Feature in PhotoPro Magazine

I had to keep quiet about it until it was out, but the May 2010 issue of PhotoPro Magazine has a feature on me. It's four pages of my photographs and an interview including the origin of my name. The magazine is also jam packed with awesome features and I recommend you take the risk and buy a copy here or here.

Jim Marshall (RIP)

I don't usually post stuff here that isn't directly related to my work, but it is sad to hear that legendary music photographer Jim Marshall died in his sleep last night. You have all seen his work (even if you didn't realise it was his) and I found his attitude, viewpoint and work ethic truely inspiring. The above book is something I recommend you buy. Jim, RIP.

Adventures in Live Photography

Currently the trend in live photography seems to be to avoid getting anywhere near the stage, almost as if they are scared to be close to the action. I find that approach useful for documenting fine-art and performance, but rock music is supposed to be loud! I like my photos to reflect this too ;) So do my clients. I've just finished editing the pictures from the Taake show and thought I'd share a couple of them.

Just to be safe, I had better make it clear that I don't endorse hogging one spot for a show, or getting in the way of the fans or blinding the band with camera flash. It's just not cool.

'I'm Thinking of You' - Franko B

World famous and respected performance artist Franko B recently visited the Royal College of Arts to perform the installation version of his piece 'I'm thinking of you'. I was invited by the RCA to be the sole photographer to document the performance. I enjoy working with fine artists as they work closely with the photographer, involving them in the performance, making it a collaborative piece. If you are interested in learning more about this side of the work I recommend you read 'Live art on camera: Performance and Photography' edited by Alice Maude-Roxby.
Now that the artist has approved the images, I am free to post some examples here, To read more about the performance and to see a slideshow gallery of the images, please click here to visit Franko's site.

Interview and feature on thequietus.com

Recently thequietus.com interviewed me about my first book, where I was granted 'behind-the-scenes' access to document much of the modern alternative music scene, suspension performances and tattooing across the UK. I was also asked to compile a list of some of my favourite songs for the feature too. The interview, photographs and soundtrack can be found here : here. While you are there I recommend you look around the whole site as it really is one of the best written pop/culture sites around at the moment.

To find out more about the book, please click this link here.

Tiny Teeth.

Tiny Teeth are a husband and wife team that write, record and produce musical scores for mobile device applications. Generally people in the creative industry don't automatically switch off at the end of a working day and it is often impossible to make a separation between them and their art. I was invited into their home to produce some editorial images which reflect this, as well as capturing some of the chemistry between them . It didn't take me long to come up with the concept of Ed and V sitting on their sofa surrounded by an arsenal of instruments and recording equipment.

These are some of my favourite shots from the session, as they really capture the essence of the partnership. We also shot some images for publicity, this time going for a low-key image focusing purely on the relationship between the two, using only simple props to give context.

No Rest on Friday

I had intended to spend most of today editing my pictures for my upcoming project and exhibition. Instead fate had a much more exciting day planned for me. First off was a shoot with the bassist and guitarist(s) from DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN. The band played an intense set that afternoon and I managed to survive about half of the set(the good news is so did my camera). The evening was a lot more mellow seeing NEBULA play, and it was interesting to see what the new drummer (from Hot Hot Heat) was able to bring to their live show.

Hellfire and other Updates.

I've been a bit slack with updating this blog over the last two weeks... sorry about that. I have a good excuse. Really. Honest I do. Actually I've been working on the planning for a new project that I'm quite excited about and I've already got the results from the first shoot, which were way above the standard I was expecting to achieve for it. When I sent through the tearsheet I got a phone call a few minutes later expressing how pleased they were. Getting a call like that makes for a good start to the working day.

Some of the things I have been working on I'm not allowed to show until after they have been published, so to make up for it I'm including some photos from a recent performance I shot at the Hockney Gallery @ RCA. The pieces were performed by Leah Capaldi, Mylen Eliot and Andi Walker.