Blog
Constellation Cookfest in Monaco
Alain Ducasse is known as the Godfather of French cuisine. A fortnight ago, he did his reputation proud. Michelin-starred chefs flew to the South of France from all over the world to help Ducasse celebrate his 25th anniversary at Monaco’s Louis XV restaurant. They ate, drank, cooked and made merry, all 240 of them. And a certain photographer managed to squeeze in one or two tastings between frames…
Corsetmaker in Paris
François Tamarin is a one-off. A corsetier (corsetmaker), he has a boutique in Paris, where he designs and tailor-makes corsets. Customers come from far and wide to be squeezed into his creations. Indeed he is not just any old corsetmaker. François has just been awarded one of France’s greatest honours, and I’d been commissioned to take his portrait. The New York Times had sent me to Paris to photograph a series of artisans who had just been named Meilleur Ouvrier de France [Best Craftsmen of France].
A Tale of Two Covers
This is a behind-the-scenes tale of two assignments. Shot for different clients at different times, both were corporate portrait commissions for magazine covers; both subjects were men at the top of their game.
Subject number one was Mikael Krafft, founder of Star Clippers cruise company. Private Banking Magazine has asked me to take the portrait aboard his private yacht. The second shoot, for Marketing Magazine, was for a feature on the CMO of Mars, Bruce McColl, who’d won the coveted Advertiser of the Year award at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.
Portrait of Chrissie Wellington
Chrissie Wellington is something of an exception. Right now she is the world’s no. 1 female Ironman triathlete. She has been crowned Ironman World Champion at Kona (Hawaii) four times and is the first British athlete to hold this title. For those who don’t know, an Ironman consists of a 4 km swim (outdoors, in a lake), a 180 km bike ride and a 42 km run (yes, you finish the race with an actual marathon). Chrissie has competed in 13 Ironman races. And won them all.
Opticians à la Française
I was commissioned recently by a boutique optician in Nice who wanted a photographer to shoot some portraits for a new advertising campaign. A creative brief to combine quirky humour with élégance in black and white made for a particularly French feel to this photography assignment.
Marseille? Done.
For a travel guide to short breaks in cities across the world, the New York Times sent me on assignment to Marseille recently. I was to photograph a selection of places that would give a good idea of what France’s second largest city is all about.
I followed in the footsteps of the journalist, Seth. He had come to the South of France a few weeks before and written what was effectively the ‘to do list’ for the photographer. Driving down from Nice one morning, I had 24 hours to photograph two beaches and a swimming pool, three restaurants, two bars, a hotel, two shopping districts, a spa and a boat cruise.
A Monégasque Welcome
Helicopter and superyacht activity reached a peak in Monaco last week. International media attention was heavily focused on the principality’s upcoming royal wedding. However, despite much event-related promotion of Monaco as a desirable South of France tourist destination, the principality, known for a heavy-handed approach to photographers, did not make life easy for those who were sent by agencies and publications across the world to capture images of the Monaco royal wedding, and Prince Albert and Charlene’s jet-set guests.
Travelling Light, Sleeping Rough
The ordeals faced by the many Tunisian migrants who came to Europe after the recent revolution to start new lives in France are not over. Having travelled to Lampedusa, Italy, by boat, many have wound up in the border town of Ventimiglia, on their quest to reach France. A month ago, Europe watched closely as this Italian town so close to the South of France became centre stage for a border control spat between respective national governments.
I went to Ventimiglia and took a series of portraits of the migrants, photographing each one alongside the contents of the bag they were travelling with.
Superyachts on the Drawing Board
Sitting on a sunny café terrace, if you overheard people next to you discussing Wally, Linda Lou and Queen M, you’d be forgiven for thinking they were talking about old friends graced with slightly unusual nicknames. However, I was on assignment in Monaco, just about to meet leading designer of superyachts Espen Øeino, and my companions (members of Centurion magazine’s editorial team) were excitedly discussing the yachts they could spot from our table.
Truffle Hunters
Its all in the nose, I discovered, when I spent the day with truffle hunters Max and Jean-Claude. A well-trained dog and noticing the smallest clues in the landscape, vegetation and insect behaviour all help a hunter locate a truffle’s whereabouts. But once the digging starts, it is the scent that leads a trufficulteur to his trophy. And boy, does a truffle smell strong.
Provence is not as well-known as the Périgord region for its truffles, but actually 80% of French production of the black truffle (Tuber melanosporum) comes from southeast France.