Mark Rylance

I don’t think I’m wrong in saying that it is impossible to take a bad picture of Mark Rylance.  (Of course, this is where you all step in and say my pictures are shit!😳)

This man is not only photo-proof, but he is also possibly the loveliest man you could ever meet.  This shoot took place in Bristol Old Vic where he was performing live in Dr Semmellweis.  This shoot however was to help promote his new film, a comedy about golf called The Phantom of the Open. I never thought of Mark as a big golfer so I asked him about his skills with the club - and he said he had no skill what so ever. “That’s why I got picked for the role” he said.

It was a shoot where I tried to accomplish a lot.  Some natural daylight shots and 10X8 portrait as light was slowly leaving us for the black of the night.  A clean backdrop shot, use of some material for backdrop, change of flashlight, closeups as well as pulled back environmental shots.  Although we tried to accomplish a lot in a short time, the whole shoot felt like a nice time with good friends.  Jasmine Perry, (who commissioned me,) and Mark Rylance allowed for the shoot to progress with light banter and a few laughs.

Shot for SAGA magazine

Emilia Clarke

There are few actors and actresses that achieve a cult following.  This doesn’t necessarily have to be a bad thing, but some actors and actresses have, due to who they are, or the roles they have played, managed to get followers that would go to any lengths to get images or things that relate to you.  Emilia Clarke is one of those actresses.  The first thing that shocks you when you do a little research on Emilia is that she’s got 26.9 million followers.  Let’s put that into perspective.  That’s five times the inhabitants of Norway (my home country) - or approximately as many as there are people living in Australia.  Basically, If the amount of instagram followers was translated into a nation for which you ruled, then Emilia would rule a fairly decent size country.

I have worked with Emilia a couple of times and she is as down to earth and as funny as they come.  So, aside from her being the Dragon Queen in Game of Thrones. (which has undoubtably got her quite a few fans), her approachable character and skills as an actress have surely been the main reason why she has gained so many followers. However, I do believe that some of the most die hard fans, some of the more ‘stalker type’ fans are amongst them, and I can imagine them to be the die hard GOT fans.  So when I posted an instagram post with one image from my shoot with Emilia, I soon after received an email claiming they were from an agency (name no names) and were going to get me several of thousand pounds by selling my images to I-D magazine. They had gone to the great length of creating an email address which was almost the same as the agency’s name, for which they claimed to be contacting me from. All this so they could access some images that had not been seen before.  Maybe to have on their own wall, or that they could try to create unofficial merchandise or exclusive social media material.

So, for this instance I have taken the precaution to watermark these images and only select a very few to show you.  With all my work, I intend for it to see it in the best possible light, but I show these images with watermarks as I feel it’s important to share this part of the reality of a photographer and the celebrities we work with.  It is the second time I have worked with Emilia - and on both instances she has been a laugh to work with.  How she can maintain such a down to earth nature is a true test of character - when 26 million people follow what you do, for which a few of them will go to any lengths to get new unseen images of you.

Shot for Observer New Review

Naturists

I don’t know what it is about me that makes people want to commission me for Naturists shoots, but this is the second year in a row I’ve been asked.  And the second commission was without the  picture editor knowing that I had done a similar thing the previous year.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining.  In fact, I enjoy the challenge of creating fun, interesting images of nudity, that are publishable by the mainstream press.  Many say that it is a shame that the named body cannot be printed in a mainstream magazine and I do agree.  However, this obstacle creates an additional challenge which I quite enjoy.

It was fun to once again work with some of the same people as I did the year before, and some new, but this time at the Naturist Foundation in South London.

Shot for Observer Magazine

Lady Antonia Fraser

I had the great pleasure of working with Lady Antonia Fraser in her home in West London.  Although I only had one room to work in, the room showed so much character that it was perfect.  Books and pictures as far as the eye could see, and in the middle of it all, a well used sofa.

Shot for Wall Street Journal

Olia Hercules

Olia Hercules is a truly remarkable London based Ukrainian born chef and food writer.  Her work and books are great in themselves, and she is always lovely to work with.  But now she has the stress and worry of caring for her friends and family in Ukraine as well as doing all she can to help Ukrainians in the UK and at home.   

Shot for Observer Food Monthly