Quentin Blake’s Box of Treasures – The BBC
We brought photography and an iconic illustrator together to celebrate Quentin Blake Box Of Treasures. A series of six of Sir Quentin’s classic books are being brought to life on screen in a full animated series for BBC iPlayer and CBBC. Voiced a wonderful line up of talent; Simon Pegg, Nina Sosanya, Adrian Lester and Alison Steadman. What a dream brief! Working with such creative people to bring these ideas to life, it was so much fun watching the beautiful illustration adding a whole other element to my portraits. Senior Creative – Samantha Ratcliffe Animation CD – Massimo Fenati Production – Georgina Williams at The BBC Support – everyone at Eagle Eye Drama Photo assistant – Phil Hardman Production support – Germaine Walker
Doctor Who at Abbey Road Studios
Ever wanted to experience what it’s like recording at Abbey Road Studios? I went behind the scenes there recently with the talented composer Segun Akinola when he recorded the score for the new Doctor Who. Every single musician was a joy to listen to but there was one stand-out pinch yourself moment when Shahid Abbas Khan began to sing… everyone in the sound booth was left speechless by the beautiful sound coming out of this man. It was a pleasure to photograph, and even better to do it in the backdrop of this iconic studio. Thanks for having me Segun.
50 years of Just a Minute
“Paul you have 60 seconds to talk on the subject of Nicholas Parsons without hesitation, repetition or deviation. Your time starts… now.” I grew up listening to Just a Minute and it’s still one of my favourite radio shows. What an honour it was to photograph the legend that is Nicholas Parsons and his show-biz-side-kick Paul Merton. Did you know Nicholas hasn’t missed a single episode in the fifty years he has been presenting the show? Awesome. My job usually involves having a conversation with my subject, slowly breaking down the barrier between us, and in turn, capturing their genuine personality. Rather uniquely, Nicholas and Paul bounced off each other from the moment they began conversing and I didn’t have to do much but capture the strong, genuine friendship and respect they clearly have for one another. What a great shoot. Oh, and just so you know – Paul does...
Drugsland
There I was at 1am in a dark alley with two undercover police officers. Up walks this lady offering us crack. It was a stark reminder of the importance of the documentary we were there to promote. I spent my university days in Bristol so I was excited to be invited back by the BBC to shoot there. However, this documentary would show me a side of the city I hadn’t known before: drugs, crime and addiction, but also those working to make it a safer and better place. There wasn’t a single dull moment – I discovered class A drug users living completely normal lives, performers who use hallucinogenic substances to enhance their work, recovered addicts making a new life for themselves, and police officers dedicated to helping those in need. From the few brief clips I have seen the series is not something to be missed. It was...
Fake moustaches for the BBC
cript> There’s nothing like looking through your lens at the beautiful Hannah Fry: long amber hair blowing back, blue eyes staring dangerously down your lens, a cheeky wink in her eye and a massive moustache blocking her face… I’m a big believer that work should be fun. Particularly photoshoots. There’s no point in putting people in front of a camera – where almost everyone feels awkward – without making an effort to relax them. It’s even better if they can enjoy the experience. So I get the music playing, enjoy myself and do my best to share that feeling with my subjects. If people feel at home and relaxed we make the best images. I photographed Hannah Fry and Adam Rutherford for their new BBC Radio 4 programme The Curious Case of Rutherford and Fry. Two exceptionally fun presenters turned up to the studio and we proceeded to laugh almost...