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 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
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
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 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 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
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
The British have always been good at political comedy and political satire. I remember being in the UK as a teenager and my granddad always watched Have I Got News For You - (a program that hasn’t changed in over 30 years and is still very good). There have been many other programs finding the humour in the news and politics especially, and one of the current ones is the Mash Report with Nish Kumar. Nish is known for Mash Report, but also his stand up comedy and other comedy performances often dealing with politics and news.
So for this shoot with Nish I started thinking about what I could do to include a bit of humour and visually show that Nish deals with current events, news and politics in his humour. I started thinking down the lines of using newspapers as props. We all know the classic newspaper hats - but how about newspaper flowers, newspaper wigs, newspaper chairs and a newspaper cape?! I spent an evening looking into how to make it all. Emptied cupboards for tape and glue, found a good arts and crafts shop to get other bits and pieces, and lastly emptied my magazine stand for old newspapers.
I had planned to have a boys drinks and catchup session with my friends from Norway over zoom. Instead, I sat there, half chatting on zoom, whilst swearing over the newspaper roses for not doing what I wanted them to do. I got there in the end, but instead of taking 30 minutes which I had at first thought would be the case, it took 5 hours. (Anyway - now I am an expert in case anyone is looking for someone to create newspaper props.)
Armed with my newspaper props I turned up at the south London studio to prepare the final things. Nish turned up and we were ready to kick off. Nice guy! Just as you see him on TV. We talked about his A-list friends whom I have worked with (James Acaster and Joel Dommet especially), the cricket club incident - (a live show at the cricket club where he was pelted with bread rolls - and they missed,) and his up and coming comedy show. All to the backdrop of some slow dance country music.
Shot for Observer Magazine
Working with people several times allows for a different approaches and opportunities. With some people, there may be a case of struggling to come up with new ideas, but in the case of Grayson and Philippa Perry that’s not a problem. They’re a consistently moving visual subject. Constantly evolving and always interesting. I say that having photographed Grayson Perry 8 times, Philippa Perry 4 times - oh, and their cat once.
In the true spirit of Corona lockdown, this shoot took place outdoors. Just outside Grayson’s studio in fact. All brick walls and little to hand that we could use as props. I had however brought my own little stash and was ready to roll. Grayson and Philippa were hosting the second part of the Lockdown Art program. A program that sees the couple talking to celebs about art, but also ask the public to enter their lockdown art. (More series to come).
My boys were given a book called “Boys who dare to be different” from their Auntie Emma for Christmas. It’s a lovely book that looks at people in history who have dared to stand out from what is considered the norm, and have excelled in what they have done. One of the people mentioned in this book is Grayson Perry. On the shoot I mentioned this to Grayson. On the request of my kids, I asked him if what was written in the book was true. The first comment from Grayson and Philippa in unison was “but I (Grayson) am not different.” It is a comment I should have seen coming from Grayson. I also agree to a certain degree, whilst completely understanding why he is in the afore mentioned book. Would Grayson have been mentioned in the book had he just done the art work and not dressed as Claire on occasions? Probably not. Does the book then put more emphasis on Grayson’s Claire than Grayson’s many art works? Maybe. But the truth is that Claire is in itself an art piece, and Claire, more so than the amazing ceramics and tapestry Grayson does, encourages young and old alike to be who they want to be, despite the norm that group pressure and society puts upon us.
I do enjoy photographing Grayson as Grayson, or Grayson as Claire just as much. I love photographing Philippa with her characteristic black and grey hair and unmistakable glasses. Together - they bounce off each other, like raindrops on a freshly impregnated coat, like a bouncy ball in a school playground, like best friends after a long time apart, like they are each every second word in a sentence that slots perfectly together to make complete sense.
I may not be considered the kind of friend that would call Philippa and Grayson to hang out and enjoy a glass of wine together, but when I’m on a shoot with them I feel very much like a friend.
Shot for Observer New Review
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
Stephen K Amos is part of British comedy establishment. He has been at the forefront of the British comedy scene for as long as I can remember, and he is still funny! I collaborated with Stephen on this shoot to get some press and marketing images for him. A tall guy, friendly, and packed with style, turned up at the shoot in east London. A friendly chat to start with, then we hit the streets to get some outdoor images before the rain. We moved up and down an alleyway before heading back into the studio again. Change of clothes and backdrops before we managed to get Stephen moving like a Salsa God!
Not many shoots you break up half way to enjoy Jerk Chicken, Rice and Peas. (Certainly a first for our French groomer Celine who was also on the shoot,) only to continue the shoot with ‘belly full’ and sticky fingers.
Shot for Stephen K Amos
Liz Bonnin is one of the best known faces of the natural world. For those of you who are not familiar with Liz’s work, she at the forefront in the battle against plastic and reports on issues effecting the natural world. She’s a natural history presenter, biochemist, wild animal biologist, has presented Top of the Pops, and started her career by being a backing vocalist for the band The Pale. Yep - on paper that is the same as saying “living the dream”. Not only has she done all the jobs I would have loved to do (apart from my current job of being a photographer, which is pretty epic,) but she is genuinely lovely to work with.
As if she hadn’t done enough epic things already - on the shoot Liz was excited about working on the Planet Earth Live in Concert - a live show at the O2 arena. And what a show that will be when the Corona virus is finally under wraps and we are all allowed out on big events again. At the moment that looks to be spring 2022.
Shot for Saga Magazine
Just over 2 years ago I got a call from a man who called himself Gavin Ambani. He said that he was a big fan of Honey and Smoke, and the founders and main chefs, Itamar and Sarit had recommended me as a photographer. He claimed to be a part of the wealthy and influential Indian Ambani family and was looking for a photographer to take some portraits of himself, in a few selected restaurants and with a few selected chefs. He was the man behind the instagram page ‘Purebytes’ and was making himself out to be an influencer in the British and American food industry.
His initial email didn’t make much sense to me. He wanted to commission me to have some pictures on his instagram page? I said that it was not a job for me, but he suggested to come to near my studio, and buy me a coffee to discuss this further. I agreed. He said he wanted to have several of portraits and I could just name my price.
I therefore gave him a quote that would make it worth my while. He immediately agreed and we kicked off with two shoots with only a couple of days between them. One was done at Honey and Smoke and the other one at Xu Teahouse and Restaurant in Soho, London. Gavin arranged for the shoots to take place and I came up with the concepts of the shoots after having been given a few key points that he wanted to come across. The first shoot at Honey and Smoke was to show how they are a symbol of breaking down cultural barriers. Gavin wanted to be a part of this as he said he felt that the Honey and Smoke team were like a family to him. (I have recently realised that this was a feeling that was not reciprocated). I came up with the idea of having a large table and people breaking bread. The large table was to represent religions and culture, and the bread was to represent the breaking down of barriers and making peace. To make it playful and give a sign of family, I thought of the idea of pouring flour and water on Gavin.
The second shoot was meant to deal with the issue that Gavin is gay and was bullied when he was young. He said that tea was what gave him comfort when he returned home from school. His mum would always serve him a cup of tea and make him feel at ease. He also said that the instagram posts and success was a way for him to gain his parents recognition: a way for them to become proud of what he has achieved. I therefore suggested rainbow coloured tea streams to be poured into his cup, creating the colourful symbolism of being gay. Another shot I did was him floating mid air with a cup of tea, making the tea into something that allows him to escape the real world and find comfort.
Time and effort was put into these shoots. I also had expenses. “Gavin” also tried to commission me for a 3rd shoot, but after discussing the ideas for this third shoot, I said I needed to get paid for what I had already done first. This started a process of him stalling and delaying payment. He talked of, and sent emails from his “aunt” based in California. He promised several of times to pay me but never did. The excuses boarded on ridicules. I had my suspicions then that Gavin Ambani might not be who he said he was. One part of me thought that his name might not be Gavin Ambani, and he was not a part of the Indian Ambani family that he had claimed to be. I google searched Gavin Ambani, and although there were many images of the Ambani family, “Gavin Ambani” was never present. I called Itamar at Honey and Smoke once to ask if he was able to get his name from the bank card he pays with when going there to eat. But I was told that this was not possible. When I explained to Itamar why I asked, Itamar was furious with “Gavin”. Itamar, (without me asking him to) contacted Gavin and asked him to pay me. (Gavin said - although this may be completely untrue - that Itamar had called him a lot and shouted at him to pay.) “Gavin” was then furious with me for breaching a ‘confidentiality agreement’ that should supposedly have been between him and me. (Anyone who knows me knows that I keep any bad experiences of shoots to myself at all times, even without an agreement in place.) He said he was close to committing suicide due to this experience, blaming me. I had lost my patience with Gavin and had to leave it all for a while as it was making my blood boil.
I started to think of reporting him, but soon figured that any law enforcement would just brush this off as insignificant and ask me to go to small claims court. I considered taking him to small claims court, but having done this before I knew that this could be expensive and would be stressful. In return, if his name was not Gavin Ambani, he could just slip away and I would end up with more frustration and expenses. 10 months after he commissioned me I then contacted him again with a last desperate attempt to get my money. I said I was in touch with a journalist and we were going to write an article about my experience of dealing with him. The images I had taken of him would serve as supporting images. He then asked me to give him 3 weeks to get the money together. I never heard back from him again.
I never received any money from him. I left it, and considered it to be a loss of income and expenses. But in October 2020 I get a call from an American journalist called Josh Dean. Together with another journalist, Vanessa, they have created a podcast called “Chameleon: Hollywood Con Queen”. The podcast is now a 10 part series uncovering a con artist who has conned people in the Hollywood film industry since 2011. It is revealed that this con artist has managed to make people believe that he is a multiple of characters; woman, man, American, English, Indian, Indonesian, Chinese and the list goes on. He has been a film producer, production assistant, screen writer, actor, director and more. As Josh and Vanessa slowly expose this character, it becomes clear that he has also been an influencer in the UK, fooling people in the hotel and restaurant industry. I was contacted as they told me that this man was the man I knew as Gavin Ambani, and they wanted to hear my experience of dealing with him in order to help expose him.
The investigative journalism of Josh and Vanessa makes an incredibly good listen and I recommend you all to check it out. This has also made it into a big story in Vanity Fair where my images of Gavin Ambani, a.k.a Hargobind Tahliramani were used. He is now arrested in teh UK and awaiting extradition to the FBI in USA.
https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2020/11/how-we-unmasked-the-hollywood-con-queen-suspect
Published in Vanity Fair
Last time I went to Moscow I was about 16 years old. A very different place, but also a very different experience. Back then I was young, on a trip with other international students and youngsters. This time I was on a trip for the Italian food magazine Cook, Corrier Della Sera to photograph the twin chefs behind the restaurant Twin Garden. Last time I probably ate crisps and cheap sandwiches, this time I ate exclusive Michelin star food and crabs with champagne.
The idea and process of traveling to Moscow is more intimidating and different than actually being there. Apart from a taxi service on the airport with drivers aggressively approaching you, trying to trick you into paying extortionate prices, (which can remind a little of traveling to a country that relies on tourism,) apart from the blatantly apparent class difference, and apart from the size of the buildings, Moscow actually reminded me a little of Norway. It was a cold December week, but as there was no snow, it was dark most of the time. People tend to wear similar outfits to what we wear in Norway - practical navy, grey and black winter clothes. Although the architecture was grander than in Oslo - it had the same colouring and texture.
We were well taken care of in Moscow by the team behind Twin Gardens. The Michelin star restaurant (19th best in the The World's 50 Best Restaurants awards) served up vegetarian taster menus (a first in Moscow?!) with wines made from Mushrooms, tomatoes, beetroot to mention a few. Although I have to admit that the wine is not the type I would enjoy on its own whilst watching a long film, the small tasters of it served with accompanying meals - worked perfectly. Oh - and the tomatoes! Grown locally on their farm Twin Farm - they were so tasty they even made the Italians give an impressive nod.
Impressed by the restaurant in Moscow, we had a second day where they took us to their restaurant on the outskirts of the city. In the middle of a Luxury shopping mall - (and by luxury I meant LUXURY Russian style,) was the twin brothers Ivan and Sergey Berezutskiy’s second restaurant Crab and Wine. This restaurant serves only crabs and wine/champagne as indicated in the name. Here they had a large crab aquarium in the restaurant (as well as several filled aquariums with crabs in the basement). The aquarium in the restaurant was probably around 2m tall and 8 meters wide. Here the guests could get a PS4 remote to control a claw, and pick their own crab using the remote (as if out of a James Bond villain scene in a James Bond film). We were served 7 different types of crabs, on three tables pulled together to fit them all, and champagne to accompany. An experience you’ll find hard to replicate.
The chefs Ivan and Sergey were identical twins by looks, but were very different in behaviour. Sergey was the more introvert, softly spoken and didn’t speak much English, and Ivan was the opposite. (That Sergey also had the flue when we were there made it easier to know who was who when I spoke to them - not always easy when you don’t know them well). They were extremely hospitable and introduced us to the modern and traditional Russia through food. As many surprises as expectations were met.
Shot for Cook
