A Little Fun

Its not everyday the photographer gets a mention! When a picture is worth 1,000 words (on the old exchange rates anyway), there tends to be little editorial real-estate for the creative process behind the scenes. And rightly so, articles can be in depth enough without needing to know about the textile content of the backdrop materials and nasal shadowing of the subject. But interestingly, the interview and the photoshoot are almost as enjoyable as the finished product.

This flattering quote is from Julian Corrie in his New Blood feature in this month's Skinny. The shoot in question was arranged by the creative folks at The Skinny at the Glasgow Science Centre. If you haven't visited or don't know anything about it, be sure of this: it is a world of fun. You could end up having too good a time. And so it went. Legging it through wonderful, interactive floors, setting up images at instruments, mirrors and displays and getting distracted by all the toys. Me and the staff bombarded Julian with sponge balls and built him a fort out of tetris foam blocks. Hardly what you can call "effort", when you're splitting your sides.

Go on and have a listen to his work here

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Silver Apples & Earth Live

Here's a little recap on some live music I have covered over the last month. First off is a solo set of esoteric loudness from electronica pioneers Silver Apples,  live at Mono as part of the Glasgow Film Festival.

I shot the set of melodic drone masters Earth at the Caves a little while back. Clock their review for The Skinny here if you missed out, it does them supreme justice.

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Hiva Oa

I Teamed up with Edinburgh musicians Hiva Oa to produce their publicity stills at the start of the year. It wouldn't do us justice to say it was just a really good shoot. Apart from everything working out to plan, it was no sweat on all fronts. This could almost be a 6-step prescription for the perfect shoot.
  
     First        We shot in Leith. Well of course we did.

    Second    We used a great location with tonnes of possibility. We weren't shy of creative
                     ideas for a second. There were surfaces, bookshelves, tables and wallpaper,
                     quite literally, to the ceiling.

     Third     We kept on the move. We took our gear to the stairs, we went outside, we tried
                     loads of space and made the most of natural light. We used the props we found
                     and didn't weigh ourselves down. Just keeping it really simple.

    Fourth    We kept it really simple. Sort of. We lit a temple worth of incense to haze out our                                 room. We even bunged an old fluorescent tan lamp into action to do wild
                      things to the shadows and spread the most eerie shade of green over everything.
                      Sweet! (but blinding) Things got so out of hand I even shot a roll of film.

     Fifth     We wrapped up and had a celebrated with a crate of wine and fell into the trap of
                  swapping an inexhaustible supply of YouTube videos. Basically when the wine is out,
                  you are on to a winner.
 
     

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Edinburgh International Festival - A New Year

Wednesday saw the launch of the programme for the EIF's 2012 Festival. I was invited back to shoot the launch photocall and file to the press.

As Spring is starting to shake the limbs of the city to life again, I had it forgotten after such a drawn out winter, that the festival is officially on the horizon. This winter in particular was so grey, I had just accepted there would never be a summer again. But now that the proof is all around (and I went to the shop in a t-shirt this morning just to check), I can't but get excited for August.

The EIF programme is particularly exciting this year and I cannot hide just a tinge of jealousy that I won't be on the front lines again this year. Pick up a brochure from the Hub and while you are at it, take a final look at my exhibition EIF: The Big Picture.

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