Thief

behind the scenes still from new music video for THIEF

bts with john hicks for THIEF

London Artwork

kondon by john hicks

Surf Portraits – ‘The Impossible Dream’

‘The Impossible Dream’ is the surreal visual journey of young surfer Will Davey immersed in a world of water, waves and wipeouts – endlessly searching for perfection and a path to his ultimate destiny.
I started out as a student shooting black and white film with the red filter – which I hand printed on high contrast paper for added emphasis. I loved the monochrome cinematography of Andrei Tarkovsky and the wide angled world of photographers like Bill Brandt so I guess with this project I’ve returned to my roots and to the people that first inspired me to pick up a camera.

will davey surfer by john hicks

will davey surfer by john hicks

will davey surfer by john hicks

Flaming Youth

FLAMING YOUTH – a book of photographs by Glendyn Irvin from Puberty Blues.
I’ve been following this mega talented image maker since I first saw Cracker Bag and thereafter the brilliant Playground so I was excited to share his latest project – in his own words & photographs and available here

I started documenting the making of the show from the start. Like visual notes the photographs became part of the process of discovery of how the series would look and feel. From casting and location scouting to scene ideas, documenting a colour or how the light looked at a certain time of day. What worked, what didn’t. The people, places and things that make up the texture and tone of Puberty Blues.

Most of the time the photos were taken in the moments just before ‘Action!’ was called. Or in-between ‘takes’ to maintain focus and momentum throughout the stop / start rhythm of shooting. That small amount of precious time just before the cameras roll. I would sometimes take a quick shot just as that moment of transformation would take place, from ‘actor’ to ‘character’.

Sometimes the photo would become the key on how to shoot a scene. A way of trying to find the essence, or a reduction to a single image. An attempt to find stillness in and amongst the chaos of a film shoot.

Flaming Youth ©Glendyn irvin

Flaming Youth ©Glendyn irvin

Flaming Youth ©Glendyn irvin

Flaming-Youth-©Glendyn-irvin

Flaming Youth ©Glendyn irvin

Flaming Youth ©Glendyn irvin

Faces of Addiction

Faces of Addiction by Chris Arnade is a personal photography project of such raw honesty and integrity that the portraits literally speak for themselves. The fact that Arnade is an ‘amateur’ only adds emphasis to my belief that great photographers are not pre-determined by their commercial markets so much as driven by their passion to produce arresting images no matter what
As Arnade says, these are “the stories of addicts in New York City – as they tell them to me. I am not a journalist,
I don’t verify, I just listen….Its very easy to ignore others. By not looking, by not talking to them, we can often fall into constructing our own narrative that affirms our limited world view. What I am hoping to do, by allowing my subjects to share their dreams and burdens and by photographing them with respect, is to show that everyone, regardless of their station in life, is as valid as anyone else”

Diane at night: Hunts Point, Bronx

Prince: Hunts Point, Bronx

Jackie: Hunts Point, Bronx

Castro: Hunts Point Bronx