk. Mission accomplished.