A week of news - snap happy

Be in no doubt, providing coverage of optical events demands more than turning up with a dictaphone and hoping for the best.

For example, the General Optical Council does not permit the use of recording devices at its council meetings, and the photography of conferences and roundtables is always a challenge.

This week was another case in point, starting at a J&J roadshow at the Royal College of Physicians. Many of the 250 delegates there may have noticed a reporter snapping away at the front, before dashing back to his seat to scribble down notes.

The juggling act continued later at Apothecaries' Hall, home of the Worshipful Company of Spectacle Makers, which had invited Optician to cover its annual presentation ceremony.