INSPIRATIONS
HELMUT NEWTON
He is the photographer who inspired me to pick up a camera. His fetish images, which he is best known for, are truly mesmerising and timeless. Many people at the time considered his work too risky, however art is about evoking emotion and Newton caused many jaws to drop, deeming his images as controversial and 'porn', which inspired him to push the boundaries even more. If you do not evoke any form of emotion with your art, then you are left with a dead image of no importance.
Many people may not realise this but Helmut's success came to him later on in life in the 1970s. He is also one of the most published Vogue photographers. I could speak volumes of my praise for this man, as often he had his tongue firmly pressed into his cheek.
One of my favourite images is called French 'Vogue' Paris, 1975, Girl in Suit (left). I love the androgyny of the strong looking woman as she is standing confidently down a Parisian street smoking a cigarette. It is also the intrigue of this image; Why is she there? Who is she waiting for? She is waiting for her girlfriend as there are two versions of this image, the second being with her naked lover.
I did a tribute of this image with my muse Kitty, which can be seen on my portfolio page. This image turned out to be one of the most popular photos I have ever taken and was even picked up by Rankin and the supermodel Erin O'Connor.
He is the photographer who inspired me to pick up a camera. His fetish images, which he is best known for, are truly mesmerising and timeless. Many people at the time considered his work too risky, however art is about evoking emotion and Newton caused many jaws to drop, deeming his images as controversial and 'porn', which inspired him to push the boundaries even more. If you do not evoke any form of emotion with your art, then you are left with a dead image of no importance.
Many people may not realise this but Helmut's success came to him later on in life in the 1970s. He is also one of the most published Vogue photographers. I could speak volumes of my praise for this man, as often he had his tongue firmly pressed into his cheek.
One of my favourite images is called French 'Vogue' Paris, 1975, Girl in Suit (left). I love the androgyny of the strong looking woman as she is standing confidently down a Parisian street smoking a cigarette. It is also the intrigue of this image; Why is she there? Who is she waiting for? She is waiting for her girlfriend as there are two versions of this image, the second being with her naked lover.
I did a tribute of this image with my muse Kitty, which can be seen on my portfolio page. This image turned out to be one of the most popular photos I have ever taken and was even picked up by Rankin and the supermodel Erin O'Connor.
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MAN RAY
I see Man Ray as another fantastic influence on my work. Not only was Man Ray an inspiring sculptor and painter, he was also a surrealistic photographer. He was way ahead of his time, some of his images included an iron with tacks soldered onto the base. I admire how he was pushing boundaries in the 1920s with nude images of females with a strong undertone of eroticism. He was truly ground breaking. My favourite image from Man Ray is called 'Editions Du Desastre' (right). A stunning image which is thought provoking and a beautiful use of film noir lighting. I have owned this print for over 26 years which is proudly hung in my home. My tribute was entitled 'Dreaming With My Eyes Open' which features my beautiful wife (large banner above). |
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BAILEY
The reason why I love Bailey so much is due to, not just his iconic street and portraiture work, but for being an anarchist in the 1960s with his anarchic images when Vogue sent him to New York with his muse, Jean Shrimpton. How he used the grime and grit of the streets in his fashion photography is what also inspires me with my street imagery of people naturally going on with their lives, which draws you further into the image with many questions about the people captured.
Bailey proudly stuck two fingers up to the establishment and produced a raw gritty style of photography which was soon emulated, thus becoming an inspiration to many across the globe in the 60s and today.
I chose an image of his muse, Jean (left) as it has a beautiful artistic symmetry and lighting. I have a shot which I believe is quite similar, it wasn't planned with my model, Holly Dosdale, the shot just happened. Again this can be seen in my portfolio section. It is still great to see today that Bailey is still not answering to anybody and does what he wants to do and feel.
If you do not break rules then nothing will ever change and this is why I love his approach so much!
The reason why I love Bailey so much is due to, not just his iconic street and portraiture work, but for being an anarchist in the 1960s with his anarchic images when Vogue sent him to New York with his muse, Jean Shrimpton. How he used the grime and grit of the streets in his fashion photography is what also inspires me with my street imagery of people naturally going on with their lives, which draws you further into the image with many questions about the people captured.
Bailey proudly stuck two fingers up to the establishment and produced a raw gritty style of photography which was soon emulated, thus becoming an inspiration to many across the globe in the 60s and today.
I chose an image of his muse, Jean (left) as it has a beautiful artistic symmetry and lighting. I have a shot which I believe is quite similar, it wasn't planned with my model, Holly Dosdale, the shot just happened. Again this can be seen in my portfolio section. It is still great to see today that Bailey is still not answering to anybody and does what he wants to do and feel.
If you do not break rules then nothing will ever change and this is why I love his approach so much!
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PENNY SMITH
I have recently received requests to shoot live band photography, which to be honest, is very new to me. I am always up for the challenge so off I went with my Fuji X-Pro2. The greatest inspiration for my live photography is Penny Smith. One of the most iconic photos she took is of Joe Strummer, from The Clash, smashing his guitar on stage in the 1970s. Also you could choose Bruce Foxton, from The Jam, leaping in the air on stage, or Depeche Mode...the list is endless. What I love about Penny Smith is when she shoots mainly her live work in black and white, which to me is a timeless format. The images are often dirty and grainy which gives them a raw energy and makes you feel like you were actually there yourself. Her work isn't about perfection, it is about capturing the moment and the atmosphere. I have never, to this day, seen anybody else do this better. In my opinion, today's band photography is about perfection, using massive lenses, flashes with lots of manipulation and post production, where I only use the light provided on stage which I believe captures the mood more. Good or bad, art is what I am interested in capturing and not the perfectly lit shot. Links: Music |
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