092
December 5, 2011

There They Were, Now Here We Are'

Alot has been happening over the last month, hence my lack of updates.

Im currently in the middle of touring with British band Kasabian on the UK leg of the Velociraptor Tour along with Miles Kane.

Having access to anything and everything is incredible, i hope i do the trust justice.

Empire.

091
November 17, 2011

'Its Only Football But I Like It'

On Tuesday i was invited with James Roper and Adam Towleeeeee ( The Green ) to watch the England friendly against Sweden.

Now, for those of you who follow me on twitter, you will know i'm not Capello's biggest fan, in fact i probably dislike him more than Peter Taylor, but i know he wont be here after the Euro' so i have some comfort. Being in his 'home' i felt a bit of a traitor...how ironic. I was still feeling giddy about everything England after meeting 2 of the greatest strikers we ever had on Monday, by the names of Alan Shearer and Michael Owen.

Anyway, we were given fantastic seats by Umbro, in the Club Wembley section, meaning we were sat, literally, next to the bench which made an average friendly more interesting. Watching Scott Parker completely mug a fan off asking for an autograph and Capello screaming 'WAAAAAIT' at James Milner were two of the more stand out moments.

The game itself was, as if it wasn't going to be, quite boring and played at an strange nervous-like pace. Leighton Baines and Phil Jones were the 2 stand out players for me, neither of which i have seen play live before. Hearing John Terry being booed was probably one of the lower points and typifies England at present, but thats a different story.

£10.50 for a burger and chips?

090
October 22, 2011

'Sadly It Wasnt Very Messi'

A place i have always wanted to visit is the legendary Nou Camp, home of Barcelona and the worlds greatest football team at present.

Thanks to Nike, on Wednesday i finally managed to attend a Champions League game between Barcelona and FC Viktoria Plzen whilst out there shooting. The only thing to have made the experience better would have been to see Lionel 'Leo' Messi score, but he flunked and David Vila finished it off instead.

089
September 29, 2011

'Abra Abra Cadabra, Im Gonna Reach Out And Grab Ya'

Bradfordian, check.

Outstanding, check.

Turning up on time, fail.

Regardless, he could have turned up at a quarter passed midnight and i would have still been sat, excitedly waiting for the arrival of Dynamo, arguably one of the worlds best magic men, without doubt Great Britain's best. I've watched this lad since the day he freaked me out in the back of a Leeds nightclub some 8 years ago with his wizardry and the things he can do now simply make my head hurt. Like when you eat ice cream too fast, but worse.

Today i saw him turn 5 National Lottery tickets into £100. Right there, in front of my eyes and my lens. The only reaction you have is to laugh and its not because this is funny, its because you're scared. Something just happened that is hard to explain, of course it has an explanation, but so do Richard Avedon's In The American West prints, it doesn't mean they/it isn't genius.

I greatly admire what Dynamo has achieved. He grew up just 5 minuets away from where i did and it would have probably been easier for him to give up at times, perhaps get involved with the wrong types, but no....he taught himself something, something that is to most people unexplainable, magic. Now, if he could start to turn empty seats at Valley Parade into sacks of gold i would respect him quite a bit more, but for now the fact he is a fellow Bradfordian and from the same post code will do.

I overheard him say 'Im shy, i know i have the power and the skill to take over any room of any size, but i really don't want to be the centre of the attention, even though for my art i have to be. Thats not why i am a magician.' Thats what makes him so special. He doesn't walk around threatening to hide away in a glass box 100feet in the air with no food, he doesn't draw eyes on the palm of his hands and he doesn't have a somewhat average looking blonde assistant, he just does what he does and knocks your head of doing it.

Shazzamm? No.

088
September 28, 2011

'The Day i Decorated The London Underground'

I shot the new Duffer of St George campaign earlier this week, which will go live from the 4th October all over London and Manchester. It seems a far cry from the early days when we used to shoot it all with one reflector and it printed in FHM and Arena. The 'face' of Duffer this season is Calum McNab, a pwoper nawty geezer, well not really as he is an amazing lad with some of the best stories and use of the English language, i just typecast him. Shame on me. I feel like a right raging iron. See what i did there?