On my current visit to Ann Arbor, Michigan, I was extremely excited to visit the recently opened Mott Children hospital which began treating patients in November. I had helped in the design of parts of the hospital over the past two years and was excited to see the hospital finished and fully functioning as opposed to just in sketches and digital mock ups.  I was also fortunate that one of my photographs was used in the world-renowned oncology unit which provides first-class cancer care to children up to the age of 18.

We had planned to provide the kids with a distraction to the rigour of chemotherapy by creating various play areas scattered throughout the oncology wing with sporting themes. One of these is centred around hockey with mini goals, sticks and pucks to allow them to play, enjoy themselves and hopefully take their minds off treatment. We therefore muralled a wall with one of my photographs of the fans from Yost Ice Arena at a University of Michigan hockey game to create an immersive environment. The large ten foot print was then set behind some glass paneling (akin to an ice rink) with some small goals placed in front of it and a team bench to complete the effect. Hopefully, the photograph and recreation area will create the perfect getaway area for sports-minded patients providing them with an invaluable space for distraction and play.

With Michigan’s memorable win in the All State Sugar Bowl yesterday I thought I would post a slideshow of my panoramic shots of sporting venues at the University of Michigan. These include Crisler Arena, Yost and Michigan Stadium AKA “The Big House”, one of the largest sporting venues in North America and home of the Michigan Wolverines football team. The first three photographs were not taken by me but, the remaining 26 are all photos that I took throughout my time in Ann Arbor and are available for purchase directly through the official Michigan Photo Store….GO BLUE!!!

Panoramics – Images by Michigan Photo Store

Good luck to the Blue Peter presenter Helen Skelton who today confirmed that she is going to attempt to become the first person to use a bicycle to attempt to reach the South Pole in aid of Sport Relief. I was fortunate enough to photograph the adventurous and intrepid TV presenter for the charity a couple of months ago. She is going to have to cope with subzero temperatures and brutal blizzards while traveling 500 miles across Antarctica dragging over 80kg of weight in a sled in one of the most harsh environments on earth using just skis, a bike and a kite to get her to the South pole. Below is one of the photos of my shoot with Helen which is now being used as her biography shot on the Sport Relief site as well as on the BBC website.  I would really appreciate if you could follow the link and support Helen’s Polar challenge here.

I was very fortunate to be asked to contribute to BOAT magazine – a biannual nomadic publication which focuses on a specific city of interest each edition with a big story to tell. This issue was all about Detroit – a city I know well after spending four years living in Michigan.  Collaborating with illustrator Seif Alhasani and Pulitzer-prize winning author Jefrey Eugenides we were aiming to show in the opening piece of the magazine through both pictures and words that Detroit is far more than just the grimy, urban decay that is too often portrayed by the mass media. Instead it is a city with a vibrant underbelly, proud people and unbreakable spirit.  This tied in nicely with a lot of previous work I’ve done trying to promote Detroit’s more positive side with organizations such as the Detroit Downtown Partnership. The magazine is on sale now for £8/$12 across the UK and the States.

Here’s an extract from Jeffrey’s wonderful article

““The reason I agreed to contribute these brief thoughts about Detroit for Boat Magazine has to do with the correctness of the editors’ attitude. This issue of Boat Magazine seeks to take a stand against ruin porn. It is everything a ghoulish filmmaker wouldn’t understand. Because I, too, have committed the sin of aestheticizing Detroit’s demise, I’m well aware of the seduction of this posture and, therefore, all the more eager to condemn it now. That’s what this issue of Boat Magazine is about. To see the city of Detroit as it is, today, a beaten-up, beaten-down place of incalculable difficulties, but a place where a half million people still live. What has happened to the industrial cities of the American Midwest is a travesty. St. Louis, Cleveland, Milwaukee, Cincinnati, Toledo, Flint, Gary. It’s a big country, and if one place craps out on you, you leave it behind and find somewhere new. But not everyone gets to leave. Not everyone wants to leave. And so, if you visit the Rust Belt now, you come face to face with a central breakdown in American capitalism. No country that calls itself great can allow such a vast swath of its territory to be written off as has been the case here.”

Here’s a video released to coincide with the magazines publication:

Last night, I continued a personal project I’ve been working on for a while documenting the Occupy London protests outside St Paul’s Cathedral. I’m aiming to eventually compile an entire series demonstrating that the protests are in fact far more peaceful and organized than the mass media often projects and also through my pictures highlight some of the mantras behind the Occupy movement. I have also spent quite a lot of time talking to the protesters to understand their grievances and it is quite remarkable to see how within this tented community they have constructed a a mini ‘university’, kitchen, clothes store, bookshop and music venue. Below are a few of the shots from the series so far:

Yesterday, I photographed afternoon tea at the five star Mandeville Hotel in London’s West End. The scrumptious tea designed by Zandra Rhodes consists of of homemade scones, deep filled sandwiches, pink meringues, decorated cupcakes and is complemented with an extensive selection of fine teas and champagne. In the lead up to the holidays, the hotel has also produced a special festive themed tea complete with Christmas themed cupcakes which looked (and tasted) equally delicious!

Yesterday, I had the honor of giving my time to photograph for a fantastic charity called Rays of Sunshine, a children’s charity which grants wishes for seriously ill children in the UK aged 3-18 at the turning on of the Christmas lights on Marylebone High Street. DJ, television presenter and model Lisa Snowden switched on the lights on behalf concluding a whole afternoon of festivities which included live music, food stalls and of course a Santas grotto! 

Lisa was assisted by two Rays of Sunshine with children Hannah (16) from Lewisham who is living with Epstein Anomaly,a rare heart condition and Ellie (11) from Chislehurst who is living with kidney failure and currently awaiting a transplant.

Lisa said: “Rays of Sunshine is an inspirational charity which brightens up the lives of seriously ill children in the UK by granting wishes. It has been my privilege to meet some incredibly young children through the charity and I’m so glad that Marylebone has chosen to help them this Christmas.”

Below are some photographs from the event.

More fun in the studio from last week shooting some actor head shots…