My main job is getting information about what's going on each day and deciding how to apply that to pictures. The bulk of that is related to current affairs.
New technology has had huge implications for smaller photography agencies. The first big change was the development of ISDN lines, which allowed very fast transmission of graphic images over the telephone line. That combined with technology that allowed photographers to scan images into computers.
More recently, the digital camera has meant agencies like our own can compete with the major international agencies like Reuters, PA, etc. No matter where a photographer is, your image goes straight on to a disc, get downloaded onto the laptop and immediately transmitted back to the office via the mobile phone.
It's made a huge difference for agencies like us. The competition now isn't who can deliver first, but who has the best image. Obviously the bigger agency can afford to have people in every corner of the earth, but they've lost the edge in terms of speed of communication.
One of the most frustrating parts of the job is finding out what's going on. You have to be in constant contact with government information services, department press officers and political contacts.
I wake up very reluctantly at 7.30 a.m., switch on Morning Ireland and listen as well as possible to it, falling back asleep now and again! You often find out the Taoiseach will be at a certain meeting or something, and we'd have to have someone there. I get up at 9 a.m. and have breakfast, then I call the agency regarding any changes to the schedule. I check news sites and teletext for any further information.
When I reckon I'm pretty up to date, I head into the office. I check the morning papers to see what hits we've had - that is, which newspapers have used any of our photographs - and mark them out so the organisations can be invoiced and we get paid. Then I'd have a read of the papers to see what might be happening later that day, that week, or over the weekend.
On the hour I listen to the news and continue checking teletext and websites.
The process of matching previously taken file photos to breaking stories is ongoing all day. When we identify pictures we have that are relevant to a new story, they have to be released immediately to the papers, so the pics are there before editors have even gone looking.
Then I'm also checking pictures coming in from our photographers and deciding which to send to the papers.
Invariably assignments clash and I reluctantly have to leave the office to do things myself. Events arise suddenly that have to be covered and throw things into disarray.
Somethings I make a positive decision to cover an event myself, where I feel my interest and knowledge of current affairs is important to covering an event. I'd look for the particular pic that will tell something else about the story. They're the sort of pictures that may not see the light of day for months or years, but at some point in time, they'll be relevant.
The picture I took of Charlie Haughey shaking hands with Ben Dunne is a good example. Ten years ago there was no interest in that - then when the story about Dunne giving Haughey all those hand-outs broke, it became one of out biggest-selling pics.
Then I'd begin drawing up the list of events for the following day. That usually brings us to the 6 p.m. news, and I'd get a bit more information there. I try to have something planned for the evening - otherwise I seem not to be able to find the door out of the office!
In conversation with Jackie Bourke
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