For anyone faced with the daily prospect of trying to make interesting images of grey men in grey suits shaking hands, photographing conflict seems like a breeze in terms of the picture opportunities it affords - risk issues aside of course.

The EU beat in Brussels is all about routine comings-and-goings. The routine like the working conditions hardly ever changes - the lighting remains the same, the backgrounds and even the faces are constant. It is a perpetual challenge to be creative and without succumbing to mediocrity or terminal ennui.

The European Commission has half a dozen “photo-ops” each week, usually affording two chances to make pictures of the visitors and his or her host.

First off we wait in the President’s office for him to bring the guest in. They stand a metre away from us and for about ten seconds they shake hands. Same every time, no more no less - if we are really lucky someone will scratch or gesture a guest towards a seat. Then we have a further ten seconds of them sitting on the sofa, chatting - or not.

But hey that’s fine, we always remind ourselves how lucky we are to be there in the first place with such priviledged access to the workings of the EU. Even if nothing has happened we tell ourselves the quality of our great pictures alone will merit publication.

To be quite honest we always expect that something out of the ordinary will happen, despite the fact that nothing ever does, ever. Apart from April 27, 2007 when Muamar Quadaffi paid his first visit to the EU institutions but this was an exception never to be repeated.

Our second bite is at ‘VIP corner’ where the guests talk to the media at the end of their visit. Once again the background is the same, ditto the lighting although we are on a different floor.

No problem. We keep the faith, safe in the knowledge that the desk in Singapore and our editors understand that we always make every effort to make the most of these events.

At least four times a year we get to travel to summits where the emphasis is less grip and grin and more on broader issues like agriculture, the environment or the sort of stories that might have a diplomatic impact and wider consequences.

From the example below what would you as a picture editor use to illustrate the following stories?

1 - European fishing quotas

2 - Dioxin pollution

Inspiration aside, our biggest problem is knowing who all the people are - it may not be your job but how many of the EU’s 27 national leaders can you recognise and how many Agriculture Ministers?

Who’s who?

This is particularly true of the EU leaders’ summits which take place in Brussels. Depending on the issues on the agenda we can have up to five photographers covering the event. However there can be up to 2,000 accredited media at one of these things and once again there can be huge disparity between the importance of the story and the opportunities we are given to illustrate it.

There are usually three photo opportunities per summit - arrivals, round table and the family photo.

With such slim pickings the only way we can hope to illustrate the stories of the day is in terms of the facial expressions and body language of the key players which means staying in touch with the story which requires close collaboration with our text and TV colleagues.

The round table is a real fight. With 27 delegations there are at least 100 people in the front row with many more standing or sitting behind them. In the centre are around 100 photographers and TV cameramen all striving for decent images of the players, many of whom have their backs turned. In the five minutes available you need lot of luck to get anything remotely usable particularly when you bear in mind that we have to represent the interests of all the countries we serve and not just France, Germany and the UK. You need to recognise and photograph the Estonian Prime Minister, the Cypriot and the new Czech Prime Minister as well as the heavyweights in those five short minutes in bad light in the middle of a riot. It can so easily go either way

Shooting celebrities on a red carpet it is not. Our political leaders are media savvy but in this environment they will not pose obligingly for pictures like stars at a premier.

But for all its lack of glitz and glamour this is an important story and however much of a struggle it may be to innovate and vary the pictures file , these images of grey men in grey suits illustrate issues which directly affect the lives of hundreds of millions of people.