Getting love for these shots of the very popular Beach House, which is nice.
Yup, more Grimes.
Look, it was a good shoot, ok? Why not enjoy it and share the love a bit. That's what I thought anyway.
Grimes in Montreal
Am being hounded for more, so enjoy these cautiously please.
The famous Grimes pussy rings
You probably know the story but it's a mould, of whom I have no idea. Good story and they look alright. *Please note I didn't make any jokes at all in the post. I think I'm getting better.
Stop going on about Grimes will ya?
I just can't help it. Sue me. Performing at the exclusive Fly show upstairs at The Garage where she delivered wonderfully.
Grimes for The Fly May 2012
Possibly The Best Fly Cover Ever? Mortreal would have been a long way to go to come back with anything less I suppose but when Grimes slipped in those grillz, popper her collar and gave me that look I knew the journey had been well worth it. The fun didn't stop there - the feature shots she smashed out the park with this dingy grimy urban shithole location that you couldn't have designed better, all of Claire's own choosing. Then beers and relax, Montreal style. Thank you Grimes and Rich at 4AD, you made it for us.
Mahali Hlasa, Riders For Health
I love Riders For Health. Hopefully you know this already, but in case you don't, I regularly travel to their supported programmes in various African nations to shoot for them. It's always full on, scary, hardcore, a great laugh, worrying and more. The whole team met together in Northampton and I got to shoot some head shots they needed, which was really enjoyable. More info on this wonderful organisation here.
Graham Coxon record shopping for MOJO
NOW THIS WAS GOOD. Graham Coxon mooching around Soho selecting his favourite 7"s for a feature? Yes. I can help with that no problem. A pure delight, great fun, Linus Lucas holding my shanty softbox aloft amongst the crate diggers. Bloody nice assignment, cheers MOJO.
Beach House for MOJO
Colder, darker, mysterious tone for Beach House this time, whilst importantly still sitting within the constraints of editorial portraiture of course. Very different experience to shooting them first time out, this image being reached through mutual consent. Yeah.
Felt for MOJO
One day I'll tell you about going to Lawrence from Felt's flat for MOJO magazine, just not today. OK?
Tom Oldham is a burke
A proper one at that. I spoke at a really lovely event recently for young Dorset and Hampshire based photographers. Titled: Developing Nicely YPCC, I was nervous about speaking but once I got going it seemed to flow and the work carried over the moments when I was a stattering shambles of a presenter. Though you best judge for yourself. I do enjoy this stuff, always say yes, then try to figure out why over the course of the few months I have to get my material together, then panic the night before and realise what I should have done. The main highlight was being featured in the same arena as the gob-smackingly brilliant artist Stephen Gill (here), so inspiring. Thank you Chris Francis and everyone who sorted this out. I like you a lot.
And Kurt Vile is #11
Kurt Vile's LP is eleventh on The Fly's Top 50. OK, so he's not leaping with joy but he was quite happy when we said.
April 2012 Fly cover with Best Coast
Digi click thru here for the new Fly issue. Photographically, it's a chuffin belter. The words are funny too. Do you like Fink? I do. He's not in The Fly unfort, but he is here of course.
Best Coast in Austin
After a day of recce'ing locations, Ben Homewood found this hillside beauty so we jumped at the chance to shoot Best Coast with such a view. The Fly saw them play 4 times out there, and it was great to be stateside, stomping about in blazing heat on a mission to eat BBQ meat and drink bottled beer. SxSW was a musical bonanza but the sight of Snoop Dogg playing on a stage crafted from an enormous Doritos vending machine was a nudge too far for me.
Toy
Some of them used to be in Joe Lean and The JJJ, but let's not hold that against them. Cool guys (hence the blue tone, done with a blue colorama on a bounceboard) and a great sound. No need to Google Toy, here ya go.
Graham Coxon for The Fly April 2012
Just the best shoot with Graham. Illustrated his own backdrop with a fanciful mindfart doodle, and then was also up for shooting the portrait series himself with a cable release. More about that here. Just a great opportunity fully optimised really.
David Byrne in The Times
Nice to see a nice shot used nice and big. Nicely.
Vint Cerf, Internet Don
Should say that on his business cards. Was so wrapped in what Vint Cerf was saying I almost forgot I was supposed to be shooting. Launching Life Online, with Virgin Media, I felt truly privileged to be in the room with this guy, who was humourous, erudite, wise beyond belief but completely able to talk to normal folk like me. Incredible, honestly.
Sam's BBQ in Austin
You don't need teeth to eat our beef. That's a motto that says everything about the restaurant, the food, the attitude, the area. It's earthy, you can buy beers opposite and bring em in, and the music and general experience was the best that I had in Austin. There, I've said it.
Cystal Antlers
I guess a favourite aspect of SxSW was not walking for miles with a furnace on my back, but actually sitting in the dust watching some really fucking good bands every now and again. Here's one: Crystal Antlers. Absolutely rocking.