Just in time for The Masters, here’s a shoot we did a few weeks ago for Golf World’s backspin issue with 1968 Masters Champion Bob Goalby. Shot at his home in Palm Springs, we asked Bob to take himself back to the 18th at Augusta. He beautifully relived the moment for us, allowing me to recapture that feeling of pure joy and satisfaction.
Over the christmas holidays myself and some friends took a hike out to one of the Los Angeles’s hidden treasures….. Deep Creek natural hot springs. It’s really quite a remarkable find, and quite a long uphill hike back. But make sure you leave the springs before the sun goes down, or you’ll be sleeping rough out there in the California desert.
Not much of a gun- afficianado as such, but it is a fun and unusual thing to do when the parents are in town from UK. So off we went to shoot some Guns Yee-ha! Those things are surprisingly accurate…. or i’m extraordinarily good at it ( i think it’s the former). We shot a Beretta 9mm, and an AM-15, which is basically an M-16. It’s makes you think, you don’t have to be an amazing talent to hit the target with these machines in your hands. Scary thought really.
It’s time to do some stretching, then sit back and watch the mad rush for the playoffs begin. I love me some NFL football! Photographed during Pittsburgh Steelers at Arizona Cardinals for TIME magazine.
An homage to my own local surf spot. The grey skies, cold, grey water. I immediately feel like i’m bobbing up and down, eyes fixed on the horizon, trying to get a head- start on the next decent set. What a great way to spend a couple of hours amongst dolphins, seals and pelicans taking a nose dive just feet from where you sit.
Yeah, not exactly something you see everyday, but that’s why we carry a camera with us everywhere we go, right? and i don’t mean an iPhone. I think we can do better than that. The Fuji x100 is the way to go. small, discreet, amazing quality, and pretty darn nicely designed too. But three muslim women wearing burqa’s going surfing! Come on, are you serious? How can you not shoot it, even if your not that welcome to. Some things just have to be done!
This is a story i shot a while ago, but always wanted to make a directors cut, if you will. For me, the fun part about shooting a story, is maintaining a sense of narrative throughout, so it feels like your going on a journey. To me that is the most powerful piece of story- telling, and reportage work is nothing if not that. There has to be a sense of experience, just like any good documentary film. And Ultimate Fighting is a great subject for that, whether your a fan or not, you have fighters on the fringe of making a name, and wearing their life and scars literally on their sleeves, for everyone to see. As a photographer, you cannot wish for any more than that.
Above is our recent shoot with former US Open Champion at Congressional, Ken Venturi, who won in 1964, in the current issue of Golf World Magazine. Ken was great to work with, and at 80, was quite happy to work through a number of different shots around his home in Palm Springs. In fact we just basically turned it into a photo studio. But he was cool with that, so i can’t argue. He has a fascinating story of how he fought massive heat stroke to win the title back in ’64. I guess they didn’t have tiny little water bottles in those days! And below current US Open Champion Graeme McDowell. We shot him a few years ago, when he was nothing but a wee lad. Look at him now, all growd up and winning majors!
Last month we did a fun shoot with former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, on the golf course, obviously! I have to say she was great to work with and quite malleable. I use that expression in terms of how open a subject is to ideas. Sometimes, with high profile people, you just never know. It can go either way. But i think after having been doing this for twenty years or so, that’s where the experience comes in. Knowing when and how to open your big mouth. This is in itself the art of portrait photography if you ask me. Anyway, the other personally gratifying aspect of this shoot, is that i was in effect backing up a personal photo- hero of mine, none other than the great Walter Iooss jr, who i believe was originally slated for this shoot. It feels great to be in such good company. You can read the full article here: http://www.golfdigest.com/magazine/2011-06/condoleeza-rice-interview
I see these guys out here in my neighborhood every weekend without fail, just strutting their stuff. So I had to shoot them sooner or later. How can you not? It’s so cool to watch, and always draws an impromptu crowd. It’s like dancing on bikes (wait, is that the makings of a new reality show i hear you say? Good lord I hope not!). Anyway, there’s something just so poetically beautiful and organic about it. One of my favorite things to shoot is people when there in the zone, that’s why i always love shooting athletes, it’s so easy to latch onto that thing that makes a great picture. These shots and this subject matter kind of reminds me of my ‘sign spinners’ project I did a while back. What’s that you ask…. I’ll show soon.
