Slash

Guess who!?

 A perfect design in himself. He can be photographed in silhouette, from above, from below, just a small part of him in a shot and in many other ways – yet there would be no doubt of who is in front of the camera.  A legendary guitarist and a walking, talking visual logo!
I was given a guitar showroom to shoot Slash in. I felt that it was too obvious, too cliché and maybe lacked proper character.  So – having noticed the parking lot as I parked my car, I found this location to be a lot more representable for this image of cool.
He turned up in a car with blacked out windows, the only way to travel when you’re as recognisable as Slash. Nice and chilled, and when I said I was from Norway he started to educate me on my own country and the history of Norwegian Horror films. To be honest – I didn’t even know there were any Norwegian horror films. So – I take my hat off to someone who gave me the soundtrack to 1992 and will continue to impress with his music for many years to come. 

Javier Bardem

This was probably one of the shoots I was looking forward to the most this last year.  Javier Bardem has not only played in two of my favourite films of the last decade, “No Country For Old Men” and “Biutiful” but he has a look and attitude that commands good images. 
As far as I am concerned he’s one of the most versatile and one of the best actors around at the moment.  His looks demands respect, yet his charm makes you feel welcome in his company, which is why he is the perfect Bond villain. 
 The cat, a world map and a golden gun (made by me), were all subtle references to Bond villains included in one of the shots.   The problem was of course to keep this cat in its place, especially as time was short.
 As well as some more straight shots of Javier I also wanted an image paying homage to the iconic 'down the barrel of a gun' image at the start of the bond films.  

Harry Belafonte

I had the true pleasure of meeting the legend that is Harry Belafonte a little while back.  Everybody has heard of him and I am also very familiar with a lot of his work – but it was only when I did the research before the short that I realised what a legend he actually is.  Let's just say that if he was British he would surely be Sir Harry Belafonte by now.
The soft silky voice that introduced Calypso to the world.  “The Banana Boat Song” is a song that only needs to be mentioned in order for it to be stuck in the mind for the rest of the day.  “Come Mr Tally Man, tally me banana…..”  Everybody sing:  “Dayyyy-oooo!!!!!!!!”  However, not only has Harry Belafonte shown his talents through music but he served in the US Navy during the WW-II, he acted in his early days with Sidney Poitier, Marlon Brando, Tony Curtis…. Belafonte was one of the most prominent campaigners for civil rights in the American South and has also been politically involved ever since.  all his accomplishments are too many to mention in a picture lead blog but the fact is that he is IMPRESSIVE!!!!
I jumped at the chance to meet and photograph the man, even if it was limited to a very small hotel room with no character and 5 minutes.  At the age of 85 he still smiles and is as charming as they come. Respect in every aspect!!!! 

Wayne Coyne

Wayne Coyne must be one of the most charismatic musicians out there at the moment.  Not only is his music a great experience in itself but his live shows are renowned for being experimental, fun and totally over the top. When I got the commission to travel to Belgium to photograph Wayne on the last leg of his tour I jumped at the chance.  It was bound to be a job rich with visual pickings.
We met up with him at his hotel in Brussels before we joined Wayne and the Flaming Lips on the tour bus to go to the festival.  A fairly non eventful bus ride.  I expected a party bus with a bar and loud blaring music, but it was more like a half empty National Express bus: Quiet and everybody keeping themselves to themselves.
Arriving at the festival we were met with a crowd covered in mud, and the ground looked like a McDonalds chocolate milkshake factory gone berserk.  Backstage at the festival was also pretty non eventful.  No one getting trashed on booze and drugs, no irrational behaviour from diva like celebrities and no skimpy dressed dancers and groupies trying to secure Wayne's hand in marriage.  Rock'n Roll behaving respectfully!
I have to admit that I did expect Wayne to be a tricky one to deal with.  It's often the case with big personalities.  But it ended up being a job of the unexpected.  Wayne was just a nice guy, up for a good time, game to go along with my ideas and suggestions.  It seemed to me that Wayne was not being precious about his extravagant stage show and music but creates his show purely to have a good time.
I was on the side of the stage during the show.  A great place to be to see the machinery that creates the famous Flaming Lips show.  However, photographing from the sideline was almost impossible as the crew were running forth and back with props constantly - distracting for a plain view of Wayne performing.
As the shoot drew to a close and it was time to leave the festival I made sure to thank Wayne for his time and contribution.  In reply Wayne requested last favour: "Make me look cool!" - in all honesty - he fulfilled this request all on his own.

Sir Peter Blake

Sir Peter Blake is the English pop artist best known for his design of the Beatles album cover Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart Club Band - one of the most iconic album covers ever made.  We were invited to his studio in Chiswick to take his portrait.  
Tucked in behind a garage on a residential street was a small door leading into what was an amazingly impressive collection of everything!  the name hoarding would not do it justice as every item in the studio had character, history and said a little about who this Sir Peter Blake is.  At 80 years old, he sat in the only room that was not filled with collectables. We shook hands and then his assistant proceeded to show me the rest of the studio. Sir Peter Blake's assistant started by showing me his desk which was the backdrop of one of the shots.  As we ventured in to the many small rooms in the old gallery space, we discovered room after room filled with all kinds of items. Lots of Elvis paraphernalia, pictures of boxers, dolls, railway tracks, ethnic items and many more things. I felt a little like I was walking into the set where the first innocent and nice Gremlin was discovered and bought in the film 'Gremlins'. What better place could there possibly be to shoot Sir Peter Blake?  The place was a perfect reflection of what Sir Peter Blake's work is all about. The studio was a collage of items - all logically placed for Sir Peter Blake whilst a bystander might find it hard to see the logic in the filing.  It was a museum without the displays. The man himself was a modest, kind and knowledgeable man who showed great passion and affection for every item in his studio.  As if every item played an important roll in order for the studio to function - it was just like every person, item, flower and instrument paid an important roll in 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' album cover in order to make it the iconic cover we all know today.  

Rio Ferdinand

 Footballers have got a bad reputation for being arrogant and I suppose that when I was given the job to shoot Rio I expected exactly that.  However, Rio was a real nice guy.  Ok - he didn't hang around to teach me how to do tricks with a ball, but we had a decent conversation whilst shooting at least. The restaurant was an up-class Italian restaurant that one can only imagine bursting by the seams whenever a Manchester is playing a home game.  Oh - and the food was pretty good too. The Center back for Manchester United has amassed 81 caps for England and has been a member of three FIFA World Cup squads.  He is now one of the best known players in the country as we've watched him grow as a footballer and man since his first appearance for a senior team in 1996.

Danny DeVito

"DANNY DEVITOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!" When I got the offer to shoot Danny Devito I was over the moon.  As a portrait photographer you always compile lists of the people you most want to photograph.  Admittedly Danny was never on my list until the job came up.  As soon as I did get the offer I knew that he was of course up there amongst my "most wanted". My favourite Devito film is perhaps "Throw Mama Off The Train" but he has played in so many gems that it is really hard to name a favourite.  On top of this he has produced many films too, amongst them one of my all time favourites "Pulp Fiction".  This man can do no wrong!
A 20 minute shoot in a bland location was not ideal but it still gave me the chance to get a few good shots.  The problem was that Danny was so friendly and just wanted to chat.  Whilst all I wanted to do was to chat too I was rushing through the shoot to make sure I got all the shots needed and could walk away with shots that were nothing 'short' of my expectations.

Cillian Murphy

 She also co stars in a very sweet comedy series called Rev, where she is the wife of the Reverend. "Inception", "Batman Begins", "Cold Mountain", "28 Days Later" just to mention a few of his many achievements. But this Irish guy was far from cocky and full of himself.  He was both quiet and modest with a healthy dose of Irish charm. He is now performing on stage at The National Theatre.  A play I believe has made him wear a modest beard - A look I think becomes him.

Olivia Coleman

A well-known face and a genuinely lovely person.  Olivia Colman is making all the right moves at the moment. She got mentioned in Meryl Streep's Oscar's speech, which is surely almost the same as winning the award!  She also co stars in a very sweet comedy series called Rev, where she is the wife of the Reverend.

Pelé

What can I say?!  A legend!!! But in typical Pele fashion it was a 3 minute shoot from entry to the room, and the room was covered in 'Pele' branding.  A few shots as I entered the room, a fast look around to find two backgrounds that could work without too much branding.  All I needed now was that classic Pele smile.

Michael Fassbender

Michael Fassbender came to my attention for the first time in the hugely powerful film 'Hunger' before making a strong impression again in Quentin Tarantino's 'Inglorious Basterds'.
Since playing Lt Archie Hicox in 'Inglorious Basterds' Michael doesn't seem to be able to make a wrong move.  Everything he touches turns to gold.
In the latest film 'Shame', currently out on cinema, Michael plays alongside the lovely Carey Mulligan and they are supposedly playing all the right notes.  The film is getting rave reviews and will with no doubt be a good challenger for the Oscars.
 Not only a good actor but also a classically handsome man, something that leads me to believe that he will surely be up for the James Bond role when it's up for grabs again if he should want it.  James Bond with a German/Irish accent.  Now that's gonna be interesting...

Tilda Swinton

I have now had the true pleasure of photographing Tilda Swinton twice.  I remember my first reaction when I was told I had a shoot with her; I was excited and a thousand ideas instantly came to mind.
Not only am I a fan of her acting but I find her looks fascinating and beautiful. Although I have had the pleasure to work with Tilda twice I would love to photograph her again but with my own choice of location and styling. My first shoot with Tilda had little art direction but was restricted by location.  I managed to get Tilda to agree to go outside for the last 5 minutes... but the first 15 minutes were in a boring meeting room. Location was tricky but I still took one of my favourite shots of her. The second shoot was just recently. In the run up to the film "We need to talk about Kevin".  The idea was to shoot Tilda for a cover for Time Out which came out in connection with London Film Festival on the 5.Oct.11.  

Thanks again Tilda - I hope we meet again...

Julian Lennon

I don't know what I expected when I went to photograph Julian Lennon.  I knew of his work in the 80's but had heard little since then.   I think I went into the studio just thinking "I'm going to shoot John Lennon's son".  That day I left the studio thinking "I just photographed a funny, talented and genuinely nice guy".
Not only a musician but now also a photographer.  It seemed like Jules was busy with everything from a new album to a solo photography exhibition to helping create the artwork on his album covers.

Charlie Watts

One of the world’s best drummers and a legend of Rock'n Roll, although he is said not to even like Rock! Everybody needs a "bread and butter" job I suppose and Jazz however, is where Charlie's passion lies. He's is getting ready to perform 2 nights with his four piece Jazz band at Pizza Express in Soho London.