Mo Blog

Tuesday 26 January 2010

The Gangster's city

In this case its Don Carlos. And what an exercise it always is with him. How can an impromptu shoot with hopeless weather, locations getting closed as soon as you get going, gear getting damaged and you just generally winging it because an hour in your still not sure what you want, how can it turn to, not only a success, but even grow legs and take on a subtle sense of unscripted narrative. Easy-its the power of creativity and it flows from everywhere. It flows in the rain and it flows when things wont work, It flows and flows when you move location and new doors open. It especially flows from Carlos, whose stunt cheetah-like reactions I have to thank for our last image.


We've all tried it. Its the best way to get a cab.

Thursday 21 January 2010

Studio Doub le

That was us indeed in the studio. Not the most hospitable environment for someone whose teeth have been cut in the lovely outdoors. A playground without power packs and light meters and cabling. A stomping ground of walls and textures and colours, always shifting and testing.

But the studio? Well its not easy and it is hungry for time. All your time, it wants it. What if you don't want white though? How about black? Nope, well-grey then. Great.

Thankfully I had the diligence and patience of Andrea. More then just a model she is truly..an actress. Which is true. What a dream come true. Under our mad time constraints and a semi-ludicrous ambitious project, we totally walked it (tripping over my cables all the way). We were using the influence of legend Annie Leibovitz to construct a setup that exposed the process of the creative and iconic, while at the same time having a subtle narrative element.

First Studio assignment. Milestone.




Monday 11 January 2010

3. Stop: Three awesome bubblegum photos

Dan Winters - Arnold Schwarzeneger

Jason Bell - Wanda Sykes


David Yeo

Wednesday 6 January 2010

The language of laughter

I think it is a rightly phenomenal thing, laughter. I can think of few things that can make me laugh more than someone else laughing more again. Their hapless resistance. Just hopelessly committed to great barrelling throes of comedy. Jokes cant get the same effect, i dont get half of them.

You see those few glimpses of sanity throughout: clenching the eyes in a helpless wince, shaking the head in disagreement. Pulling the mouth into the great operatic frown, pleading to misery. Just hopeless. And the more rigour you resist with, the more defeat you suffer.

Palming the table with wishful power. The mouth gaping open to impossible dimensions. And of course, the point where all combine: total abandon. You are the revolving mass of incapability. Hands deploying for stability, caressing surfaces and just languishing on nothing. Nothing works. You can't hold anything, your head, a drink. You pick things up. You put them back. The cycle of uproar perpetuates itself. You are liable to produce the most outrageous sounds. To spit violently and uncontrollably. To risk bodily trauma. And it only serves to bolster the miserable mirth. And meanwhile you are just  vibrating in unpreventable silence. And the tears.

And with a shake and a breath: control.


This poor hen suffered something only a little dissimilar recently, but it was to Eddie Izard...so i guess it could have been worse. She's not too well at the moment at all, and while finding her face all over the blog probably wont cheer her up one bit, it has certainly cheered me up! I feel great!

But awww, she's sick, she should send for her nurse  |+|:-)

Monday 4 January 2010

Christmas portraits- Jello

No indeed, she couldn't escape







Sunday 3 January 2010

Christmas portraits- Niall

In my home over christmas you can be sure of all the normal traditions.

Taking portraits is up there