One Course Meal

Over the course of the past few years I have been working on a global commission for a large golfing publication photographing some of the world’s most prestigious golf courses for a feature called “One Course Meal”.

A wise man once said “My worst day at the golf course still beats my best day at the office”. Indeed, luckily enough for myself, some of the finest and picturesque golf courses in the world have become my offices over the past year.   My brief was to photograph the signature holes on courses across Europe and the United States including Wentworth, Sunningdale, The Concession and Cascata in Las Vegas for the largest golf magazine in the Middle East. The magazine has a readership of almost 1.5 million people and my ongoing brief is to showcase each course in a unique and artistic light to an Arabian audience. As part of the feature, I spent quite a bit of time shooting some of the most stunning holes in golf including the notoriously difficult 18th hole on the West Course at Wentworth. I was also asked to photograph the signature dishes served in the clubhouse for hungry golfers after finishing their rounds.. What was even better was I often got to eat these delicious creations after shooting them which, was much appreciated.

Below are all of the covers from the various features:

RIP Nelson Mandela

Undoubtedly, the highlight of my photographic career so far was the opportunity to photograph, meet and spend time with Nelson Mandela while on assignment in South Africa; arguably the most inspirational, charismatic and compassionate icon of our times. In fact, meeting Madiba is arguably one of the greatest moments of my life to date.

Hearing of his passing is such sad news as I was so touched, inspired and moved after our meeting.  Following the opportunity to photograph him whilst working with the US delegation at the World Cup in 2010, I  have read and endeavored to learn as much as I can about his incredible story.  As President Barack Obama so elegantly surmised Madiba “took history in his hands, and bent the arc of the moral universe towards justice”. Below are just a few of some of my favourite photographs from my shoot with Nelson Mandela and President Bill Clinton at one of his homes on the outskirts of Johannesburg…photographs that I will cherish forever . May his legacy live on and his message of freedom and equality for all continue in his memory.

In his own words: “The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”

Andy Murray

I was very excited to see the results of my studio session with Andy Murray recently published on the front cover of Wentworth’s Club magazine. I’ve also included below a couple of other shots from the day with the shoot taking place just a week after Andy had won the US Open after beating Novak Djokovic in an epic final. Here’s hoping he can repeat the feat this week at the ATP Master’s tennis series at the O2 in London.

5 Ptz

On my recent trip to New York, I was recommended by a friend who knows I’m a fan of urban art to take the subway out to Long Island City to check out 5Ptz. The 200,000 square foot complex consists of a graffiti covered warehouse, adjacent garages and railway lines and is widely regarded as the global epicentre of the aerosol-based art.

It was lucky I took his advice as all of the grafitti in this amazing urban art space has tragically  just been whitewashed to make away for a residential development (See this article from the Huffington Post.)  The name of the colourful outdoor art space had derived from the coming together of the five boroughs and on arrival, I was blown away by the quality and vivacity of the murals. Therefore, despite temperatures being well below freezing, I spent a number of hours admiring the walls and enjoying a couple of hours out of the city. Below are some of my favourite shots which now hopefully serve as a nostalgic reminder of a fascinating urban space: