Pictures

Pictures is a project by Cliona Cassidy (voice) and Catriona McKay (harp and harmonium). I've worked with both artists on several occasions over the years, have great respect for them so it was a pleasure to be asked to photograph and design their EP. Cliona and Catriona had a very clear idea of what they wanted for the cover image and its inspiration was a famous Frida Kahlo photograph of the Mexican painter working in her studio (which you can see below). We first took a portrait of Catriona and then photographed Cliona standing next to an easel, just like Kahlo. Rest of the work was done in photoshop. See the EP cover below as well other images from that session:

"Pictures" EP Cover

Frida Kahlo - inspiration behind the cover / Photo by Bettmann/Getty

GEAR
Nikon D4
Nikkor 50mm f1.4
Nikkor 24-70mm f2.8
PocketWizard FlexTT5 Transceiver
PocketWizard MiniTT1 Transmitter 
Nikon SB-5000 Speedlight
Neewer 120cm Octabox

Elaine Lennon

Elaine Lennon is a singer/songwriter who, despite being relatively new to the music industry has already managed to bag 2019 Celtic Connections Danny Kyle Award as well as a “One to Watch” nod from Nashville Songwriters’ Association International. Her debut album is out early next year and it was a genuine joy and pleasure to work on this release (I was responsible for photography and artwork). The photos were taken one June afternoon earlier this year on Lunan Bay, one of my favourites beaches in Scotland. We had a great laugh taking photos and blasting 90s R&B in the car on the way back. Grab a copy of the album when it’s out and check out some of the promo images below in the meantime:

"Elaine Lennon" album cover.

Behind the scenes:

GEAR
Nikon D850 + Nikkor 85mm f1.4

Horse on St. Cyrus Beach

I wrote about my gradual return to shooting film a while back and I mentioned having some 100% analog projects in the pipeline. I can finally share one of them with you. Horse and I have been talking about doing a shoot where it’s just us, camera and the beach for quite some time and earlier this year we drove up to the beautiful St. Cyrus Beach on the East coast of Scotland where we spent a couple of hours walking, talking and taking pictures. We shot 3 rolls of film (2 black and white and a colour one) and I really enjoyed working like that again. It reminded me of the very first shoots I did as a teenager where there was no pressure, no assistants, no stylists, no crazy light equipment - just a camera and the person in front of it. Enjoy!

Behind the scenes:

GEAR
Nikon FM + 50mm f1.4
Kodak 400 TX
Kodak Portra 400

Dusty Won't Play

If you missed Frances Thorburn in “Dusty Won’t Play”, A Play A Pie And A Pint production at Òran Mór this June, shame on you cause it was a feast (and I’m not talking about the pie). The play which originally premiered in 2017 tells the story of Dusty Springfield’s 1964 visit to South Africa where the singer defied local apartheid laws prohibiting concert performances to mixed race audiences. Frances is a force to be reckoned with, both as an actress and a singer (and those aren’t easy songs to sing), and she was mesmerising. I’m hearing talk of the play being brought back for another, perhaps a larger-scale run if you didn’t manage to catch it this time around. Here are some images taken during the dress rehearsal:

GEAR
Nikon D850 + Nikkor 85mm f1.4

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