Adam Buxton - My Faves

I thought the contact sheet i posted earlier was a bit small so I wanted to show you some of my favourite shots a little larger....

ADAM BUXTON

Here are some contact sheet selects from my recent shoot with Adam Buxton. Adam is a British Comedian, currently starring in The Persuasionists. He is probably most well known for the 1995 Adam and Joe show, a Channel 4 comedy series with Joe Cornish. Adam and Joe went on to host radio shows on XFM and 6 Music. Adam was easy to shoot, a man of many facial expressions.....!

TIM HANCOCK _ WORLD OF WONDER

Tim Hancock is UK Head Of Development at World of Wonder, web content being one of his fortes. He developed, produced and wrote 'This is a Knife' C4's first web only show. As well as being a very bright young man, Tim is also a very talented piano player which was a treat for us to witness.

I loved shooting Tim, it was loads of fun, the house we shot in was great. And I LOVED that Tim wore his special dinosaur outfit for me......

Here are a few previews:

JON RONSON - WORLD OF WONDER

I just shot a portrait of writer/ documentary film maker Jon Ronson. Jon is most well known for his book, 'Men Who Stare At Goats' which has been turned into a major motion picture starring Ewan McGregor, Kevin Spacey and Jeff Bridges. Jon also writes columns for the Guardian and has made a number of Documentary films.

We shot at Jon's house in Hampstead and had 20 minutes (with losing light) to catch the below shot.....

....don't you just love Jon's dog???!! I think Floppy makes the picture. (no offence Jon, obviously i think you look great too!)

NIKOLE LOWE - WORLD OF WONDER

Nikole Lowe was one of the tattooist's on the documentary TV show 'London Ink'. Since the show she has opened her own tattoo shop 'Good Times' in Shoreditch, London. Nikole is famous for her Japanese style of tattooing. I shot her in Shoreditch earlier this month for the World of Wonder's 20th Anniversary book. Of course i now want a tattoo. A Japanese style one......

John Sergeant - World of Wonder

I am currently working on a series of portraits to be published in a book to celebrate the World of Wonder's 20th Anniversary. The World of Wonder are an LA based indie production company who also have a London office.

John Sergeant has produced and researched many documentaries for the World of Wonder. We had 30 minutes to do 2 set ups in his Brixton flat and came up with the following portraits.

My New Studio Buddy

I seem to have a new friend to spend my studio days with. He appears unexpectedly once a day to flutter around my head...... The jury is still out on how much we like him. At first glance, he seems quite serene but once he starts flying around, it's slightly distracting, especially since he seems to like circling my head. Still it's only for 1 hour a day, I'm not sure what he does the rest of the time, maybe after using all that energy up he has to rest.

I don't think I've ever seen a butterfly in Winter before. I must give him a name. Little flutterbug......

Tu @ Sainsburys Christmas Commercial

Here is the final Christmas TV Commercial I shot for Sainsburys back in October. It aired on National TV the first week of December

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

And here is a seasonal message from myself and the Tu Clothing/ Sainsburys crew:

BEHIND THE SCENES ON THE MERRY CHRISTMAS SHOOT

Here are the behind the scenes from my recent still life 'MERRY CHRISTMAS' shoot, shot for Tu Clothing at Sainsburys and also handily used in my Christmas cards!  

The lettering was great.  We had a huge version of the word 'MERRY' made up so that the clothing would sit perfectly on the letters as though they were pedestals.  We had the 'MERRY CHRISTMAS' made up to sit together (Merry on top of Christmas) in smaller letters so that it would fit on the set and the big 'MERRY' was in post comped onto the smaller letters for the final frame of the advert.

CATS AT CHRISTMAS

Below are Aiko and Harvey, the cats I shot for my Christmas card.  A full day of festive fun and tinsel was had by all to get the below shots.......

CONEY ISLAND

Coney Island is a peninsula, formerly an island, in southernmost Brooklyn, New York City, USA, with a beach on the Atlantic Ocean.

Coney Island became a resort after the Civil War  With the rail and steamboat lines, and access to the beach came major hotels and public and private beaches, followed by horse racing, amusement parks, and less reputable entertainments such as Three-card Monte, other gambling entrepreneurs, and prostitution.

Between about 1880 and World War II, Coney Island was the largest amusement area in the United States, attracting several million visitors per year. At its height it contained three competing major amusement parks, Luna Park, Dreamland, and Steeplechase Park, as well as many independent amusements.

Today the major parks are the late Astroland,which closed in late 2008, Deno's Wonder Wheel Amusement Park, 12th Street Amusements, and Kiddie Park.

Three rides at Coney Island are protected as designated NYC landmarks and listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

• Wonder Wheel. Built in 1918 and opened in 1920, this steel Ferris wheel has both stationary cars and rocking cars that slide along a track. It holds 144 riders, stands 150 feet (46 m) tall, and weighs over 2,000 tons. At night the Wonder Wheel's steel frame is outlined and illuminated by neon tubes. 
• The Cyclone roller coaster, built in 1927, is one of the nation's oldest wooden coasters still in operation. A favorite of some coaster aficionados, the Cyclone includes an 85-foot (26 m), 60 degree drop.
• The Parachute Jump was the first ride of its kind. Patrons were hoisted 190 feet (58 m) in the air before being allowed to drop using guy-wired parachutes. Although the ride has been closed since 1968, it remains a Coney Island landmark and is sometimes referred to as "Brooklyn's Eiffel Tower." Between 2002 and 2004, the Jump was completely dismantled, cleaned, painted and restored, but remains inactive. 

I visited Coney Island just before Astroland closed.  Coney Island and it's amusement parks have a strange atmosphere but there is something about the place that I love.  Partially dilapidated and partially restored, it is a contradiction in itself.  Behind the beach and the park stands a bunch of high rises making for a most unusual skyline.  The rides that are still open are packed with people while the ones that are closed stand deserted not so far away.  There is a feeling of hedonism and abandonment, people having a great time at the fun-fair, mixed with the dregs that society abandoned.....