The article provides updates on recent developments in the photography industry:
- A new photography gallery is opening in London's West End dedicated to selling work by legendary photographers.
- The Sony World Photography Awards is moving its ceremony location from Cannes to London for the first time in 2011.
- Italian actress and model Monica Bellucci is profiled, highlighting her background and career in modeling and acting.
3. welcome
january
Throughout my career and life I have had heroes; people I’ve looked up to, admired, been influenced by
and respected for their achievements and attitude. Many of them have been photographic heroes. Most of
these have been people whose work I could never hope to emulate, but from whom I have managed to
grasp nuggets of insight – a few words that have given me more understanding of my work and/or the
industry. It is why each month we try to bring you as many exclusive interviews with the world’s greatest
photographers, so that you can benefit from their experiences and hear and learn from the
best. This month we have compiled a series of interviews with some of the most iconic
and important photographers in their fields and I’m honoured to have them feature in our
magazine. Toscani, Watson, Schapiro and Schadeberg, thanks for the insights.
Every month we feature your images and this month sees us devote 18 pages to the winning and
commended images from the Professional Photographer of the Year Awards 2010 from Page 103. The quality of the images
you enter gets higher by the year and ever harder to judge. I hope you agree with the selection, although as with any
photography competition I’m sure there will be great debate over our choice of the winning images!
We had an incredible rise in the standard of student entries this year, which bodes well for the future of our
profession, despite a lot that I hear and see coming out of the universities. Someone who is giving his time
to back up his beliefs is photographer Jonathan Worth. You can read about his ground-breaking Phonar
Project in Turn On, Tune In, Drop In from Page 38.
One of the most discussed channels for promoting a photographer’s work is the photographic
exhibition. How to stage one on budget and successfully can often seem like a secret dark art, so
we decided to speak to the experts to find out how to get it right. You can read what they had to say
in Make an Exhibition of Yourself from Page 80. While on the subject of exhibitions,
what we at PP have noticed during 2010 is the vast number of them devoted to rock photography
from the past 30 years or so. We mention them and occasionally feature the most interesting
but we wanted to look into the ‘Why?’ in more depth, so we asked ex-music journo
Peter Silverton to take one of his personal journeys into finding out the truth and
asking the difficult questions in Let it Rock from Page 74.
We have had an amazing response to our new regular column The Dench
Diary from Page 42 and to our revamped monthly podcasts featuring myself,
our deputy editor Eleanor O’Kane and the drink-friendly, sometime working
pro himself, Peter Dench. You can find out more about the podcasts in
On Your Wavelength on Page 30.
As the owner of a couple of Pentax 67s with lovely wooden handles I
couldn’t wait to get my hands on the 645D, Pentax’s return to the
THIS IMAGE / COVER IMAGE: ALBERT WATSON
medium format marketplace. However, I thought that the leading garden
and lifestyle photographer Jason Ingram was better placed to put it
EDITOR’S IMAGE: MATT HALSTEAD
through its outdoor paces. You can read his findings in Back in
the Game from Page 98.
Now, as I’m running out of space, it just leaves me to thank
you all for your support in 2010 and to look forward to
2011.
Grant Scott, Editor
8. PORTFOLIO
Each month we share the best of the latest postings from our online portfolio with our magazine
readers, so for your chance to appear in Professional Photographer, go online and start uploading
your best images to www.professionalphotographer.co.uk. If you want to see more of any
photographer’s work, click on their online profile to access their website.
LUIS HENRY
DAVID ANDERSON, AGUDELO CANO,
SCOTLAND COLOMBIA
J COLLINGRIDGE,
UK
8 www.professionalphotographer.co.uk
10. PORTFOLI LUIS HENRY
AGUDELO CANO,
COLOMBIA
CHEN QIANG,
CHINA
BRUNO DE CARVALHO,
PORTUGAL
LUIS HENRY
AGUDELO CANO,
COLOMBIA
10 www.professionalphotographer.co.uk
11. ALEXANDER KLADOV,
BELARUS
JAIME PÉREZ MUNEVAR,
COLOMBIA
ROB PASSMORE,
UK
RAYMENT KIRBY,
UK
www.professionalphotographer.co.uk 11
12. PORTFOLI
RICHARD
CHEN QIANG, BARRETT,
CHINA UK
RAPHAEL MASON,
NORTHERN
IRELAND
PAUL
BRATBY,
UK
JONATHAN McGEE,
IRELAND
12 www.professionalphotographer.co.uk
13.
14. click The new deal
Art dealer Chris Beetles is opening a new gallery
dedicated to photography, in Swallow Street, in
London’s West End, that will sell work by
legendary photographers such as Terry O’Neill,
André Kertész and Bruce Davidson. The first
show, which will take place in February, is a
major retrospective of Magnum photographer Eve
the latest
photographic news,
dreams, themes
and schemes.
edited by Eleanor O’Kane
Arnold. A gallery owner selling fine art since
1975, Chris Beetles has been showing work by
photographers since 2006 when he staged a
successful show by Terry O’Neill. Since then he
has shown work by British greats such as Patrick
Lichfield, John Swannell, Cecil Beaton and
Duffy, to name but a few. The new gallery has
ANDRÉ KERTÉSZ
an ambitious 2011 schedule and aims to
Washington hold between six and eight exhibitions a year.
Square Park,
New York. www.chrisbeetlesfinephotographs.com
DOMINIQUE ISSERMANN
Cannes canned for
Sony World
Photography Awards
Previously held in Cannes, the Sony World Bella Donna
Photography Awards is coming to London for
the first time in 2011. On 27 April, the Italian actress and model Monica Bellucci
neo-classical Somerset House will play host (pictured above and right) originally wanted to be
to the awards ceremony as part of a festival a lawyer and it was while studying at university
which begins the previous day and includes that she began modelling to fund her studies.
events, talks and seminars. During the She was signed by the Elite agency at the age of
festival, which runs until 1 May, workshops 24, going on to have a successful modelling
will cover topics such as compiling your career and becoming a popular actress. During
portfolio, book design and merging film with her career she has appeared on the covers of
stills; also photographers including Tom magazines such as Elle and Esquire as well as
Stoddart and Pedro Meyer will be discussing Sports Illustrated’s celebrated Swimsuit Issue, and
their work in the Photographers’ Studio. has been photographed by the likes of Bruce
The awards cover genres from documentary, Weber, Helmut Newton and Ellen Von Unwerth.
landscape and sport to portraiture and Now a new book from Rizzoli features 165
fashion. The winners and runners-up will be
ARTEM YANKOVSKY
Sony World images charting her 25-year career. The book has
showcased in an exhibition running until Photography a preface by film director Giuseppe Tornatore.
Awards 2011 Open
22 May. For more details on events and Competition entry.
Monica Bellucci, by Monica Bellucci, published by
festival tickets visit www.worldphoto.org Rizzoli, £37.50, ISBN: 978-0-8478-3507-2.
14 www.professionalphotographer.co.uk
15. “I’m like a muse who
enjoys watching an artist
portray her and who lives
only through the people
VINCENT PETERS
who describe her form.”
Monica Bellucci
16.
17. Let’s go deutsche The calling
The shortlist for the Deutsche Börse Panos Pictures is calling for new
ELAD LASSRY/ COURTESY OF DAVID KORDANSKY GALLERY, LOS ANGELES, CA
Photography Prize 2011 has been announced, photojournalists to join its agency. Known for
with German Thomas Demand, Israeli Elad specialising in global social issues, the agency
Lassry and Americans Roe Ethridge and Jim has worked for more than 20 years with both the
Goldberg making the final cut. The annual commercial and non-profit sectors. It has a list
prize, which will earn the winner £30,000, is of photographers based all across the globe,
awarded to a living photographer who has made from Bangladesh to Belgium, with its British
the most significant contribution to photography photojournalists including Abbie Trayler-Smith
in Europe between 1 October 2009 and and George Georgiou. This year the agency is
30 September 2010. Judges include Brett also encouraging photographers with
Rogers of The Photographers’ Gallery, who is multimedia skills to apply – the deadline is
interviewed in our feature about exhibiting 1 March. Full submission guidelines and rules
your work on page 80. are available from the agency’s website. For all
www.deutsche-boerse.com/art the details visit www.panos.co.uk/submissions
A life less ordinary
Has there ever been a photographer as versatile as Cecil
Beaton? From designing book jackets, stage costumes and
Broadway theatre sets to photographing the Bright Young
Things of the 1920s, the devastating aftermath of the Blitz,
and the Royal family – of whom he was official
photographer for a period – Beaton excelled at it all. Born in
Hampstead in 1904 to a prosperous family of timber
ASSOULINE
merchants, the young Beaton was introduced to photography
by his nanny, who owned a Kodak 3A. After graduating from
Cambridge University he lasted just a week in the family
business before leaving to set up his own studio and from there he went on Beaton: The Art of the Scrapbook. Brought out by French publisher
to work as a staff photographer for both Vanity Fair and Vogue. Known for Assouline, the book reads like a giant mood board filled with images that
his society portraits and fashion images, Beaton also worked for the British embody the dreams and vision of this extraordinary talent whose life was
Ministry of Information during the Second World War. His image of a as glamorous as the subjects in his society pictures. James Danziger, former
three-year-old victim of the Blitz in her hospital bed clutching a teddy bear picture editor of the Sunday Times Magazine has written the introduction.
was one of the most memorable of the war. Beaton: The Art of the Scrapbook, published by Assouline, £170,
Now, dozens of his scrapbooks filled with clippings from magazines and ISBN: 978-275940472-8.
newspapers, as well as playbills, have been immortalised in a book: www.shopassouline.com
www.professionalphotographer.co.uk 17
18.
19. ADRIAN FISK
Let me take you by the hand…
It seems that everyone is into street photography at the moment but the concept is nothing new as a free
exhibition at the Museum of London shows. In London Street Photography, which opens on 18 February,
the museum’s impressive collection of street photography from 1860 to the present day will be on display
until 4 September. More than 200 images are on show at the museum in London Wall, which portrays the
capital as an ever-changing city.
www.museumoflondon.org.uk
This is England
During 2007 and 2008 photographer Simon Roberts
took a road trip across England in a motor home to
capture the essence of the nation’s identity through
images of the country at leisure. Now, an exhibition at
the Museum of Croydon, We English, is showing 29
images from the project (including Croydon summer
festival, pictured), which took him to all corners of
SIMON ROBERTS
England. We English is showing until 26 February.
www.museumofcroydon.com
He sells sanctuary
The dream-like, cinematic style of internationally renowned photographer
GREGORY CREWDSON
Gregory Crewdson evokes the elusive style of film makers such as David
Lynch. On a visit to Rome, Crewdson was invited to tour Cinecittà, the
legendary Italian film studio founded by Mussolini and used most famously
by Federico Fellini and Roberto Rossellini. Inspired by the strange beauty he
found in its crumbling film sets and desolate walkways, Crewdson decided to
record the faded glory of the studios for his latest project, Sanctuary. Published in a new monograph, the
black-and-white images are a new direction for Crewdson but retain the drama and beauty of his earlier work.
Sanctuary, photographs by Gregory Crewdson, published by Abrams, £39.99, ISBN: 978-8109-9199-6.
www.professionalphotographer.co.uk 19
20. The hell of copper, Fenton’s
Accra, Ghana, 2008.
finest on
show
The National Media
Museum in Bradford has
ROGER FENTON, COURTESY OF THE NATIONAL MEDIA MUSEUM
acquired a rare Roger
NYABA LEON OUEDRAOGO
Fenton image for the
National Collection of
Photographs. The picture,
Pasha and Bayadère,
dates from 1858 and
depicts a dancing girl (the
World class bayadère) performing for
a high-ranking official;
It’s all about short lists this month as we enter competition the theme reflects the
season. Twelve photographers are in the running for the contemporary love affair
Prix Pictet, including American photographer Taryn with all things from the
Simon and the German Thomas Struth. This is the third East. It is among a series
year of the competition and has the theme of growth. that Fenton shot after an expedition during the Crimean War and is considered one of his
The jury, which includes last year’s winner, London-based best works. In the tableau, the pasha or official, is portrayed by Fenton himself, with the
Nadav Kander, as well as art historian Michael Fried, will musician played by English landscape painter Frank Dillon. Plans are in progress to display
announce the winner on 17 March. the image; in the meantime it is available to view by appointment.
www.prixpictet.com www.nationalmediamusuem.org.uk
20 www.professionalphotographer.co.uk
21. click
The future is bright
The 2011 LPA Futures competition is
open and organisers are calling on all
emerging commercial photographers to
enter. LPA Futures is a division of the
Lisa Pritchard Agency and represents
five up-and-coming photographers during
a two-year programme. Previous winners
have landed commissions from major
commercial clients as well as gaining
attention in international awards, such as
the Taylor Wessing Photographic
Portrait Prize and the World Press Photo
Awards. Judges include Tim Cole,
the head of photography for Saatchi &
Saatchi Design, and Laura Pannack,
one of the 2009 LPA Futures
photographers, who took first prize in
the portrait singles category of the
World Press Photo 2010 awards.
LAURA PANNACK
The deadline for entries is 7 February
2011. For details about how to enter visit
www.lisapritchard.com
www.professionalphotographer.co.uk 21
22. click
Let’s dance
We featured British legend Colin Jones in our October 2010 issue, telling how he went
from ballet dancer to documenter of black activism. Now Proud Chelsea presents an
exhibition of his images in Fifty Years of the Royal Ballet, photographs by Colin Jones,
which runs from 13 January to 27 February. Jones won a scholarship to the Royal Ballet
School in 1953 and it was while touring with the company that he bought his first
camera in Japan. After a trial with the Observer his career took off and the rest, as they
COLIN JONES / ARENAPAL.COM
say, is history. For the exhibition, Proud had full access to Jones’s archive which
provides a rare glimpse of life behind the scenes of the Royal Ballet School. Portraits of
stars such as Dame Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev sit alongside action shots and
intimate behind-the-scenes images of a glamorous and often gruelling world.
Fifty Years of the Royal Ballet, photographs by Colin Jones, 13 January to 27 February.
www.proud.co.uk
DARCY PADILLA
An image from
The Julie Project.
Badge of honour
ALBERT WATSON AND THE MACALLAN
San Francisco-based
photographer Darcy Padilla has
Juan Pruano Duque,
been awarded the 2010
the oldest cooper,
Tevasa Cooperage, W Eugene Smith Grant in
Jerez, Spain, 2010. Humanistic Photography for her
SUN LEE
photo-essay The Julie Project,
a study of AIDS, poverty and
Capturing the spirit drugs in America. Padilla’s entry Rising sun
was picked from more than 182
Renowned photographer Albert Watson has collaborated with entries from 32 countries and her Sun Lee was judged the overall winner
Macallan, makers of single malt Scotch whisky, to shoot a series of prize includes a $30,000 grant to at the Association of Photographers
black-and-white images for The Macallan Masters of Photography. continue her exploration of the Assistant Awards 2010, which also
The project tells of the prized sherry oak casks that contribute 60% human condition. The W Eugene recognised seven best in category
of the whisky’s flavour. Starting in the forests of northern Spain, Smith Memorial Fund was winners as well as giving nine merits.
before going to the cooperage in Jerez in the south and culminating established in 1979 to honour His image Railyard (above) took
in Scotland, the project took Watson on a journey that lasted 12 days the life and work of the the overall prize as well as the best in
as he captured the story of The Macallan from acorn to glass. celebrated photojournalist; it category for environmental single.
The work will be exhibited around the world and a series of provides grants to photographers The catalogue featuring all
limited-edition signed platinum prints will be available. Don’t miss whose work exemplifies 92 short-listed images is available
our exclusive interview feature with Albert Watson on page 68. his attitude to photography. via Blurb or at the AOP Gallery.
www.themacallan.com www.smithfund.org http://awards.the-aop.org
22 www.professionalphotographer.co.uk
23.
24.
25. We have done the hard work for you and chosen the best photographic exhibitions on show this month.
For a full list of exhibitions and events visit www.professionalphotographer.co.uk
Twentieth Century Portraits:
Photographs by Dmitri Kasterine
National Portrait Gallery, St Martin’s Place,
London, WC2H 0HE
020 7306 0055; www.npg.org.uk
Until 3 April
Dmitri Kasterine’s remarkable portraits are
on display in the United Kingdom for the
first time this winter at the National Portrait
DMITRI KASTERINE / NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY, LONDON
Gallery in London. Kasterine has
photographed some of the most famous
cultural figures of the 20th century,
including Samuel Beckett, David Hockney,
Stanley Kubrick and Francis Bacon.
Twenty newly-acquired photographs will
be shown in the exhibition for the first time.
Although the exhibition has been running
for a while now, we think it is definitely
DAVID SEYMOUR / MAGNUM PHOTOS
worth a visit.
Stanley Kubrick, London, 1969.
Manga Dreams
Hamilton’s Gallery, 13 Carlos Place, London, W1K 2EU Sophia Loren.
020 7499 9494; www.andersonandlow.com
www.hamiltonsgallery.com The Magnum Mark
27 January to 5 March Magnum Print Room, 63 Gee Street, London, EC1V 3RS
Manga Dreams showcases the work of 020 7490 1771; www.magnumphotos.com
photographers Jonathan Anderson and Until 26 February
JONATHAN ANDERSON AND EDWIN LOW
Edwin Low, whose new project explores The Magnum Mark celebrates the legacy of
the concepts of identity, culture and Magnum’s print archive and its wealth of iconic
costume. During a trip to East Asia in images. The exhibition uncovers the process and
2004, Jonathan and Edwin witnessed a craft involved in printing Magnum’s famous
cultural phenomenon. The young people photographs, as well as examining its traditional
were tailoring their look to mimic that image distribution. Previously unseen press prints
of the manga cartoon characters. will be included in the exhibition, alongside work
Anderson and Low apply this look to from founder member George Rodger. A small
their subjects by using extremely styled collection of Magnum’s most famous work, such as
hair, elaborate costume and dramatic poses. Through digital technology and post-production, the controversial The Falling Soldier, by Robert
Anderson and Low have created a world that no longer feels entirely like our own. Capa, and Marilyn Monroe on the set of The Misfits,
captured by Eve Arnold, will also be shown.
Alistair Taylor-Young book The
The Little Black Gallery, 13A Park Walk, Chelsea, SW1 0AJ Phonebook,
020 7349 9332; www.thelittleblackgallery.com a collection
12 January to 12 February of images
The Little Black Gallery in Chelsea presents captured
Alistair Taylor-Young’s first UK solo exhibition. on his
ALISTAIR TAYLOR-YOUNG
Specialising in fashion, beauty, travel and mobile
luxury, he is perhaps best known for his phone.
commercials and campaigns with brands Alistair will be signing copies of his book at
such as Lancôme and Dunhill. The show the exhibition on 22 January, between 11.30am
will coincide with the launch of his and 12.30pm.
www.professionalphotographer.co.uk 25
26.
27. Onceinalifetime
This month PP editor Grant Scott
recalls a shoot with
Jemima Khan, in Lahore,
Pakistan, that turned into a
week of warrior tribesmen,
bad food, pashminas, armed
guards and rerouted flights.
It was 1999 and
Jemima Khan,
daughter of the late
financier Sir James
Goldsmith, had
decamped to Lahore in
northern Pakistan to
live with her husband,
the retired cricketer
and recently elected politician, Imran Khan.
I was art directing Tatler magazine which,
through a series of connections, had managed to Flying Michael from New York to Lahore was A contact sheet of images featuring Grant’s journey into
get agreement from Jemima not only to interview going to be expensive and meant there was no Lahore, the crumbling palace location and the view
from the top of the disused cinema.
her about this new life but also to photograph her money in the budget for him to bring an assistant.
with Imran and their young sons at home in Fortunately, he was willing to accept this and was
Pakistan. At the time this was quite a scoop and happy with my offer to help him as best I could. From the moment we arrived intrigue, lack of
therefore required my full attention to ensure that With the team in place all that was left to organise information and confusion became a major part
the images were as strong as possible and that we were the flights and our accommodation. of everything we thought we were doing and tried
got a commercial cover image from the shoot. Flights were booked for the London team to fly to do. We had been told that we would be
The idea was that this would and should be a with Pakistan International Airlines via the photographing Jemima at her house. This was not
bestselling issue. capital, Islamabad. Michael would fly in direct the case. We were instead driven to a fading and
The decision was made to shoot a number of from New York and our accommodation was to be crumbling warren of a building in the heart of
fashion-styled portraits of Jemima, which would arranged by Jemima. A day’s queuing at the Lahore just behind the famous Royal Fort.
require a small team of fashion director, hair and Pakistan Embassy saw us all given our entrance We were dropped off at the end of an alley where
make-up, me and, of course, the right visas, after much confusion. We were ready. we were met by our guard, a proud warrior aged
photographer for the job. The additional member The flight out was as good as it could be thanks at least 60, dressed in full dusty tribal uniform
of our team would be a friend of Jemima’s who to an unexpected upgrade to first class for the holding a rifle that didn’t look as if it had seen
had helped us to arrange the shoot and would be whole team and when we landed in Lahore we action since the days of the Raj. He looked
coming along to write the article. were ready for what was expected to be a five-day fantastic but to me a little too like an extra from
I had been commissioning a New York based shoot unlike any other we had been on before. Carry on Up the Khyber.
fashion photographer called Michael Mundy a lot Our expectations were confirmed as soon as we As any pro photographer knows, the great
at the time. We seemed to have a lot of interests in arrived at our hotel – a vast modern complex unspoken art of our profession is that of
common; I liked the way in which he approached built specifically for an international football flexibility. Whatever situation you find yourself
environmental portraits and, although we had tournament that never happened due to the in, however bizarre, you have been employed to
GRANT SCOTT
never met, I felt that his easygoing attitude was country’s political unrest. It stood in stark do a job and that’s what you need to keep focused
exactly what we needed for a shoot which could contrast to the real Pakistan we had seen on our on. All of the crew and particularly Michael did
easily throw up some unexpected situations. short journey from the airport. exactly that and began a recce tour of the
www.professionalphotographer.co.uk 27
28. beautiful but unexpected building to which our An outtake from Grant’s shoot with Jemima for InStyle
guide led us. It had evidently once been a palace magazine in London.
but was now overseen by a political colleague and
supporter of Imran’s. Filled with rich textiles and Royal Fort to see street children play cricket and
faded, majestic furniture, and oozing atmosphere, the homeless inject drugs on the streets; we
it was the perfect shoot location, like a film set visited an ancient shrine and British Army
from an Indiana Jones movie. Both Michael and graveyard at night, finding our way in the dark by
I were happy and set about working out a shoot looking through the night vision setting of a video
schedule, along with the choice of clothes which
the fashion director wanted to concentrate on.
“The following day Jemima camera. We all visited Imran’s hospital, walking
behind him as grateful family members literally
But where was Jemima? would come for the shoot and fell at his feet to touch the hem of his shalwar
No one knew but we were assured she should
arrive soon. The heat was 120°F in the shade and
over the following days qameez. We sat on cushions on a stone floor in
the basement of the crumbling palace while a
prevented anyone from being too worried or tribesmen would come to visit young model danced a dubious folk dance, which
concerned. We would just have to wait, lounging had more to do with lapdancing than traditional
in the hammocks strung up in the shaded areas us from the Afghan border to culture. We all got food poisoning. I could go on
around a courtyard. We hadn’t shot a picture yet
but we were already bonding as a team resigned
sell us high-quality about this particular shoot, the sights, sounds,
smells and experiences, but I won’t. Suffice to
to the fact that this would be a shoot over which pashminas.” Grant Scott say it delivered everything we hope from a shoot
we would have very little, if any control. – a good job done and the opportunity for
Again just as every pro photographer needs to Having had two days to decide how and where once-in-a-lifetime experiences.
master the ability to respond positively to we wanted to shoot and where the available light The flight home saw a very tired and not very
whatever is thrown at them, the ability to wait is a was best for each portrait we moved easily well team diverted to Manchester, from where we
much underestimated skill. I have spent hours and through each setup. As always, preparation not were driven back to London. Exhausted and
days of my life just waiting for that brief moment only made life simpler for Michael and me, it somewhat culture shocked by the whole
of action of shooting. A day’s wait for 20 minutes’ meant the shoot was pleasurable for Jemima. experience, I returned to the office and awaited
shooting has not been unusual. In fact I once It is all too easy to let a shoot become about the Michael’s images.
art-directed a shoot with singer Janet Jackson in photographer and technical considerations. In my He had shot on colour negative, a popular
Los Angeles which took more than 24 hours to experience this never creates great photography choice at the time and he sent me the edited
complete two shots! But that’s another story. and always produces a fed-up subject. Thankfully contact sheets. There was a great cover image and
Back in Pakistan we had all worked out that Jemima arrived in a good mood and left in one. more than enough portraits to make the article
nothing was going to be rushed or run to any kind Towards the end of our set portraits, Jemima work. Our Pakistan trip had been a success.
of schedule. Our first day saw no pictures being asked if Michael would take some pictures of her However, that is not the end of the story.
taken and no Jemima. Discussions were taking and her boys, which he did in black and white. Imran and Jemima separated some years later and
place and plans were being made for the rest of The three of them chasing each other around the Jemima returned with the boys to live in London.
the week, but very much on Pakistani terms. central courtyard laughing and falling on each The images I had help to create of her in Pakistan
That night we would be taken out for dinner; the other made perfect relaxed family images. had been remembered by the art director at
following day Jemima would come for the shoot However, when Imran arrived the call was for a InStyle magazine and they contacted me to see
and over the following days tribesmen would more formal portrait and Michael obliged. if, now that I was working as a photographer,
come to visit us from the Afghan border to sell us The whole shoot had taken only a couple of hours I would photograph her for a future issue of the
high-quality pashminas (it was the 1990s after and we still had three days in Pakistan. magazine. Of course I said yes.
all!), we would visit Imran Khan’s hospital for As is so often the case it’s the memories of Jemima was as friendly and accommodating in
cancer sufferers, we would be taken under armed everything that happens around the actual time London as she had been in Lahore, and suggested
guard around the markets of Lahore and finally you spend shooting that informs your experience that we do the portrait in her bedroom as it had
we would have a traditional dancer brought to of a shoot. And the rest of this shoot was no the best light. She was right and there were
our shoot location for an evening’s entertainment. different in that respect. enough elements within the room to make an
Throughout this we would be based in the As promised, two tribal warriors came down interesting composition – including next to her
courtyard of the crumbling palace. from the Afghan border with huge piles of bed a small black-and-white print of her and her
Day two and an early start was required to try pashminas wrapped in ancient blankets for us to sons taken in the courtyard of the crumbling
GRANT SCOTT
to shoot before the heat became too unbearable. buy at prices which would have seemed expensive palace, sent to her as a gift by Michael. PP
Jemima arrived with her two young sons and we even in Bond Street. Michael and I climbed to the
swung into action. roof of a disused cinema which looked over the www.michaelmundy.com
GO ONLINE FOR MORE EXCLUSIVE TALES FROM THE WORLD OF PHOTOGRAPHY, VISIT WWW.PROFESSIONALPHOTOGRAPHER.CO.UK
28 www.professionalphotographer.co.uk
29.
30. podcast
ON YOUR
WAVELENGTH
Every month we record a free podcast discussing, debating and chatting around a subject
featured in the magazine. We post them on our website and you can subscribe for free
and download them via iTunes. So if you haven’t listened in yet, why not give them a try?
THIS MONTH’S PODCAST October Issue report on its reception among pro photographers,
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ICONS OF PHOTOGRAPHY This month Grant Scott, Eleanor O’Kane and photographers are becoming increasingly
PP Editor Grant Scott and deputy editor Eleanor Peter Dench discuss the secrets of professional isolated in a digital age and why support groups
O’Kane are joined by regular columnist photography. Veteran pros Grant and Peter relate are more important than ever.
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importance of learning from the masters, photographers and how these have influenced August Issue
the point at which a photographer becomes an their working practices. With the days of the THE BAD BOYS OF PHOTOGRAPHY
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December Issue photographers are sharing information in the centres on the diverse lives of the photographers
PHOTOGRAPHIC COMPETITIONS digital age and looks at new ways of networking, in the final list, including Guy Bourdin, David
Grant Scott is joined by Eleanor O’Kane and including the PP’s United States of Photography. Bailey, Helmut Newton, David Hockney and
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O’Kane and Peter Dench discuss the creation of
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34. dispatches Clive Booth tales from the frontline of professional photography
This month: With royal wedding fever about to sweep the
nation, just what was it that used to fill me
with horror at the prospect of being asked to
Once a reluctant guest, be a guest at a wedding?
Was I the only person who hated weddings?
these days Clive finds that I don’t think so. Of course, I was being
immensely selfish, and not giving any thought to
a wedding celebration the reason why I would be considered worthy of
is the perfect setting in sharing a couple’s special day. For me there used
to be two knots at a wedding – the bride and
which to shoot candid and groom’s and then my own, deep in the pit of my
stomach. Knowing I would have to spend what
truly emotive images in his would seem like an eternity making polite
conversation with people with whom, for the most
signature style.
CLIVE BOOTH
part, I would have absolutely nothing in common.
We would dutifully RSVP. “After all, it is a
celebration, not a funeral,” my wife would say.
34 www.professionalphotographer.co.uk
35. “..the enjoyment of being a guest at a wedding is directly connected to how close you are to the
bride or groom. This dynamic is turned on its head once I have a camera. It will make
little difference, and it is even sometimes an advantage not to know who I’m photographing,
as the emotional attachment can work against the purity of the moment.” Clive Booth
Our friends and relatives often did their best to fallen in love with one of his huskies. So, why enjoyment of being a guest at a wedding is
seat us with like-minded individuals. Yet there am I using valuable page space to rant and moan directly connected to how close you are to the
would always be the relative, work colleague and, about weddings? It’s really very simple; an bride or groom. This dynamic is turned on its
sometimes, ‘friend’, who had been invited out of epiphany has taken place. Well, it actually took head once I have a camera. It will make little
some sort of duty. It was with these people, in the place several years ago. I started to pitch up with difference, and it is even sometimes an advantage
leper colony of the wedding celebration, that I so a camera, and even though I wasn’t invited as not to know who I’m photographing, as the
often found myself. The thought has occurred to the official photographer, I would shoot pictures emotional attachment can work against the purity
me that maybe I was one of them. However, as anyway. Doesn’t everyone take a camera to a of the moment. For the most part my interest was
my wife, Mari, is just about the kindest, most wedding? Admittedly, they are usually small in catching those ‘oh so often’ elusive moments.
sensitive and thoughtful friend anyone could wish compacts, and initially I would get strange looks As I was invited as a guest, I had none of the
for, whom no one would want to offend, I like to as I pulled out my Canon EOS-1Ds MkIII with restrictions of having to make sure I photographed
think of myself as exempt. I once spent almost an 85mm prime lens; mostly from the official ‘so-and-so’ and ‘thingamajig’; nor did I have to
entire wedding meal listening to the virtues of photographers. However, I was discreet and stuck shoot anything that didn’t interest me. In fact,
deep-pan pizza from the guest on my left, only to to just the one body and single lens on a hand I didn’t have to take any pictures at all. A great
strike up a conversation in desperation with the strap; usually by my waist or behind my back, place to be when shooting, as I could simply
guest on my right and learn that he had just spent and out of sight until needed. I suppose it’s fairly watch and wait and put the camera between me
several months in the Arctic and, while there, had obvious, but still worth mentioning, that the and the moment. A really great way to work; not
www.professionalphotographer.co.uk 35
36. dispatches
forcing the pictures, but letting them unravel “There are upwards of quarter beautiful DSLR documentary films, edited to
around me – a discipline that I have used ever great music, as movie shorts.
since. Documentary: the purest form of of a million weddings per year For me a no-compromise approach to this type
photography, and one that requires great in the UK, being documented of film would be imperative and so, for it to work,
discipline, observation and intuition. It’s just the bride and groom would have to take a leap of
about the most fun you can have with a camera. by around 20,000 different faith. Budding film makers would need to have at
So many of the pictures I have taken at weddings wedding photographers, whose least one great example of this potential new art
have really burned themselves into my memory. form to show, so as to win the case for creative
This is because a wedding, at best, should be a fees range between £1,500 freedom. A tricky decision this: do I shoot stills or
deeply emotional experience for those at the and £4,000 – not to mention do I make a short film? Also, will I be shooting
centre, which then emanates outwards. And as solo or will I have a crew with additional
with most human emotions, happiness, when those shooting celebrity photographers? At the higher end, for example,
shared, is infectious. It is rare to go to an unhappy and society weddings... So it’s with A-list celebrity or society weddings, I think
wedding. It’s like swimming in a sea of emotion: this will become the norm. The potential to shoot
from the pre-church nerves, through to the serious business. It seems to beautiful film shorts may, in fact, increase what a
exuberant outpouring of love expressed with me that, in a market that must wedding photographer/DSLR film maker may
smiles and tears post-ceremony. If you look earn. Maybe I’m living in cloud-cuckoo-land, but
closely there will always be someone (usually a have reached near saturation surely a client has to understand that this level of
bridesmaid) in a trance-like state, mesmerised by point, the question is, what quality, from capture to edit, will inevitably cost
the bride, allowing herself to dream of the more money? After all, once the wedding is over
moment when she too will be a princess for the can photographers offer that it’s the pictures or, indeed, the film, that will
day. All I have to do is make sure that I am in the is different?” Clive Booth remain. Putting aside the huge marketing and
right place at the right time.
I greatly admire wedding photographers, and
the ones that stand out are creating pictures which
work in their own right, regardless of the fact
that they were shot at a wedding. I’m not talking
about what seems to me the often painful and
energy-draining group shots, but the documentary
style of shooting, from such wedding luminaries
as Jeff Ascough. This work is inspirational, and
when I look at it as a photographer all I can say is,
“I wish I’d shot that.” My friend, assistant and
wedding photographer, David Griffin, gave me
an insight into wedding photography as a
profession. He said: “Most of all you have to
enjoy it. Then you have the necessary drive,
enthusiasm and energy you need if you’re going
to shoot dozens of weddings a year. People skills
are essential, along with patience, as things
don’t always go to plan. So being able to react
to changing situations while remaining calm
is imperative.”
I have an appreciation for the sheer amount
of effort it takes to deliver on a once-in-a-lifetime
event. I certainly don’t intend this to be a guide
for wedding photographers, as many of you are I watched Crash Taylor’s very open and honest awareness effort, combined with talent that
far better qualified than I am to offer advice. interview with PP editor Grant Scott, filmed at should result in commissions, I have my own
There are upwards of quarter of a million Canon Pro Photo Solutions 2010 [available to philosophy and set of rules when it comes to
weddings per year in the UK, being documented view on the Professional Photographer website]. shooting stills of weddings. These are:
by around 20,000 different wedding He really spelled out just what it takes to make Number one – and probably the single most
photographers, whose fees range between £1,500 a living in the business. Much of what he said important factor for me – I am commissioned for
and £4,000 – not to mention those shooting applies to many of us, myself included. my shooting style. I cannot give a cast-iron
celebrity and society weddings, or those of the The documentary style of wedding photography guarantee that I will photograph everyone. In my
super-rich, who demand even higher fees. So it’s definitely seems to be on the increase, as case the bride and groom are usually friends or,
serious business. It seems to me that, in a market brides and grooms are looking for what I believe on occasion, clients, so we already have an
CLIVE BOOTH
that must have reached near saturation point, the to be a collection of pictures which capture the understanding. They know my style of shooting,
question is, what can photographers offer that is atmosphere and the essence of their day. In my which is why they’ve asked me. Most importantly,
different? While researching this Dispatches opinion there is a gigantic opportunity to shoot I’m not going to compromise that. Whether it’s
36 www.professionalphotographer.co.uk