Christian Shaw and the Witches of Paisley

Christian Shaw and the Witches of Paisley - a new opera project from NOISE.

“Christian Shaw and the Witches of Paisley” is a new opera in development from NOISE, with whom I’ve had the pleasure of working on numerous projects in the past decade (like this one for example). This time I was filming and photographing workshops for this new venture which takes as its subject matter Paisley’s textile industry and the last witch trial to take place in Scotland. It’s a fascinating story and I cannot wait to see the final production. You can learn more about the project from the video below.

GEAR
Nikon Z8
Nikkor Z 14-24mm f2.8
Nikkor Z MC 105mm f2.8
Nikkor Z 85mm f1.2
Nikkor Z 35mm f1.8
Tiffen Black Pro-mist 1/4 Filters
DJI RS 2

Agnieszka Opiola

Portrait session with violinist Agnieszka Opiola

I met Agniszeka Opiola, a brilliant performance violinist, while we worked together on an opera project for NOISE. We struck a relationship that continued beyond the opera and eventually Agnieszka approached me last year to do some promotional images for her. We spent a few hours at Basement49 studio last March blasting Chopin (See? It isn’t only 90s R&B and Madonna with me…), chatting and taking photos, of course. Have a look at a select few below.

Big thanks to Greta Kalva for assistance on the day.

GEAR
Nikon D850 + Nikkor 85mm f1.4
Tiffen Black Pro-mist 1/4 Filter
Profoto B10 + Profoto OCF Softbox 3' Octa
Reflector

Navigate The Blood

I’ve worked with Noise Opera on a few different projects in recent years (you can read about one of them here) and each time it was a great experience filled with challenges as well as joy but their most recent production took it to another level. Composed by Admiral Fallow and Gareth Williams with a libretto by Siân Evans, “Navigate The Blood” is a modern opera set in the world of whisky and gin manufacturing and it toured Scottish distilleries this past November. Long rehearsal days, multitude of people involved, numerous performance venues, different lighting set ups, travel - the whole project was as intense and demanding as it was rewarding. Working behind the scenes on such productions is one of my favourite things to do - love seeing the creative process, how different performances develop over time and the ability to capture artists with their guards down. An incredibly talented group of people was involved in making this opera both on and off stage, and I couldn’t be happier to have been a part of it. I photographed and filmed the rehearsal process as well as several live performances and you can check it all out below:

“Navigate The Blood” film
featuring footage from rehearsals and live performances shot throughout October and November 2018:

Rehearsals:

Glasgow Distillery Dress Rehearsal + Live Performance:

Behind The Scenes:

Behind Behind The Scenes:

GEAR:
Nikon D4
Nikon D700
Nikkor 85mm f1.4
Nikkor 50mm f1.4
Nikkor 14-24mm f2.8
Nikkor 24-70mm f2.8

Sony A7III
Sony 35mm f1.8
Metabones Nikon G to Sony NEX E-mount Converter
Zhiyun Crane 2 Gimbal
Video edited in FCPX

Noise - Love Speaks Opera

Noise is a Scottish opera company whose aim is to broaden the audience for contemporary opera in Scotland. I’ve worked with them previously on their “Hirda” project, an opera written in Shetlandic dialect, and was delighted to be back photographing and filming their most recent production, “Love Speaks”. “Love Speaks” is a short opera written by Kevan O’Reilly and Jenny Knotts about love and relationships, celebrating the availability of prEP on NHS Scotland. The short piece was directed by James Robert Carson and featured stellar performances from Marie Claire Breen, Douglas Gordon, Kenny Reid and Shuna Scott Sendall. You can see the short film I made for this below and some images from live performances and rehearsals.

GEAR:
Nikon D4
Nikkor 85mm f1.4
Nikkor 50mm f1.4

Video filmed with Sony A7III + Sony 35mm f1.8
Metabones Nikon G to Sony NEX E-mount Converter
Nikkor 85mm f1.4
Nikkor 50mm f1.4
Nikkor 14-24mm f2.8
Zhiyun Crane 2 Gimbal
Edited in FCPX