Katherine Ryan

When Katherine was asked what she does on the panel show ‘Don’t Hate The Playaz’ she said ‘comedian and Hooter waitress’.  That’s certainly not all she is though.  Not many comedians can carry off being photographed for a fashion feature in national magazines, be funny on stage (and off stage) and be considered to be knowledgable about the hip hop scene.  Oh - did I mention that this shoot was just after Katherine had given birth to her second child.  Boom! If anyone can do it, Katherine can.

Both shoots I have done with her have been fashion lead.  This time we had the pleasure of dressing her up in a diamanté dress that weighed a ton as well as other great colourful and vibrant outfits from great designers.  Katherine had the attitude of a model - I just wear what Jennifer Michalski-Bray (the stylist) tells me to.  This was however not a fashion shoot and not a straight shoot of a comedian - but an attempt to find a good middle ground. 

Shot for Observer Magazine

Slowthai

Slowthai is the kind of subject that is a real treat to shoot.  Maybe not at first glance, but as soon as you have him in front of the camera you realise his ability to give you his all.  He brings both humour and attitude to the images.  He is Rap, punk and rock at the same time.  Short hair and expressive eyes.  He’s a bit like how I would have expected Johnny Rotten to be 40 years ago, but I’d hazard a guess that Slowthai is more approachable and friendly.  

Before this shoot I took some time to catch up on Slowthai’s music videos.  It was evident that he put a lot of emphasis on imagery and humour.  When I got access to his studio, a warehouse/storage unit style building in Northampton, we saw many of the props that were used in his videos.  As this was to promote Slowthai’s new album, we steered away from this, and found an empty shell of a room a little further down the hall.  Dusty, shelves half destroyed, old sofa and chairs and some doors off the hinges, I immediately fell in love with the location.  We started the shoot here before continuing onto an estate-style square with boarded up shops not far away from the studio. 

Such a fun guy to work with - and his music and music videos, his creative talent and strong political voice is all to be respected.

Shot for Observer New Review