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This term at Mountview a group of students from the acting course are performing the world premiere of an adaptation of "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" by Peter Hedges. Their director, Alex Howarth, asked me to create some promo images for them, so last weekend we found ourselves in the back room of the brilliant Earl Haig Hall in Crouch End with orange flashes and fairy lights.
I can't wait to see the final production next week, I think it's going to be a bit brilliant.
...with some boats and the mini fuji...
I only photographed one show whilst I was in Edinburgh this summer, it was a flying visit and I needed to catch up with friends and have a mini-holiday. ;-)
But I'm really glad I agreed to photograph Black Faggot, a new play by Victor Rodger. It was a fabulous hour in the theatre and the 2 guys in the cast don't have any moments for rest, these gentlemen certainly have their work cut out.
This production was directed by Roy Ward and stars Fasitua Amosa & Beulah Koale.
For the 2nd year in a row I had the pleasure of photographing some of the west end's most sparkling performers, as they entertained the sunday crowds up above old compton street. Thanks to Dylan Turner for his fab organising and inviting me along again, these people make me smile a whole lot.
See Rock City & Other Destinations is a beautiful show, that's the beginning, middle and end of what I want to say about it. Go to the Union Theatre and see it. :-)
See Rock City and Other Destinations' UK premier is directed by Graham Hubbard with musical direction by Matt Ramplin and Lighting Design by Tom Boucher. It is produced by Aria Entertainment & Szpiezak Productions.
You're not allowed to take digi cameras to secret cinema and that's something I think I'm glad of because I didn't spend the whole time looking at details through a viewfinder. They did, however, sell old school disposable cameras. So we bought 2 - 48 whole frames to play with, what would I photograph?
Well pretty much just us was the answer to that, sometimes with the flash sometimes without. Most of them are in some degree of being out of focus because the focal length is longer than my arm for selfies or because I tried to get too close and fill the frame with what I saw. Half of the 2nd roll is lost, either too dark or just a think the film got spoiled - the camera did get rather damp. But then there's shots like this..... which I hope to god isn't considered a spoiler.... and they fill me with joy because I will always remember exactly when this pic was taken and how happy I was when I pressed the shutter.
It also reaffirmed my desire to shoot more with film, sometimes there's just not enough filters and plugins, this is straight out of that camera and I love it.
So yep, take photos, you will never regret having too many photos of the people you love.
It doesn't matter how "bad" you think those photos are, they are better than none at all, and with every press of the shutter the photos will get better. I've lost count of times that people have said "teach me how to use my camera better" - the answer will always be practice, practice, practice, you can't help but get better. And anyway, if the photo makes you smile (or cry) at a memory, then it's pretty much done what it needed to do.
Too cool for school....
Check them out at musicboximprov.com or go see them in action, they're mad as a box of frogs.
Just a couple of the portraits that I made for Zanna Don't at the Landor Theatre. :-)
As they travel to Edinburgh for their first month-long foray into theatre I thought I should post the portraits I made of the stars of "No Strings", a brand new improvised show.
You can check out their exploits on their Facebook page.... and I'm sure they're going to have 100s of adventures north of the border.
Just a couple of rehearsal shots. What a glorious rehearsal room to make photos in.
ILYYPNC is showing this week (and this week only, so move yourselves) on the Battersea Barge, it's a great show and these 4 are hilarious together.
Zanna Don't is a crazy, lovely, sparkly show that's currently running at the Landor Theatre in Clapham North. Over the last 6 weeks or so I've been making lots of images for these guys, they needed a poster and some shots of the characters for the website and then this weekend I dropped by the show to shoot a few production shots.
This show is full of smiles and joy with a cast who will have you skipping and twirling all the way home.
Zanna Don't is directed by Drew Baker, designed by Ben M Rogers (set & lighting) & Andrew Cox (costume) and choreographed by Tom Scanlon.
The cast is..... Zanna - David Ribi, Mike - Jonathan Dudley, Steve - Liam Christopher LLoyd, Roberta - Jennifer Saayeng, Kate - Ceris Hine, Tank - Ben Sell, Arvin - Jonathan Wooldridge, Candi - Carol Heffernan, Georgia Phillips & Thomas Wright.
Every now and again I get asked if I photograph weddings and the answer is always the same.... I'm not a wedding photographer, it's not what I do. But when Matt & Sara asked me to photograph their wedding the answer was easy, these are two of my dearest friends, it was an honour to be asked. Then they showed where it was all happening and I was virtually begging them to let me make photos there. :-)
These two are kind, gentle and gorgeous people, they take care of me when I behave badly and we spend a stack of time together in our little corner of south west london. Just don't ask what "marrying mr darcy : the boardgame" is all about, or who's winning the ongoing pool tournament.
Just a few shots before they head off on their secret honeymoon adventure....
Matt got ready in the room above Sara so I flitted backwards and forwards whilst everyone was putting on their finery. Matt's friend Dylan decided to video Matt's thoughts on marriage whilst he was trying to tie a bow tie.... not an easy combination!
I reckon my friend Matt scrubs up pretty well.
Sara just looked like a Hollywood star in her beautiful dress.
There were bubbles instead of confetti. I love bubbles.
Our friend Fiona rushed over during dinner because she'd peeked outside and the light over the lake was looking pretty gorgeous so the 3 of us snuck off for a couple of frames in the sunshine.
I love this last shot, it's so simple and sweet.
Thanks so much guys for having me along for this glorious ride, I know you're going to conquer the world and have a fabulous time of it together. There'll be 100s of images waiting for you when you get home. x
Jamie and I have been talking about a new photo project for a while now, but we wanted something different. There's actually another idea in the works also, but this one came first....
It starts with Jamie, well looking like Jamie, perfect make-up and rockstar curls.....
....that morphed into this....
....another thought....
....finally got the idea of where this project should be....
....then we added water - whilst standing on a bath mat!!
....now those are all processed in a very specific look, a colour palette that I love. But whilst talking through the edit with Jamie last night we came up with the plan that this would be better.
The left half is straight out of camera, just colour-corrected back to her natural skin tone. Then the right half, the "perfect" half is my processing, a little cross-processed.
It's totally different to anything Jamie and I have done before and I love it. Does it say what we wanted to about beauty and probably post-processing? Maybe, maybe not! :-)
PostScript...
Then the final shot is totally different. It's from early on in the shoot, before the make-up destruction. It didn't fit the general plan, but I wanted to test some different processing, and this is the result. I've never made anything that looks like this. It's just so sad and beautiful.
For the last few days I've been trying to put into words how magnificent this show is... words fail me often in these occasions, I hope these images come closer to explaining it.
Long story short... if you can get a ticket, and they're few and far between after the slew of amazing reviews, you must see this show.
In The Heights stars Nathan Amzi, Victoria Hamilton Barritt, David Bedella, Josie Benson, Courtney-Mae Briggs, Damian Buhagiar, Raffaella Covino, Gabriela Garcia, Reiss Hinds, Emma Kingston, Jonny Labey, Dex Lee, Sam Mackay, Christina Modestou, Sarah Naudi, Eve Polycarpou & Wayne Robinson. It is directed by Luke Sheppard & choreographed by Drew Mconie. Check out the Southwark Playhouse website for all info and ticket details.
These images must not be used without written permission.
Watching x-men - first class again, prepping for days of future past - not that I know when I'm going to find time to get to see it. In honour I thought I'd repost this shot from last year's mcm expo at Excel.
I wish I knew this guy's name to credit his awesome costume.
Just waiting for a friend, I couldn't resist this beautiful light on the corner of a street in shoreditch. Shot with the Fuji and edited on the iPhone. :-)
Sometimes life is just kind of pink & sparkly. :-)
My friend Drew asked me to make a photo of his leading man, David, for the poster of the show he's directing.
The gentlemen of the School of Night quite regularly blow my mind, the words come falling out of their mouths and their brains at a rate I can hardly follow. They create worlds which a simultaneously brand new and steeped in tradition. Yesterday, for the 2nd year in a row, I witnessed them performing at the Globe as part of the Shakespeare's birthday celebrations. I love photographing at the Globe, it's so colourful and full of life, plus it's daylight.
As I was out for the day and this performance was all of 20mins long, I decided to break from the norm and not carry a stack of kit with me. As such these are all shot on the tiny new fuji xa1 - a camera that seems well beyond it's tag of an entry level mirrorless camera. I just love using it and it doesn't get in anyone's way.
Happy Birthday to the bard. :-)
Last weekend we made a film, a whole film in a weekend. Oh and we didn't know what it was going to be about until 11:15 on Saturday morning. Luckily we had an awesome team, wearing collanders....
