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

Sarah Solemani

This shoot with Sarah Solemani took place just around the corner from where I live.  Although Sarah is now based in LA, she grew up in Hackney, London.  The backdrop for this shoot was Ridley Road Market, now a bustling culturally diverse market - but once the battleground for the 62 Group, a collection of anti-fascists who stood up against the rising Neo-Nazi movement in Britain after WW2.  This conflict was the basis of Sara Solemani’s BBC drama, based on the book Ridley Road by Jo Bloom.  

The film deals with a part of history that I did not know about before Sarah told me about it.  What is now such a culturally diverse community and market is miles away from the Neo-Nazi conflict of post war Britain.  

This shoot was more a matter of walking through the market with Sarah, searching for backdrops that I felt would be suitable as we went along.  Sarah, nice and relaxed in what is an environment she is used to from her younger days, easily chatted to me and the people in the market alike.  One man proposed to her and I got invited to hang out in LA with her! - no doubt in my mind that Sarah is as nice as they come.  

Shot for Observer New Review

James O'Brien

It’s not long since I stopped categorising my newsletters.  One of the reasons I stopped was that some shoots just didn’t fit into my most common subject matters, and therefore got left behind.  For example, I sat on a folder with politicians and topical/political journalists without ever sharing these.  James O’Brien was one of those shoots - shot in September 2020, when the Covid lockdowns had given us a little breather to work normally again.  

This was a cover shoot with James O’Brien, the politically focused news radio presenter from LBC.  I first became aware of him around the time of the Brexit vote in 2016, and ever since he has become a cornerstone of reason in the conversation about Brexit as well as other politically news orientated causes.  

James turned up at the studio, forthcoming, friendly and modest.  That’s it with James - he’s a hard one to disagree with, but he’s always inclusive, open to listening and friendly.  People have called into his show only to be cut down by his masterful ability to argue his point.  However, he only cuts people off if their arguments are badly thought through or if they have been misled.  In fact, he always seems to enjoy a good discussion as long as the opposing argument is well founded. 

A second part of the shoot took place at LBC radio station in Leicester Square, central London.  Not the easiest place to rock up with 11 bags - especially as Covid restrictions still ruled and I was asked to come without assistant.  But nice to get him in his element.

Shot for the Observer Magazine

David Spencer Percival

David Spencer Percival’s office was exactly how I imagined my office to be when I close my eyes.  Nice and tidy, good taste in art and design, and a bar cabinet should a fellow colleague stop by for a little chat. David has been the founder of very successful botanical drinks company and energy company before now running the life science recruitment business Life Science People.  

David was fun, friendly and charming.  Many stories of his art work collections and trips abroad lightened up the conversation whilst we were working.  

Shot for Recruiter Magazine

Flashback

The Flashback series for the Guardian Saturday Magazine continues, and here are four of the latest shoots that have been published. My shoots replicate images of celebrities from their younger days.  

Here we have JLS, Sadie Frost with her mum Mary, AJ and Curtis Pritchard and Vick Hope with her mum Ade

Shot for Guardian Saturday Magazine

Dame Eileen Atkins

Dame Eileen Atkins, winner of a BAFTA, EMMy award and Olivier Award, was appointed the Commander of the Order of the British Empire and Dame Commander of the Order of British Empire.  Now - how’s that for an opening sentence on your Wikipedia page?!  

The thing about Eileen (and yes - I was told to drop the Dame when I spoke to her so I continue on a more casual first name basis here too), is that she is so casual and pleasant to deal with.  Her place, a wonderful and charming house in the West London, is a long way away from where she grew up, as the daughter of a meter reader in Tottenham.  She had that charm that comes with the more senior generation of the British acting world.  There is a relaxed attitude there, a playfulness.  I have seen the same in many of the British traditional actors and actresses.  They started acting because they loved the work, not to become famous, and the joy they feel due to living the life they have always wanted to is worn on their sleeves.  

Eileen was 100% lovely!  Fun, charming, natural and playful - all at once.  She has just released her autobiography (up to the age of 30) and I bet it will be a great read.  Just seeing the pictures from her young days which are in the book is great fun.

Shot for Observer New Review

Massimiliano and Raffaele Alajmo

I have too admit that the introduction to this trip to Padua didn’t bode well for an amazing meal.   We rocked up to a roadside hotel on the side of a semi industrial district of Padua, Sarmeola di Rubano, at about 11pm.  The hotel, only a few hundred meters from our final goal and objective of the trip, the acclaimed restaurant Le Calandre.  The hotel had closed and we had to call and wake up the staff to come and let us in.  There we were met with a hotel that felt like Miami Vice on a budget.  I eventually got to my room quietly hoping that the Le Calandre, a couple of hundred meters down the road, would be considerably better.

When I first saw the restaurant from the outside it didn’t look like we were up for much of an improvement.  The restaurant entrance and windows looked good, but the building looked more like a mix between a South of France building estate and an industrial warehouse.  However, as soon as we walked into the bistro that is in front of the restaurant itself, we realised we were somewhere special.  Le Calandre restaurant is run by the two brothers Massimiliano and Raffaele Alajmo.  Max (Massimiliano) is the chef and took the restaurant in 1992 and took it from one to two Michelin stars in 1996, making Max the youngest ever chef to get two Michelin stars at the age of 22.  At the age of 28 Max gained the restaurant its third Michelin star, making him the youngest ever chef to get that accolade.  The restaurant has maintained its three Michelin stars ever since and Chef Alajmo has been given the nickname “Il Mozart dei fornelli” (The Mozart of the stoves).

The restaurant is a family business run by the two brothers Max and Raf.  The adjoining bistro is run by their sister Laura.  The restaurants were previously run by their parents Erminio Alajmo and Rita Chimetto.  The family now run several of Italian and international restaurants as well as having a bakery section that supplies food to external shops, bistros, restaurants and cafes.  

So - when a chef like Max, receives me with open arms and insists that it is a true pleasure to be photographed by me, then it is a true sign of his humility and generosity.  We did not only get to eat the taster menu at Le Calandre, which was exceptional! - but we were also invited to dine in the Bistro and their new restaurant on St Mark’s Square.  For the latter we were transported on a wooden speedboat, not unlike what you see in a James Bond Movie.  

The restaurants run by the Alajmo family do not only provide excellent food, but also an experience that makes you smile and laugh, makes you excited and stimulate all your senses.  So - to call Max the Mozart of the stoves may be an understatement.  

Shot for Cook Magazine

Tiffany

You do not have to be around in the 80’s to know Tiffany - but it helps.  I remember her biggest hit very well, as it was a big hitter just as I was in my most impressionable age.  Well - she’s back!  Or, has she always been back but just not on my radar?  

This shoot took place at a rehearsing studio in Brighton where she was rehearsing with her band prior to a UK tour.  

Shot for Observer New Review

Rob Brydon

My first shoot with Rob Brydon was way back when he played the taxi driver Keith Barrett. Since then I have been commissioned by several different publications to photograph him, I’ve shot a live DVD cover with Rob and the poster to his live standup tour. This shoot was promoting a youtube podcast series where he interviews other comedians and celebrities. The show is a result of Covid, and is an entertaining and fun podcast with Rob having a banter with close celebrity friends, comedians and actors he has worked with and knows well.  The beauty with Rob is that his comedy is not loud and in your face.  Working with him is like having a relaxed banter amongst friends with his sharp whit injected into the conversations.  He is a normal family dad, talking of his love for Bruce Springsteen and comedy films such as Daddy’s Home.  He doesn’t keep this part of his life separate from his comedy but incorporates it, and makes it flow as natural as it can be.  No point in taking yourself too serious, as that would only allow for you to be ridiculed by subtle comments perfectly placed.  Always a pleasure working with Rob and I can only hope I will do so many more times in the future. 

Shot for Observer Magazine

James Acaster

It still surprises me that some people have not yet heard about James Acaster.  I have, in the last couple of months introduced this comedy genius to at least 10 people, and that is without going from door to door selling him like a Jehovah.  He is in my eyes one of the funniest guys around, with his non offensive, quirky, off the wall stand up shows, his nonsensical presence at panel shows, creative humour at it’s best, and dare I say - literary comedy genius.  (I am of course only saying this as I have shot his two book covers and hope to have the book go down in history as literary milestone).  

Reading James’ Wikipedia, especially the section under Music Career, reads like a part of James’ comedy, and probably is.  James has turned his real life happenings into comedy gold and first came to my consciousness as a guest on the Josh Widdicombe show, where he told stories of incidents in his life.  This later also became his first book, ‘Classic Scrapes’.  For that first book cover, James brought in a lettuce head, something he used to get sent to him by fans relating to something he had mentioned on his podcast.  This latter book cover went all out and created a window space for James.  This was to give a nod to Leonard Cohen’s last album cover.  And in this book - ‘Perfect Sound Whatever’ - James talks of unfortunate incidents in his life and the power of musical a tool of comfort. 

Lastly, James is just a brilliant guy to work with.  Chilled, funny, genuine and quirky - a perfect mix.  You just can’t imagine him not being everyone’s best friend.  

Shot for Headline Publishing