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

Exhibition

SEPTEMBER 17 - 22

THE VACANT SPACE GALLERY
1184 ARGYLE STREET
GLASGOW G3 8TE

Kris Kesiak’s collection of Portraiture is inspired by the lives and the inner humanity of his subjects. Celebrating this, well known singers, musicians, models and bands from across Scotland and beyond all feature in an eclectic presentation of talent and style.

Sottish singers and artists Barbara Dickson, Horse and Rab Noakes appear alongside top model Eunice Olumide and actress Frances Thorburn as well as Jill Jackson, Seafret, Christine Bovill, Roseanne Reid, Tristan Cameron-Harper and many others. “People” is curated by Claire Stewart, photographer and lecturer at City of Glasgow College.

Kris is a master of his craft. Born in Poland, he came to Scotland to study and fell in love with Glasgow and its vibrant culture and arts scene. In his own words, he is: “Polish by birth - Glaswegian by choice”.  By the age of eleven he was taking photographs and over the years he has become one of the most sought-after photographers in Scotland, with his work appearing in numerous newspapers and magazines.

Music has always been - not just an interest for Kris, but a real passion - and much of his photographic work can be seen on promotional film and on album covers.

Kris’s work is immediately identifiable. It carries a distinctive style that captures the unique essence of each individual artist or study.

Eunice for Scottish Woman

I photographed model and broadcaster Eunice Olumide for the first time last year and we recently collaborated again when I was asked to photograph her for the cover of Scottish Woman Magazine. We shot it on a rather windy and chilly April afternoon on Portobello Beach in Edinburgh (although I really shouldn’t complain - I wasn’t the one running around barefoot in dresses!). Eunice put together a truly stellar team for this and you can check the results below:

Styling: Michelle Watson Creative + Daina Renton
Make Up: Sharon Cuthbert
Photo Assistance: Mary Scott

Behind the Scenes:

GEAR
Nikon D850 + Nikkor 85mm f1.4
Profoto A1
RoundFlash Beauty Dish

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