WELCOME to the new Through the Lens feature, giving you an insight into what it takes to be a professional photographer.

This week Archant Suffolk’s Su Anderson shares the excitement of covering breaking news on deadline while Sarah Lucy Brown reveals that getting sent out on cold, muddy assignments can prove inspiring.

Su said: “Tuesday night was a good example of how something can happen close to deadline causing everyone to scramble to include it in the next day’s edition.

“I was in Sudbury photographing a bridge being put into place, then I was called to a fire a few blocks away.

“At 9.45pm I was just leaving Sudbury heading home to Colchester when I got a call saying I had to go back to Ipswich.

“A car had collided with an historic building on the corner of St Nicholas Street and Silent Street. I arrived 40 minutes after the call and luckily the car was still there and I got the shots and quickly went the block and a half to our office to get the photos into our system.

“I wanted to show where that this building was across from Thomas Wolsey’s birthplace so I pulled back and got the Wolsey statue into the frame.”

Su’s photos were used on the front page of Wednesday’s Ipswich Star.

Her tip for budding photographers: “Beware of reflective surfaces when you use flash. There’s no way to avoid signs and cones at an accident site, but if you’re photographing in general, move yourself to get the reflective surface out of the frame.”

Su was also called upon to photograph a record-breaking challenge this week.

She said: “A group of 30 school children from Messing-cum-Inworth Primary School took part in the sign2sing record breaker on Wednesday at 2.45pm. Nearly 1,000 schools took part in the Sign Health event hoping to break the Guinness World Record for largest simultaneous sign.

“This year the children were asked to wear scarves as a theme that made for some cute photographs.

“The organisers are awaiting the results from each of the schools.

“I have my fingers crossed that there were enough participants to break the record.”

Su’s tip: “Always, always, always make sure you have a school’s permission or parental permission to photograph children even if you don’t intend to identify them in photographs.”

Our photographers regularly visit the various military bases around the region to cover presentations, training exercises and even family fun days. Sarah Lucy Brown remembers one visit in particular, in 2011 she was dispatched to Colchester Garrison on an assignment that she would never forget.

She said: “More than 150 brave soldiers were given a heroes’ welcome as they returned home from a gruelling tour of Afghanistan.

“Loved ones were there to greet the troops from 2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment as they arrived back at Colchester Garrison.”

Sarah’s favourite images from this assignment are in the gallery, top right.

She added: “One of my favourite news items to photograph is the homecoming of troops. They are so emotional and it is an amazing thing to shoot, although it is all over so quickly so you have to be quick!”