Skye Gyngell

Experiencing the serene and calm environment of ‘Spring’ restaurant in Somerset House, London, is like a breath of mountain air in contrast to the busy street (The Strand) just outside.  The pure light and white tones are like the Greek sun in comparison to a grey London day.  This is not just the feel of the restaurant, but as Skye Gyngell walks in, I realise that this look and feel is a true reflection of the head chef herself.  Skye is Australian, trained in France and has previously worked as the food editor for Vogue.  She is also known for getting a Michelin star at her previous restaurant Petersham Nurseries.  All previous experiences have now come together it the perfect harmony which is Spring Restaurant.  

Oh - and to make it a little bit more perfect, it also prides itself in being a plastic free restaurant.  (That is, all apart from the bin bags, which there is no current alternative for.)  

Shot for The Observer Magazine

Gary Usher and Danny Wallace

This year’s Observer Food Awards saw Danny Wallace win the Young Chef of the Year award.  Danny works in Gary Usher’s restaurant in Manchester and the two of them ended up on the cover of the awards issue.  

The idea of the shoot was to have Gary and Danny clap some flour together to create this celebratory puff of smoke.  As I travelled up on the train my mind started exploring the idea of flour and what more we could do with it.  Such a playful prop to have at my disposal.  I thought that flour could be a symbol of time, like an hourglass.  If we had Danny stay in one place then Gary could sift flower over him, one bag at a time.  The time reference could also serve as some indication to their relationship as apprentice and mentor.  I therefore stopped by a Tesco near by the Manchester studio and bought up all their flour, both self raising and plain.  I contacted Danny and Gary and asked them to bring a sieve.  

When Danny and Gary turned up, they’d brought a sieve that looked more like a Peaky Blinders cap than a sieve.  

I did a series of shots of the two of them on their own and together, sieve and no sieve, before I prepared for the mess.  Gary loved the idea of poring KGs of flour over Danny and Danny didn’t seem to object either.  

A lot of laughs later Danny was covered with a layer of flour on his head and down his neck and pants.  His feet had disappeared, almost like someone caught in a snow storm and decided not to move until it was over. 

Shot for the Observer Food Monthly

 
 

Asma Khan

The first time I met Asma was when I sat down for delicious lunch at Sabrina Ghayour’s place, after having completed a shoot with Sabrina. I remember clearly that Sabrina was boasting about how good a chef Asma was, and told me of her pop up restaurant in Soho.  A few years later, Asma has not only got her own restaurant in the middle of Covent Garden, a restaurant that is packed full every day, but she is also the first British chef to have appeared on the popular Netflix TV series  ‘Chef’s Table’.  Not a bad undertaking at all!

I have since worked with Asma a couple of times, but this shoot for ‘Cook’, Corriere della Sera’s food magazine, was the best one.  We had two days with Asma, eating at her restaurant, being introduced to her flat where her dinner club dining experiences all started, but best of all - experiencing Asma!  Asma is warm, genuine and very funny.  Her restaurant is made up of a team of chefs that she is personally connected to, all women whom lived in London but missed a community and a connection with their home countries.  Asma gave them a community in the kitchen and they together created a cultural experience through their food.  

My biggest regret with the shoot was that I had a massive cold, so I could not get the full experience of the food.  So it’s now a case of queuing up in a line with celebrities such as Keira Knightley, David Schwimmer and more to get the full experience again.  Unless - (“Asma - are you reading this??? - nudge, nudge…”)

Shot for Cook Magazine

Giorgio Locatelli

I have worked with Giorgio Locatelli on several occasions, but never had the chance to hang out with him for a couple of days and to dine at his restaurant.  When I take portraits of a chef I get a good feeling of who they are and the connection they have with food, (especially when food is incorporated in the shoot).  However, when I have a chance to spend a day with a chef, at his or her restaurant, taste their food and hear them talk about it, I get the full impression of the passion they have for the food they make.  Giorgio is very much one of those chefs that is eager to share his passion.  His love for the bread they make on the premises was shared alongside his love for fresh ingredients and pasta.  

This shoot was also working with a team from Italy, which meant that I didn’t understand much of the conversations, but in return Giorgio’s passion was worn even more on his sleeve than normal. 

Giorgio has recently seen an increase in popularity in Italy as well as UK as he is now one of the judges in Italian Masterchef.  When I stepped outside, his fans from Italy were pacing up and down in front of the restaurant hoping to get a glimpse of the great chef.  One stopped me as I was taking some exterior shots and asked me, with eager eyes: “Is the chef inside”?  I said I didn’t know, trying to allow Giorgio some privacy, but she took that as a ‘yes’, and continued to pace up and down in front of the restaurant, in the hope that he would come out - and she could look like she was casually passing by.  As Giorgio came out, she jumped at the chance to get a selfie with the Chef.  Giorgio agreed, and she walked away happily, glancing down at the image on her iPhone.  Just another sign to prove my theory that the true passion for food is engrained in all Italians.  

Shot for Cook Magazine

Secret recipe - Jack Monroe and Monica Galetti

It’s always impressive to see chefs at work.  Mixing up their magic potions and presenting it as if it should be in some art gallery.  But every chef has some secret, go-to ingredient.  Maybe its something to help the dish look good, or it could be to give the dishes that signature taste.  This feature for the Observer Food Monthly revealed what Monica Galletti and Jack Monroe had up their sleeves.  Monica’s go-to secret is charcoal.  She uses it to introduce a shock factor.  The look of the dishes differs and it gives a slight smoky flavour.  

Jack Monroe however, uses Sage and Onion crumbs to give that extra flavour to many of her homemade dishes.  

Not only did I try to show the chefs and their ingredients in this shoot, but I needed to portray the feeling of secrecy.  So I took the idea of using charcoal literally for Monica and I brought in the secret agent suitcase and a good few handfuls of Sage for Jack.  

Shot for Observer Food Magazine

 
 

Vitantonio Lombardo

I have been very lucky in my career and had the chance to travel all around the world to work with some of the world’s best chefs. This trip for Corriere Della Sera’s ‘Cook’ magazine took me to Matera in the south of Italy, right in the middle of Spaghetti Western country.  The town Matera is a city built into the mountains in the middle of this desolated landscape.  The houses and hotels are basically caves.  The town had only recently been made into a modern city.  It previously didn’t have a modern plumbing system which meant that the town had been left to disintegrate, considered poor and nobody wanted to live there.  It became a dumping place for rubbish and a playground for drug users until the government put a lot of money into it and modernised it.  Work began in the 1970’s and it is now one of the ‘must see’ destinations in southern Italy.  The houses, (or caves,) are still there but now they have built in plumbing and are desirable to locals, businesses as well as tourists.  The town has been the backdrop to many films, Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ being one of them.  

The Michelin star chef Vitantonio Lombardo packed down his Micheline star restaurant in Salerno and opened up shortly after in Matera, getting a Micheline star almost immediately, being the first restaurant in Matera to get one.  

I spent 2 days in Matera, photographing the town, but also Chef Vitantonio Lombardo and his restaurant.  Lombardo invited us to a 2 hour lunch experience which ended with a dish where we had to snog a pair of lips up from a plate, not using any cutlery, wearing earphones with an Italian love song on.  It’s not many exclusive restaurants you see the diners pushing their whole plate into their faces, licking up a lipped shaped cake - but it was strangely nice…. Almost like being a teenager abroad, experiencing your first holiday romance:  Slightly unsure how you approach the ‘lips’, the fear of the unknown, but when the lips (desert) meet your lips, you can’t stop…

Shot for Cook Magazine

Michael Caines

I travelled to near Exmouth to photograph the chef Michael Caines at his hotel/restaurant/vineyard.  His boutique hotel, the Lympstone Manor Hotel is a grade II listed building built in the 1760’s and looks out over Exmouth and its own vineyards. As you look out over the river mouth, you can imagine the owner of the manor, back in the late 18th century, standing on the balcony looking over the boats filled with silk and tobacco coming in.  An idyllic setting and a first class manor house and restaurant.  

Michael Caines was trained under Raymond Blanc, was head chef at Gidleigh Park when it got its second Michelin star and has been awarded an MBE.  Caines lost his right arm in a car accident in 1994 but that hasn’t stopped him.  A man with determination!

This shoot was in collaboration with BA and their ‘Love Letters’ series, a celebration of 100 years in aviation.  

Shot for Bridge Studios and BA

Refugee Community Kitchen - Calais

Last time I found myself at the refugee and migrant camp in Calais, then commonly know as  ‘Calais Jungle’, I was taken to the camp and the community kitchen.  The camp has now been shut down by the French authorities but the kitchen still stands.  Due to numerous attempts by the French government to shut this kitchen down they have had to make massive improvements to make it into a professional kitchen.  The operation is run by Steve Bedlam, Sam Jones, Janie Macintyre and Paula Gallardo.  The kitchen has fed 2.5 million refugees in 3 years and is 100% reliant on volunteer work and charitable contributions.  They provide healthy food for all refugees as well as the community.  Respect to everyone involved!

Shot for the Observer Food Monthly

Vodafone

Vodafone is rebranding and doing a big push to promote its 5G capabilities.  I was brought in to help establish their new visual identity.  I got to work with the brilliant art buyer Sarah Pascoe and the excellent Art Director David Simoe, as well as the rest of the team from Ogilvy responsible for the Vodafone account.  This was also my first proper collaboration with my new agent and friend Frede Spencer at Twenty Twenty agency.  

One studio day, two location days, one house, two street locations, a lot of red (but no Bull thank god) and 24 models later, these are some of the results.  

Shot for Ogilvy/Vodafone

Kit Harington

Just before the final season of Game of Thrones I got to shoot Kit Harington in south London.  I had sourced a location house with lots of options, and the excellent team from Emmy Magazine had come from LA to help out.  

Kit was right in the middle of playing Austin in the West End show True West, so he rocked up sporting his character's moustache.   A very different look from the rugged Jon Snow in Game of Thrones, but a look that suited him just as much.  A modern day Tom Selleck of sorts.  That’s what I thought at least until he said, “I look like Borat” and pulled a little face to show the resemblance.  The room cracked up laughing.  No doubt he’ll get the job if anyone is looking for an actor to play Borat in a film…. Ehr….

Shot for Emmy Magazine

Jeremy Vine

Jeremy Vine is one of the nation’s most loved broadcasters. He is the voice of BBC Radio 2’s midday phone in, topical issues show.  The show covers all types of subjects as well as a regular feature about allotments - (who knew the latter would take off??)   Jeremy also hosts topical shows on TV such as the  “Jeremy Vine” show, first aired in 2018.  

I was fairly confident that I’d meet a nice man, but little did I know that he’d be so full of energy, give so much for the camera and be genuinely fun to work with.  I should maybe have realised that he could give the camera some unusual moves after reading some of the comments he got  when participating in Strictly Come Dancing: “a stork that had been struck by lightning”..  

Jeremy totally got where we were trying to go with the shoot..  He played ball and he gave his all.  His body shape allows him to throw out shapes that fit somewhere between slap stick, carry on films, cartoons and high fashion.  Jeremy’s talent is wasted on topical shows and radio - he should be a show man.  Enter a stage with big red curtains rolling back.  He should be at a place where he is able to use his physique and give us a visual show.  Maybe he should have a workout video - although I have the feeling it may break a few backs….

Shot for Event Magazine

Joanne Froggatt

I photographed Joanne Froggatt at the National Theatre as a part of a series of Love Letters to the world, to celebrate 100 years of British Airways aviation.  The shoot was done in collaboration with the excellent team at Bridge Studio and was a part of a series of portraits of professionals and celebrities in the UK.  The shoot was a little rushed as I had to squeeze in between filming schedule, but Joanne came across as fun and easy going.  Admittedly, I have never watched an episode of “Downtown Alley” but she seems a mile away from how I imagine her to be featured there.  

Shot for Bridge Studios and BA

Simon Amstell

This shoot with Simon Amstell was to promote his directorial debut film Benjamin.  The film that hit the screens in 2019 and was met with critical acclaim.  

Simon will always be my favourite presenter of Never Mind the Buzzcocks, but that is now a long time ago and something for the history books.  Since then Simon has directed, done more stand up comedy, co-written Grandma’s House and a mockumentary set in a vegan  future.  The latter is a subject Simon cares a lot about, being a vegan himself.

I remember the first time I shot Simon, I expected him to be unforgiving in his comments and replies.  I was prepared for a bombardment of smart ironic comments and humorous observations for which I would be dumbstruck.  However, I met a kind and modest man.  This time was no different.  Simon complemented me on the previous shoot we did together, not just a comment he says to everyone I think, as he clearly remembered it and the images that resulted from that shoot.  

We discussed the ideas I had come up with in collaboration with the Observer Magazine.  A couple of the ideas didn’t quite seem to appeal to Simon, so I used the first half of the shoot to photograph what we had agreed on whilst think of new ideas.  As the shoot was to be the cover for the Observer Magazine’s fashion issue, it was important that the clothes were a main feature and helped create the mood.  At the same time we wanted a little humour with his stylish look.  It then struck me that photographing Simon as if he was naked, and the clothes were folded up, would give the image an element of comedy whilst focusing on the clothes too.  It would be a different look from any fashion shoot I can recall.  The venue had the perfect place to execute this without exposing Simon fully, Simon loved it and a fashion cover unlike any other was made.

I have great respect for Simon and what he has achieved.  His comedy is excellent and he only uses his sharp wit against people whom put themselves out for receiving it and can take it.   Simon has also a good sensitivity and moral compass that we could all learn from. 

Shot for The Observer Magazine

Sara Pascoe

Who do you think of when I say very smart, funny and blond?  Yea - ok, Dolly Parton - but also Sara Pascoe.  She came to the shoot with her little dog, 4 different Batsheva dresses, some serious high healed shoes and earrings unlike any I have ever seen before.  No stylist needed! 

Sara was promoting her book “Sex Power Money” - so what better way to promote that visual idea than to photograph her in a Batsheva dress to suit a Gingham backdrop.  For the last outfit we had a more blue look and finished the outfit with a pair of earrings made out of dolls’ heads.  Genius!!!!  

This shoot of Sara for The Observer Magazine had the headline “I wanted to be prime minister” - and I can guarantee you that she would be a 100% better prime minister than other blondes I can think of. 

Shot for the Observer Magazine

Windrush - Leave to Remain

I have recently been in a bit of a vacuum when it comes to create personal work.  I think I have lost the feeling that personal work counts and can make a difference.  Media stories seem to come and go a lot easier than before.  It’s as if people don’t listen; are over saturated with bad news and gruesome images.  Easy access to information, through internet means that everyone is screaming for attention.  While I used to think that a series of images with strong quotes could really make people listen and take count,  I now feel that if anyone notices at all, they soon forget and the work becomes just a part of the noise that was.

However, sometimes a story grabs me and makes me want to get involved. It makes me want to give a voice to a subject, to someone whom an injustice has been done to as well as to dig in deeper and gain a greater understanding.  I have to admit that it took a few headlines about the Windrush scandal in the UK before I really listened and decided to get involved.  But when I did I immediately knew what I wanted to do.  I wanted to give the people their routes back in the British society and forever show the scars Britain had given them.  

For more information please contact me direct.

Published in The Observer Magazine

A short introduction to the Windrush scandal - UK

Images and words by Pål Hansen

The Windrush generation refers to the immigrants who were invited to the UK between 1948 and 1971 from Caribbean countries such as Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados. 

The name derives from the ship MV Empire Windrush, which on June 22, 1948, docked in Tilbury, Essex, bringing nearly 500 Jamaicans to the UK.

The immigrants came at the invitation of the British government, which was facing a labour shortage due to the destruction caused by World War II.

The 1971 Immigration Act gave Commonwealth citizens who were already living in the UK indefinite leave to remain. 

2018 should have been a year where the UK celebrate 70 years since that first ship docked in Essex.  Instead a scandal over the treatment of members of the Windrush generation has become public during the last year, as a multitude of reports have come out about mostly elderly people being denied health treatment, public services, losing their jobs, becoming homeless and even facing deportation.  

Many of the Windrush generation had arrived as children on their parents' passports. And although they have lived in Britain for many decades - paying taxes and insurance - they never formally became British citizens. 

In April Caribbean diplomats called on the UK to resolve the issues faced by the Windrush generation.  As well as this a few MP’s stood up in Parliament to voice their opposition to this treatment of individuals.  David Lammy, the most prominent voice of these politicians, said it was a “day of shame” and continued to say "It is inhumane and cruel for so many of that Windrush generation to have suffered so long in this condition”. 

In April 2018, UK Home Secretary Amber Rudd apologised for the "appalling" treatment received by some of the Windrush generation. Amber Rudd later resigned due to the issues surrounding the Windrush scandal.  

Due to pressure from the Caribbean leaders prime minister Theresa May apologised to the Windrush generation for the way they had been treated. 

A promise of compensation has been given to the people effected, but how do you compensate someone who has; been refused urgent medical treatment, been fired from their jobs and as a consequence built up debts in order to survive, been refused re entry to the UK for 25 years after having traveled to the Caribbean to attend family funeral, having been refused entry to the UK for 13 years and consequently not seen his daughter, been held in detention with the threat to be deported, the lost opportunity to travel to Caribbean for a family funeral due to the fear of not being let back in to the UK and becoming homeless - sleeping on the streets for years.  

The Windrush generation have not only experienced a physical loss which compensation will go some way to replace, but the mental stress and the feeling of lost identity is irreplaceable.  

We are all defined by the people and world around us.  To be told that you do not belong to a world in which you have grown up and always seen yourself as one with is degrading and insulting.  Especially when you and your family have contributed to the thriving and developing of the community in which they live.

The immigration policies introduced by Theresa May in 2014 required landlords, banks, employers and the NHS to check people’s immigration status and deny them if they could not prove their right to be here.  Those rules became more stringent in  2016.  In 2010, landing cards belonging to Windrush migrants were destroyed by the Home Office. As a result it was up to the children of the Windrush generation to prove their residence status since 1973.  Some of the requirements the Home Office set to prove your right to remain in Britain was to provide 4 documents per year since 1973, something most of us would find impossible to do.

The desperate attempt for the government to reduce immigration numbers has lead to this inhuman treatment of individuals, mostly children of people whom were invited to Britain to help rebuild a war torn country.  They may have been born in the Caribbean but they grew up in the UK with British education and having paid taxes and NI contributions for decades.  Telling this group of people that they are no longer welcome in the country in which they grew up is much like being discarded by ones own family, to be left on the street without a home, job or an income.  The government’s treatment of the Windrush generation is disgraceful, shameful and with a complete disregard of individuals.  The policy has only one focus; to reduce the numbers of non British nationals to massage the numbers to look good for the public which fear immigration, integration and still believe that to be British you have to be white.



Chris Evans for Virgin Radio

If you live in the UK you know who Chris Evans is.  Either from having hosted Britain’s most popular Radio programs on Radio 1 or Radio 2 or for TV programs such as The Big Breakfast or Top Gear (where he was finally able to show his true love, cars).

This year we saw Chris move from Radio 2’s Big Breakfast show to Virgin Radio’s breakfast show.  For this occasion I got to meet the man and photograph him at his new studio near London Bridge.  

I have to admit I was expecting a man who was tired after having been on the radio for 3 hours, staring before sunrise.  However, a very tall, energetic, fun and friendly man turned, up after his early morning broadcast on Radio 2.  The images were used to promote the new show and could be seen on posters around London.  

Shot for Virgin Radio

Nigella Lawson

This is the second time I have worked with Nigella Lawson.  She’s known as a domestic goddess, she’s the queen of home cooking, and she’s the empress of deserts - (the latter is a title I have made up).  She’s known, respected and appeals to the young and the old and the rich and the poor alike.  She is the image of Britain that is adored in the UK and loved abroad.  So, when Nigella turns up at a shoot she knows what to do, and she know’s she’s in charge.  The rest of us fall in line.  If she were to be Prime Minister, then no-one in the UK or abroad would dare to question.  Her titles as ‘queen’ and ‘goddess’ are not titles that are just thrown out there without reason.  They are titles that she’s earned but through hard work, determination and total control.  If a cake was a currency, then it would have a picture of Nigella on it!

Shot for Waitrose Food 

 
 

Bill Pullman

Bill Pullman!  Where do I start?  What a legend!!!  This shoot, an early Saturday morning, was at the rehearsal rooms of the Old Vic where Bill was to perform the lead in the play All My Sons.

We had set up lights and backdrop and soon after, Bill turned up casually, with a plastic bag in hand filled with alternative shirts.  He’s a tall guy, and the beard I had got used to after watching The Sinner was long gone.  We shook hands and started to talk.  The problem with Bill is that he’s not only very interesting but he is also very knowledgable and interested in listening to whomever he’s talking to.  This means that we ended up talking for quite a while.  The dedicated hour for the shoot had slipped my mind.  Maybe I was thinking that we were both enjoying the meet, so we’ll always be able to get some more time on the end.  However, after a long chat I asked the publicist who was there if we could have more time after the shoot, and I was reminded that there was an interview to take place straight afterwards.  (Whoops!)

Down to business!  I was well prepared and ran Bill through the different setups and finished more or less on time.  We shook hands and off he went with the journalist.  After I had packed down I left my business card in his plastic bag with a note saying ‘Thank you!’.  A little later that day I got an email from Bill suggesting to meet again, inviting me to his mango orchard in California, of which I replied that he’s welcome to come to Hackney and see my purple sprouting broccoli.  

A few weeks later, Bill comes strolling off the train in Hackney.  He stops by the house and we enjoy a croissant and coffee.  The conversations were genuine and honest.  Bill is a true legend and a people’s man.   Celebrity status with Bill is just a byline - if not an obstacle - Bill is just that interesting and honest ordinary guy who you can imagine being a good friend for life.  

I hope I will get a chance to visit Bill in California one day, or he comes knocking on my door when next in town.  Until then I know I will be seeing him again, on a screen somewhere, doing an excellent job!

Shot for Sunday Times Culture

Time to move on; a goodbye to my assistant Pat Sampson!

I can at times stride up to a shoot, claiming my ground, produce the images needed and take full credit.   Some times I share that credit with picture editors, art directors or any other commissioning body, and sometimes I share the credit with the talent itself.  However, it is rare that photographers really credit the importance of a good assistant.  In order to produce the images I do, in order to work with the speed and efficiency I need to at times, it is essential that I work with a good assistant.  

For you who have worked with me during the last five years, you will know Pat, or Mr Pat Sampson for those of you who want to be formal  Not only do you know that he keeps his head down and does a really good job, but you also know that Pat is hard working, nice to talk to, fun to be with, a good listener and a kind soul.  

Being my assistant isn’t just about carrying equipment, setting up lights and backdrops, moving furniture, driving my car, making teas and coffees, looking after the talent, working on low res images, working on high res images, tidying the office, holding props, adding props to shots, being a hand model, painting, being an extra in a shot, delivering packages, collecting packages, filing, registering, setting up websites, writing emails…. and the list goes on.  (Yea - I hear you; what is it exactly I (the photographer) do???)). No - being an assistant is also about being able to act out any profession, body height and body width as I test out my shot before the talent arrives.  Some times being my assistant even has to be more than one person at the same time as I test the image.  Pat is a little over 6ft tall and with a thin build, but for my test shoot he’s been; 4ft tall, 6ft7 tall, big and round, small and skinny, a chef, an actor, a musician, a TV presenter, a rugby player, a sprinter, a comedian, a business man, a politician, an explorer, an artist, an illustrator, a psychologist, two generations at the same time, a prisoner, a mum, a dad, a group of chefs, a group of entrepreneurs, a pensioner, a writer, a photographer and an angel (to mention a few).  And an assistant is also someone who is always on time and turns up with no complaint, even if he’s struck by the flu, has a hangover from hell or has a black eye from a rugby match the day before.

And for you who think the assistant’s job ends there, you’re wrong.  Maybe the most important roll of the assistant still remains:  To be a good assistant you need to understand me, the photographer, know what I want before I know it myself and learn how to read my many moods.  You have to be by my side at least 8 hours 5 days a week.  You have to be quiet when I need the peace, you have to be able to chat and be interesting when I need the company. You have to laugh when I tell a joke, you have to agree with my moaning when I moan, you have to listen to my many hours of complaining and nod and smile on shoots as I tell ‘that story’ once again.  Yet as an assistant you have to be there as a colleague but also take the back seat.  

And if you can bare all that for 5 years, then I hope you lastly accept to become a good Friend!

Thank you Pat!  It’s been a true pleasure working with you.

Crystal Rasmussen

The variety of my work and the people I work with is what keeps me going. In this case I was commissioned to shoot Tom Rasmussen, aka Crystal Rasmussen at his home in South London. Tom has just written a book called Diary of a Drag Queen and if the Observer Magazine’s feature is anything to go by then it will be a very interesting read.

Tom greeted us as Tom. I was to shoot him without makeup first and then document the process of getting Crystal ready. Tom stood in the doorway of his bedroom smoking a roll up. We set up for the first shot and let Tom go to change into Crystal. Another cigarette break later and he was at his makeup table, layering up makeup like I’ve never seen before. He told me of his struggle of being accepted. Not just by people in small community town of Lancaster, but also from family. His openness and honesty was striking and touching. An other indication that this book will be a must read for all.

I have to admit that I was always sceptical of how he would carry off the look carrying a goatee. The makeup was complete and Tom only had the beard and wig to go. He stepped into his bathroom and a couple of minutes later he stepped out as a redhead with a glittering beard. He’d only gone and completed a look that would put any L’Orêal Paris representative to shame.

Crystal, (just as nice as Tom was btw) enjoyed small cigarette breaks between setups. We had the run of his place and in the end I asked if we could hit the road. Outside, in the middle of the street an older man walked passed and could not help but look, whilst an other lady stopped to ask: “Have you just moved in?” Strange that Crystal never had been noticed by his neighbour before I thought, but as Crystal said - “Daylight is a drag queen’s worst enemy”. It all made sense. This is of course a night time look, dedicated to the fun of the midnight hour.

Shot for The Observer Magazine