Katherine Parkinson – The Sunday Times Magazine
Awesome fun photographing Katherine Parkinson who stars in Disney Plus’s new series Rivals. Big thanks Russ O’Connell and Louise Fenerci for the top assignment. Styling by Zoë Kozlik Grooming by Emma Leon Read Dominic Maxwell’s interview with Katherine here: LINK
Laura Kuenssberg – The Sunday Times Magazine
So fascinating to meet this journalistic powerhouse. For 7 years Laura Kuenssberg had been at the helm of the BBC’s political broadcasting – through Brexit, Covid, and three Prime Ministers, informing the nation from morning to evening almost every day. Wow, the stories she told me on our shoot – she’s seen and heard everything and been at the heart of it all. Awesome to see in her new role at ‘Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg’ already doing amazing things. Massive thanks to Russ O’Connell for the fabulous commission, and to the brilliant team who made it happen: Styling – Annie Swain Hair and make up – Emma Leon Cover design – Dan Biddulph Photo assistants – Oliver Mayhall and Ethan Humphries Studio – Holborn Studios
Nadine Dorries – The Sunday Times Magazine
The Minister for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, photographed for the cover of The Sunday Times Magazine. We had just 10 minute with the Minister, and I found out about the shoot the evening before. But a great team and a good plan go a long way. Big thanks to Russ O’Connell for the commission, to Dan Biddulph for the cover design and the colourful inside spread, and finally to Oliver Mayhall and Olivia Spencer for their great assisting.
Jeremy Clarkson and a lamb – The Sunday Times Magazine
Jeremy Clarkson is best know for driving fast cars and having controversial opinions. However, recently he’s turned his hand to tilling the soil and become a bit of an ambassador for countryside communities. Rather a u-turn, and one I was eager to exploit when Russ O’Connell asked me to photograph him for the cover of The Sunday Times Magazine. I had photographed Clarkson once before, when he had taken over the magazine with a rather comical set of recipes designed to inspire everyone to eat more healthily. That time I shoved a carrot in his mouth. But what was I to do this time? How do you present such a well known figure in a new and interesting way? Obviously I turned to Jesus for help. You see the thing I love about visual art is that there is a rich history to call upon. Certain types of images represent...
Andy Coulson – The Sunday Times Magazine
Andy Coulson, ex-prisoner, ex-communications director for the Prime Minister, ex-editor of The News Of The World. “There’s something called editoritis. The main symptom is that you believe yourself to be the centre of the world. That everything else revolves around you. And I definitely suffered from editoritis.” It was challenging deciding how to approach photographing Coulson. The phone hacking scandal epitomises the worst of journalism for me, and Coulson was the editor of the newspaper at the heart of it, he was sent to jail because of it. In my mind good journalism is honest, not deceitful, and gives genuine insight, so this is how I tried to approach my meeting with Coulson. I sat and listened to Decca Aitkenhead’s powerful interview technique, and then I sat Coulson down in my makeshift studio. I wanted to capture the man I met: who was he now? Was he remorseful, was he...
Alastair and Grace Campbell – The Sunday Times Magazine
“Alastair, let’s put a massive pink backdrop in your garden, it won’t drawn any attention from your neighbours will it?” I’ve been so busy on the road recently I haven’t had a chance to post these from a couple of weeks back when they were published, but what a fun shoot this was. I photographed journalist, political adviser and mental health campaigner Alastair Campbell, and his daughter Grace Campbell, a feminist powerhouse, activist and comedian who inspired my approach to the shoot with her very pink wardrobe. Big thanks to Russ O’Connell for the fun commission and to Oliver Mayhall for his tireless assisting. You can read Caroline Hutton’s interviews with them here: LINK
Sadiq Khan – The Sunday Times Magazine
“Being a leader is lonely. And I’ve struggled. I should feel confident talking about it. I shouldn’t feel that I’ve got to be this alpha male who demonstrates his virility by being super human.” Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London – in his interview with Decca Aitkenhead for The Sunday Times Magazine. When I photographed Sadiq it was my first commissioned shoot since Covid-19 had put the UK in lockdown. It had been a strange and horrible time, and I was nervous and eager to get back at it. My assistant and I set up in a big open space at the top of City Hall, donned our gloves and masks, and waited for the Mayor to walk in. It was so strange not shaking his hand, and not being able to get too close. It made me realise how much I normally use proximity in my approach to portraiture,...
Nicola Sturgeon – The Sunday Times Magazine
How do you go about preparing to photograph the First Minister of Scotland? As always I dived straight in, throwing many many ideas into my sketchbook, tearing through artbooks, flicking through photobooks, looking for thoughts that would lodge themselves into my head and not go away. I knew I’d be shooting in Bute House, the First Minister’s official residence, it’s not everyday you get to poke your lens around somewhere like that – the house had to feature. But how to frame up in such a place? My mind started flicking though a mental scrapbook – from Leibovitz’s images of the Queen, via Rembrandt’s portraits and Velázquez’s Las Meninas. I wanted to reference centuries of pictures of states-people. But I also wanted to make my photographs of Sturgeon more approachable, more intimate, less staid. When we walked into the Drawing Room of Bute House, light was spilling in through...
John McDonnell – The Sunday Times Magazine
A couple of weeks ago I headed to Hayes to get to know the real John McDonnell. The man behind Labour’s financial plans with huge plans to alter the UK’s economy. Will he become the next Chancellor of the Exchequer? We he really nationalise broadband? Does he carry a copy of the Little Red Book with him? And does he have any Tory friends in Parliament? Check out Decca Aitkenhead’s interview in the Sunday Times Magazine to find out: LINK Big thanks to Russ for the fascinating assignment and to Oliver Mayhall for assisting me so beautifully.
Neil Gaiman and Amanda Palmer – The Sunday Times Magazine
Some portrait photoshoots are battles, and others are collaborations. When I photographed Neil Gaiman and Amanda Palmer for The Sunday Times Magazine it was wonderfully collaborative. I shared my ideas, they discussed them with great insight, then they dived into the process with open hearts. I could’t believe my luck the moment I arrived – the location was incredible. They had arranged for us to shoot in their friend’s flat in Camden and every room had overflowing bookshelves from floor to ceiling – the perfect space for such erudite individuals. We dived into the shoot, Neil and Amanda enjoying a moment of peace in their busy lives, an occasion to cuddle and laugh together. We were also short walk from Camden lock. I had scouted it out prior to the shoot and thought it would look great so after shooting inside we walked on over. I was slightly concerned about how much attention...