Adam and Joe

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

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)......

LARRY TEE

I shot Larry Tee the other week. Even if you haven't heard the name Larry Tee, I'm sure you will have heard some of his music or remixes, particularly if you are a fan of electro music like me. Here's some background:

Larry Tee hails from Atlanta, Georgia where he was friends with REM and his first group, the Fans, produced the B-52s' first independent single “Rock Lobster/52 Girls.” He moved to NYC with fellow Atlantans, RuPaul and Lady Bunny and quickly took over the NYC club scene with his epic party Love Machine. He started and named the infamous DISCO 2000 of Party Monster movie fame, DJ'ed the ROXY weekly, and co-wrote the Billboard Top 40 song Rupaul's “Supermodel (You Better Work).” In 1997 Larry Tee decided to get clean from drugs and alcohol and decided to re-examine his life and career. He turned to music for inspiration and championed a new sound and movement which became the Electroclash phenomena. He created the term “Electroclash” for his festivals in 2001/2002 (it's in the Oxford English Dictionary) which helped launch the careers of Scissor Sisters, Felix Da Housecat, 2 Many DJs/Soulwax, Peaches and many more.
Larry has just moved to East London and has launched a new club night in Shoreditch.

I met Larry at his new apartment, just off Brick Lane. Whilst chatting and discussing the shot and what we could do, Larry showed me his inspiration wall. Feeling inspired, the wall became the background for our shoot.

I loved hanging out with Larry and after hearing his stories, have since started my own inspiration wall.

Here are a few sample selects.....I'm sure my favourite will soon be posted on my website (www.alexgracephoto.com).....

Robert Farrar

I recently shot Robert Farrar, a playwright who has written novels, stories and songs for radio, TV, cinema and stage.
It was great to shoot Robert.
We wanted to portray the anxiety of reading the Review pages and hoping for good critiques....
Robert really got into the role, although I hope he doesn't spend every Saturday morning in such a state!

Donal Coonan

Donal Coonan is an actor, writer and presenter, who is most notable for presenting Channel 4's web show 'This is a Knife'
Below are some out-takes from my recent shoot with Donal. He is currently working on a comedy sketch where he dresses up as a jockey so we thought it would be quite amusing to have some 'horses' chasing after him......

MICHELE KNIGHT/ PSYCHIC KNIGHT

I recently shot TV and celebrity psychic Michele Knight at her 'castle' in Devon. Michele's place is amazing, it's by the beach and in the countryside and is literally a beautiful castle. It was fabulous to meet Michele and spend the day there. I especially loved having fun with the donkey's. Below is my edit from the day. The final select is up on my website:

www.alexgracephoto.com

To find out more about Michele and for a psychic reading, visit her website at: www.micheleknight.co.uk

DAWN AIREY & JACQUI LAW

A few months ago I shot Dawn Airey and her family on a dairy farm in Oxfordshire. Dawn is Head of Channel 5 and her partner Jacqui is also a film-maker. They also have a beautiful daughter who was very excited about getting to dress up for the morning!

My original idea was to shoot it like an old Victorian portrait using a make-shift studio set up, so like a modern day Victorian family portrait.

However Dawn and Jacqui live opposite a dairy farm in the countryside so we decided to use that as a backdrop but still trying to date it so it looked like a portrait from the 'olden days'.

Of course it rained the whole way through the shoot but I'm quite pleased with the results, i think the dreariness of the day made the shots seem more authentic.

Below are some out-takes. The chosen shot is up on my website: www.alexgracephoto.com

Matt Collings

I recently shot art critic Matt Collings at his home in North London. Here are my favourites:

Nikole Lowe.....

I re-edited my shots of Tattoo Artist Nikole Lowe and decided on a new favourite which wasn't selected in my earlier blog post. I like the energy, fun and confidence of this shot.....

Manchester Tattooist Louis Malloy

I recently shot award winning tattoo artist Louis Malloy at his studio in Middleton, Manchester.

Louis designed David Beckham's famous back tattoo depicting a bald, winged, angelic figure. Beckham calls the tattoo his 'guardian angel' and premiered it in 1999 after work finished in April that year.
Other celebrities tattooed by Lou include Spice Girls Mel C, Mel B, Victoria Beckham and Ronan Keating.

In 2007, Louis became part of Discovery Channel's documentary programme 'London Ink' featuring the daily happenings at his tattoo parlour.

It was a pleasure to meet and shoot Louis. I liked that he didn't want to necessarily be depicted in the stereotypical way tattoo artists are often depicted, holding a needle and covered in tattoos himself.

Below is my edit from the 30 minute shoot.....