Stephen Mangan - Happy Christmas!!!

Last time I photographed Stephen Mangan, there was a birthday theme, and this time - the shoot is also a birthday; ‘Christmas’.  Mangan already looked the part as he plays Scrooge in the West End this Christmas.  My job was to bring the tree, snow and some decor.  We made the tree fly, put on as many fairy lights as I could get my hands on and wrapped up some Christmas pressies for him to kick about. 

Happy Christmas and a very Happy 2022 to you too (when it eventually gets here). 

Shot for Observer New Review

Samuel West

This was my last shoot of 2020 and, as this ‘Christmas thing’ is quite an obvious seasonal, I haven’t had the chance to share it before now.

Samuel brought his chilli jam, something all his friends and family fondly receives every year. (He also gave me a jar and it was TASTY!)

Shot for Observer Food Monthly

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

Ravneet Gill - Diwali

First time I worked with Rav was for a mothers-day shoot.  I was commissioned to photograph her, her mum and her grandma in one shot.  When they turned up I did not only meet very nice, fun and friendly Rav, but her mum and grandma were great characters too.  Such a great trio!  I have to admit that there was a slight language barrier between Rav’s grandma and me - but somehow the humour and a sense of understanding each other was definitely there. 

So - it was with great pleasure that I received a commission to photograph the trio again.  This time to coincide with Rav’s new book release - as well as the celebration of light day, Diwali.  Rav had also brought some friends over to help enhance the feeling of festivity. 

In order to give an impression of us celebrating Diwali - I wanted to create a dark and atmospheric room with candles and food decoration.  I was sent props to use and the shoot was to take place in Rav’s place. I was given 2 hours to setup and shoot, but Rav was happy to extend the time a little when I got there.  2 hours was tight, but especially as I got there to see a 3 meter diameter glass dome above the room we were shooting in, and it was a bright sunny day.  One thing is to expose the daylight away with flash, but I also needed to bring some atmosphere out with the candles.  I took what blankets I had, ripped off the paper backdrop and got ready to cover as much of the glass dome as I could.  However - the glass dome was 6 meters above me so the only way to get to it was to climb through a tiny window, in the top end of Rav’s bedroom window, to get to the roof.  I am already not a very flexible with my almost 2 meter height, seeing me climb through that window was a sight to behold.  (I never knew I could get my knee behind my ears - a move I had to perfect to get out.). I covered what I could of the window and got on with setting up the grand Diwali celebration table with the props I had.  We managed to create a setting that had some of the intended atmosphere.  Rav’s friends and family were not only lovely to work with, but managed to look and act relaxed and festive.

Rav comes across as a nice and friendly person when on TV. Having met Rav on several occasions now, I can truly vouch for her being the friendly, fun, and a sparkly, kind person.  Having met her friends and especially her family, also gives a depth to understanding who Rav is, and she is exactly as you would hope from seeing her on TV.  

I hope to work with Rav again, and if her mum and grandma is there too then that’s a-ok with me.  Maybe next time we’ll get them all posing as Charlie’s Angels.  I can especially see Rav’s grandma Biji getting into that…

Shot for Waitrose Food Magazine

Flashback!

The Guardian Weekend Magazine has just had a redesign and relaunched under the new name Guardian Saturday Magazine. With the new redesign they have introduced the weekly feature ‘Flashback’. This weekly feature is about celebrities contributing a picture from the old days and they tell a story about that picture and that time in their lives. I have been been commissioned to do most of these shoots and so far it’s been very challenging but also really fun. Here are the first 4 shoots in the series that I have been involved in, with the help of Andie Redman who is responsible for the props and set:

• Sophie Elis Bextor and mum Janet Ellis

• Pepsi and Shirley

• Sindhu Vee and her dad

• Jamie Lang

Shot for The Guardian Saturday Magazine

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

Gareth Thomas

Having grown up in Norway, I have to admit that Rugby has never been on my radar.  However, having married a Welsh woman, the game came as part of the parcel.  I still have a hard time getting my head around all the rules, but I have started enjoying watching the game.  I also admire the physicality of the game.  The men and women who play the game sure aren’t afraid of a few bumps and bruises.

Gareth Thomas is welsh by name, and welsh by game!  Yes - one of the most well known and respected Welsh rugby players.  Not only has he shown guts and courage on the pitch, but he has also been open about his sexuality and having been diagnosed as HIV positive.  Gareth has had guts to come forward writing books about his experience, his sexuality and his diagnosis.  This shoot was for Gareth’s last book, a frank tale of his own life and experiences.  

This shoot took place at a golf club in Wales.  We had the changing room to our disposal.  Gareth, was as fun and kind as you’d hope he would be.  It’s a characteristic I find many of the rugby players have photographed are not brash or arrogant, but friendly and forthcoming.  

Shot for Penguin / Ebury Press

Stephen Graham and Jodie Comer

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

Elton John and John Grant

It’s not every day you get an invite to Elton’s fairytale mansion.  Of course, the invite would have been a little more special had it been an invite for lunch, but I’ll settle for an invite to photograph Elton in his place. It is however really unfortunate that we are in Covid times, as the restrictions on where we could shoot meant we were could only shoot outside. I can only imagine how dazzling the inside of his house would be.  

Elton is helping promote the artist John Grant, so the shoot was of the two together.  Not much time and restricted to one setup, but we managed to get a backdrop up, battle the summer breeze and plow through the summer heat.  Admittedly my face mask at the end bore proof of the heat and the rush to get it all done in the allocated time.

It was a shoot with tinted sunglasses, Gucci outfits and Talk-Talk T-shirts, Rolex watch and Doctor Martin boots.  

Elton was friendly and professional.  He knew what was expected of him.  John was genuinely humble, kind and lovely to work with.  Next time I hope to get to shoot them individually.  Not just one frame on a 10X8 analogue camera (which I managed to squeeze in) - but two whole shoots with them individually.  But as I started off saying - with Elton you take what you can get.

Shot for the Observer New Review

Phil Wang

The comedian Phil Wang is now publishing a book and his live performances are on Netflix.  Life is surely good for Mr Philly Philly Wang Wang!  (The idea behind this shoot was to have Phil in the spot light on stage.  The man of the moment!  We found a small, rundown church in Camden. I brought the spot and the smoke machine and set up so we could see the beam of light on Phil.  That is, just after I had found the 5 smoke alarms, dismounted them and hidden them all outside in the bushes to avoid them going off.

Phil was a nice guy.  Quiet maybe, but I think he’s openly claimed to be quiet and a little introverted. In fact - that is part of what he’s about.  It’s a part of what makes him funny. I find people like me more and find me funnier too - the more quiet I am. Go figure?!  (According to my youngest son, I’m the least funny guy in the world.  It doesn’t stop me from trying and it’s a badge I carry with pride.)

Shot for Observer Magazine

Isy Suttie

I knew Isy best for her part as Dobby in the brilliant sit com show Peep Show.  So before this shoot I thought I’d arm myself with some additional Isy Suttie knowledge.  She’s brilliant at combining music and comedy - one of the hardest things to do well in the world of comedy.  Some of her best live performances is exactly this - Isy with a guitar, armed with comedy gold lyrics.  

Isy was very sweet on the day.  The ideas I had came organically, using what I had to hand at the studio and Isy’s willingness to play ball.  We also lucked out as her Paul Smith top made her totally merge into a screen that was at the studio.  Nothing wrong with a bit of luck!

Shot for Observer New Review

Philippa Perry

I have now worked with Philippa on 5 separate occasions.  I’ve photographed her with her husband Grayson, with her cat Kevin, with tears in her eyes leaving the screening of Toy Story 3 (and who did not shed a tear in that one???) and a couple of times on her own.  I hope Philippa doesn’t mind me saying that working with her is more and more like working with a friend.  Not only has she got her look down to a T with her colourful outfits, grey streak in the hair and colourful, thick framed glasses - but she genuinely just wants a shoot to be fun.  She treats it like a playground, which is a refreshing and welcoming attitude to a shoot that is supposed to be uplifting fun.  

Philippa is the new Agony Aunt for the Observer Magazine.  Taking over after 20 years of advice to the British public from Mariella Frostrup.  I have already sneakily asked Philippa for advice on a few issues when photographing her, and I have to admit, that if I was to write to someone to get advice on personal matters, then Philippa would be one of the first on my list.  Her replies just make sense.  I know that her role as an Agony Aunt for the Observer will be one filled with not only great advice, but also humour where and when appropriate.  In fact - if we all write in and get some advice then I firmly believe that this world will be a little more colourful and brighter, as we all emerge from our homes a little more confident in our own decisions and insecurities.  

So - take pen to hand, dig deep and get writing.  Lets get Philippa working hard for her money!

Shot for Observer 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

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

Hannah Peel

I met Hannah for the first time, over Skype in the end of the first lockdown in 2020.  Hannah had agreed to take part in my personal project Rear View Window, photographing people in isolation due to Covid, from around the world.  I instantly warmed to Hannah.  She has one of those personanilities that instantly makes you feel welcome, even if she is 500 miles away in the north of Ireland, and not there in front of me in person.  We spoke a little about her great work as a musician and radio host, before I directed her around her house in Belfast.  Her house was like a musician’s dream - filled with sound proof rooms, mixing tables, microphones , piano, harp and other instruments.  The view was of the Irish sea. What’s not to like?!

It was such a surprise to get a message from Hannah a few months later saying that the Observer were going to do a feature on her and she’d asked her PR to suggest me to take the portrait for the feature.  

A week later, Hannah was in London for a 48 hour trip, to record with an orchestra.  One day was set aside for the shoot, but unfortunately London was in total lockdown, and the weather forecast was 100% rain.  Oh!!!  

Hannah and I talked, I suggested a few places where we might find some cover, but that were not very relevant to Hannah or her work.   Hannah eventually suggested that we could get access to a music shop in North London called Audio Gold.  Talk about a perfect venue!  It had the retro recording equipment from the same period that Hannah sampled on her new album Fir Wave.  As Hannah explains:

“The specialist library label KPM, gave me permission to reinterpret the original music of the celebrated 1972 KPM 1000 series: Electrosonic, the music of Delia Derbyshire and the Radiophonic Workshop.”

I turned up to the shop an hour before Hannah.  The place was filled with second hand record players, amplifiers, speakers, vinyls and anything else you can imagine that has to do with music.  It is a treasure trove for all music enthusiasts.  A place where all your dreams come true, and the people who work there have the knowledge and are friendly enough to care.  It was a perfect fit for Hannah.  Not only is Hannah someone who is knowledgable about all instruments and how to combine them with technology, but her passion for all things ‘sound’ fits right in with the ethos of the shop.  (And I managed to buy myself a vinyl of the live album Live at Carnegie Hall - Bill Withers - I love it!)

Hannah seemed like a good friend from the first word we spoke, remotely over Zoom.  We’ve kept in touch since - and although we have only spoken a few times, it feels like I’ve known her for ages.  Some people just make you feel at ease when you speak to them, and Hannah is just one of those people.  Apart from the good news that Hannah has released the album Fir Wave - she is now also back on the air waves with her radio show Night Tracks - a show that gives that nice comforting feeling.    

Shot for Observer New Review  

Lauren Laverne

Our radio DJs have been saviours for many of us people during lockdown.  This shoot with Lauren Laverne was shot in true Covid lockdown fashion; outside and socially distanced.  Just outside the BBC Radio broadcast building in Central London, we waited,  ready to photograph Lauren as she finished her breakfast show for BBC6 Music.  It was requested that I took some shots of her with the iconic BBC entrance behind her, but when I looked across the street, I saw a building site that made for a much more interesting image.  Especially in contrast with Lauren’s flowery dress.  

Shot for Observer New Review

Anoushka Shankar

Anoushka Shankar is not only the daughter of the world’s best known Sitar player but she is also an incredibly talented Sitar player herself. There was an incredibly calm aura about Anoushka as well as being friendly, fun and kind.  Am I right in saying that the feeling of calm goes hand in hand with the image of Sitar?!  Although I think that’s the case, the complexity of playing an instrument like the Sitar should surely make one wired, and not calm.  The sitar, is hugely personal, often custom made, and has an almost religious aura about it.  I had a blanket for this shoot and had to stand above Anoushka to photograph her.  To be able to be on the blanket where Anoushka was playing the sitar, I had to take shoes off.  Not to preserve the state of my blanket, but because I was on the blanket with the Sitar.  A respectful way to treat such a complex instrument.

This shoot was for the Observer Food Monthly so an element of food needed to be included.   As well as turning lettuce leafs into a pattern that would correspond with the pattern of my blanket, I also made a Sitar out of a Squash and had the lettuce leaves on Anoushka’s shoulders, almost like the base of some angel wings. 

Shot for OFM

Sheku Kanneh-Mason

Sheku is a Cellist who won the 2016 BBC Young Musician award.  Young and funky looking guy with a Cello!  A nice, gentle man, who has enjoyed a lot of fame since 2016, most noticeably for playing at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding. 

This shoot was for OFM magazine and therefore included food. I thought of putting fruit and veg as notes on a piece of paper that he could play.  Maybe the music play out loud is not the most appropriate, but it was the first that came to hand when I searched online.  

Shot for Observer Food Monthly

Rafe Spall

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