Online Journalism News

Freelancer of the fortnight: Robert Bluffield, UK

Click here to see Robert Bluffield's full freelance profile on Journalism.co.uk.

Why did you choose to become a freelancer?
I had worked in advertising for 10 years but my lack of a degree meant that my career was going nowhere. I started working for a photographic studio part-time on Saturdays and this led me towards starting my own business.

I had always written - mainly sports and general interest articles for the local press in north London - and after starting my photography business I also began writing features for photographic consumer magazines.

I have always seen photography and my writing going hand-in-hand and I seem to have a talent for both. In 1979 the articles in the photo press inspired my first book which, at that time, was really the only British instructional manual on wedding photography. This was commissioned by Focal Press and the book is still available on Amazon for one penny!

If you trained, where? If not, how did you become a freelancer?
I did not train as such although I had a thorough induction into social photography. I gained a lot by reading books and attending seminars on the photography side but I have never had any formal training as a writer although I am inspired by the former Sunday Times editor, Harold Evans.

Do you specialise in any particular field and what areas do you write about?
I have a lot of specialities really, but find, with adequate research I can write about most things.

I write regularly for a business and a lifestyle magazine from the same stable so I produce business profiles, interviews, car test drives, restaurant reviews and articles on health, travel, politics and current affairs and on local events.

I have also started to specialise in airline history and have just had my latest book 'Imperial Airways - The Birth of the British Airline Industry 1914-1940' published, which has been a mammoth labour of love for the past 10 years.

Which publications have you been published in?
All kinds really, some of which no longer exist: local newspapers, Airliner World, Amateur Photographer, People in Camera, Photography, Inside Business, Inside Living, Discover Bedfordshire and Silk Air In-flight magazine, to name a few. I also write camera reviews for a website.

Which articles, in which publication, are you the most proud of?
It is really difficult to say, but I am pleased with a couple that are due to be published in November on Sir Freddie Laker and on Croydon Airport.

I was also proud of a feature I wrote on the former Hong Kong airport at Kai Tak and a feature on Kerala. I put a lot of effort into my work and although I may not be the fastest writer I do try to be accurate through in-depth research and by being factual.

The aviation-related articles have/will be appearing in Airliner World and a forthcoming publication on Classic Aviation. Kerala was in Inside Living and is online.

What are the best and worst aspects of freelancing?
The best aspect is being able to meet new people and to experience their lifestyles and job functions. I also enjoy working at home more as I get older.

The worst problem is trying to get paid and what really angers me is that some publishers are on your back to meet their tight deadlines, but when it comes to getting paid they tend to forget all about you. You have to also be careful about those that 'play the field' and move from freelancer to freelancer, but pay nobody. This tends to happen quite a lot and there seems to be a vast number of sharks about.

Do you have any interesting anecdotes in relation to your experience as a freelancer?
I am often amazed at coincidences that have occurred: recently I wrote a historical article about a building for a magazine distributed in Bedfordshire. I received a letter from somebody in Nottinghamshire who had picked up the magazine somewhere and he was asking for some more information. I recognised the name on the letter (although he hadn't twigged who I was) and it transpired that he was once the director of a photo-laboratory in Mansfield, who I had met 10 years ago when they did some of my printing.

This type of thing happens to me regularly and I have had chance encounters with people in diverse parts of the world who have been in some way connected to me or people that I know.

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