Music

Christine Bovill Album Promo

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:

Mark Angels

Mark Angels is a Scottish singer/songwriter I've known for some time and have photographed on numerous occasions (performing with Soul Nation Choir for example). You may know him better as one of the contestants on BBC's recent talent show, Let It Shine where he sang and danced his way all the way to the finals as part of the band DriveMark is a brilliant singer and a truly amazing performer so when I was asked to do some promo shots for him at the end of last year we agreed that we would try to capture that vibe and energy in the photos. Big thanks to John at The Gray Room for being helpful and Sarah Kesson for assistance.

Ceol's Craic

Established in 2004, Ceòl's Craic is a year-round programme of the best in contemporary Gaelic culture. I've had the pleasure of working with them for a few years now, photographing various events, from plays and book launches to music showcases at CCA. It's fun, sometimes challenging and often educational (who knew there was so much brilliant electronica in Gaelic?). Here's a collection of some of my favourite images for Ceòl's Craic:

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The Dolls

The Dolls are Louise McCarthy (Only an Excuse?) and Gayle Telfer Stevens (River City) and I've known them for a few years through my work with Soul Nation Choir (Gayle and Lousie have both sung with this brilliant choir). I'd been hearing (and seeing clips online) of their double act for a while but somehow never got the chance to see it live until I was asked to photograph a couple of their sold-out Dolls Abroad shows at The Mitchell Theatre this September. I'm not exaggerating when I say it was one of the funniest things I've ever seen - I was photographing it with tears streaming down my face! After 8 sold-out shows at The Mitchell Theatre, The Dolls are hitting the road next spring to bring Dolls Abroad to venues all over Scotland. Fat chance getting tickets (some dates were sold out within 10 minutes) but it's definitely worth trying cause these two (and the brilliant Alan Orr who also stars in the show) will knock your socks out!

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Monkoora

Stuart and Kirsty, the styling dream team behind I'll Be Your Mirror, kindly approached me earlier this year to work with them on promotional images for HOT GEM's promising young singer/songwriter Monkoora. The artist's beautiful red hair provided the perfect opportunity for us to indulge in our shared Guy Bourdin obsession and it was his work as well as photographs by Nadia Lee Cohen that populated our mood board for the shoot. I'm working with I'll Be Your Mirror again in a couple of weeks (excited!), in the meantime here are some images from the Monkoora shoot:

Photography: Kris Kesiak
Styling & Art Direction: I'll Be Your Mirror
Hair: Lisa at Byers & Birrell
Make Up: Colette Murphy
Clothes: Silken Favours, Isolated Heroes
Locations: The Variety Bar, 13th Note

Behind The Scenes: