Kris Kesiak
It was over a year ago that Diana Schad interviewed me for Radio Pulse on her Night Nurse music show. Being the only non-musician to ever be featured on the show I was surprised (and delighted!) to be invited back last month. Listen below for more talk about photography; which magazine I'd like to have my work featured in; travelling in Scotland, my music choices and more:
I was recently invited by Diana Schad to be interviewed on her Night Nurse show on Radio Pulse. We chatted about photography, music and I got to play a few of my favourite tracks. Diana also kindly played "Make It Work" - one of my own songs from an EP I released in 2007 when I was trying to be a singer/songwriter. Who would've thought it would ever get a radio premiere? You can listen to the interview here:
Here I am waiting to go on air:
The Scullery is one of those places which despite having been open for only a few months already feels like a staple of Finnieston life. Maybe it's just because I visit it so frequently - it's practically on my door step, I'm in love with the decor and it doesn't hurt that their food is really good. I was first asked to photograph their interiors early summer last year when it was all still work in progress. I've since been back to capture the restaurant in its full, finished glory. Have a look at some of the before and after shots below and make sure to stop by if you happen to be in Finnieston area.
The Scullery Bar & Kitchen
10 Claremont Street
Glasgow G3 7HA
I've always been obsessed with portraits from the Golden Age of Hollywood, especially the ones taken before World War II broke. I remember cutting out those Dietrich head shots by Don English or numerous publicity stills taken by George Hurrell from newspapers and magazines whenever there was an article on stars or films from that era. Sure, more often than not they were the results of painful sittings with subjects who were contractually obliged to have their shots taken by this or that particular photographer whether they approved of them or not and the end results were retouched to within an inch of their life (I find it funny when people go on about Photoshopping these days as if retouching was the digital age's invention) but when you look at those images today you cannot deny the fact that they are timeless. They will never age and they also seem to have a certain air of melancholy about them. I think my preoccupation with that particular style of photography can be seen in my work at times - the shadows, rich blacks, the drama, use of wide apertures, etc. It's not necessarily something I do consciously - it just happens to be the kind of aesthetic I'm drawn to. I've always wanted however, to do a shoot that would directly pay homage to that era and this summer I was finally given an opportunity to do so.
I've written previously about the amazing Christine Bovill and her Piaf show at last year's Fringe Festival in Edinburgh and this July I was asked to take some publicity shots specifically to promote her Piaf performances - perfect opportunity to indulge my vintage Hollywood glamour obsession. The super-talented Caroline Stewart was in charge of hair and make up and here's a sample of what we managed to create:
At some point during the session I asked Christine to sing a song in order to get a few performance-like shots. After a few spine-tingling verses sung A capella in French, Caroline was reduced to tears. If you've not been as lucky and haven't had the chance to hear Miss Bovill live I urge you to do so immediately - she currently has a residency at Swing on Hope Street in Glasgow and you can see her perform live with The Shiverin' Sheiks every Thursday. Oh, it's free too!
I'm leaving you with a couple of images of a more dressed-down version of Christine take that same day:
I went to see Christine Bovill's much talked-about "Piaf" show at the very beginning of its run at this year's Fringe Festival in Edinburgh and I was floored - by the artist, her performance, her voice, the theatricality and last but not least The Famous Spiegeltent setting. How could I not come back and try to photograph it? I met Christine for coffee in Glasgow's West End, she kindly agreed to let me document the concert and I came back to Edinburgh to photograph the penultimate performance of this year's "Piaf" run. It was quite an unusual setting for me - the only instruments were the piano and the violin (and Christine's voice, of course), The Famous Spiegeltent is a very intimate venue which combined with an incredibly attentive audience made me feel quite aware of my presence there. You don't want to disturb anyone and draw attention to yourself and I did the best I could given that I'm 6' 4" and the shutter on D700 is a rather loud one. Here are some photos for you to see. I have no idea if there are any plans for future "Piaf" shows but be sure to see one if you get a chance, you won't be disappointed!
