Environmental

Double Take Projections at COP26

in

I’ve got something different for you this time - i.e. no mug shots of anyone! As much as I love portraiture, the reality of being a self-employed, working photographer is that you grab job opportunities from all kinds of sources. This was definitely the case with this project - I’ve never done anything like that before but I ended up thoroughly enjoying it.

Double Take Projections is a brilliant company specialising in projection mapping. A mutual client of ours (Skypark) recommended me to them during COP26 when they needed a last-minute photographer to cover their guerrilla work with Scottish environmental artist Elizabeth Ogilvie. We spent a chilly, yet immensely fun evening driving around Glasgow, eating pizza and gummy bears, and projecting Elizabeth’s beautiful films onto various buildings. My job was to document it and here are some images from that night:

GEAR
Nikon D850
Nikkor 85mm f1.4
Nikkor 50mm f1.4
Nikkor 14-24mm f2.8
Tiffen Black Pro-mist 1/4 Filter
Tripod

Girls at COP26

in

“Where the problems are man-made, the solutions are feminist.”
Mary Robinson

This quote from Mary Robinson was the inspiration behind Glasgow City Council’s series of events throughout COP26, ensuring the voices of women and girls were centred in the climate emergency discussions.

I’ve done a few projects during the climate change conference in Glasgow last November, and I will be showcasing some of them in future posts, but GirlsAtCop26 was probably the most rewarding one. 2,500 Year 3 school girls (approximately 15 yo) from Glasgow’s 30 high schools came together over the course of 10 days to discuss climate change with a range of female speakers from all over the world. Sessions took place at Glasgow Caledonian University and my job was to photograph the panellists - from Scottish writers to the mayor of Utrecht.

I wasn’t able to attend every session due to other commitments, but I managed to cover most of them and I loved the experience. I enjoy the challenge of making a connection with someone in a very limited time and putting them at ease in order to get a relaxed and honest photograph. I photographed over 40 women during those two weeks and was hugely inspired, and often moved by them. It was a privilege, and I hope I did them justice. It would take a whole separate section of this site to exhibit all of the images taken so I chose 12 of my personal favourites to showcase below:

(to read about the 2022 exhibition Women At COP26 featuring these images click here)

GEAR
Nikon D850 + Nikkor 85mm f1.4

Roxana Halls

in

I met London-based artist Roxana Halls earlier this year when she travelled up to Scotland to see her portrait of Horse Mcdonald, acquired last year by the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, about to go on public display for the first time. I was there to document the day and the moment I saw Roxana, I thought she’d be a fantastic person to photograph. The opportunity came along when I was in London a few weeks ago and despite rather hectic schedules, we managed to carve out a bit of time for me to visit Roxana’s studio and take some photos. There wasn’t much time, I was probably there about 20 minutes, but Roxana was a great sport and I’m pleased with how this sitting turned out. Have a look:

GEAR
Nikon D850
Nikkor 85mm f1.4 + Tiffen Black Pro-mist 1/4 Filter
FujiFilm x100v