John Hamilton – Independent Saturday Magazine
How many cookbooks have you got? I’ve always thought the collection adorning the shelves in my flat is a pretty good one. Always – that is until I met John Hamilton, the Art Director for Penguin Books. I was asked by The Independent’s Saturday Magazine to photograph John for an article about Penguin’s new publication – 100 Cookbook Covers in One Box. John has been collecting cookbooks ever since he was in charge of designing Jamie Oliver’s first Naked Chef book. Fast forward fifteen years and John now has over a thousand cookbooks at home. No surprise then that I was rather excited to see his amalgamation of cookery design from across the world. John welcomed me in his home in Lewes and soon we were deep in cookbook design conversation. My portrait idea was to make the most of the sheer quantity of the books and surround John with...
Sugru on the Ceiling
Some ideas shout to me as a photographer, and when I was asked to photograph Jane Ní Dhulchaointigh the idea that shouted loudest was to stick her to the ceiling. Jane is the founder of Sugru, a company who make a soft rubber substance that sticks to anything. It is good in the heat and fine in the freezer, and is designed to help you repair, customise and make better the things around you. Unfortunately it isn’t quite strong enough to actually hold someone on the ceiling, and more to the point the paint that it would be stuck to certainly wouldn’t be. However, it probably isn’t far off being strong enough but I did not want to risk it. Here is a behind the scenes video from the day and a few more images from the shoot… A massive thanks to all at the British Airways magazine Business Life for commissioning...
Savile Row Tailors
Photography has given me access to many places I would never be able to go otherwise. A great example of this was a recent commission to photograph three fantastic gents who work on Savile Row. The Mayfair Resident asked me to capture a group image of three tailors from different companies on the street. I of course jumped at the chance – and made the most of it. Instead of just turning up, taking the group shot and leaving I chose to contact each of the gentlemen myself and arrange to shoot them separately as well as in the group. This lead to a rather mad day (with another shoot in the early morning as well) where I dragged my kit around Savile Row and got to see many fascinating things. All three of the tailors were exceptionally approachable and fun gents, I can imagine it being the most awesome experience getting a suit...