365 Days - 365 Portraits

I've always loved photography. A few years ago I was going to give up journalism to study it full time at Westminster University but for one reason or another I decided not to. But that didn't dampen my love of taking photos. I was recently inspired by the guy behind https://icon-a-day.com/ to try and improve my photography skills. So I've decided to take on a project. Every day for the next year I will publish a portrait on my various social networks. I know this is going to be a massive challenge, and there will be days where I won't have anyone to photograph, or even want to pick up my camera. But by making it public I hope to hold myself accountable - and need the help of friends and loved ones to get me there. I also want this to be a way for me to re-connect with people who I care about but have drifted away from. So if you'd like me to come and take yer picture, holler at me. So, here goes. This is Day 1, and it's a picture of me. I've set up a site where you can find them all https://portraitproject365.tumblr.com/. Hope you enjoy it.

Day 2: Emily Maguire, shot on Hampstead Heath.

Day 3, Roux, the Frenchie. Shot in Highbury.

Day 4 of Project Portrait. As it's Thursday, the official day of #tbt I thought I'd dig out portraits I took before I started this project. Today is my sister, who came and sat for me last month. We hadn't seen each other for four years. It's a long story as to why that happened. All I will say is that if it wasn't for a camera I probably wouldn't haver seen her for another four. So, thank you photography.

Day 5 of Project Portrait, the excellent Camilla Niemen - a history student at UCL. Camilla used to help out in the studio I work in and was one of the first people I shot.

Day 6 of Project Portrait. This is Chris Hunt - a friend and IT support guy at RBS. He's also a massive vinyl collector and exquisite drum 'n' bass and hip-hop DJ. This was shot at his home in Highbury.

Day 7 of Project Portrait. A Mr. Conor McNicholas - CEO of AllTogetherNow. Conor was one of the first people who hired me when I decided to freelance five years ago. Shot just off Charlotte Street.

Day 8 of Project Portrait. The irascible Mic Wright. Mic's a journalist and founder of The Malcontent - I met him in Amsterdam while we were both working for The Next Web. My first memory of him was at Schiphol airport and him shouting, "he's an absolute pussy" very loudly. I never found out why. This was shot at The Diner off Carnaby Street.

 Day 9 of Project Portrait. Next up is Turlough Fortune? - a freelance designer and former flatmate. I first met Turlough in the hallway of a warehouse I used to share with 9 other people in 2012. All I got was a little more than a 'heyyy', but since then I've baked him a cake and spent many a morning doing burpees in Clissold Park. For this photo I wanted something graphical in the photo, with strong colours, hence the plant and orange and black circles coming out of his head.  

Day 10 (double digits, wahoo!) this is Andrew James Dickens, he's the head of special projects at ShortList Magazine. I've known Dickens for years, as we worked together on ShortList in my first proper job as a journalist. He's a life long Arsenal fan, so I thought it'd be a good idea to sneak into the fancy apartments that now stand where Highbury Stadium once was. Behind him is where the pitch used to sit, and I asked Andrew to show me how he sat when he used to watch games there. Stressed and anxious in equal measure. This is the look of a dedicated football fan.

Day 11 of Project Portrait. It's Thursday, which means it's #tbt! This week I've dug out a photo of my 83-year-old grandfather. I shot this in Newbury about three years ago. My grandfather has had a rich and varied life. He served in Malaysia during the little talked about conflict in the 1950s, was a docker, a builder and gave it all up to care for my grandmother when she had a stroke in the 80s. My grandmother died suddenly not to long after this photo was taken. There were some dark moments, but since then he's rebuilt his life, started again, in his 80s. He's 'courting' (his word, not mine) again, and at my last count, he had three on the go. If I look anything like he does in his 80s, I'll be very lucky. If you like my photos, you can find them all here. https://portraitproject365.tumblr.com/

Day 12 of Project Portrait. Next up is Owen Williams - a reporter for The Next Web. I've known Owen since March where we met in Amsterdam for the first time. He'd just moved to the Netherlands from New Zealand, and had been on an epic 54 hour journey and his luggage hadn't even turned up. Yet, he was still smiling. Owen is a massive tech fan, and so I wanted to have him surrounded by the gadgets he surrounds himself with. This was shot (on the floor) at The Next Web's HQ

Day 13 of Project Portrait. This is Aya AC?, she’s a producer and writer. I met Aya when we used to share a studio together, and we’d often while away hours talking about everything from obscure French cinema, the horrors of living in London, and relationships. Aya has this quiet intensity to her (I mean that in a good way Aya!!) that I wanted to try and convey with the photo by combining gentle sunshine against a terracotta wall. This was shot outside the studio we used to share, where she still works in Dalston.

Day 14 of Project Portrait. This is Titus. I spotted him while on the way back from shooting Cécile Beauvillard at the Royal College of Music (stay tuned for that one). He had so much energy that I couldn’t help but notice him. His family is originally from Trinidad, and he said playing the steel drum was “in his blood” and while things are sometimes tough for him he said, “when you’ve got sun like this in October things never quite seem that bad.” I couldn’t help but agree. I wanted to bring out some of that in the photo, while capturing his amazingly expressive face. This was shot on Exhibition Road.

So sorry for today's delay on Project Portrait, been having wi-fi hell times. But, here it is, day 15, and we have Cécile Beauvillard. Cecile is a theatre producer who's only a recently arrived on these shores from France. I met her at the premiere of another friend of mind, Robert Delamere and we got on like a house on fire. I managed to grab Cecile while she was preparing to put on a new play at the Royal College of Music. I wanted to capture her in the theatre, but had to tell a little tale to the theatre organisers in order to get the lights switched on while the cast and orchestra were rehearsing. I chose black and white because I think the deep reds of the space drag your eye away from the subject. In black and white however, I find the space takes on a different quality. For more head on over to https://portraitproject365.tumblr.com

Day 16 of Project Portrait. We have the awesome Vanessa Govinden, probably the coolest librarian I've ever met. I've known Vanessa since 2012, when we shared a corridor together in Stoke Newington in 2012. We've been friends ever since (along with Chris Hunt and Turlough Fortune. I thought about heading over to the library where she works (Central St. Martins) but I loved the light in her bedroom in leafy Highbury (where I used to live). So we built a little mini library to capture this photo. For more, head on over to https://portraitproject365.tumblr.com

Day 17 of Project Portrait. Next up we have Andrew Ibbotson, who is one of the co-founders of TrueView, a startup that helps people connect through the things they love doing, as opposed to a swipe to the right. I was a little scared of Andrew when I first met him earlier this year. However, after a few months working in The Hatch London which he also runs, I learned he's actually very lovely. This was shot at The Hatch in Shoreditch, and I liked the idea of having something that was a bit cliche in dating circles sat next to him. Head on over to https://portraitproject365.tumblr.com for more!

Day 18 of Project Portrait, it’s Thursday, which means it’s ?#?tbt?! This time it’s a photo I took way back in 2010 of my former flatmate Alex Di Francesco. He’s a criminal barrister, and spends most of his time providing counsel to people who can’t afford the astronomical fees of those further up the legal chain. I wanted to try and convey that in this photo by shooting him outside in a slightly run-down, wasted space, as he was always traveling across the country to some of the less glamorous towns dotted around the capital. I liked the clash of his suit and tie, with the rundown feel around him. I also wanted that contrast to be stark so used an off-camera flash. This was shot in Kentish Town.

Day 19 of Project Portrait. This morning we have Isobel Edwards - who has just started working with Nana Wereko-Brobby over at Social Concierge. I must first thank Isobel for agreeing to sit for me as it was her first day at The Hatch and I'm sure she wasn't expecting that when she walked in for the day. Anyway, there was this amazing sunlight streaming in through the windows and luckily she was wearing black and white which fitted the spot where the sun was perfectly. I thought about keeping it black and white, but that felt too easy. I wanted to keep some colour, but not too much, to give it a gentle mix of colour and contrast.

Day 20 of Project Portrait. Next up is Matthew Lenzi. Matt works for Hanno, a design agency that is also a social enterprise. That means they reinvest the profits they make straight back into giving their time away for free to those who will make the greatest impact to the lives of others and the planet we live on. For this shoot I wanted to keep it simple, and I found this poster hanging in our studio at The Hatch and thought it helped convey Matt’s ideas on trying to do the right thing. Matt works in my studio in Shoreditch, where this photo was shot.

Day 21 of Project Portrait. On this sunny Sunday we have Matthew Elworthy, who I work with at The Next Web, and we share a studio together at The Hatch London. I met Matt in Amsterdam at The Next Web's annual conference earlier this year and we hit it off. When he does show up at the office I always wanted to try and capture him along this alleyway near our studio as it's just crammed full of beautiful graffiti. This was shot just off Brick Lane. For more head on over to https://portraitproject365.tumblr.com

Day 22 of Project Portrait. Next up with have Jonathan Crocker the editorial director at Human After All, a creative agency. I've known JC on and off for years, since we used to occasionally write for ShortList Magazine. Jonathan is one of those people who manages to look after himself despite the long hours, the free booze and late nights working as a freelancer, so I wanted to try and capture that in this photo. I had an image of him standing in a crowd, just zoning out. But then he started to giggle, and well, that went out of the window. What came out instead was a portrait of someone who seemed to have found a moment in his life where he genuinely felt happy. This was shot on Whitecross Street, near the Barbican.

Day 23 of Project Portrait. Next up we have my first group photo. This is Little Fists - I got the chance to shoot these guys in Camden thanks to Vanessa Govinden who is in the centre of this photo. We were originally going to shoot something in the ice-cream shop that Stephen Lyons and Vanessa works in, but I loved the flags over the top of the market and how the lighting brought them out of the dark night sky. Whenever there's a camera Vanessa insists on pulling faces, but strangely this one seemed to work perfectly in the setting. These guys were a lot of fun to shoot, and I can't wait to see them play live! 

Day 24 of Project Portrait. Next up we have Stephanie Pochet. Over the last few weeks I've tried to add something conceptual to each of my photos to convey a sense of who that person is. With Steph, who has been one of my closest friends for a number of years I had all these ideas about pictures of her surrounded by film as she's a director and film-maker. However, when looking through all the photos, this one just jumped out at me. It's just her, against a white wall being lit by an old movie light she bought me in the studio we used to share. It's very simple, but for me I think it gently gives a sense of who I think Steph is, a great friend who has helped me through some really difficult times (and hopefully vice versa). No embellishment, no concept, just someone I hold very dear to me. This was shot in Dalston.

Day 25 of Project Portrait. Another Thursday, another #tbt. This time it's my dad. This photo was taken on an old Nikon F 35mm film camera in 2012. I love how gentle the colours are, and the grain that the film produces. This was taken on the Bournemouth beach front. We were eating fish and chips. Me and my dad used to regularly head down to the south coast, and he'd always suggest things like, "let's cycle to Bath to see your uncle" (a 65-mile trip) or "let's walk to the end of this beach" with no real idea how far or how long that's going to take. I think I captured this shot during one of my, "are you bloody kidding me?" moments. I'm sure I'm not alone in saying that I don't appreciate my dad nearly enough or as often as I should. He always just got on with things, and never moaned, complained or asked for anything. So I'm very proud to post this picture today. Dad, you're awesome.

Day 26 of Project Portrait. This one is a bit of a treat for me. I was invited over to Leica Camera in Mayfair to have a play around with their latest camera, a ￡10,000 beast that can shoot cinema grade film. But I haven't the foggiest idea how to shoot anything worthy of a camera that good. So it was lucky the still image capture was still pretty awesome. The team (thanks Jenny Hodge) even had a model on hand so I could grab a portrait for you lovely lot to look at. This is Haneke, she's from Stockholm and is a student studying business and economics in her home town. She taught me loads about how Swedish people always watch Donald Duck (it's like the equivalent of the Queen's Speech so I'm told) and January in Sweden feels like an eternity. She was also a lot of fun to shoot.

Day 27 of Project Portrait. Next up is my good friend Jennifer Bradly. Another former ShortList Magazine alumni, we worked together on the magazine for just under two years before Jen went on to pastures greener at GQ magazine, where she is a sub-editor (someone who quietly ensures the writing of people like me is actually readable) and writer. I'll be the first to admit, we didn't get on all that well when we worked together, but outside of the job our friendship has been rock solid for years. This portrait was shot inside Conde Nast's international magazine shop in Mayfair. I wanted to capture an aspect of Jen's personality that I always enjoy being around. She has this amazingly strong sense of self which I deeply admire (I hope she sees as a compliment! ;))

Day 28 of Project Portrait. Next up we have the incredible Nana. She is Emily Mags 90-year-old grandmother. It was her birthday this weekend and so I wanted to grab something that I felt shed some light on her amazing character. This was taken at one of her children's homes in north London. Shooting Nana was an absolute blast. She was funny, kind, oh and a massive flirt. She would compliment me on my teeth, a lot, and ask for a kiss. But she also had a wicked sense of humour. While putting this photograph together, she leant over and said, "Emily is kissing another man". I turned round to see Emily talking to her dad, and she burst out laughing. "You went green!" she chuckled. She has an incredible memory for poetry and would reel off verses at whim. She could even remember the lines she had at a school play she performed in when 6-years-old. If my memory was as even half sharp as hers, and my sense-of-humour still intact by the time I reached her age. I would be a very happy man. Thank you, Nana.