Scottish

Remembering Rab Noakes

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Rab Noakes 1947 - 2022

It’s truly surreal and heartbreaking to write a heading like this. Only a few weeks ago I was in a recording studio with Rab where he was working on a new album with Brooks Williams. He was in great form, cracking jokes, and his voice sounded great. And yet here we are. I got a message from a friend on Friday asking whether I’d heard the news about Rab. I did not and my heart sank.

I met Rab Noakes through Jill Jackson, his close friend and a frequent collaborator, who enrolled me to take some promotional images for their upcoming tour. Rab and I got on very well, he liked the images and would get me to photograph him for his following projects with Barbara Dickson, Brooks Williams as well as solo. I loved taking pictures of him, he was one the most impeccably dressed men I’ve ever encountered and his charisma and charm were a joy to capture. While we didn’t always see eye to eye (Rab thought ABBA was nothing special and Ella Fitzgerald was overrated - gasp!) we always had a great time together and he was incredibly supportive of my work, kept recommending me to other artists and attended my exhibitions.

I leave you with some of my favourite images I took of Rab throughout the years.

He’s greatly missed.

A Decade with Horse

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10 Years of working with Horse McDonald

Horse was a customer at a coffee shop I used to work at in Finnieston when I was a student in Glasgow in the mid-2000s (waaaaaay before the area was deemed the new Shoreditch). I didn't know who she was at the time, just another person I was making coffee for, and I certainly couldn't have predicted we would not only work together but also become close friends in the future.

Our first proper introduction happened during a Jill Jackson gig at the Renfrew Ferry in early 2011 (I wrote about my decade of photographing Jill here). We recognised each other from the coffee shop and briefly spoke about the possibility of working together at some point.

That opportunity came along when Horse was gearing up for the release of her album “Home” and needed some publicity shots. We spent a brilliant day with her band in Strachur in October 2012 and it marked the beginning of a fruitful working relationship which eventually turned into friendship. There have been photoshoots, countless live gigs and most recently, a music video for her banging single “Leaving”.

It was actually working with Horse that lead to me exploring video work. I was doing some behind-the-scenes shots on a music video of hers and the guys filming asked for assistance. I’d been asked by clients to do filming many times at that point but I always refused, I was too scared of the medium and worried I wouldn’t be able to translate the visual style of my photography work into moving image. Having helped on that video for Horse demystified the process for me and made me go “Oh, that’s really not that different from photography, I can do it!”.

You can see the “Leaving” video, shots from every collaboration we’ve done over the past decade (including previously unreleased images) as well some personal snaps below.

“Leaving” Music Video.

Marissa Keltie

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Portfolio shoot with Marissa Keltie

I’ve known Marissa Keltie for a few years and have worked with her several times as part of The Eves duo. However, this was the first time I photographed her alone. Aside from being a talented musician, Marissa is also a commercial model and a voice-over artist and was looking to update her portfolio. I love how these images turned out and I think Marissa is pleased too cause this is what she had to say about this session:

 
“Kris Kesiak is such an amazing photographer who I have the pleasure of working with regularly. He always manages to get the shots I’m looking for and always has a smile on his face, singing and dancing - shoots with him are lots of fun!”
 

I’m blushing although perhaps I should cut down on the singing, I’m not that good! Aaaanyway, the shoot took place last month at Basement49, an East End studio I use a lot and you can see some images from that day below:

GEAR
Nikon D850 + Nikkor 85mm f1.4
Tiffen Black Pro-mist ¼ Filter
Profoto B10 + Profoto OCF Softbox 3' Octa
OCF Softgrid Octa
Reflector

Behind The Scenes with Horse

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“Leaving” is the new single from Horse, it premiered earlier this month and I had the pleasure of working on the music video to accompany the song.

Autumn this year will mark 10 years since Horse and I started working together (yes, there will be a blog about that too down the line), we’ve done a variety of projects over the decade but this was the first time doing a music video together.

Loosely inspired by Joan of Arc and filmed at the National Theatre of Scotland last December, it was a very low-key affair largely due to Covid-19 restrictions. We got the absolutely phenomenal Michelle Watson to style the shoot and do the make up. She also created the custom crowns Horse is seen wearing throughout the clip, while the mesh and armour bits were kindly provided by the National Theatre of Scotland’s costume department (thank you Aileen!).

I can’t lie, Horse is a legend and I was really nervous about doing her and the new song justice. I also had the idea of doing something a little bit different for her and showing Horse in a way that she’s never been seen before. Luckily, over the years of working together we became very good friends, she trusted me and gave her all on the shoot. Neither the armour nor the sword was light, and I had her running about, swinging the damn thing and lip-syncing for hours on end.

I’m pleased to say we’re still friends and Horse thinks the effort was worth it. I hope you think so too - have a look at the final video below followed by a few behind the scenes snaps taken on the day:

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

GEAR / VIDEO
Sony A7III
Sony 35mm f1.8
Sony 85mm f1.8
Tiffen Black Pro-mist 1/4 Filters
DJI RS 2 Gimbal
Profoto B10 + Profoto OCF Beauty Dish 2'
Neewer CN-216 LED Light x 2
Reflector
Tripod
Video edited in FCPX

Kathleen MacInnes

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I’ve known Kathleen MacInnes, a brilliant Gaelic singer, for quite a while and have photographed her live on several occasions (mainly for Ceol’s Craic events) and it was a joy to be asked to do a proper session with her. We spent a lovely summer evening in Govan’s Dry Docks earlier this year and I’m including some of the final images below.

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