I've been doing a *lot* of corporate portraits this year. But in the interest of keeping it interesting, I think one is probably more than enough, and then we can move on. I took this only a few weeks ago:
The next image was of Joey, from War Horse, who visited the poppy installation - Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red - at the Tower of London with writer Michael Murpurgo. I've "met" Joey a couple of times now. He stamps and flinches; he gets nervous around people (despite his size); even the puppeteer in charge of his harness sometimes struggles to keep him under control - or so it seems, such is the skill with which they bring him to life. I feel nervous walking behind him, as if he could kick me. Anyway, the reaction from the crowds was fantastic - moving, even - and many of the pictures went viral. Unfortunately, it was one of those shoots where I can't take much credit, as it would be hard not to take a decent shot. given the subject matter. This was my favourite:
I work a lot with Mousetrap Theatre Projects, a wonderful charity who educate and inspire young people, getting them access to and involvement in theatre. One of many projects and programs they run, I've photographed a number of "Relaxed Performances", where you have families who might not otherwise ever get to see shows. Here, Matilda was actually put on by the RSC - and it went down a treat. Other slideshow images are from one of Mousetrap's workshops. And below that is Michael Ball, helping raise money at one of their fundraisers.
I covered some dance:
One of my favourite commissions of the year might was stock photography around Central London, for a commercial property developer. People, buildings, details - that sort of thing. I had a shot list to include certain locations and landmarks, but apart from this I was free to wander off track with vague and occasional detours, just looking for interesting photographs:
I love portraits, and was fortunate enough to spend a few days shooting case studies - lecturers and students, mainly - who use a Virtual Learning platform (Canvas). We filmed and photographed at a few locations including the University of Birmingham and Norway's University of Science and Technology, Trondheim:
I did some portraits on the set of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time with playwright Simon Stephens ahead of its opening on Broadway. Writer Mark Haddon (not shown) was also there. Despite the minimalist set and extremely short time allowed, it was one of those sessions where you leave heavy-hearted because you feel you missed the shot. Black walls, dotted lights, white cubes, mathematics lines - it's a great set you could do a lot with. Or not?
And there were some other case-study/interview portraits. Which are kind of corporate, actually. Sorry about that, I did promise no more:
Create Victoria held four days of free events and workshops, including a DJ masterclass (rear-curtain flash - first time in years, and it shows!), an early-morning fitness session, a rooftop art class, a musical theatre lesson, and a textile upcycling workshop. It was hard work:
Sometimes you get great access - I visited a facility in Birmingham where millions of wills are stored. These are now available to search online, and I photographed some of the more famous ones, including those of Charlie Chaplin, Charles Darwin, Lady Diana, Michael Faraday, Dr. Crippen, J.R.R. Tolkein, Alan Turing, A.A. Milne, Beatrix Potter and George Orwell:
And I'll leave you with some images, again from a Mousetrap workshop, of an activity nobody seemed to understand, but was a lot of fun:
