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Celtic Connections 2024

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Documenting the 2024 Celtic Connections Festival

Well, this January flew by for a change, thanks to Celtic Connections, the world-renowned folk, roots and world music festival. Glasgow Life approached me late last year asking if I’d be interested in documenting the 2024 outing of the annual winter event and I was, like, hmm, I need to think about it. I’m kidding, obviously, I jumped at the opportunity!

This year’s festival run from January 18th to February 4th, with over 300 events involving 1,200 artists across 25 of the city’s venues. I’m not superhuman and was able to photograph only a portion of that, but hopefully what you see below is a good representation of the 2024 Celtic Connections. I had a blast and am looking forward to the 2025 edition if they have me back. Enjoy a selection of my favourite shots from the past 3 weeks:

GEAR
Nikon D850 x 2
Nikkor 85mm f1.4
Nikkor 35mm f1.8
Nikkor 14-24mm f2.8
Tiffen Black Pro-mist 1/4 Filters

Cloud House

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Cloud House are a Glasgow-based alternative/indie band and I’ve worked with them on a couple of promotional shoots in recent years. I’ve also had the pleasure of seeing them live recently at King Tut’s. It was my first live gig since the pandemic (theirs too!) and these gentlemen were pretty awesome. Here are select images from my sessions with them:

DECEMBER 2019 SHOOT / Mugdock Park

GEAR

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

NOVEMBER 2020 SHOOT / Basement49

GEAR

Nikon D850
Nikkor 50mm f1.4
Nikkor 14-24mm f2.8
Studio lights + Octabox
Reflector

Behind The Scenes:

Seafret

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Seafret are Jack Sedman and Harry Draper, two super talented guys from Northern England, who released their debut album in 2016. Last summer they were filming a video for their recent single “Monsters” and I was asked to take some promotional images for the band in between takes. It ended up being one of my favourite shoots of 2018 - very laid back, all natural and relaxed, in a great setting (ex-dynamite storage warehouse in Ayrshire with lots of weird stuff inside and in the surrounding area). I recently worked with Seafret again while they were up in Glasgow recording but for now here are some images from that first shoot last summer:

Location scouting shots:

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GEAR:
Nikon D4
Nikkor 50mm f1.4

Christine Bovill Album Promo

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I've written about working with Christine Bovill, the chanteuse supreme, on a couple of occasions (here and here) but we actually go way back. When I was a student in the early 2000s, I used to work at this Italian coffee shop in Finnieston called Espresso. Christine may be best known for singing in French but she also has a soft spot for all things Italian and was a frequent visitor at the café as she lived nearby (she named her debut album Derby Street after all). Eventually, I quit that job, Christine moved flats and we lost touch for a decade or so until we bumped into each other at a function in the summer of 2013 (she was singing, I was taking pictures). After so many years it took us a while to figure out how we knew each other but it eventually clicked - Espresso! What followed was not only a brilliant working relationship but also a treasured friendship.

When Christine Bovill was getting ready to release her sophomore album The Sentence That I Serve, I was brought on board to oversee the whole visual side of the project - from photographing the recording process as well as the single/album covers to designing the CD packaging and finally filming the EPK. It was a lot of work but I couldn't have been happier to be involved.

EPK Video:

Recording/Rehearsals (with The Strange Blue Dreams):

Single Cover Shoot:

Album Cover Shoot:

Horse

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Ugh... It's been way too long since I've written anything but trust me, it's not for the lack of trying. It's March already and I don't even know what happened to February, let alone January. 2013 started off with a bang and it just keeps going. OK, I admit I have no clue what that's supposed to mean but it's late, I'm tired and my brain is fried so bear with me. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I've been extremely busy and thus neither had the time nor the energy to write anything. Some people blog all the time and make it seem effortless. Well, I'm not one of those people. There are quite a few different projects I would like to let you know about but this time I'm just going to mention a very special live event I was asked to photograph. Horse McDonald played the legendary Barrowlands in Glasgow last night accompanied by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra (conducted by Sally Herbert). The gig was flawless, electric and it was an absolute honour to have the opportunity to work alongside such talented people:

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As it happens, it wasn't the first time I worked with Horse. Last year we went with her band to Strachur to take some promotional images for the new album Home. It was a horrible day, most of the shoot was outdoors and it was raining but I somehow remember it very fondly and, more importantly, we managed to get some decent shots in the end:

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One of the main reasons the Strachur shoot is remembered so fondly by all involved is the hospitality with which we were received. The very talented Jacqueline Orr (whose paining is used on the cover of Horse's new album) was our host for the day and not only did she hold an umbrella over us when needed but also treated everyone to the most speculator feast - leg of lamb, champagne, wine, dessert, cheese, the works! This should be the rider for my photoshoots from now on: it's either lamb or I keep the lens cap on - blame Jacqueline! ;-)

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So that's that, first post of the year. Don't know if I should feel celebratory or embarrassed that it took me so long but here we are. Happy 2013 to all of you.