Russel Brand

Russell Brand is hard to summarise in one sentence. He is a comedian for sure, but his opinions, writings, podcasts extend far beyond the comedy. The issues he deals with often have a comedy angle to them but the undertone has a more serious message. He exposes his personal life, problems, addictions and fears along side his political views and social conscious.Never are the issues dealt with in a subtle and diplomatic way, but his opinions are blatantly clear and he gets his messages across using comedy.

I turned up to the shoot expecting a man who’s personality would make be hard to control during a shoot. Russell has a very big presence. Big hair, tall and a highly visible presence. I remember seeing him at an exhibition opening a few years ago and you could easily spot him across the room. Everyone looked around the room, and as they glanced towards where he was standing, everyone raised their head as if their glance was passing some speed bump (his head) towering over everybody else’s), to avoid glancing right at him, trying to pretend not to look in order to allow him his personal space.

The initial introduction was met with a firm handshake and a direct eye contact with a very polite and well mannered introduction, not forced, but a genuine ‘a pleasure to meet you’. The rest of the shoot I experienced a relaxed and fun Russell who seemed genuinely interested in everybody around him. It is not hard to see how this man can get everyone around him to feel relaxed.

Russell has a new book out now dealing with his addictions, ’Recovery, Freedom from our addictions’. I am sure this will be an honest, hard hitting read, using humour with a few words thrown in, that may be hard to digest for the faint hearted.

Wayne McGregor

The man on the scene at the moment, as far as music choreography is concerned, is Wayne McGregor. I was invited to his studio in the old media centre for the London Olympic Games, and the space was mind blowing! His studio door was at the end of a large empty hallway, where only a cleaning robot existed. It was a bit like the film “2001 Odyssey” meets “28 Days Later”. At the end of this desolate corridor we entered a black metal door and inside we saw a big white box with natural daylight coming in from the ceiling, some industrial staircase and in the centre of this space was a two story wooden box taking up the centre space of the studio. The wooden box was the home of two dance studios and an other empty space. The walls were bare apart from a few digital displays with numbers hanging off the walls. These displays and numbers show Wayne McGregors own personal chromogenic code. As well as this there was a glass table, vertical strip lights and some chairs on a section of the floor that had dancers floor markings all over it. By entering this space I had skipped a few decades and entered an alternative future.

When I was introduced to Wayne it was obvious he was a man who worked with visual ideas. He showed great interest in what I wanted to achieve visually. The chromogenic art pieces were hard to make interesting in still images so I chose to go more with the architecture and the vertical strip lights. Wayne, himself a dancer, brought new poses and postures to the shoot, movements I have never seen before. Great guy to meet and work with. A true inspiration who is able to give a lot to a shoot. I have never seen one of Wayne;s performances or choreographed dance shows, but if he’s anything to go by, it’s bound to be a visual firework.

James Acaster

Hilarious comedian James Acaster is someone to watch out for. He maybe well known to many of you already, but if you haven’t heard of him then please check out Josh Widdicombe’s podcast where he has made several appearances telling many of his own embarrassing stories. Or, you could pick up his book “James Acaster’s Classic Scrapes”, (from which this cover shoot was for,) where he will reveal many of his most embarrassing moments and go into detail about his experience with a cabbage. Meanwhile, I’ll leave you with this slightly brown chord’esque photoshoot, aimed at capturing the more misfortunate James Acaster. (I have to admit that his colour palette as far as his clothes are concerned much resembles what I am myself wearing today. A firm favourite for many of us children of the 70’s, although I suspect that James is a little younger than that.)

Hans Zimmer

I wasn't sure who Hans Zimmer was when I got the call from the lovely Ronnie Weil to see if I could do the job. I looked it up and found out that he is probably one of the most prolific film music composers around. He has written the sound track to Lion King, Gladiator, The Last Samurai, Crimson Tide, Inception, Interstellar, Inception, 12 Years a Slave and many many more. He is the sound behind so many cinematic experiences I have had, and therefore one of the most influential people in terms of evoking emotions during your cinematic experience. Yet, he is not known to many of us who are not patient enough to read all the credits after a film.

He has now been touring with a full orchestra and performing his work live. I met him back stage at the Wembley arena. A modest and seemingly ordinary man, a man who knows the name of everyone in his orchestra and crew and seems deeply involved in how they are as he shakes hands and asks personal questions to everyone who passes by. A hugely successful man but without an ounce of ignorance or arrogance. Is this a result of success when maintaining a great deal of anonymity, or is it just Hans Zimmer and the man he is?

Sir Ben Kingsley

This shoot with Sir Ben Kingsley was to take place on his home territory; a big manor house hotel in the outskirt of Oxford. As we followed the sat nav to get to this destination we ended up on a dead end road, leading into a farm. We drove 200 meters into the farm where we met the farmer and asked for further directions. He asked us to drive back out the drive way, a few lefts and a few rights, a little straight on, up and down some hills and then we should be there. We turned around and as we headed out we could see behind the high fencing on the farm that this was no ordinary farm. Monkeys and Penguins were spotted and I felt that I was in some Roald Dahl story or David Lynch film, rather than on my way to a shoot with Sir Ben Kingsley. I rubbed my eyes, got my assistant to pinch my arm, and checked my water bottle for any traces of LSD. Nope - it was real.

After 5 minutes we arrived at the destination, a manor house hotel with a 1/2 mile driveway through a golf course. The green fields and trees were only interrupted by trousers that would put any raver to shame. Everything from neon colour trousers, often a whole group with matching ones, to a man proudly prancing around with his Union Jack slacks. I have never been a golfer and I have to admit, that what I saw on that golf course made me scared of ever finding myself on a golf course again. You never know, it may be contagious.

Finally, we arrive at the destination. We’re showed to the big room overlooking the great fields of green, with neon coloured legs wandering around dragging their buggies. The hotel was traditional and did not reflect the trousers in the field or the monkeys on the farm. Sir Ben’s team were there and were as nice as can be. Sir Ben turned up and I introduced myself reminding him of our previous shoot which was to shoot him as an Oscar winner, with his Oscar statue at a classy London hotel. Sir Ben looked the part with his maroon jacket and eloquent posture. Easy to compose and was willing to take direction. A short affair, but we got on. He did of course insinuate that I would be best off heading back to the monkey farm after the shoot. Farming monkeys has since been a thought I have considered a good career option. Although I do assume that Sir Ben was perhaps not referring to me as responsible enough to look after a shrewdness of Apes, but more as a life style option. (My banana eating skills are after all second to none.)

Sofia Coppola

One of my favourite films this Millennia was “Lost in Translation”. Not only is it a film that can quietly build up ones anticipation, but it can feel painstakingly true. In fact, I felt very much like I was a part of a very similar photoshoot as the one that was portrayed in the film the other day: “Celebrity, from a different country, possibly jet lagged, didn't want to be there and was promoting a brand of spirits”. (Those of you who want to know more will have to supply me with a few drinks one night.)

However, the director of that film, Sofia Coppola, has now come out with another film, and everybody is nodding their heads again. A departure from the silent flow of Lost in Translation but still, contains the same cinematic beauty. ‘The Beguiled’, looks to be a film that will keep you at the edge of your seat.

Sofia entered the room at Claridge’s with a gentle, soft flow. Well composed and obviously used to the relentless tempo of a press junket. Her gentle and well composed nature made it hard to imagine her directing a large team needed for making a film. However, maybe it is exactly this calm and gentle approach that is the secret behind the well composed films that she makes. Whatever it is, it works on the big screen and it works on a photo shoot.

One Day in Brooklyn

In February 2017 I went to New York to see Art Buyers, Producers, Picture Editors and Art Directors. I ‘popped my New York cherry’ with four fully packed days with very productive meetings. I also had one day with no meetings, and New York was my playground. Instead of seeing the sites, doing selfies in front of the Empire State Building and climbing the Statue of Liberty, I chose to take a walk through Brooklyn to see if I could find the real New Yorkers. A 14 mile walk and 12 hours later, I finished my ‘Tour de Brooklyn’. Here are some of the faces I met that wintry day.

Thank you to all of you who agreed to be photographed by me, a stranger who approached you on that cold Thursday in February. Thank you to all of you who took the time to see me and my portfolio whilst in New York, thank you to all of you who helped me by introducing me to your friends and colleagues, and a big thank you to Brooklyn for being everything I had hoped you would be. (All images taken on Thursday 02 February 2017 between 7am and 7pm.)

Cat Deeley

I have worked with Cat Deeley before and I remember back then, that her presence in the room was like a sunshine-whirlwind, if any such thing exists. Her presence in the room is so noticeable, a total uplifting and fun contribution to any professional environment. She invites everyone in the room to join in, treats everyone with respect and is contagious and generous with her positivity. Saying that, she is also 100% professional and photographs like a dream. The last shoot I did with Cat was in a studio but this time we had the great backdrop of a traditional London Caff’! A long way from LA, where Cat has resided for about 10 years now, Cat is now back on British screens! And we wanted to make sure there was no doubt, so apart from the Caff we included a good portion of Sausage, bacon and chips in the pics.

Michael Simpson

We arrive at Michael Simpson’s gallery in Somerset and outside is an old classic Citroen. The type that looks a little futuristic for its age and also the first of its kind to have hydraulics that lift the car as it starts. Michael’s studio is in an Old Gas Works, a fitting place for his large paintings. Michael met us at the door, dressed in his casual paint clothes and a pair of modest round glasses. As we enter the old Gas Works halls we are struck by the size of Michael’s paintings, mostly depicting different ladders or steps which lead to a Leper’s Squint, a hole that was often put in the sides of buildings such as churches, for people with Leprosy to be able to watch a sermon without infecting others. As Leprosy is also called Hansen’s disease I personally think we should call it a Hansen’s Squint or a Hansen’s Hole - but then again that may be confused with something completely different!!!

The office also had a platform above with a bed, a more contemporary office space with lots of books, a Mac and a sit down fireplace areas with a coffee table. 'The perfect studio for any artist’ I thought, and that was before he opened up the back door which lead to a walled garden with lots of green plants. The sun was bright and warm and with its tropical plants it left me with the feeling of being in Cuba again. How could a space provide you with so much?

I also love Michael’s work. Something that is seemingly simple, yet carries a lot of meaning, precision, and is visually stunning. This was a great artist to be introduced to and a great pleasure to work with.

Griff Rhys Jones

Last time I photographed Griff I tried to depict him on top of a mountain… in London. He had just completed a documentary series Mountain which saw him climb 15 of Britains highest mountains. The shoot ended up being Griff, jumping high in the air, trampling down a mound of earth made by me using a few bags of compost. This time the brief was a little more relaxed and we were able to just focus on Griff being Griff. He is one of the comedy pillars of the British society having dominated the 80’s with Not the Nine O’clock News as well as Smith and Jones. Griff and Mel were also the brains behind the production company that introduced us to the brilliance of Da Ali G Show and I’m Alan Partridge. Griff has since also been associated with more serious travel and history programs but always has a foot in the world of comedy.

He is currently starring in the theatre production of The Miser which has received rave reviews. So, in order to show that Griff still has the stamina to climb to high vantage points, the end of this shoot, in a rehearsal room in the centre of London, we saw Griff putting all health and safety considerations aside and climb a 2.5 meter wardrobe to chill. He’s still got it!

Alan Davies

Alan Davies has been on the scene for a long time. Known for his comedy, acting and for his determination to get it right on the panel show QI. Yes, Alan Davies is not only a funny man but also smarty-pants! However, the chances of getting Alan to pose with his mouth full of smarties in a pair of pants, (that’s the English meaning of pants for all you Americans out there,) were relatively small, so we settled for clever-clogs.

Katherine Ryan

Katherine Ryan came into my consciousness as a guest on several UK panel shows. She supposedly came to the UK from Canada, to help set up a branch of Hooters in Nottingham. A one month trip turned out to be permanent and she’s now become a familiar face in the UK comedy scene and on British panel shows. She did a noticeable stint with ‘the Last Leg’ during the Paralympics in Brazil and the last thing I heard she was as a participant in ‘Fake News’ where she’d put out a false story about having had a Bum Lift that went wrong. The story was picked up by a few of the British tabloid newspapers which lead to her winning the Best Fake News story of the show.

Katherine is funny! There’s no ifs and butts about it (excuse the pun). Even her website serves as a simple but perfect gag for a comedienne. Check it out: http://www.katherineryan.co.uk

Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer

I haven’t been in the UK long enough to have soaked up the joy of Vic and Bob’s early days. Vic Reeves’ Big Night Out was one of the milestones of British TV comedy that was the making of them both. The other big show that was loved by many was Shooting Stars.

The two guys turned up at the studio where the shoot was to take place. The story was under the banner 25 years of Vic and Bob, although the 25th anniversary was delayed due to illness so it was more like a 27 year anniversary, but who celebrates that. So, we took two away from 27 and made it 25 again. Yeah! Let’s celebrate!!!! Bob was the subdued, slightly quiet half of the duo. The one in the background sorting out his car insurance between setups and quietly and modestly partaking where he had to during the shoot. Vic however brought fireworks and set them all off, in his pants. He jumped off furniture like a teenager and pulled faces like someone with botox could only dream of. I may not have been there back in the days when their names were shining in bright lights, but I sure got a good dose of Vic and Bob in 2016 and I liked it….

Alan Bennett

It’s the second time I have had the pleasure of working with the great Alan Bennett. The quietly spoken, intellectual and sharp witted playwright, screenwriter, actor and author is a British institution and proud Northerner. It was mid December and he was to make it on the Observer New Review cover. However, it was slightly worrying thinking that the Christmas cover for the New Review would be a cover with no hint to Christmas, no festive spirit or mince pies, so a halo was made and hung up at a suitable height, slightly behind where Alan Bennett would be standing so we got the indication without making him look like the angel on top of the Christmas tree. Admittedly, I thought he’d turn around and walk out the door when I presented him with the idea, but Alan was not fazed and happy to play along. So now, Alan Bennett is not only an Anglophile of sorts, (in the best possible meaning of the word,) dictating what is British as well as embracing a lot of what is British, but he is also an “Anglophile”. (Angelphile - noun: someone who has been made into an angel during a photo shoot by Pål Hansen).

Ed Balls

2016 has been the year of icons leaving us and politicians stirring up all kinds of emotions. One of these politicians has kept many at the edge of their seats. He has made headlines, created likes (and dislikes) on social media and made many people cry and many laugh. Never mind Brexit and never mind the US election - Strictly Come Dancing’s Ed Balls should surely have been the man on Time Magazine’s front cover for “Personality of the Year”? Now a disco Lion, Tango Leopard or Salsa Tiger - Ed Balls has made the UK hum to the Jerry Lee Lewis tune “Ed Balls on Fire”. This is a man who’s come out of his shell and discovered what it is to have fun.

Sharon Horgan

Sharon Horgan - she’s from Hackney innit!? Yea - I know, that Irish accent does not give it away. She only stuck around for 4 years before she packed up her parents and travelled to County Meath in Ireland to raise some Turkeys. (If you live in Hackney then you know we’ve all been there, dreaming of that life.)

Sharon is the hottest talent on the sitcom circuit at the moment. She’s best known for playing in and co-writing Pulling and Catastrophe. Both series having won several of awards. Now she’s back with a new series, The Circuit. Based around dinner parties, a backdrop perfect for uncomfortable viewing, hilarious moments and more if her previous work is anything to go by. It starts with some new neighbours having moved in and their first invite to a dinner at the neighbours. What a perfect setting for comedy, tension and some hard hitting truths no doubt. I’ll happily watch it unfold as best I can, with a TV dinner and a bottle of wine.

Barry Gibb

There are few people around the world who have not tapped their feet to a bit of Bee Gees. In my case, I’d go as far as having walked to the rhythm of You Should be Dancing with etc sound of my cord flares swishing to the beat, I have pointed to my belt followed by a point to the disco ball above on several occasions to the sound of Staying Alive, I’ve had collars so big that they slapped me in the face as I was moovin’ and groovin’ to Saturday Night Fever, I’ve tried to do the Jive Talking with little or no success and I’ve had teenage moments on the dance floor to How Deep is your Love, followed by a long journey home, feeling FOR SURE that I was in love. Who would have thought that I would one day meet the great man, Barry Gibb himself. We found ourselves in an Indian Restaurant not far from London. Barry Gibb’s favourite restaurant near his UK home. The interview that preceded the shoot involved a journalist who was looking for a ghostly aura around Mr Gibb with two metal sticks. Yes - this shoot was never going to be ordinary.

When I finally got Barry Gibb’s full attention I met a modest and friendly man. A man that seemed to be still buzzing from a recent performance at Glastonbury. A moment that would parr with some of his many big moments. This is a man who helped shape the fashion, music and style of the 70’s. This is a man who made hairy chests and open shirts sexy, he made skin tight flares the talk of the town and found a walk to match it. Yet - this is a man, that carried off being a man, yet having a voice 10 bars higher than the sweetest of angels. Barry Gibb did not only create timeless music that will always make people jump up on the dance floor, strut and stride, want to dance cheek to cheek and whispers sweet nothings…. but this man re-wrote the rule book of how to be a man. Respect!!!

Simon Pegg

Simon Pegg has become a big name but casual kinda guy. A man who’s seen enormous success but does not seem to be fazed by it all. No - Simon just comes across as everybody’s mate, even though you know that the day after he meets you he will be banging heads with Stephen Spielberg. Simon is known to us in the UK mostly for his Sci-fi comedies or as one part of a Nick Frost duo but on the other side of the atlantic we have seen him collaborate with Stephen Spielberg several times and worked on such films as Mission Impossible and Star Wars.

I’ve photographed Simon before but this time there was a noticeable beard present. It gave Simon a little of that east end hard guy look. A bit of a knuckle duster kinda guy! Good look I thought and a great addition to getting some images of Simon that were a little edgier than the other shots we see of Simon.

Simon is now ‘Scotty’ in the new Star Trek Beyond. The idea behind this shoot was exactly that - to beam him into the shoot, get the shot and beam him out again. Not only was this great in order to put Simon in the context of the article, but it also saved us a lot of money in Taxis and Simon the hassle of sitting in traffic. I only had to aim the camera at where Simon would be beamed in and press the shutter as he came shooting down. Beaming back up again was easier as we could count it down, NASA style. 5,4,3,2,1 BEAM-UP!

Matt Damon and Paul Greengrass

Matt Damon and Paul Greengrass - what a team! They’ve worked together to create the majority of the hugely successful Jason Bourne films. Paul Greengrass was also the director behind the very impressive film ‘Bloody Sunday’, which I have only just seen and been blown away by. Matt Damon’s accomplishments are too numerous to mention and also useless to list, as we are all aware of his talent. But in case you don’t know much about his sex life then you may want to watch this clip with Sarah Silverman, (from 2.15 minutes in if you don’t want to watch the whole thing - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSfoF6MhgLA)

I have to say both Matt and Paul came across as really nice guys. Guys that liked a bit of banter. Paul Greengrass, also allowed for the shoot to exceed the 15 minutes in a hotel room, by a couple of minutes as the PR had given the ‘wrap it up’ queue. Now, that doesn’t happen a lot!

The new Bourne film is out and I for one will be looking forward to the action packed 90 minutes of big screen entertainment.

Father John Misty and Ellie Rowsell

Ellie Rowsell, the punky girl from Wolf Alice and the cool chilled Father John Misty were my sitters for this cover shoot. An unlikely duo to shoot you may say, as they have never actually performed together, and when we met they had never even met. Their music is too different to be confused, but the thing they do have in common is that they are two Indy acts that rocked the music world in 2015.

Ellie turned up first. She was great to shoot, attitude in appearance with a soft and shy centre. (A bit like a Rolo.) Hard to imagine her ‘ripping it all apart’ on stage but having seen her and heard the music, I know that she has a lot to give.

Father John Misty turned up 20 minutes later, again a quiet man but with a more nonchalant appearance. (More of a Galaxy if we are to make chocolate comparisons.)

After a fast introduction the two of them had to appear as best friends, heads together, Ellie in FJM’s arms and so on. A second of uncomfortable body positions as they intrude each others personal space, (stand no closer than 8 inches I was told when I was first introduced to the cultural laws of the UK during International Student Week 20 years ago this year). They both adjusted to the close proximity of each other by treating the shoot as an act. After 15 minutes of the two of them together Ellie had to rush off to prepare for a gig later that day and I had the charismatic FJM on my own.

I was unsure how the shoot with FJM would go. I have seen him being interviewed and giving the interviewer a very hard time. Especially one where an excited German journalist asked FJM if he liked the German festival he was at. His answer was ‘No! I hate festivals.’ He continued to argue those points with very valid reasons, and although there was a feeling that this was humorous, deadpan at its best, there was no way the journalist could take this for granted. The Journalist was dumb struck. I am usually not worried about the questions I ask my sitters, but in this case I was aware that I could be left to ridicule when asking normal banter questions. 20 minutes later, the shoot was over and my dignity was still in tact. Phew!!!