APRIL 2019
For the past two decades, I’ve created a body of photographic work that spans the worlds of street culture, music, book publishing and advertising.
As part of the original team at the iconic UK magazine Dazed & Confused (now published as Dazed), I first combined my passions for music and photography. I have produced artwork and press materials for all of the major record companies, including Warner Music, Universal Music Group, Beggars Group, Domino, and Warp. I have also worked directly with musical artists including Damon Albarn, The National, U2, Laura Marling, De La Soul, Peaches, Gang Starr, Alex Turner, Josh Homme, and Grinderman.
Apart from my music-focused work, I’ve also completed commercial projects for clients such as Samsung, Yamaha, Adidas, LVMH, and Nokia, as well as editorial work for The Sunday Times Magazine, Rolling Stone, Vogue, GQ, The Guardian Magazine, M Le Magazine du Monde, Esquire, and Another Magazine.
Alongside my work as an editorial and commercial photographer, I’ve also developed several significant independent photographic projects. My first book, Hide That Can (Trolley, 2002), was the culmination of four years spent photographing the men of Arlington House, a hostel for recovering alcoholics in Camden, London. Hide That Can was awarded Book of the Year by both the International Center of Photography in New York and Les Rencontres de la Photographie in Arles.
From 2003 to 2009, I spent time getting to know the inhabitants of a very different kind of shelter: the Chelsea Hotel in New York, the celebrated home of the some of the city’s most well-known eccentrics and bohemians. Over these six years, I developed relationships with hotel’s staff and long-term residents, documenting their unique living spaces and recording their memories of this legendary hotel. The Chelsea has been subsequently sold to developers, so this project – which will eventually appear as a book – offers a portrait of the end of an era.
In 2011, I returned to my roots in music photography, taking a more personal and sustained approach than I had been able to do in my commercial and editorial work. The Drum Thing (Prestel, 2016) presented intimate portraits of iconic drummers – including Ringo Starr (The Beatles), Questlove (the Roots) Tony Allen (Fela Kuti and Damon Albarn), Neil Peart (Rush), Stewart Copeland (the Police), Ginger Baker (Cream), Zach Hill (Death Grips), Lars Ulrich (Metallica) and Jaki Liebezeit (Can). The Drum Thing was featured in numerous publications, including The New York Times, The Guardian Magazine, The Los Angeles Times, Wired, Another Magazine, and Dazed.
Most recently, I have developed a working relationship with WeTransfer, and with their support produced and directed a short film about the musician and activist Kiran Gandhi for International Women’s Day. I am currently at work on a larger project centred on the homeless community in Downtown Los Angeles, and with WeTransfer’s support have recently completed another short film focused on the role of music in life on Skid Row. Georgia Anne Muldrow wrote the score for this piece.
I am now working on a related book project, featuring portraits and interviews with the men and women living on the streets of LA. Like Hide That Can, this work presents an immersive view of a marginalized community: their daily struggles and their moments of joy.
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