Alex Grace Photo Blog Spot

Ella on Things Around The House

2012-03-17T06:39:00.005-07:00

Today is my friend, Andrew's 30th birthday. Andrew is a special kind of boy and he currently has an obsession with Maddie The Coonhound.

Maddie The Coonhound is a very special kind of dog, Maddie's owner is a photographer who takes photographs of her standing on things, it is quite extraordinary and you really should check it out: http://maddieonthings.com/

...... So Andrew can't stop papping on about Maddie The Coonhound and how amazing she is. Since Andrew and I live together (along with my dog Ella), I decided to embark on a special project for his 30th birthday. Andrew is also a photographer and a collector of books/ prints.....

Inspired by Maddie, I created my own project called "Ella On Things", all shot in our flat and Andrew received a series of prints entitled as such.

Here they are.......

Ella on the cabinet:

Ella on the table:
Ella on the kitchen side:

Ella on the hatch:

Ella on the hallway cabinet:

Ella in the kitchen sink:
Ella on the toilet #1:

Ella on the toilet #2:

'Facing You' Exhibition at Fringe! East London Film Festival

2012-03-14T01:04:00.004-07:00

I have been selected for a group exhibition next month showing alongside Fringe! East London's Gay Film Festival. The exhibition will take place 13th - 21st April at The Long White Cloud Gallery in Hackney. Below is the poster and press release. The exhibition has been curated by Gemma Rolls-Bentley and Liz Helman.

The Portrait Salon 11 Newspaper Video

2012-02-24T03:44:00.001-08:00

Photonewspaper - Portrait Salon ‘11 from PhotoBookShow on Vimeo.

Check out this video showing the Portrait Salon Newspaper.......watch out for my winning photo!

Luchador Guerrero Maya Jr

2012-02-06T05:32:00.001-08:00

Luchador Loco Max

2012-02-06T04:28:00.000-08:00

A luchador who wrestles without a mask.....

Luchador Titán

2012-02-02T10:42:00.000-08:00

My edit of Titán....

Luchador Electrico

2012-02-02T08:22:00.000-08:00

Electrico is another Luchador who is part of the 'mini estrellas'. Born in 1986, he started his training at 15 , yet like many of the Lucha Libre, his true identity remains unknown.

Check out his big hands!

Luchador Pequeño Olímpico

2012-02-01T08:23:00.000-08:00

This is Pequeño Olímpico, Spanish for "Little Olympian" which alludes to the fact that he wrestles as a mini version of 'Olympico'.

The term Mini-Estrella (Spanish for "Mini-Star") is used in lucha libre to describe a division of short professional wrestlers or luchadors, some of whom have dwarfism. The Mexican Mini-Estrellas is comparable to midget professional wrestling practiced around the world, but with the notable exception that some of the Mini's, such as Pequeño Olímpico, do not have dwarfism but are simply short.

I like the vulnerability Pequeño Olímpico shows in some of these images.

Jill Greenberg's new exhibit 'Commentary And Dissent'

2012-01-27T07:41:00.000-08:00

Renowned and amazing US photographer Jill Greenberg has a new and particularly challenging exhibit at the Katherine Cone Gallery in LA.

I worked on some of these shoots with Jill whilst I lived in LA, images below, and was at the same time surprised and not surprised to see the images exhibited.

It is worth noting that these events happened and were not created in post production (although the images have been heavily worked on in post).

I was disturbed by some of the goings on and people on the shoot day. The lengths that some people will go to (for what and why? to be funny? because they are unstable? is it a fetish?- why is the unanswered question) pushed my boundaries too far and I was uneasy helping with the job.
But I guess that is what Jill wanted to do and now she is challenging an audience to look at these images and pass comment on what she says is 'people behaving like animals'.

Holly Johnson: from the archive

2012-01-25T08:54:00.000-08:00

Today whilst going through my archives, I came across this image of Holly Johnson.

I thought I would share it since I like it a lot.....

Attitude Feature on Exes

2012-01-24T10:09:00.001-08:00

Last year I shot a feature for Attitude about Ex boyfriends who remain friends and here is the finished article......this feature involved a daytrip to Harrogate, a day out in Brighton, a shoot at a dog show in Highgate and hi-jacking a table in a restaurant in Tower Bridge.....it was lovely to meet all the boys and hear their stories, some of them were quite moving.

Luchador Negro Casas

2012-01-23T02:30:00.000-08:00

Negro Casas is an important figure within the Lucha Libre as he comes from a wrestling family and has traveled all over the world during his wrestling career, including stints in Japan and the USA.
Negro Casas has been wrestling now for 30 years and has always wrestled without a mask, something unusual within the Lucha Libre.

I have been struggling to edit these photos down from the chosen 3 below and am also wondering whether the shots work better in black and white or colour.
I have discovered lately that blogging my edits often helps me make a final selection down the line so hopefully all will become clear in a few days......

Luchador Ultimo Dragoncito

2012-01-20T05:37:00.001-08:00

I have been working on a project based on the Lucha Libre in Mexico City.

'Lucha Libre' means free wrestling in Spanish although now the term refers exclusively to professional wrestling. The wrestlers are known as Luchadores (or a luchador).

Mexican wrestling is characterized by the colorful masks, rapid sequences of holds and maneuvers, as well as high flying manouevers. The wearing of masks has developed special significance, and matches are sometimes contested in which the loser must permanently remove his mask, which is a wager with a high degree of weight attached.
As luchadores normally hide their identity behind the mask, it is the ultimate humiliation if a luchador has his masked ripped off to reveal his true identity after or during a fight.

Tag team wrestling is especially prevalent in lucha libre, particularly matches with three-member teams, called trios.

I love the theatre of the wrestling, it's such a performance and so fun to watch. Historically Mexican wrestling dates back to regional matches of the early 1900's and it's common to encounter families of luchadores.

I am currently trawling through my portraits and below are 2 favorites from my shoot with Ultimo Dragoncito. At the moment, I can't decide on my preferred shot so I thought I would blog both of them........

Ultimo Dragoncito (real name unrevealed; born August 8, 1972) is a part of Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre's (CMLL), or "Mini", division and is the only wrestler to hold the CMLL World Mini-Estrella Championship two times. Ultimo Dragoncito is Spanish for "Little Ultimo Dragon", alluding to the fact that he wrestles as a mini version of Ultimo Dragon.

Ultimo Dragoncito's real name is not a matter of public record, as is often the case with masked wrestlers in Mexico where their private lives are kept a secret from the wrestling fans.

Mariachi's in Mexico City

2012-01-17T00:39:00.000-08:00

Mariachi is a genre of music that originated in the State of Jalisco, in Mexico. It is an integration of stringed instruments highly influenced by the cultural impacts of the historical development of Western Mexico. Throughout the history of mariachi, musicians have experimented with brass, wind, and percussion instruments. Mariachi is important to the study of Mexican music because, as an ensemble created during the colonial period, it found its essence during the postcolonial era, blossomed during the nationalist era, and has made a global impact in contemporary times. Throughout this development, particularly since the nationalist era, mariachi music has become emblematic of Mexican music by appropriating various Mexican regional song forms, experimenting in popular radio programs, appearing in the earliest Mexican films, and performing during presidential campaigns (Loza 1993, Turino 2003, Sheehy 2005, de la Mora 2006, Jáuregui 2007).

"The consensus of modern scholars is that the word mariachi is indigenous to Mexico. The now-extinct Coca language of central Jalisco is the most frequently cited as its probable source. Legend erroneously attributes the word to the French Intervention of the 1860s, explaining it as a corruption of the French word mariage, and citing a similarity between mariachi (or its archaic variant, mariache) and the French word for wedding. Historical documents prove that both the word mariachi and the ensemble it designates pre-date the French occupation of Mexico, making any similarity with the French word a phonetic coincidence" (Clark, 1996).

The mariachi ensemble generally consists of violins, trumpets a classical guitar a vihuela (a high-pitched, five-string guitar), a guitaron (a large acoustic bass guitar) and, on occasion, a harp. The musicians dress in silver-studded charro outfits with wide-brimmed hats. The original Mariachis were Mexican street musicians orbuskers but many today are professional entertainers making paid appearances in the entertainment industry. Professionals can usually play more than one instrument, and all can sing. Mariachi music, as well as other forms of traditional Mexican music, is also noted for the grito mexicano a yell done at musical interludes within a song, either by the musicians or the audience.

Below are some portraits I shot of the Mariachi's at Plaza Garibaldi in Mexico City in December.....

Music men in Mexico......

2012-01-16T13:06:00.001-08:00

In Mexico City I began a little portraiture project based upon the 'music men' of Mexico, below are 2 of my favourites.
Mariachi portraits to follow......

Adoption

2012-01-09T05:16:00.000-08:00

Hot off the press this month is my latest shoot for Attitude Magazine, which is a great feature on adoption/ fostering.

This shoot was a challenging one as I couldn't show any of the children's face's. It's quite tricky trying to create engaging photography using the backs of heads!

Anyway, we got there eventually and I'm pleased with the way it all looks, especially when combined with illustration.

Lucha Libre fans

2012-01-05T05:14:00.000-08:00

Here are a family of Lucha Libre fans.....this is after a wresting match at Arena Mexico in Mexico City....

Mini Lucha Libre fan!

2012-01-04T12:12:00.000-08:00

Here is a mini Lucha Libre fan I shot in Mexico City......I love all these shots.....i can't decide which is my favourite!

I shot this in Mexico Arena after a wrestling match.

Happy New Year! Help........

2012-01-04T09:59:00.000-08:00

HAPPY 2012!! And the first blog post of the year is a photo of me being strangled by a female luchadore!

The Lucha libre are Mexican Wrestlers who fight wearing masks, it is very theatrical. When in the ring, they are like super hero's/ fantasy characters. Fascinating! Well, it is to me anyway.

I spent December in Mexico and began a project on the Lucha Libre so there is some new work to follow which is a great way to bring in the New Year.

Lucky I survived the strangling hey?!

FINAL (23rd & 24th) Advent Dog Of The Day's

2011-12-26T18:19:00.000-08:00

So I missed the Christmas eve deadline.....very very sorry.

Once again I was traveling and then I got caught up in my own Christmas shenanigans!

Anyway, here we are....better late than never I suppose, the final 2 Christmas Dog's Of The Day are Tigi and Reggie......I'm kind of sad it is over for this year but ce la vie.

Which day was your favourite?

20th, 21st and 22nd DOTD (Dog Of The Day)

2011-12-21T20:53:00.001-08:00

Ok, I've been slacking on DOTD but I am in Mexico on holiday - well semi on holiday, the last week has been more like work. Looking forward to unveiling the latest project but for now......Dog's Of The Day's are..... there are only 3 more days of the Advent calendar left....i'd love to know who your favourites were/ are.....

December 18th and 19th....

2011-12-19T09:40:00.000-08:00

.....I missed a day again but here are Dogs Of The Day for the 18th and 19th December. Jeremy and Sadie.....

December 16th and 17th

2011-12-17T08:41:00.000-08:00

I missed yesterday as I was traveling but here are December 16th, "Merry fucking Christmas" from Purdy, the mini schnauzer and for December 17th, we have Ben. Ben lives in Bolton and is my Aunty Kath's dog. He was actually named after my late Grandad as he rescued him......

December the 15th - It's Ace

2011-12-15T14:37:00.000-08:00

Ace was the youngest dog i had the pleasure of photographing.....only a few months old.....i'm amazed i got this (but not really because i always get something!). he seriously could not sit still, apparently me petting him wasn't helping - once i got over his cuteness we were down to business and here is the result......

14th Decmber Dog Of The Day - Ella is a reindeer

2011-12-14T08:11:00.000-08:00

I love love love this shot of Ella.....Ella is a great model, she just sits there and is pretty unfazed by anything - in fact, she seems to enjoy being dressed up!

December the 13th - ELLA!!!

2011-12-13T08:02:00.000-08:00

Ok, here she is......this is my little one.....the lovely Ella.....I am in Mexico at the moment and missing my little bundle of joy, the special december the 13th dog of the day....

12th December....The Great Dane

2011-12-12T10:36:00.000-08:00

10th and 11th December Dog's Of The Day.....

2011-12-11T17:46:00.000-08:00

Running a little late the past couple of days as instead of blogging i have been drinking pina colada's around a pool in Mexico and soaking up the sun......

Anyway, better late than never, here are Daisy and Juno, Dogs for the 10th and 11th December...I will try to stay away from the cocktails and continue to reveal my advent dogs over the rest of the month (maybe)....

December 9th .....Alfie....

2011-12-09T06:31:00.000-08:00

It's Alfie....instead of ears he has a Christmas halo......

Dec 8th...

2011-12-08T08:19:00.000-08:00

......iiiiiiiiiit's Rudi.....!

7th December Dog of The Day

2011-12-07T16:17:00.000-08:00

....meet Millie.....

Dec 6th Dog Of The Day!

2011-12-05T21:32:00.000-08:00

Its Gonzo........Now lovely Gonzo is a stable regular round Clissold Park with his owner Mark, the local dog walker. He never fails to make me smile as he's always 50 paces behind the other dogs, rambling along in his own way.

Gomez was very chilled when it came to becoming a canine Santa, he just plonked himself down and allowed the styling to commence. We knew he'd had enough when he spun around and gave me his bottom to photograph!

5th December Dog Of The Day

2011-12-04T16:42:00.000-08:00

.......it's Dolly! Thank you Brenda!

4th December Dog of The Day

2011-12-04T02:32:00.000-08:00

4th December's Dog Of The Day is Lou Lou, the lovely cocker.......

3rd December Dog of The Day

2011-12-03T02:56:00.000-08:00

Today's Dog Of The Day is Poppy. Poppy is a Parsons Jack Russell and can be spotted regularly having a mooch around Clissold Park....

The Portrait Salon 11 Newspaper

2011-12-02T03:12:00.000-08:00

Here are some photos of the hot- off -the- press Portrait Salon newspaper (some of them freshly stolen from the Portrait Salon's blog).

The images are all quality and the layout is great......I photographed 'my' page so you get a sense of what it looks like inside......the newspaper will be on sale, details to follow soon on the official Portrait Salon blog

My image is the top left, other credits on this page are as follows:

Bottom left: John Wright. Middle top left: Thomas Butler. Middle bottom left: Ben Gold. Middle top right: Chris Floyd. Top right: Olivier Hess. Middle bottom right: Chris Jelley. Bottom right: Antony Crossfield.

And below is my selected image of Yak on it's own:

2nd December Christmas Dog Of The Day

2011-12-01T16:05:00.000-08:00

It's Baxter!....

The Countdown to Christmas has begun....

2011-12-01T12:06:00.000-08:00

...Here is December 1st's Advent Dog Of The Day....it's the lovely Ella!

Portrait Salon

2011-11-30T10:09:00.001-08:00

One of my images has been selected for 'Portrait Salon', a modern day 'salon des refuses'.

It is a showcase of 75 unselected entries from the National Portrait Gallery Photographic Prize 2011 (Taylor Wessing).

Personally I am really excited to see the other entries and I think it gives an interesting perspective and insight into the judging of the Taylor Wessing prize, an award which causes much debate every year.

The images will be shown as a projection at The Roxy Bar and Screen in Borough, London tonight and all are welcome! Short notice I know but it's been busy busy busy lately!!

Below is the invite and a quote from Miranda Gavin on the selection process....

“Looking through the rejected entries has been an eye opener - it was a rare chance to see some of the images that are discarded, to ponder the question of portraiture in the 21^st century, and to discover some top-notch portraits to boot. The National Portrait Gallery Photographic Portrait Prize 2011 is a prestigious international prize, however, there is a lack of feedback given to entrants and it was surprising to find that there is some confusion as to what constitutes a portrait – many images simply didn’t fit the criteria. Portrait Salon is a new venture and should be viewed as a positive addition to the photo competition arena as all entrants are being given another chance to get their work seen on screen and in print at no extra cost.”

Gok Wan and his Gorgeous Christmas Range for Boots!

2011-11-18T03:33:00.000-08:00

I finally received the artwork for the Gok's gorgeous Christmas range which is instore at Boots at the moment. I shot the photo of Gok a while ago and it's nice to see it in layout.....pop into Boots to see the real thing ...i think my image is on the gift tags.......have yet to investigate.....

Fields In Trust headshots

2011-11-16T03:00:00.001-08:00

I recently spent half a day with the team at charity, 'Fields In Trust' shooting friendly staff portraits for their website and annual reports.......

Fields In Trust is a charity protecting playing fields to ensure that everybody; young and old, has access to free local outdoor spaces for recreation, sport and play.

To see more of my images or to support the charity, visit their webpage:

http://www.fieldsintrust.org

Gingerline Pop Up Restaurant

2011-11-15T02:24:00.000-08:00

I am friend's with the Gingerliner's and they asked me to take some photos at their latest pop up, 'The Puppeteers Workshop'....the evening, food, company and entertainment were fantastic and I highly recommend nabbing a seat at their next event! For more info, check them out here: http://gingerline.co.uk/

Halloween Pumpkin Carve Off

2011-11-02T01:59:00.001-07:00

I carved a pumpkin to enter into the 'Hello You Creative's Pumpkin Carve Off and you can see it below......bottom left....

There are some creative pumpkin's in there...i think my favourite is the green one.

My pumpkin was actually injured. The bottom of his eye fell out during scraping his insides out for my experimental pumpkin soup. Incidentally the experimental soup was rather disappointing....i've never cooked anything with pumpkin before, nor have i made a soup from scratch before and i was fully expecting it to rock my world. Sadly it didn't.

What did rock my world this weekend however was some amazing food @ Gingerline, the pop up restaurant along the East London Line. The evening is secret and themed, guests do not know where exactly they are going until 1 hour before the event and when they get there they are entertained and wined and dined in a fabulously unusual environment. I shot stills and video (stills to be featured in Spanish vogue) so watch this space for more info once next weekend is through and the secrets can be revealed.....

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

2011-10-31T02:25:00.000-07:00

I think the photo says it all....Happy Halloween.....this is Tigi, he's a mischievous little devil!

Dog Christmas Advent Calendar for sale

2011-10-25T09:10:00.000-07:00

Well I have been a busy bee making a wonderful little advent calendar for you all.....well hopefully it will be, it is not back from the printers yet but i have faith.

So it is the traditional kind so, shock horror - NO CHOCOLATES!
Instead their are 24 lovely little photos of Christmas dogs to feast your eyes upon, one for each day during the run up to Christmas.
Now, I can actually remember when i was younger, feeling sad about the onset of chocolates in my advent calendar....i was always more of a fan of the pictures and would rather look at something than eat something. Mind you, maybe it was because the doors were always opened in the morning and the idea of eating chocolate first thing in the morning just seems a bit wrong to me. Anyway, I am digressing.....

So the calendar is A3 in size, (420 mm x 297 mm), has 24 doors, a lovely dog behind each door and is for sale now .... I accept credit/ debit cards and also have a paypal account. To place your order, send an email to studio@alexgrace.co.uk

Lana Del Rey - Video

2011-10-21T02:26:00.000-07:00

i have fallen in love with this song......

Dog casting in Clissold Park

2011-10-10T08:30:00.000-07:00

I'm casting dogs at the moment for a little brainwave I recently had......all will be revealed before Christmas.....
Anyway, I'm working to a super tight deadline and opted to take to Clissold Park today to find my doggie models. These 2 quirky characters would not sit still for their casting photo, hence me ending up with this rather amusing shot. Meet Chewy and Gloria......they have definitely made the cut!

Wow!

2011-10-06T12:04:00.000-07:00

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this shot I took at Battersea Annual Reunion recently......is it wrong to be so enthusiastic about my own photography????!

The World Sheepdog Trials - the portraits

2011-09-28T13:31:00.000-07:00

Here are some of the portraits of the shepherds taking part in the World Sheepdog Trials........

My favourite Sheep

2011-09-27T06:47:00.000-07:00

Ooooooooh, cheeky!

The World Sheepdog Trials - Channel 4

2011-09-26T06:59:00.000-07:00

Anybody been watching Channel 4's coverage of 'The World Sheepdog Trials' on More 4? If not, catch up online here: http://www.channel4.com/programmes/the-world-sheep-dog-trials

Below are some press shots of herding in progress that I took recently when sent off around the country to cover this for C4......portraits of the shepherds to follow......

Sir Ian Mckellen - the out-takes

2011-09-20T07:32:00.000-07:00

I have been editing some old shots (well, from 1 year ago) of Sir Ian Mckellen and here they are......enjoy!

Paul Keating - some out-takes

2011-09-12T08:02:00.000-07:00

Well, i shot British actor, Paul Keating a while back now but I have only just got around to taking a look at the out-takes.

This was shot at The London Palladium last year just before 'The Wizard of Oz' opened it's doors to the general public. Paul is currently playing the scarecrow in this West End production.

Behind the scenes in Wales

2011-09-12T05:20:00.000-07:00

I had a dark moment recently on a shoot in Wales and became fascinated by a dead sheep....Thanks to my assistant, Gary Conway for capturing the moment......

Sheepdog Trial contestants....

2011-09-08T15:03:00.000-07:00

Last week I was sent on a road trip around the country (well, Wales and Lancashire) to take a series of portraits of sheepdogs and their owners for Channel 4.
More 4 are documenting this year's Sheepdog trials, taking place in Cumbria in a couple of weeks.
Here are some of the budding contestants (and a rather perturbed lamb)......

Ian Brown and me at Chiswick Football Club - randomly!

2011-09-07T09:16:00.000-07:00

Looking for some stuff on an old hard drive this afternoon and I came across this football club shoot with ex Stone Roses frontman, Ian Brown..... I totally forgot I had shot this.....according to my records it was September 2005.....I don't actually remember what this was for or how it came about....maybe it's because i'm not into football.....

OK, I just did a quick web search and it seems in September 2005, Ian Brown sponsored Chiswick amateur football club, hence the shirt which was emblazoned with, 'IB - The Greatest' (the name of Ian Brown's album release back then). Another interesting thing I found was that my photos from this shoot were all over the internet on various press websites......no credits of course, but quite amusing all the same!

Adam and Joe

2011-08-23T10:28:00.000-07:00

I had a little play around with my Adam and Joe images to see which ones work best together....i think i like the first and last ones......

Joe Cornish

2011-08-23T09:55:00.000-07:00

I shot Joe Cornish recently. Joe is a British comedian, television and radio presenter, director, writer and actor who along with long-time comedy partner, Adam Buxton form the comedy duo 'Adam and Joe'.
One of these shots will sit next to my earlier portrait of Adam Buxton in the 'World of Wonder' 20th Anniversary book when it comes out later this year.
I have been working on these portraits for over a year now, so am very excited about the release of the book (release date tbc)......

Tottenham/ London Riots: The Aftermath

2011-08-08T15:44:00.000-07:00

This morning I went down to Tottenham to view the aftermath of a weekend of rioting on the streets following an initially peaceful protest about the fatal police shooting of Mark Duggan.

It was a shocking scene, buildings had been burned down; some people lost their homes. It's really quite sad. The area has been devastated by the violence and looting. I heard stories of people who had lost everything over the weekend. The air still smelled of burning and embers were still smoking. The main street was closed for safety reasons; the buildings which were burned down are now unsafe and could collapse at any moment. What was the Allied carpet shop (pictured below) is being pulled down overnight.

The violence and rioting has since spread to other boroughs of London; Hackney, Camden, Clapham, Lewisham, Ealing and Croydon.

It seems to be mob mentality, sheer criminality and anarchy on the streets of London. It feels so pointless and destructive and sad.

Some people's lives will be in taters from this and and since the main theme is violence and theft, I don't think this can be called a protest at all, it is just criminal behaviour and in my mind it's totally unacceptable.

August's 'Dog of The Day'

2011-08-04T01:26:00.000-07:00

After a dog show, my team and i have got into the habit of voting for 'Dog of The Day', our favourite dog from the day of shooting.

I've decided to pick a monthly 'Dog of The Day' going forward and here we have the pick for August. This is Freddie, the poodle, a favourite of mine from Crufts.....

My first shoot with a Sound Blimp

2011-08-03T04:41:00.000-07:00

A sound blimp is basically a lead and foam casing for a camera body which stops any sound from being heard.

Even if your mirror is open and your shutter is quiet, the sound microphone on a film set will more than likely pick it up. And that leads to a not very impressed film crew!

I was recently shooting some Behind the Scenes on a very exciting but confidential (watch this space...) Australian advertising job and needed to hire a blimp for the day.

Shooting with the Blimp was interesting, I was shooting digital but couldn't see the back of my camera (the screen) or alter the settings of the camera. It was a bit like going back to the good old days of film; the excitement/ apprehension of having to wait to see what you had shot.

Vivian Maier exhibition London

2011-07-18T04:41:00.000-07:00

I have been eagerly following the uncovering of Vivian Maier's photography catalogue since it was revealed to the public by John Maloof.

Maloof purchased some of Maier's negs at a furniture and antique auction and quickly discovered a wealth of unseen talent.

Maier sadly past away in 2009 and little is known about her. She moved to the USA from France in the early 1930's when 11 or 12 and worked as a nanny during the 50's and early 60's. It seems she was always obsessively taking photographs but nobody ever saw them.

Maloof now has more than 100,000 negatives in his collection. He is slowly revealing them to the world whilst she is rapidly becoming renowned as a great previously undiscovered street photographer.

On Saturday, I went to see some of the work which is being exhibited as part of the London Street Photography Festival.
I was slightly disappointed by the curation as I felt like i had seen better shots on the Vivian Maier blog but it's still worth a look.
Details here:
http://londonstreetphotographyfestival.com/diary/vivian-maier-a-life-uncovered

On an aside note, the German Gymnasium is a great building, that in itself is worth a visit too! And after the Exhibition, i recommend cocktails and cheese at the St Pancras Renaissance Hotel, the perfect end to the perfect day.

For more about Maier and to see some more of her images, check out the blog here:
http://vivianmaier.blogspot.com

Charlie Condou - some out-takes

2011-07-15T11:50:00.000-07:00

I've been a bit slack at blogging of late but I'm finally getting round to posting. It's 7.45pm on Friday evening and I have told myself I am not allowed to go to the pub until I blog so here goes......
Some out-takes from my shoot with Coronation Street actor Charlie Condou. My favourite shots from this day are most definitely the ones outside the green cafe (Cafe Columbia). Can you guess the location? (the name of the cafe being a dead giveaway of course!)

Highgate Fair in The Square

2011-06-29T00:00:00.000-07:00

Ashley and I hard at work a couple of weeks ago.....i love this photo.....

Charlie Condou

2011-06-23T06:32:00.000-07:00

I recently had the pleasure of meeting and shooting British actor Charlie Condou for Attitude Magazine. Charlie is known for playing Renoir in The Impressionists and Marcus Dent in Coronation Street.

Charlie returned to Corrie as Marcus back in March for a gay dad storyline with on screen boyfriend Sean Tully.......

Our shoot was fun and it was lovely to meet Charlie's real life daughter, Georgia Mae.

Dog day again - this week it's Fair In The Square in Highgate

2011-06-15T06:43:00.000-07:00

Bring your furry friends along and say hello!

http ://www.fair inthesquar e.co.u k/

Harry Treadaway - You magazine

2011-06-13T05:30:00.000-07:00

Here is the tearsheet from my shoot with Harry Treadaway.....check Harry out in new BBC drama, 'The Night Watch' based on the novel by Sarah Waters......

RUDI

2011-06-07T09:19:00.000-07:00

Here is Rudi, Arthur's son....

Arthur

2011-06-07T09:09:00.000-07:00

Here is Arthur, who I photographed in Bolton earlier this year. Arthur never usually lets anyone take his photograph so I was very privileged and honoured that he sat for me.

I love the shots we got. He was only in front of my lens for half an hour, yet he gave me so much.

I shot Arthur's son too, pictures to follow......

Yak

2011-05-23T04:58:00.001-07:00

I have been shooting lots of personal work of late and this is an edit from one of my recent portrait sessions.

My old friend Yak has been undergoing treatment for throat cancer. I shot him a few weeks after his operation to remove the cancer.
He has since been through chemo and radiation therapy which ended with the all clear in April.

Yak has been in front of my camera lens many times (I always used to be with camera - Nan Goldin stylee - when I was younger) but I hadn't seen him for years before this session.
Our lives went in separate directions but we were very close during my late teenage years and early 20's and I'll always hold his friendship close to my heart.

Sometimes thinking of Yak and what he has been through breaks my heart.

HARRY TREADAWAY

2011-05-20T03:28:00.000-07:00

Harry Treadaway is a young up and coming British actor and I had the pleasure of shooting him recently.
He is currently filming an interesting sounding horror film around London and we grabbed him for half an hour during his lunch break......here are the out-takes.......

Ruby Wax out - takes

2011-05-13T10:09:00.000-07:00

Finally getting around to going through some of my back catalogue again.....and here are some out-takes from my shoot at Julie's restaurant with the lovely Ruby Wax........

Behind the scenes at the Robin Hood Game and Country Show

2011-05-10T12:03:00.000-07:00

My own special photography marquee. I shot loads of dogs this weekend......looking forward to editing them.......

The Robin Hood Game and Country show

2011-05-06T10:32:00.000-07:00

Well, I have been busy of late working on my dog portfolio and it has been going surprisingly well. Below are some of my latest shots.

If you like what you see, do come to the Robin Hood Game and Country Show in Brentwood, Essex, this weekend as I will shooting there.....
Here are the details:

http://www.robinhoodcountryshow.co.uk/Essex_show_info.htm

Lets Face It 7 Awards - The book

2011-05-05T04:06:00.000-07:00

LPA Portraiture Awards 2011 by London Photographic Association | Make Your Own Book

Private View LPA 'Lets Face It' 7 Awards

2011-04-20T15:33:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos from the private view. One shot from my Bronze winning series was exhibited while the others rotated as part of a slide show on the screen photographed below. It was a great night, not least because after the exhibition I went to see Kylie perform at the O2 which was a great way to celebrate!

New work/ Expatriates!

2011-04-13T08:43:00.001-07:00

I have been very busy of late producing new work, winning awards, retouching and putting images into syndication. Anyway, more about that later....

For now, here is a recent and ongoing personal project looking at the sub-culture of expatriates. The following portraits were all shot in Singapore but my intention is to take this project to other countries in which there is a large expat population.

This project will be imminently posted on my website and here is the blurb i am midway through drafting:

EXPATRIATE

“An expatriate (or expat) is a person residing in a country and culture other than that of the person’s upbringing or legal residence.

Globalisation has created an international market for skilled professionals. Private motivation is
becoming more relevant than company assignment.”

“Traditional corporate expatriates did not integrate and commonly only associated with the
elite of the country they were living in. Modern expats form a global middle class with shared work experiences in multi- national corporation. Integration is incomplete but strong cultural
influences are transmitted.” (citation: wikipedia)

Alex became interested in the expat culture after numerous visits to Singapore.
To Alex the lifestyle of the expat seems like a stand-alone culture; many expats don’t appear to fully integrate into local society (raising the question of whether is is ever possible to fully assimilate into another, very different culture, leaving behind ingrained socialisation?)
Subsequently a culture is created to meet the lifestyle needs of the expatriate, incorporating cultural aspects of their homeland into the new environment and combining this with local lifestyle.

Through portraiture, Alex explores the nature of expatriates.

This is an ongoing project....

LPA 'Lets Face It' 7 Awards

2011-04-07T00:30:00.001-07:00

I have some great news and that is that I have won a photographic award with the London Photographic Association!

I won bronze for my 'Untitled' series entered into the 'Lets Face It' 7 portraiture awards. The series will feature in the LPA winner's book and the image shown below will be exhibited at The Assembly Rooms in central London. It will be up until the 29th April so do pop in if you can.

Here is a link to my profile on the London Photographic Association's website:
http://www.london-photographic-association.com/Alex_Grace

Out-takes: Andy Butler from Hercules & Love Affair

2011-04-05T02:50:00.001-07:00

So here are a couple of out- takes from the Andy Butler shoot to tantalise your taste-buds!
I have been so busy of late, I haven't been going through old shoots but this is a start to sifting through the backlog........Enjoy!!

The Oxfam Curiosity Shop 2011

2011-04-01T07:51:00.000-07:00

The Oxfam curiosity pop up shop opens today at Selfridges.
Get down there and grab yourself a bargain.
Tons of celebs have donated outfits and I shot the stills campaign.
Below is the promotional video and the stills

In A Taxi with Christian Cooke

2011-03-23T17:56:00.000-07:00

So this was out back in February but only just got around to scanning it....My In a Taxi with.... Christian Cooke tearsheet.......

Behind the scenes -ish!

2011-03-23T05:38:00.000-07:00

Shooting in Singapore recently, I ended up being dragged onto my own set by a couple of rather enthusiastic (and possibly rather drunk) expats!
The camera was handed over to my equally enthusiastic assistant (Tessa) who shot the following sequence.......as you can tell I'm loving it. .....actually, i just realised, I really do look like i'm loving it......ok then, i confess, i was!!

Ruby Ruby Ruby Ruby!!!

2011-03-17T02:55:00.001-07:00

Recently I shot Ruby Wax at Julie's coffee shop in Holland Park, London and here is the article......it was fun to meet Ruby and also fun to visit Julie's!

Happy International Women's Day

2011-03-08T04:09:00.000-08:00

Today is International Women's Day and I was asked by Oxfam to shoot some celebrity portraits for the Equals Campaign.

This involved photographing Annie Lennox, Miranda Richardson, Jane Shepherdson, Mariella Frostrup, Beverly Knight and VV Brown holding up the Equals placard with their own statements on Equality for women and what the world will be like when we have this.

More on the Equals Campaign here: http://www.weareequals.org

International Women's Day (8 March) is a global day celebrating the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future. In some places like China, Russia, Vietnam and Bulgaria, International Women's Day is a national holiday.

It is important and relevant because in many parts of the World women still do not have Equality, are not safe and face discrimination and injustice, which is quite simply NOT ACCEPTABLE!

More on International Women's Day here: http://www.internationalwomensday.com

Mariella Frostrup wrote a great article for Sunday's Observer and if you are in any doubt as to why we need International Women's Day, please take some time to read it:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/mar/06/feminism-global-challenge-one-voice

Langkawi boat

2011-03-02T20:08:00.000-08:00

Here is something which caught my eye over the weekend in Langkawi, Malaysia......they are just snapshots but I really like the simplicity of them...

Cheeky monkey!

2011-03-01T23:36:00.000-08:00

I spent the weekend on Langkawi, a beautiful Island in Malaysia. I made some new friends and here they are......how cute is the ginger baby monkey?!!

Christian Cooke

2011-02-23T20:33:00.000-08:00

Christian Cooke is a talented young actor from Yorkshire and I shot him back in December for You magazine's 'In A Taxi with....' page. The shoot was featured in the mag on 6th Feb (i think!).

Anyway it was a last minute request from You mag and Christian was dashing off to a Channel 4 photoshoot for 'The Promise', the 4 part series recently broadcast on Channel 4 in the UK (last episode airs this Sunday).

Paul Keating @ The London Palladium

2011-02-21T21:57:00.000-08:00

Paul Keating is a British actor currently starring as the Scarecrow in 'The Wizard of Oz' which is previewing at the London Palladium right now.

The show opens to the public on 1st March and reviews thus far have been promising. I plan to go see it next month.

I shot Paul during a rehearsal break at the Palladium so I didn't have him for very long.

The Palladium was also upside down as they were just finishing off refurbishments in time for the show opening.

Check out Paul's t-shirt - it's a dog made of buttons. I liked it a lot!

My yachting birthday

2011-02-19T18:45:00.001-08:00

The most exciting thing about my birthday this year was that i spent it on a yacht!

I had to promise photography for the privilege but basically my friend in Singapore, Tessa, was taking some top achievers from her company on an incentive day out and the yacht was the special treat.

I was very happy at being allowed to join them, especially since it was my birthday, and below are some of the team snaps i took.....

I have decided, going forward, that i would like to now spend every birthday yachting. Are you listening Tessa??

Toby

2011-02-16T00:37:00.000-08:00

Today I would like to introduce you to Toby. Toby is very special as he is my Grandmother's dog, therefore he is loved dearly.

Toby entered my Grandparents life's about 9 years ago when he was discovered, a bit worse for wear, wandering aimlessly around a field. A settlement of gypsy's had just left and he was presumed abandoned/ lost. I think it was my Aunty Kath who found him and initially my Grandparents said no, having been heartbroken by the loss of their first dog, Jess a few years earlier.

Anyway, Toby soon won their hearts and he now happily resides with my Grandma who refers to him as her 'little love', cooks him special meals and generally spoils him rotten.

I like Toby a lot, he's a right little character. And I love these pictures as they are so full of expression. I would like to know what Toby was thinking about as I was shooting......

Happy Valentines Day!

2011-02-14T00:04:00.000-08:00

For Valentine's day, Diva Magazine produced 'The Love Issue' and asked me to shoot the cover and 7 inside pages showing couples in love.

The shoot was fun, I enjoy hearing stories about how couples met and good, happy relationships inspire me.

Thanks to everyone who took part and of course, Happy V Day!

In A Taxi with Hurts

2011-02-08T07:21:00.000-08:00

Hurts are an English synthpop duo from Manchester composed of Theo Hutchcraft (originally from North Yorkshire) and Adam Anderson.

I had the pleasure of photographing the boys for You Magazine in November and the article came out last weekend. It was freezing when we shot this (Adam isn't very good with the cold!) but the sun was out and the light was great.

One of my favourite shots is below. I love reflections and how they can be played with through the medium of photography. More out-takes from the shoot to follow shortly.

Anyway, it was great to meet the boys, I'm always extra fond of fellow Northerners, especially ones who have struggled but refused to give up and then found success.
The guys were telling me about years spent on the dole in Manchester trying to get people to listen to their music - I can relate to that as photography can be a similar experience of plugging away and waiting for someone to notice and for your career to finally take off.

Hurts have an unusual sound, I wasn't sure how to describe it (I stole the synthpop quote from wikipedia) but I like it. I'm listening to it now and i'm still not sure who they remind me of, it's quite a mix. Have a listen though. Their debut album 'Happiness' came out in Sept last year.

Sir Ian McKellen talks about homophobic bullying

2011-02-03T06:59:00.001-08:00

I had a great afternoon out back in November last year. Attitude magazine sent me to 'The Hundred of Hoo' school in Kent to shoot Sir Ian Mckellen.

He was there as part of anti-bullying week. Specifically his talk was regarding homophobic bullying. Sir Ian was on a very tight schedule. Organised by Stonewall, he was visiting 2 schools a day to speak to pupils.

After the brief 5 minutes allotted to get my shots, I was allowed to sit in at the back of the assembly hall to listen to Sir Ian's talk (the highlight of my day, i might add!).

It was all very moving, Sir Ian talked about how things were in his day and how persecuted people were back then for being gay. He also talked about the term 'gay' being used as another word for something being rubbish or no good and expressed how much that upset him. He asked the pupils to refrain from using the word 'gay' in that negative context.

And finally, 2 boys came out as gay to Sir Ian during his visit.

Phew! What an afternoon. It's not often you get the opportunity to listen to an A-list Hollywood star talk to schoolkids about gay bullying issues!

Guardian Weekend/ Your Pictures, theme: LOSS

2011-01-31T04:08:00.000-08:00

I had a nice surprise this weekend when I was informed that one of my photos was in the Guardian Weekend magazine.
I don't usually enter my pics in these things but a couple of weeks when i saw the theme; Loss, I thought I would give it a go.

The image shown (bottom right) is from my 'Memories' series, a selection of images taken in my Grandparents house before and after they passed away. This particular photo was taken just before it sold. Having spent the formative years of my childhood in this house, it was quite an emotional experience and the sense of loss was huge.
When I look at any of the images from this series, I can smell the way it was.

To see more images from this series, visit my website: www.alexgracephoto.com

Ooh la la - Photo Shoot fashion story

2011-01-25T06:12:00.001-08:00

A lingerie story I shot in December came out a couple of weeks ago......I don't shoot much fashion these days but i loved shooting this and I'm so pleased with how it looks in the magazine.

MS Society

2011-01-24T09:56:00.000-08:00

A few months back I did a preliminary shoot for the MS Society's new website (launching in April) and below are some shots.

I also shot a great series of portrait's which I'm really excited about.
I'm continuing the portraiture shoot in March and want to show it as a full series once retouched so watch this space......

2011 Dog Calendar For Sale

2011-01-21T05:46:00.000-08:00

I should have uploaded this at the end of last year but kind of forgot about it......oops.

Anyway, I made a 2011 calendar for friends and family and it occurred to me that perhaps i should sell it. It is an A4 slim calendar (13 x 29.7 cm).

If you would like to order one, e-mail me on alex@alexgracephoto.com
Calendars are £15.00 including delivery & VAT and I accept bank transfers, cheques and paypal.

The London Palladium

2011-01-21T04:43:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I was shooting at The London Palladium. The Palladium is being refurbished at the moment to prepare for the opening of 'The Wizard of Oz'.

I was shooting a portrait but whilst i was waiting, i took a few shots and below is my favourite.....

New Years Mail-out

2011-01-17T01:49:00.000-08:00

Since today is Blue Monday, officially the most depressing day of the year, I had a New Year's card made to follow on from my e-mail video and to make people smile.
Posted out on Friday, it should be on desks this morning.

In case you are wondering where this was taken, it's the dead tree stump in Clissold park, Stoke Newington. I'm sure anyone around that area will know it....

Luckily the park was fairly quiet during our shoot (probably because it was freezing and snowy) but we did get a few amused passers-by.
Wouldn't it be great if an angel did live on this tree stump all year round?!

Thanks to my model, David for braving the cold!

Andy Butler from Hercules & The Love Affair

2011-01-12T07:43:00.000-08:00

A few months back I shot Andy Butler from the band, 'Hercules and Love Affair'.

Being a fan of the band, it was great to meet Andy and the shoot was fun.

It was also good to be back in a studio and have some time to set up my lights etc.

The celebrity shoots I've done recently seem to have been a lot quicker, think on your feet affairs, where I get sent to an unknown location and have to make things work within that environment. There is no time for around in that kind of situation and the last thing I want is people waiting for me to figure out what I'm going to do.
I just need to make quick decisions and do it.

Working in a studio is therefore different because I can get there and set up before the subject arrives and I know exactly how it's all going to work and what it will look like beforehand.

So I was pleased with how this turned out. Andy was sweet, he told me afterwards he had been quite nervous but he was awesome and the shots turned out great.

I'll post some out-takes later.....