Posted by admin on November 15, 2009 – 10:15 am
I love pink. When I was twenty I found a fantastic pink sofa with matching chair at an auction and just had to have it. I remember the look on my dad’s face when I brought it home in his Ford F150 pickup. It was dark when I pulled into the drive. As we were lifting the sofa out of the truck it dawned on him it was pink. “It’s Pink! Jesus Christ, Mark, why’d you buy a pink couch?” Clearly the beauty of it all was lost on him.
Years later the sofa travelled with me to Seattle thanks to my friend Mark Hagar. He was shipping a trade show booth to a client in Seattle and asked if I’d like my sofa and chair to accompany it. Always one for my creature comforts I accepted his offer and it remained with me for years.
When I moved to Europe in 2001, I put it into storage where it sort of aged for a few years. When Lee and I went to the storage place to collect my stuff, the look on his face was not dissimilar to that of my Dad’s. “You’ve spent $70 a month to keep a tatty pink sofa and chair?” We retired the sofa and gave the chair to Matthew Haggerty for his office. Just last summer I was back in Seattle and sunk back into it and smiled.
Recently, Stuart and Jackie from Terrence Higgins Trust asked if I’d shoot a signature photo for the cover of their Supperclub Magazine. We chatted about concepts and I showed them a shot I’d done using my lovely friend Anna, a cheeky chihuahua and a bottle of champagne. “That’s what we want!” Pink it was. The shoot was a blast. Pink-o-plenty. Stuart did the prop shopping. Lollipop, icecream, lobster and pomegranate (ok…that’s red, but close enough). Harvey Nichols brought the clothes and the stylist and we scored with a very handsome model. He commented that it was nice to get to smile. Normally they just want him to brood. Ah, isn’t pink a refreshing change.
Posted by admin on November 14, 2009 – 11:19 pm
Just had the annual ritual of bathing our cat Oberon. Never much fun for anyone involved, but strangely, he seems to be way happier afterwards. Sort of like a kid who just hates washing behind his ears…
Posted by admin on November 8, 2009 – 9:56 pm
Nestled in the shadow of Heathrow lies the town of West Drayton. Our friend Jo Baxendale lives in a cottage on the green. It’s an oldy-worldy place smack in the middle of the jet age. Lee and I popped over for Sunday lunch and were dazzled by the beauty of the day.
Posted by admin on November 2, 2009 – 11:48 pm
Kathy Burke phoning Maurice
I am a die hard fan of Kathy Burke. My friend Maurice Suyderyhoud introduced me to her show Gimme, Gimme, Gimme when I was living in Amsterdam. The show is as camp as Christmas and has endless lines that have become ingrained in my mind and in general part of my overall lexicon. My favorite lines of all time remain “I chew corn for gummy parrots” (when asked what she does) and “36-double-D, what size is YOUR inseam” (perfect way to answer any incoming telephone call).
So…tonight Stuart of Terrence Higgins Trust asked me to photograph a dinner party for the THT Supperclub. The party, hosted by Antony Cotton, was held at the Park Lane Hilton and included a handful of who’s-who of British television, most significantly (for me) was Kathy Burke.
I arrived early and after informal introductions, we walked to the table. One our way there, I casually mentioned to Kathy that two of my favorite lines were from her show, and that my friend Maurice and I continued this banter (after what…seven years???). She chuckled and offered to call him. After I’d shot a few photos, the group invited me to have a cocktail with them. After a few sips, Kathy asked for my phone to call Maurice. When he answered she asked if it was Maurice and then said the famed line “36DD” to which he replied (as if on cue) “I chew corn for gummy parrots.” It truly was a true giggle. She lived up to any expectation I could have wished for. So kind and lovely. Thanks for making my night!
Posted by admin on October 29, 2009 – 9:56 pm
Award winning Women in the City 2009
This year marks my third year photographing for Women in the City. It’s an annual awards ceremony and event for the high powered women of London.
Organized by the brilliant Gwen Rhys, it serves as a fantastic networking forum and place to recognize achievement. You go girls! Working with the uber-extraordinaire assistant Malcolm Menzies, I shot at the Jaguar showroom in Knightsbridge. Very chi-chi and a lot of fun.
Posted by admin on September 15, 2009 – 11:05 am
Kimberly Davis, the original cream puff
Kimberly Davis and I met a few years back at a breakfast meeting. While it’s not uncommon for Americans abroad to shy away from each other, she and I hit it off. We had a coffee together a few weeks later at a place near Waterloo and agreed that at some point we’d work together.
About a year later she rang with news she’d just been fired from the Apprentice and was launching her new company Sarsaparilla. (I still can’t spell it on my own, but hey, that’s why I take pictures). We paired her lovely auburn hair with her company green and bam!
Posted by admin on August 9, 2009 – 11:16 pm
Michael Brown and Blue Rain
My friend Michael Brown from San Francisco was comissioned to create an installation for the London School of Economics called Blue Rain. An LED artwork, the piece is installed on the side of the LSE library and broadcasts vast amounts of information, including the ISDN number of books being checked out of the library.
We met up on Sunday evening to photograph him and the installation. It’d been a long day of testing the piece. Michael even has a cool iPod application that allows him to control the artwork. It sends a message back to the server in San Francisco and then re-transmits a signal back to London. Depending upon the speed of the server updates, can update pretty much on the fly. Amazing.
