Turner's House In Twickenham - 200 Best Advertising Photographers Worldwide

I’m delighted that work from my Turner’s House In Twickenham commission has made it in to the Lürzers Archive ‘200 Best Advertising Photographers Worldwide’ 20/21 awards annual.

You can find more work from the project, with larger versions here.

Here’s the story behind the work, along with some history on the house itself..

I was contacted by one of the trustees of the Turner’s House Trust, who had read in an article that I was a great admirer of J.M.W. Turner’s landscape painting. He asked me if I was aware of the restoration project of Turner’s House in Twickenham, and would I like to contribute in some way. I immediately thought I could help in my capacity as a photographer, and so a plan was hatched, and in March of that year, just days before the restoration work was due to commence, the Trust kindly granted me the great honour of two days access to the house.

I wanted to approach the work in a simple and honest way, and so decided to work purely with natural light, with the single aim of capturing the atmosphere of the house. Turner’s work, for me, is all about drama and the play of light and colour, and I’ve aimed to capture the spirit of that in these photographs. All the work was shot using available light, on the ALPA 12 MAX with the excellent ALPA HR Alpagon 32mm SB17 lens.

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“Sandycombe Lodge was built by 1813 to the designs of England’s great landscape painter, J.M.W. Turner, working here as his own architect to create a quiet retreat for himself, away from the pressures of the London art world. It also provided a home for his father, old William, in retirement from his trade as a barber and wigmaker in Covent Garden, and with old William’s declining health and changes in his own life, Turner sold the house in 1826

Turner’s House Trust has restored Sandycombe Lodge and made it available for all as a living reminder of J.M.W. Turner’s life in Twickenham and its influence on his art; 2013 marked the bicentenary of this building, a three-dimensional work by an artist renowned in his time and celebrated internationally today.

The house has had unsympathetic additions and is in a run-down condition. Turner’s House Trust intends to restore it to its original appearance and make it a monument to Turner in Twickenham. The house is open to the public and visitors can explore the small but beautiful building, with fascinating stories to tell”

For more information on the history and restoration of Sandycombe Lodge, and the Turner’s House Trust, go here. You can also find information on Butler & Hegarty’s web site, the project’s architects, here.

Outdoor Photography Magazine Interview - May 2020

The good folk at Outdoor Photography Magazine recently asked me if I’d be interested in doing an interview for their May 2020 edition.

After of course saying yes, my thoughts immediately turned to Steve Watkins. Steve was the editor of OP, who had sadly passed away in December of last year. He was also the driving force and energy behind the international OPOTY competition, for which I am privileged to sit on the judging panel.

Many of us are still in complete shock over Steve’s death. He was a kind and passionate man and someone that only ever exuded positivity and warmth. Many young and up-and-coming photographers have had their careers furthered through Steve’s selfless encouragement and his passion for photography. He will be greatly missed.

For a number of years Steve talked to me about doing an interview about my work and approach to landscape photography, but the process was always stalled, by me mainly, because I wanted my North Northwest book to be published beforehand. So, some three years later, a big thank you to Mark Bentley for inviting me once again to give an interview. Thanks too go to Nick Smith for making the process particularly enjoyable.

This is for you Steve..

North Northwest wins BBD&P Best British Book & Book of the Year

I’m both proud and delighted to say my forthcoming book ‘North Northwest’ has just won Best British Book and Book of the Year at the British Book Design & Production Awards.

"A fantastic 101 books made it onto the shortlist, but only 19 winners could be crowned. ‘North Northwest’, entered by Boss Print (Concentric Editions), was the star of the night, triumphing in the Best British Book category and winning the title of overall Book of the Year.

The judges commented that “Even amongst the highest of competition, this entry captivated us. There was not one element that did not fit in. The book was seamlessly put together as a whole with beautiful production and design, making it a truly worthy winner.”

My thanks go to fellow collaborators Fenton Smith of Boss Print and Concentric Editions and designer Les Welch. These awards are a true testament to the superb quality of the print, production and design of the book.

The book is available in three editions, with full information and purchasing options here.

Range Rover - Elevated Drives

21 days on the road with 4 Range Rovers, driving across 4 US states. Shooting from dawn ‘til dusk, we travelled through California, Oregon, Colorado and Maine, witnessing the stunning and varied American landscape.

This was a commission from the good folk at Spark44 in New York, for Land Rover. The resulting imagery creating a beautifully produced coffee table style book called ‘Elevated Drives’ which includes the use of special papers, inks, embossing, die cutting and hand drawn maps of the carefully curated and iconic routes that we drove. A truly crafted piece and further proof that print is not dead!

A quote from the book sums things up perfectly.. “Driving from a low elevation to a considerably higher one can be profound. From the physical impact a shift in altitude can have on your body, to the dramatic scenery and weather changes, these journeys can be epic experiences”

Below is just a small selection of the work that we made, with many more examples to be found here.

A big thank you to the fantastic creative, production and support team who made the whole project both possible and immensely enjoyable. By the end of our time together on the road, we felt like family.

Client : Land Rover. Agency : Spark44 New York. AD : Peter Cooper. Brit Jackson : Associate Director of Production. Sr. Art Producer : Deb Grisham. Producer : Tim Willis, Lockbox. Production Assistant : Gina Wilk. 1st Assistant : Caleb Thal. Writers : Michael Hurley & Bec Couche. Valet : Steve Chavdarian. Drivers : Greg Nikolas & Chad Lourie.

Tim and Caleb executing precision tripod placement in Death Valley.

Highways England Portraits

Back in January I received a call from a client who had moved to Highways England. She asked if I’d be interested in helping them create a collection of location portraits that represented the various arms of Highways England, and that would illustrate the diverse nature of the company and its people.

We spent six days on the road and covered hundreds of miles, shooting in a variety of fascinating locations across the UK. The resulting images have already been used across a large range of publications, including the annual report and accounts.

Client : Highways England.

Below is a small selection of the portraits that we made, with larger versions to be found here.

New Work For Lotus Cars

New studio work for Lotus Cars.

Ten long days shooting six iconic sports cars in a coved studio in Norwich, close to Lotus Cars HQ.

Client : Lotus Cars. Art Director : Julian Calverley. Lighting Assistant : Steve Thomas. Assistant : Brian Cottam.

Below is a tiny selection of the work we made.. Pick a colour!

Behind the scenes.. note my trusty Inovativ cart keeping things organised and mobile..

Olympic National Park Panoramics

After leading an ALPA workshop in the beautiful Olympic National Park with Capture Integration I decided to stay on for an extra week, to make some work for myself.

The sheer scale of the landscapes in the Pacific Northwest do beg the question.. how on earth do I make a photograph of what I’m seeing before me, that feels natural to the eye? Instead of simply reverting to using a super wide lens, which I’m not particularly keen on due to the pulI and distortion, I found the solution in using a slightly longer lens and shooting panoramic images. I used my ALPA 12 SWA with HR Alpagon ƒ4.0 40mm SB17, which allowed me to shift the lens vertically (especially in the rain forests) and dial in some tilt when required, while importantly keeping the camera level for shooting frames for stitched panoramics.

Many of the images were shot in damp and windy conditions, with movement in both the water and the branches and leaves, the stitching software taking care of any movement and anomalies. With some of the images being created from 10 x 80mpxl frames, you can imagine.. the resulting 16 bit PSB files are large!

I’m pleased to say that some of the work has been selected for ‘Lurzers Archive Top 200 Best Advertising Photographers Worldwide 20/21’

Below are some examples of the work I made, with more images available to see here.

Below are a few ‘behind the scenes’ images of my ALPA 12 SWA..

Lotus Cars - From Norwich to Nevada

Tight timings and impossible logistics often mean we have to be smart when producing images to a brief. This commission for Lotus Cars being a perfect example.

The project involved shooting six iconic sports cars over ten long days in a coved studio in Norwich, close to the Lotus HQ, and then compositing them with various back plates of locations from around the world. Careful attention was paid to match the lighting of each car to the background that each would inhabit, with CGI rendered reflections, studio shot wheel spins and virtual rig motion blur adding the touches of realism that would ensure that each car felt embedded in to it’s chosen environment.

A big thank you to the good folk at ThirdEye Studio in London, for their CGI and post production expertise and to assistants Brian and Steve for their hard work in the studio.

Client : Lotus Cars.    CGI & Post production : ThirdEye Studio.    ADs : Julian Calverley & Matt Haysom.

Below is a small selection of the work produced, with more available to view here.

The cropped imagery below hints at the level of detail achieved when shooting with the high end medium format digital back..

New Work For Delta Air Lines

I was recently commissioned by the good folk at Zero Collective to help create a series of ads for Delta Air Lines.

The agency, stylist and hair and makeup artist for the first round of ads were from the UK, with the models and client being flown in from Paris and the US. We then flew one of the models to the US to shoot a second round of ads with a CGI team from Atlanta, in their bespoke green screen studio. We were then home from the second leg of the shoot on a red eye flight, within 48 hours of leaving Heathrow!

The aircraft interiors were created and ‘lit’ completely in CGI and built out to match the exact lighting, camera heights, distances, focal lengths and apertures that we used to shoot the model. The separate elements were then brought together in post production.

Client : Delta Air Lines. Agency: Zero Collective. Art Directors : Paul Geudon & Greg Davies. CGI : Trick 3D. Post Production : Tom Wheatley.

Below is the rather surreal green screen studio set in Atlanta, where we shot the photographic composite elements that later became the ads that you see above.

ENO Orphee

It was lovely to get a call from the good folk at Rose and to be asked if I’d be interested in shooting one of a series of English National Opera posters that they were working on.

Working in one of ENO’s rehearsal studios in London, we first shot a black and white portrait, lit in a style that paid homage to Jean Cocteau original 1950’s film ‘Orpheus’ and then projected it back on to the model and the simple fabric set which we built.

Client : English National Opera. Agency : Rose. ADs : Abbie Edis & Simon Elliott.

Treasured Cameras

Some of my most treasured cameras, which I originally photographed for a promo piece timeline story..

From left to right.. Nikon F2A, ALPA 12 STC, Ebony SV45TE, Nikon F3, Contax 645 AF & ALPA 12 SWA.

For those asking.. the minimalist ball-head is the Acratech Ultimate Ball-head.

World Land Rover Day - April 30th

World Land Rover Day is celebrated on April the 30th every year, to mark the global premiere of the original Land Rover at the Amsterdam Motor Show on this day in 1948.

Below are some views from my trusty Land Rover, shot on my iPhone.. While stationary I might add!

Group Shot For Diverse Marine

It can be quite a challenge shooting a group portrait, particularly in a busy working environment and when time isn’t on your side.

This picture came together in no time at all and marked the end of a fascinating and fruitful day, shooting a library of reportage photographs for Diverse Marine on the Isle of White, commissioned by the good folk from Brand Design.

Isles of Skye, Harris and Lewis Workshop

UPDATE - FULLY BOOKED

I am running an all inclusive workshop in partnership with British landscape photographer Steve Gosling in March 2019. This will be my first workshop in the UK, having lead previous workshops in the United States for ALPA and Capture Integration.

This is an exclusive and intensive workshop for intermediate or advanced photographers wanting to develop their photography in some amazing Scottish island locations, under the guidance of two experienced professional photographers. The emphasis will be on getting you to some fantastic locations and helping you refine & develop your approach to the photographic process. The workshop will provide a challenging experience, not only out photographing but also with lots of time allocated for discussions and debates on the principles, philosophy and aesthetics of photography.

To enable maximum interaction between instructors and participants numbers are strictly limited to 6 people.

Both instructors use ALPA and Phase One medium format equipment, so we are particularly interested in working with existing or potential medium format photographers. 

THE LOCATIONS

Skye is a wonderfully dramatic & picturesque island located off the west coast of Scotland that has been voted 'the 4th best island in the world' by National Geographic magazine. It's a place of extremes, from the craggy outline of the Cuillin to the sheer cliffs and imposing headlands that descend to peaceful bays & beaches. The photographic opportunites it offers are both varied and stunning.

Harris & Lewis is one island accessed by ferry from Skye. It is a location full of history - the neolithic standing stones at Callanish are older than Stonehenge - and the landscapes offer tremendous variety, from high mountains to deeply indented sea lochs, coastal islands, rocky coves and beautiful white sandy beaches. It is a wonderful location providing space, peace, tranquility and photographs aplenty.

WHEN

1st to 10th March 2019

THE COST

The cost per person is £6250.

This includes tuition, accommodation in premium hotels, all meals, dinner one evening at the award winning 'Three Chimneys' Restaurant on the Isle of Skye and transport (including from/to Inverness Airport and the cost of the ferry crossing to/from Harris & Lewis).

OUTLINE PROGRAMME

We will collect participants from Inverness airport on the 1st March and then travel to our base on Skye - the magnificent Cuillin Hills Hotel with its fantastic views across Portree Bay.

We will stay on Skye for 5 nights visiting locations such as The Quirang, Neist Point, the Fairy Pools in Glen Brittle, Sligachan and Loch Coruisk.

On day 6 we will catch the ferry to Harris and Lewis where we stay at the Hotel Hebrides in Tarbert for 3 nights. Our relatively short time on Haris & Lewis will be spent making the most of the photographic opportunites at locations such as Luskentyre, Seilebost, Traigh Iar, Huisinis and of course the historic standing stones at Callanish.

We will leave for the return ferry across to the Isle of Skye on the morning of the 9th March where we will spend our final night back at the Cuillin Hills Hotel. The following morning we will load the vehicles and take people back to Inverness Airport for their return journey home.

Alpine Passes for The Road Rat magazine

I got a call from my old friend Mikey Harvey.. how did I fancy shooting a series of Alpine passes for a new premium automotive magazine called The Road Rat? Of course I said yes.

With three locations chosen, a couple of Michelin maps in the glove box and hotel and Eurotunnel reservations made, we hit the road.. After 5 long days, 146 caffè lattes, numerous marmot encounters and with 1987 miles behind us.. we were back.

The mountain passes were truly breathtaking and recording them was not a straight forward task. Instead of cropping a single super wide shot, I decided to shoot panoramics using the ALPA 12 STC, ALPA HR Alpagon 4.0/40mm SB17 and a nodal rail. The scenes before us were so vast that some of them required 12 stitched frames.

You can see a small selection of the work we made below, with more examples of the larger project here.

“Exquisitely printed on a mix of heavy gloss and matt art papers, Issue One of The Road Rat is a beautiful thing. 244 pages (it weighs around 1 kilo) it is at once absolutely of the moment - Lewis Hamilton, the Aston Martin Valkyrie - yet simultaneously timeless as we dwell on the making of the modern Ferrari and the decline of the Mercedes SL. It’s not a place for hot takes but long-form, writing every bit as considered as our photography, illustration and design.”

For The Road Rat magazine subscription information, head over here.

The opening spread.

The Col d’ Izoard. Highest point: 2360m. Number of turns: 49.

The Col du Galibier. Highest point: 2645m. Number of turns: 44.

The Col de la Bonette. Highest point: 2715m. Number of turns: 63.

CEWE & MIND Charity competition

I was recently invited to judge the CEWE and MIND Charity 'My Inspiring Moments' competition.

I strongly believe that spending time in the landscape is an extremely therapeutic, healing and worthwhile thing and so was very happy to accept the invitation.

When asked to pick a single image that defines my inspiring moment, I chose the image below, which was made in Glen Brittle, on the Isle of Skye. It was made on a wet and wild winter’s day and although it was a challenge, It was the first time that I felt I’d actually made a photograph that illustrated how I actually felt when standing in a Scottish landscape.

12 winners will be chosen to feature in a bespoke charity calendar curated by myself, plus all entrants will automatically be entered into the CEWE Photo Award 2019, the biggest open photo competition in Europe.

For competition entry details head here.

From Forkes to Aberdeen

A week long workshop for ALPA and Capture Integration saw us teaching, shooting and inspiring a great bunch of students & photographers, in and around the Olympic National Park. We travelled from Forkes to Aberdeen and plenty of places in-between.

Our final drive back to Seattle was blessed with some wonderful dawn fog..

Aston Martin Rapide AMR

I was recently commissioned by Aston Martin to photograph the stunning new limited edition Rapide AMR for it's timely launch..

"As Aston Martin returns to Le Mans to defend its 2017 victory at the iconic 24-hour race, so the latest car in the exciting new AMR stable has been unveiled. Following hot on the heels of the DB11 AMR, Aston Martin has revealed the limited edition Rapide AMR. This production version of the concept shown at Geneva last year is limited to just 210 cars."

As is often the way when photographing a sought after production vehicle, you have to achieve a lot in a short period of time, so a big thank you to my 'pit crew' for their hard work and focus during a long studio day.

Below is a selection of the work, with larger versions available here.

ALPA Landscape Workshop in the Olympic National Park, WA

I'm delighted to announce that I'm leading an ALPA cameras landscape photography workshop in the beautiful Olympic National Park, Washington State, in September of this year. The workshop is being organised by my good friends at Capture Integration, who have years of award winning experience when it comes to offering the best in customer service and care.

I've been an ALPA user for many years and have always enjoyed sharing my experiences of working this wonderful camera system, with old and new users alike. This workshop is also a unique opportunity for clients to spend time with André Oldani, the CEO of ALPA Cameras.

The choice of location for the workshop was inspired by the simple fact that the Olympic National Park has such a diverse range of scenery and with the added bonus of some often challenging and dramatic weather, which is something I relish when making personal landscape work.

Finally the grand Lake Quinault Lodge is a truly wonderful place to be based. Stepped in history and surrounded by beautiful landscape, it is the perfect place to unwind, relax and immerse yourself in a week of landscape photography.

For the full details including booking, click here.

Enigma - New Work for Bletchley Park

Further new work for Bletchley Park is now live, commissioned by the good folk at Rose Design. 

I was asked to photograph the Enigma machine. It was both fascinating and a privilege spending time with such a historically significant piece of equipment, one which was indirectly responsible for saving so many lives through the cracking of it's code. 

Bletchley Park is the home of the World War II Codebreakers. There’s so much world changing history that’s been made here, it is a truly fascinating place. I’d recommend that anyone with an interest in World War II, coding or code breaking, spend a day here.

Client : Bletchley Park.    Agency : Rose Design.    AD : Garry Blackburn.

One of the ads is shown below, with more of the work available to see here.