Americana

Diamond Days

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Photography, Video AND artwork for Brooks Williams’ recent album “Diamond Days”

I’ve worked with American singer/songwriter Brooks Williams on various projects over the years - solo shoots, collaborations with other musicians (Rab Noakes, Boo Hewerdine), as well as behind-the-scenes stuff and it’s always a pleasure. Last summer Brooks was in Wales at Martin Levan’s Red Kite Studio recording his new album “Diamond Days” and I was invited to film and photograph the sessions.

It was my first time in Wales and while the 8-hour, 3-train journey from Glasgow was rather stressful, it was worth it in the end. Set in the deepest Welsh valleys, Red Kite Studio was a dream space to photograph in and the hospitality of everyone involved made the whole experience a highlight of 2023 for me. See below for the photos, music videos as well as album artwork (I was responsible for that too).

GEAR PHOTO:
Nikon D850
Nikkor 85mm f1.4
Nikkor 35mm f1.8
Tiffen Black Pro-mist 1/4 Filters

GEAR VIDEO:
Sony A7III
Sony 35mm f1.8
Sony 85mm f1.8
DJI RS 2
Tiffen Black Pro-mist 1/4 Filters

A Decade with Jill Jackson

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In August 2010 I had my first photoshoot with Jill Jackson. I was working as a graphic designer at The Print Box at the time, and Jill was one of our clients. I worked on various posters and an EP for her and struck an e-mail friendship with Jill’s assistant at the time. I noticed that they kept using the same images for promo so I thought “what the hell” and suggested taking new photos of Jill. If they like them - great; if not, it would still be a great experience for me. I’ve been taking pictures since I was a kid, it’s always been a hobby of mine, so I sent a few examples of my past work and awaited a response. Luckily, Jill liked what she saw and agreed to do a session with me.

The first time Jill and I met in person was at King Tut’s where she was playing a gig. I didn’t really know what to expect from Jill or her music, but as I stood there watching her perform I could feel myself getting increasingly excited at the prospect of photographing her - you can’t fake that kind of stage presence and charisma. And I loved the songs too. We had a brief chat after the show and a week later we were doing the shoot.

A good friend of mine had a beautiful old house with a garden in Mount Vernon and that’s where that first session took place. My partner was helping with the lights and the three of us quickly bonded over our love for music and Kath & Kim (“Look at moiye, look at mooooiye!”). It marked the beginning of a years-long friendship and numerous other collaborations followed. We shot everywhere and all sorts; from abandoned jails to being knee-deep in freezing Loch Lomond; from album and magazine covers to concerts and music videos. Unwittingly, that first session with Jill would also be the start of my photography career as my work with her lead to commissions from other artists. In four years I would leave The Print Box to become a full-time photographer.

Whether there’s still a photography career for me to come back to after this pandemic remains to be seen. In the meantime, however, I thought it would be nice to celebrate this 10-year landmark by posting an image from every session/collaboration I’ve done with Jill so far - there are live shots (hers was the very first concert I ever photographed), some behind the scenes photos as well as outtakes and images that haven’t been published anywhere till now.

I need to come clean here though - a few of the earlier photos have been re-edited. There was some bad retouching and heavy-handed colour treatments that I couldn’t look at now. You live, you learn!

Which image is your favourite? Perhaps you attended some of the gigs? Let me know and enjoy:

“My Baby” music video, May 2018.

“Goodbye” music video, January 2019.

Brooks Williams

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I met Brooks Williams in November 2018 when I was photographing him and Rab Noakes for their joint tour. We got on very well and when Brooks was finishing work on his latest solo album “Work My Claim” last summer, he got in touch asking me to shoot the album promo. The photos were taken in a back alley in Finnieston as well as Kyoti Recording Studio. Have a look:

GEAR
Nikon D850
Nikkor 85mm f1.4
Nikkor 50mm f1.4
Neewer 120cm Octabox
Profoto A1
Profoto Air Remote TTL-N for Nikon

Jill Jackson's Xmas Show

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Jill Jackson put on a very special festive show at Cottiers Theatre in Glasgow’s West End this past December. The night was called “A Very Country Christmas” and featured Jill’s solo material (old and brand new) as well some holiday season classics. There were also a few special guests, namely Kathleen MacInnes, Rab Noakes and Soul Nation Choir. It was a brilliant night, truly, and it was a pleasure to capture this event for Jill.

Behind the Scenes/Soundcheck:

A VERY COUNTRY CHRISTMAS:

GEAR
Nikon D4
Nikon D850
Nikkor 85mm f1.4
Nikkor 14-24mm f2.8
Nikkor 24-70mm f2.8

Roseanne Reid

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If you haven’t heard about Roseanne Reid so far that will probably change soon. She’s a a talented singer/sonwgwriter whose beautiful debut album “Trails” has just been released and there is a bit of a buzz about her in the Americana circles (having Steve Earle as your mentor and guest vocalist on the record doesn’t hurt the matter). I’ve worked with Roseanne on three promo videos for the album as well as some photography and you can check them out below:

“I Love Her So”
Filmed late November last year in Tentsmuir Forest on the East coast and features illustrations by Iona Lee as well as fan-supplied photographs:

“Amy”
A simpler affair shot during Roseanne’s performance and sound check at Saint Luke’s in Glasgow where she was the support slot for Blue Rose Code in March this year:

“Sweet Amy”
Filmed in Edinburgh late March:

In between takes for the “Sweet Annie” video I also managed to shoot a roll of film and take some portrait images of Roseanne:

Behind The Scenes:

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GEAR
Video filmed with Sony A7III + Sony 35mm f1.8
Nikkor 85mm f1.4
Metabones Nikon G to Sony NEX E-mount Converter
Zhiyun Crane 2 Gimbal
Edited in FCPX

Photography: Nikon FM + Nikkor-S 50mm f1.4
Kodak 400TX