Merry Christmas, Etc...

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays...... Etc...... :)
I'm away visiting my family in the North-West.
Its a white Christmas. Snow on the ground, and there was a beautiful blue sky this afternoon.
Beautiful day. Nice to be away for a while.

The sun is dropping now and the snow is starting to melt already.
Had a great relaxed day. Ate too much.
Huge lunch at parents. Always good :)

Resting for a while now before doing anything this evening.
Mx

Parents house, Congleton, 25th Dec, 2009 © Michael Robert Williams






Snow in parents garden, 25th Dec, 2009 © Michael Robert Williams

Far From Where I'm Supposed To Be...

'I was born very far from where I'm supposed to be, and so I'm on my way home.'
-- Bob Dylan, interviewed in No Direction Home.

I really like this quote from Dylan, talking about his work & life in the Martin Scorsese 2005 documentary 'No Direction Home'.
I love Bob Dylan's music and today I've been listening to Dylan all morning while working.
Tried to work out my favourite Dylan songs while I was busy editing photos, but realised it changes all the time, one day to the next - from one mood to another.
So all I have is 10 I love today, in no particular order;

- Love Minus Zero/No Limit
- Don't Think Twice, It's All Right
- Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again
- It's All Over Now, Baby Blue
- Like A Rolling Stone
- It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)
- I Want You
- Desolation Row
- Shelter From The Storm
- Simple Twist Of Fate

That's today, this could easily be different tomorrow.
Dylan is on my Wish-List of portraits..... maybe one day.....
Michael

Something Old.

Portishead, Paris © Michael Robert Williams

While editing some work this week I found this portrait of Portishead from the shoot in France last year. It wasn't used at the time, but I really like it now. Beth is really happy, playing around. She's completely out of focus but I don't mind that, I like what it captures.
I just loved seeing it again so I thought I'd share..........

Mx

Recent Work; 'Wild Beasts' Shoot.

Wild Beasts, 2009 © Michael Robert Williams

These are a few portraits from a quick session with Wild Beasts recently. They were about to head off to do a live radio interview that came up so we shot fast in about 20 minutes outside in Hackney, East London.

Wild Beasts, 2009 © Michael Robert Williams

Its never ideal having to really rush a shoot but these came out OK. Not time to really experiment with more backgrounds but I do love the trees rising up behind them.
Great band - Their 'Two Dancers' is one of my albums of the year I think.

Michael

Meetings & Watching Movies.

Week of meetings. Some to meet new people, which is always good, and some to discuss upcoming work. But a meeting about a shoot still fees like a strange thing to have, talking about what to shoot & how - I'd prefer to just shoot. If you like the work I make just let me make it.... A bit simplistic maybe but its often what ends up happening anyway even after the meeting.

Relaxing weekend after the long week.
Went to see '(500) Days Of Summer' & 'District 9' this week, both of which I enjoyed.

Mx

News & Stuff - September;

The Temper Trap, 2009 © Michael Robert Williams

I've been quiet here and not posting much over the past month but I've been busy working. I'll post a lot of new portraits from recent shoots soon once they're out there. This portrait above is an outtake from a very fast recent shoot with The Temper Trap. We had about 2 minutes on a rooftop before the rain suddenly came pouring down. I've been doing a lot of shoots inside with lights over the past few months, then the day I head out to shoot again it rains. Gotta love English weather. What happened to the summer............

This is another portrait from the session with Speech Debelle. I went back over the session and found this portrait that I'd edited out first time around but now really like.

Speech Debelle, 2009 © Michael Robert Williams

When not working I've been listening to & loving Brendan Benson's new album, and track 'I Am Not A Robot' by Marina & the Diamonds, and Wild Beasts, and The XX, and lots of 1970's Bowie albums :)
Also watched Season 2 of True Blood (current favourite show), and new Californication.
Great shows.
Mx

Joy.

Joy © Michael Robert Williams :)

Got up this morning, made coffee, and went to my desk with coffee to check my email. It's a beautiful morning and the sunlight is pouring in through the window and I sit down to see the light make the word 'Joy' on my desk as it passed through a glass.
This tiny little scene put me in a good mood for the whole morning, despite the sun not lasting very long sadly.
Simple things.

Its a long holiday weekend and I'm taking it easy. Nice to just have time to drift a little for a weekend. Read the paper, listen to music, I've been listening to a lot of Bowie this week.
I love the Aladdin Sane album. And Hunky Dory. And Low.
I may do some editing tomorrow but today is lazy.
m

'An Idea Begins To Take Shape...'

'I have a very mystical and spiritual approach to photography, which I can't explain. An idea begins to take shape, a dream coming to life, a memory awakening, and it is then that I open the curtain and prepare a reflector; it just takes a little light and a little courage to make a photograph. Every photograph enters the world as a sign of hope.'
-- Paolo Roversi.

10 Questions For Annie Leibovitz;

I've only just seen this short interview with Annie Leibovitz from a few months ago but I found it interesting;



I know I've mentioned Leibovitz's work before, she is one of the photographers I respect, so its interesting to hear her comments, especially about when a shoot is working or it isn't. It's only a very short interview, I'd like to hear more. She is one of the legends. I love a lot of her work, but especially from the 1970's, her Rolling Stone years.
Two of her Rolling Stone covers from that period are below;

Mick Jagger and Keith Richards - RS 191, July 17, 1975

The Blues Brothers - RS 285, February 22, 1979

Recent Work; Little Boots Portraits, Etc...

Little Boots, 2009 © Michael Robert Williams

These are six of the portraits from my session with Little Boots recently. They have been added to the website portfolios too. The site was updated recently with some of the portraits from the last few months.
I'm very happy with the Little Boots portraits. I'm shooting more often like this now.
Its funny, when I first started out I was mainly just using natural light, no styling, shooting Black & White, and often just me and the person being photographed were there. The work has gradually had more added, and evolved I guess. Now I still sometimes shoot very simply with natural light, etc, like with the Speech Debelle portraits, put up here recently, but more often the shoots are bigger productions, using controlled lighting, styling, assistants, and carefully selected locations.
There are things I enjoy in both approaches, it depends what I'm trying to achieve. During the past two weeks I've photographed the band Wild Beasts outside for a quick 30 minute session in natural light in Hackney. Also controlled flash-lit portraits of Brendan Benson at the hotel he was staying at in London, but then also photographed Pixie Lott inside with a crew including styling, and hair & make-up.
I like the variety, and I'm really enjoying my recent shoots. I'll post more new portraits here very soon.

Michael

Little Boots, 2009 © Michael Robert Williams

'What kind of photograph shall I take today?'

'I ask myself, what kind of photograph shall I take today? Where can I go with this portrait? Who is this person? Can we give them a role? Will they want to play? What will we discover?'
-- Mario Sorrenti, 2007.

Michael Robert Williams Limited Edition Signed Prints.

Although most of my portraits are available to purchase as signed prints, I'm very happy to say that six of my music portraits, including Portishead, The Killers, and Oasis are now available to purchase as limited edition signed prints from rockarchive. I'm thrilled to be a part of this and I love what they are doing there. You can see the six of mine that are available here at rockarchive.com. These six portraits are now exclusively available through rockarchive's site and galleries.
Each portrait is limited to just 100 numbered prints, and each signed by myself.
This was a carefully chosen selection showing six of my favourite portraits of six different artists I've photographed.
The prices at rockarchive are kept low to start with so everyone can afford to collect prints, then rise as the edition sells out.

I hope you like them too.
Many thanks to Jill & Stuart for allowing me to join the fun and be a part of the RA family.

Michael Robert Williams.

Recent Work: Speech Debelle

Speech Debelle, 2009 © Michael Robert Williams

Two of the portraits from my recent shoot with the brilliant Speech Debelle, shot on location in South London.

Speech Debelle, 2009 © Michael Robert Williams

Speech Debelle, 2009 © Michael Robert Williams

Little Diamonds

This year is vanishing far too quickly - how did it get to May already?!!?
My sister gets married in two weeks. I keep thinking its way off but its nearly here. I'll go back home for a week or so again.
Work-wise its been mainly music again recently.
There are a lot of really interesting new artists right now in the UK and I've been lucky enough to photograph a few of them over recent weeks. I've shot portraits of Little Boots, Marina & the Diamonds, A1 Bassline, and Speech Debelle. Marina's 'I Am Not A Robot' is brilliant! I've been listening to it a lot, it makes me smile :)
I also photographed the lovely DJ and presenter Annie Mac at Koko (maybe my favourite music venue in London).
One of my portraits of A1 Bassline is the only one of these recent portraits that I can post yet but more will come soon.

A1 Bassline, 2009 © Michael Robert Williams

News & Stuff...

I've been a little quiet with posts recently but I have been busy working. I photographed Darker My Love, Adam Ficek, Will and the People, Ou Est, and a bunch of other new bands over recent weeks. I'll post some portraits here once they are published and out there...

Outside of working I've been trying not to think about the economy. I've been listening to Cat Power, Bat For Lashes, and lots of Tom Waits recently.
And watching box sets of old Northern Exposure. I used to love that show when it was on, I remember watching it on 4 in the 90's. It doesn't seem as surreal now as it did then but still loving it - One of the best TV shows ever :)

'Most portraits are lies.'

'Most portraits are lies. People are rarely what they appear to be, especially in front of a camera.'
-- Duane Michals.

Recent Work; 'White Lies' and others...

White Lies, 2009 © Michael Robert Williams

These are two of the portraits from the recent shoot with the White Lies. The shoot went really well and I'm really happy with the results. I love the lighting on the first portrait.
Really enjoyed their album. Really nice guys to work with too.

White Lies, 2009 © Michael Robert Williams

Below is one of the portraits from the shoot with the Howling Bells. I've photographed the Howling Bells before, about two years ago, but I prefer the portraits I shot this time.
Last portrait is of brand new group Gold Teeth, whose single 'Everybody' is released this month.
Could be a great year for them.
It seems I'm having a colour & flash phase...

Howling Bells © Michael Robert Williams


Gold Teeth © Michael Robert Williams

'You have got all that stuff out there...'

'Photography is so entwined in my life. It’s like anything else. You have got all that stuff out there and you only allow so much into your frame. It’s the same thing. Every word in the world is out there and somebody puts 15 of them together and makes something that somebody else wouldn’t make.
If 50 years of doing it meant that every time you picked up the camera you made a good one you wouldn’t have to take many. I make a lot of stupid pictures. Most of them are stupid because I’m trying to figure where to be or where to focus. I don’t think the problems are any different now. I grow wiser as time passes only because I know a little bit more about what is possible, only because I’ve done it for so long. I am used to being a craftsman. But maybe it’s not that. Maybe it’s infatuation.'
-- Lee Friedlander, 2002.

Cramps Founder Lux Interior Dies.

Lux Interior © Michael Robert Williams

I just found out the sad news that Lux Interior, singer and founding member of legendary punk group The Cramps, died this week.
I photographed Lux a few years ago, with his wife and co-founder of The Cramps Poison Ivy.
He was a fascinating person. Music has lost one of its real characters and pioneers.

'Rock ’n’ roll has absolutely nothing to do with music. It’s much more than music. Rock ’n’ roll is who you are.'
- Lux Interior. 1946 - 2009.

Recent Work; 'Cage The Elephant' Portraits

Brad & Matt, Cage The Elephant, London © Michael Robert Williams

These are a couple of portraits from the shoot late last year with Cage the Elephant. It was a very short shoot, outdoors in London. Late in the day, no lights, no stylist, back to basics - but the top portrait of the two brothers is one of my favourites of my own from recent months I think.

Cage The Elephant, London © Michael Robert Williams

Happy New Year!

New Year's Day, Congleton

Happy New Year. Its 2009. And it's started with a dark, grey, cold day.
Booooo.....
So its all up from here... :)

Got up feeling really good and excited about a new year. I like the New Year. A chance to draw a line under the previous and start fresh.
Hope you had a great New Year's Eve, and best wishes for 2009!

Michael