Some nominees from the British Independent Film Awards photographed in London
Photographed for Observer New Review
Katherine Waterson - The End We Start From
Nabhaan Rizwan - In Camera
Nathan Stewart Jarrett and George MacKay - Femme
Priya Kansara - Polite Society
Vivian Oparah and David Jonsson - Rye Lane
Mia McKenna-Bruce - How To Have Sex
Joe Lycett is not only a funny comedian, but he has a great ability to turn the aggressors into victims. Many big companies, parking enforcement offices, fraudsters and even the government have been on the receiving end of Joe’s sharp wit and ability to turn the tables. His latest letter was a fake leak of the Sue Grey report - the report that is supposed to shed light on the many parties held by the government offices during Covid lockdown. So - to show how Joe turns the tide around and make the aggressors the victim, I chose to have him photograph me whilst I photograph him. I found that to be a representation of the kind of humour that Joe is known for. I also wanted to create a setup that hinted to the Sue Grey/Partygate incident. I had an idea of writing letters on balloons and having them turn into an anagram of, for example “Downing Street Party”. However, the anagrams for this and many other things I tried weren’t really relevant. In Joe’s fake report leak he referred to ‘Downing Street’ as ‘Down It Street’ - and this became what I tried to show instead. By taking the ‘ing’ off ‘Downing’, popping the ‘g’ and turning the ’N’ into a ’T’ - Joe had successfully turned ‘Downing’ into ‘Down it’. And the street balloons remained.
Lastly, I just wanted to create fun, interesting and colourful images that didn’t have any concepts connected to them.
Joe was brilliant! Fun, down to earth, easy to talk to and followed and contributed to my instructions.
Shot for Observer Magazine
Evanna Lynch became famous through the Harry Potter series where she played Luna Lovegood - the best character name since Honor Blackman played Pussy Galore in a James Bond film. She fit her character in the Harry Potter films so well that even JK Rowling has named her as her favourite, or at least most accurately portrayed out of the film series. Since then she has made noticeable performances on stage and on screen. As well as becoming a prominent activist for animal rights and veganism she has also been a very important figure in promoting healthy self-esteem and body image for young girls, due to her own struggle with Anorexia Nervosia. The latter was also the subject of her memoir published last year, ‘The Opposite of Butterfly Hunting: The Tragedy and Glory of Growing Up’ - for which I was commissioned to take pictures of Evanna to be used on the book sleeve and to promote the book.
Evanna was such a dream to work with. She was modest and softly spoken, kind and fun. Working with Evanna was like working with a good friend. A steady but easy pace, filled with interesting conversations about her experiences, success and struggles. Talking about such issues as eating disorder from the perspective of having experienced it yourself takes enormous courage - and Evanna does this with brutal honesty.
Shot for Headline Publishing
There are few actors I am more excited about at the moment than Stephen Graham and Jodie Comer. Every role Stephen touches turns to gold. He mostly plays serious roles, and the intensity and emotions he brings to the parts he plays, hit straight home. The question with Stephen is; is it him that makes the roles he plays great? - or is he just great at sniffing out the great parts and can take them on with excellence? Either one is a great talent, and either way still makes Stephen a great actor.
And then Jodie - mostly known for playing Oksana Astankova in Killing Eve. She’s still very young so there is no doubt that next time I photograph her, (and I do hope there will be a next time,) I will be able to reel off iconic films and series that she has played in like I am able to do with Stephen if I’m put on the spot. One thing is for sure already, and that is that Jodi has a great ability to bring herself and character to her roles.
They are now playing together in the Channel 4 drama ‘Help’, a series that deals with some of the issues that arose due to Covid. Some may think that it’s too early to watch serious dramas about the social impact of Covid, but this is a gripping and touching drama that will appeal to many.
At the end of this shoot I also managed to get a frame of 10X8 analogue portrait taken of Stephen and Jodie. Unfortunately, (being the first time I have tried to do a shot of 10X8 with the time pressures that comes with editorial shoots, and only having two sheets ready to use,) the shot with Jodie had two misfires of the flash and didn’t come out. However, the shot of Stephen was everything I had hoped for.
Shot for Observer New Review
A while back I did a shoot with the brilliant actor Timothy Spall on the roof of a car park. A very different setting from this shoot with his son, Rafe Spall, in the slightly more slick Big Sky studios. The rumour was that Rafe didn’t like having his photograph taken much, something I am used to, and is often the case amongst actors. I had prepared for someone who wasn’t too keen on being there, posing in front of the camera. I prepared by relying on colours to brighten up the shoot and creating settings that didn’t demand the talent to be hugely active. However, who I met was a jovial, fun and relaxed Rafe - Jokey and stylish. Fun guy with the most perfect South East London accent. (The kind of accent, that as a foreigner, I find cool and quintessential London. The kind of accent you only have if you’ve got a pearly king suit to match.)
Rafe is acting in the series ‘Trying” - a light, fun series dealing with the difficult subject of trying for a child, but not succeeding. In fact - it looks like the filming of a third series is in the pipeline, which is always a sign of a good series with great appeal.
Shot for Observer Magazine
Bill Pullman! Where do I start? What a legend!!! This shoot, an early Saturday morning, was at the rehearsal rooms of the Old Vic where Bill was to perform the lead in the play All My Sons.
We had set up lights and backdrop and soon after, Bill turned up casually, with a plastic bag in hand filled with alternative shirts. He’s a tall guy, and the beard I had got used to after watching The Sinner was long gone. We shook hands and started to talk. The problem with Bill is that he’s not only very interesting but he is also very knowledgable and interested in listening to whomever he’s talking to. This means that we ended up talking for quite a while. The dedicated hour for the shoot had slipped my mind. Maybe I was thinking that we were both enjoying the meet, so we’ll always be able to get some more time on the end. However, after a long chat I asked the publicist who was there if we could have more time after the shoot, and I was reminded that there was an interview to take place straight afterwards. (Whoops!)
Down to business! I was well prepared and ran Bill through the different setups and finished more or less on time. We shook hands and off he went with the journalist. After I had packed down I left my business card in his plastic bag with a note saying ‘Thank you!’. A little later that day I got an email from Bill suggesting to meet again, inviting me to his mango orchard in California, of which I replied that he’s welcome to come to Hackney and see my purple sprouting broccoli.
A few weeks later, Bill comes strolling off the train in Hackney. He stops by the house and we enjoy a croissant and coffee. The conversations were genuine and honest. Bill is a true legend and a people’s man. Celebrity status with Bill is just a byline - if not an obstacle - Bill is just that interesting and honest ordinary guy who you can imagine being a good friend for life.
I hope I will get a chance to visit Bill in California one day, or he comes knocking on my door when next in town. Until then I know I will be seeing him again, on a screen somewhere, doing an excellent job!
Shot for Sunday Times Culture
