Martin Beddall
London editorial and corporate photographyBlog
Brief shoot on a staircase
Quick follow up on my last blog post about the use of my images of Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg in the Independent on Sunday, I thought I'd add some more images from that brief shoot. The brief was to shoot a portrait of Clegg - avoiding the 'tight and bright' - to accompany an exclusive interview he was giving the newspaper. This was to take place after he had given a speech at some offices in London, but the room for the interview was on the very small side - so I needed a better location - a stairwell next door. I have to say that Clegg's media advisors were helpful - after several years having to deal on occasions with those around Blair, it was good to meet advisors willing to help and have some visual literacy. I was once ushered into a room at 10 Downing Street for a portrait of Tony Blair ( then the Prime minister ). As I unpacked my bag I was told I couldn't take pictures there! That overcome, and paper and crayons not ordered instead, Blair's advisors would then do their usual trick of attempting to thwart any interesting photograph - as they clutched their bottles of water, tried to look important and dream they were actually working in the "West Wing".
These portrait sessions aren't Vanity Fair shoots - they are over in minutes - with a budget that would not cover the sandwiches for such a shoot. No assistants, no fancy setups, no hours of prep... Indeed it did begin with Clegg wondering why they needed another photograph of him at all - nice to see he encourages the employment of freelance photographers!! Then it was a constant reminder for him not to walk off after a few frames - got to get my moneys' worth. I had set up a Profoto head with a fine grid to spotlight him on the staircase but favoured the natural light shots (Used a Canon 5dMKII and the 35/f1.4mm & 50/f1.2mm lenses) A few frames at the start of the interview, shot on the 85/f1.2mm, and job done. For me, my favourite shots are those in between the posed smiles and also nice to get a front page with my first shoot for a national newspaper for years.
Posted in Editorial, Lighting, Location, PortraitsTagged Deputy PM, editorial portrait, location portraiture, Nick Clegg1 Comment
Independent on Sunday – Nick Clegg
Made the front cover and a double page spread inside with my pictures of Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg to accompany Matt Chorley's exclusive interview with him in today's Independent on Sunday.
Posted in Editorial, Location, Portraits, Reportage, TearsheetsTagged Independent on Sunday, newspaper, Nick Clegg, portrait1 Comment
Mr Nice
I finally caught up with the film 'Mr Nice' on dvd at the weekend. Based upon the book of the same name by Howard Marks ( aka Mr Nice ) and his life as a teacher, drug smuggler and even spy (?), it was one of those films that had cast the perfect actor to play the lead - the enigmatic Rhys Ifans - but the film as a whole failed to quite deliver, despite the strong cast. Anyhow, I'm no film critic. But it did remind me of the time in the late 1990s, that I photographed Mr Nice himself. Not so much for the photoshoot itself - it was very brief, in a Bristol street., but rather how sometimes not every one is a team player.
Sent by The Times to Bristol to photograph Howard Marks, I was to meet up with the writer who would be interviewing him first - a writer famous for having read the television news previously. All seemed as usual, meet at hotel and await subject. Ordinarily, the interview would take place first and then the photoshoot - so scout locations while they were talking. Key to remember was to get the subject away from the writer as many would have a habit of hanging on and 'continuing' their chat as you tried to take the photos. One prominent feature writer at the paper always seemed to do this but this one took the lack of respect shown by a few writers to photographers, a step further.
Having found some locations, I went back to the hotel to find the interview still in full progress - always the lion's share of the allocated time. Quietly sitting a few tables back, I sat and watched, to observe the subject and give me clues as to how to capture his image ( I'll not say soul!). Suddenly, the interviewer stopped talking, turned around, and told me to get lost. Nothing like working as a team! Some time later the subject was brought over, whereupon this 'writer' marched up to the hotel reception and ordered a cab for Mr Nice in 'five minutes' - we're only snappers doing snaps of course!
So, five minutes..down the road, in an archway, shot on a Mamiya 6MF ( a medium format rangefinder camera ) on Fuji Neopan 120 film in available light. It was quick and it was published. Mr Nice was ..well..nice and pretty funny. He had found the 'writer's' attitude amusing and thankfully I have never had to work with that particular scribe again. Here's the pic...
Mr Nice
Posted in B&W, Editorial, Lighting, Location, PortraitsTagged B/W portrait, Editorial portraiture, Howard Marks, mamiya 6MF, Mr NiceLeave a comment
Recent work – Corporate Portraiture
Some images from last week's corporate portraiture shoot in London.
Recent Work – The American lawyer
A shoot for The American Lawyer magazine from January, just published in the current March issue. A portrait of Peter Martyr, chief executive of the law firm Norton Rose. used nicely across the page and gutter - with another shot used in the contents section. With visually impressive offices next to the London Assembly building and Tower Bridge, the firm's reception and adjoining balcony area - where this shot was taken - has one of the best views in London, looking across the river Thames to the north bank. Unfortunately the weather in January didn't really lend itself to a grand vista shot, but at least the architecture of the building itself had a graphic feel to it.
After the tearsheet I've posted a few of the other setups I shot of Mr Martyr - a patient subject. My thanks also for help in arranging such a smooth shot go to Kerrin Roberts at Norton Rose and also to the receptionists there, both for the building and the firm - friendly receptionists - so rare in London!
Posted in Corporate, Editorial, Lighting, Location, London Corporate Photography, Portraits, TearsheetsTagged American Lawyer, CEO, Chief Executive portrait, corporate photography, Location photography, London corporate photography, Magazine portrait, Norton Rose, Peter Martyr, portraitLeave a comment
..a couple more photos..
Following on from yesterday's post about Gadaffi/Libya/propaganda posters, I ended up looking through my pictures from that trip. Here are a few travelogue images of Tripoli and the archaeological sites at Sabratha and Leptis Magna. The latter has the potential to be a tourism goldmine ( that is for cultural tourists rather than those who travel halfway around the world to sit by a hotel swimming pool ). Libya will never be an 18-30 holiday destination, despite the ruins to Bacchus scattered around. Excavated, only partially so far, by mainly Italian and English archaeologists, and a vast, mostly deserted site, set by the Mediterranen Sea it rivals Pompeii as an insight into Roman times. I always said I would go back, kicking myself now that I didn't, let's hope that things will change in Libya and it will open up again as a country to visit.
Posted in Location, Personal, Reportage, TravelTagged Africa, Gadaffi posters, Gadaffi propaganda, Green Square, Leptis Magna, Libya, Sabratha, travelogue, TripoliLeave a comment
Taking a country down with him?
As the World watches Col Gaddafi declare war upon his own people, with western and arab politcians seemingly impotent as to how to react, I found these images from a visit to the country I made in 2006. This was in the museum at Leptis Magna - an archaeological world treasure - where a giant cutout of the Libyan leader dominated over the Roman relics and statues. Hopefully events will lead to a new beginning for the people of Libya, and this poster will be torn down at the start of a new peaceful future for the country. My thoughts are with some of the good people I met over there, and no less for the old guy who came running over to me near Green Square in Tripoli. Amidst his welcomes to his country, when he found that I was English, he enthused about his love for Newcastle Brown Ale!
Posted in Editorial, Personal, Reportage, Travel, UncategorizedTagged despot, dictator, Gaddafi, Leptis Magna Museum, Libya, propagandaLeave a comment
Recent work – The Home Office
A shoot for The Home Office of the new Permanent Secretary, Dame Helen Ghosh, DCB, principally for their 'Inside Track' magazine.
The main part of the shoot had been lit portraits using my Profoto lights and large Chimera softbox, including some "Q&A' style shots across the meeting room table. But my favourites were the images from a few minutes we manage to tag onto the end of the shoot with Dame Helen. Shot in corridor/bridge at the Marsham Street offices, they utilise the available light that was there on a dull winters day, with the help of a Lastolite reflector, to brighten and 'warm' things up a bit.
Canon 5D MkII, EF 85mm f1.2L II USM lens
Not for the kids!
First blog post of 2011 - not been idle, January was a busy month with several shoots in London as well as Bristol and Nottingham. But no posts, as whether editorial or corporate, any images can't appear here until published in their magazines/annual report - so later on.
Instead a brief post about the last three days. A 'rite of passage' every parent it seems is obliged to go through - we've just taken a while to get around to it - a weekend at Disneyland Paris ! I haven't been in over fourteen years I think, and then it was a very brief day trip to photograph Richard Branson and the 'EuroDisney' boss, on a rollercoaster. So no long ramble on a scenario so familiar to many but a few 'stream of consciousness' words based upon my experience and my kids - plus a pic.
Disneyland Paris...dash over through the Tunnel...long drive in the wind...cold wind...real soldiers at the entrance...mad dash...long walk...fast pass...Buzz...Space Mountain...too short for that ride, son...queue creep...lots of adults without children...how much?...lots of shops...same toys...Star Tours..disappointing...40 minute wait...queue creep...barge, shove, push...characters dancing...photos...adults push past kids for photo with Woody...too short for that ride, extra socks in shoes, right height!...60 minute wait...queue creep...push, shove...football crowd...110 minute wait...fast pass...sorry son, too short for that ride too...50 minute wait, 50 sec ride...queue creep...toys...Aerosmith, rock and roll, great ride...adults barge in front of kids to snap the parade...pushy parents...pushy adults...kids sad...character ignores kids trying to say hello and get snap...cold...queue creep...crush ride, brill...scream...strop...tears...smiles...shops...football crowd...adults, no kids...block view...clever effects...lame effects....butterflies in stomach...120 minute wait...no fast pass...come off ride, rejoin queue...feel queasy...Monday...sunshine...less crowds...kids smiling...kids laughing...10 minute waits...no football crowd...last ride...race to Channel......exhausted..
The upshot? "Can we come again?" cry the kids in unison as we leave the park!
Selling Stock (?)
Coming up to a year for this blog, I know at least a handful of people read my occasional dribblings. One of my first posts here last year was about some of my stock sales at Alamy. Now this is not a dig at Alamy, the demise of stock was created by the digital revolution and microstock. Not forgetting the business strategy of a certain major agency player keen to drive prices down as it bought up as much of the marketplace as possible. But I'd thought I'd illustrate the current stock model ( as I've encountered it ) with a particular image and it's few sales over the years. It was taken in Bayeux in France in 2005, after a family holiday in Brittany, and a chance to show the kids the famous Bayeux Tapestry, ( "whatever!" ). Skirting back to the car park, I found a procession taking place in the shadow of the cathedral. Shooting on a Mamiya 6MF camera with a 50mm lens and Ektachrome 100VS, this was the final frame of the twelve you could shoot on 6x6/120 film . Which proved to be annoying, as the stiltwalker you see at the back, bent right down towards my camera only seconds after this shot was taken. End of film - no shot....would it have sold better?
So here is a breakdown of it's sales:
October 2005 Travel guide worldwide licence 100,000 print run 10 year term Use: 1 page
Gross sale $281.20
November 2005 Textbook Denmark 100,000 print run 3 year term Use: Front cover, 2 page spread
Gross sale $340.00
March 2007 Textbook worldwide licence 10,000 print run 10 year term Use: 1/2 page
Gross sale $72.44
March 2009 Travel Guide worldwide licence 100,000 print run 10 year term Use: 1 page
Gross sale $96.46
November 2010 Travel guide worldwide licence 100,000 print run 10 year term Use: 1 page
Gross sale $17.04
Doesn't exactly need a diagram does it?
Looking at that trend, I'll be paying the publishers next time to use the image (!?) But then again at least this was not a planned stock shoot but rather a happy chance-upon as I was looking for the car park. It has paid for the car park ticket and the film....
Posted in Location, Personal, Reportage, Stock, Travel, UncategorizedTagged Alamy, Bayeux, lifestyle, mamiya 6MF, Reportage, sales, stockLeave a comment