I have had the pleasure of photographing a large number of those involved in the “This is England” film and series.

It started with Tomo Fergouse, followed by Shane Meadows and Paddy Considine, Vicky McLure and now Jo Hartley.

If I get a chance to photograph a few more of the brilliant actors from the film and series then I will die a happy man. 

 Although all the characters from This Is England are transformed to fit the time and look of the film and series I have to give

Jo the prize for best hair and glasses – especially in the series covering the 1980s.  She then looked exactly like many family

members I remember from when I was in the UK in the 80s.  (I was no better - wearing the glow in the dark socks, a mix between

Rick Ashley and a politicians hairdo and a wrinkled silver suit with a red bow tie…  CLASS!!!)  

The shoot with Jo was a collaborative effort with Jo and her publicist.  Jo is an incredible warm and friendly woman -

young at heart and up for a laugh.  She’s the type of woman that you feel like you’ve known for years after just spending 5 minutes with her.

 Jo has starred in many of the best British ‘realism’ films that have come out the last 20 years.  Shane Meadows has of course been

forefront in featuring Jo in his films but she also played in the recent film Ill Manors.  She doesn’t normally play the lead roll but her

part in the aforementioned films and series have been prominent and important.

As well as her outstanding supporting roles she has recently played lead roles in the comedy series The Mimic and

the up and coming short film Janet and Bernard. Although her best films to date rely a lot on improvisation her

light-hearted approach to life has maybe not to date been very prominent in films.  I get a sense that the comedy side of

Jo is slowly becoming more evident and she is given more space and time to explore this side of her.

I am left wondering if the characters that Shane Meadows use in his films are picked for their likability or if the collaboration with

Shane has made all these actors relaxed and easy to work with.  It’s a chicken and egg situation but as far as I’m concerned,

all the actors I have met that have been in the “This is England” films have been as nice as they come.  The atmosphere on his

film sets must be magical, a stark contrast to the subject matters that are covered in the films.

 Having been a flight stewardess for a Japanese airline for many years, Jo decided to revisit her teenage passion for acting and settled

down in the UK again.  I got the impression that Jo was happy with her life as an actress but there was still a strong feeling that Jo is still

yearning for travelling.  Maybe a case of so much to do and so little time. 

For pure selfish reasons, I hope that Jo will continue with acting so we get a chance to see her perform in many more great films.  And for any publications out there looking for a shoot with Jo that hasn't yet been published - look no further!

Stornoway are back with a new album, and they’re better than ever.  Last time I photographed Stornoway it was still early days.

Now, they are one of the most respected young folk bands around but still with feet firmly planted on the ground.

The idea behind the shoot was to create an atmosphere of adventure inspired by the album artwork which was created by Rob (in the band)

and his girlfriend.  A slight Tin-Tin’esque feel.

Late afternoon just outside Oxford at Port Meadow provided the backdrop for the shoot.

The boys are all into bird watching and nature so the setting was highly representative for who they are.

They are not just a folk band but it seems they live and breath country, nature and music. 

The band is highly dedicated to everything music can provide and no instrument is too small or too large for the band to handle.

This band is and (I think) will always be a cornerstone of new folk music.

An other campaign for PETA, but this time fully dressed – to impress.

Rock Angels is the name of the campaign and it is meant to encourage the younger audience to get involved in the

ethical treatment of animals.  The face of the campaign are Anais Gallagher (Noel Gallagher and Meg Matthews daughter),

Ava and Stella (Nick Jones’ daughters) – oh, and Anais’ dog Oscar.  PEACE!

In times where money is tight, what better way to survive than eating nice and healthy food for under a fiver.

Some of London’s most imaginative chefs have all come up with their £5 recipe and shared it with us all. And no – it’s not all porridge.

Ching-He Huang, cook and author

Recipe can be found at:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2013/jan/19/recipes-under-5-sichuan-chicken

Sam Harris, Chef Patron of Zucca

Recipe can be found at:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2013/jan/19/recipes-under-5-braised-beef-with-vegetables

Urvesh Parvais and Lalita Patel of Gujarati Rasoi

Recipe can be found at:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2013/jan/19/recipes-under-5-dhal-bat

Stevie Parle, chef at Dock Kitchen

Recipe can be found at:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2013/jan/19/recipes-under-5-chickpea-stew

 Junya Yamasaki, head chef at Koya

Recipe can be found at:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2013/jan/19/recipes-under-5-yakisoba-noodle

I wasn’t quite sure what I expected when I turned up at St Francis Hospice.  Most people expect hospices to be down beat

and depressing.  Hospices do have to look the subject of death in the eyes but they do it in a respectful and relaxed way.

The atmosphere at St Francis was welcoming and friendly and the staff and patients were all up beat.  Of course

there is an undertone of uncertainty but it felt like a place that would give comfort and support in times of suffering.  

I was only just made aware that the very lovely Ro (in the bed) and stunning Sam (in the pink dressing gown) passed away recently.

I therefore would like to give a special mention to the two courageous and lovely women.  It was a true pleasure to have met you

both and to have had the chance to photograph you both.  THANK YOU!

Bethan Gray is one of the UK’s best interior designers.  Her furniture is known for being warm, modern and stylish.

She only uses expensive raw material for her designs and her furniture is now sold in outlets all over the world. She has

now also branched out and started the collaborative brand G&T with the furniture developer Thomas Turner.

The Welsh girl is said to have been inspired by her grandfather who used to make wooden tables for her when she was a child.

Maybe these fond memories are responsible for the warmth, simplicity and quality of the furniture.  You can really feel

that the furniture have been made using both mind and soul.

To photograph a beautiful super model is surely any photographer’s dream and could surely not go wrong.  However, to take the super model

out of a super model and focus on the person itself is not always as easy. 

Lily Cole is not only one of the world’s best loved models but she is smart and has first grades in History of Art to show for it.

She is now presenting an art program for Sky where she interviews prominent artists such as Antony Gormley and Marc Quinn as well as

still being involved in the occasional acting and modelling job.

The shoot became a mixture of plain simple shots, aimed at seeing ‘the real’ Lily Cole and shots that were more posed and composed.

Finding the boundary of when a shot is composed and when Lily is at her most natural is almost impossible as she has a natural stylish

way of carrying herself which blur the boundaries.  I suppose what makes Super Models so good at what they do is that the poses and

expressions are features that come natural to the models and it is therefore a part of whom they are.

The last issue is then if the person is a model then this is a major part of their life.  Is this then not important to include in any portrait too?

With any other profession you would not ask them to look unlike the profession they are involved in, in order to get a good portrait.

So with those reflective words I leave it up to you to judge which images feel natural and which images feel composed, but any which direction

you go, you will hopefully still agree that Lily is as pretty as in shots where she is not overly styled as the ones

where she has had the full Vogue treatment.

Sinead O’Connor rose to fame with her version of Prince’s song ‘Nothing Compares to You’ in 1990.  A song that still sounds as powerful as

it did back then and with a video to accompany it that carries as much of a punch as it did in the 1990s.

For those of you who are not familiar with Sinead’s video of “Nothing Compares to You” – it is a video close-up of Sinead’s face singing the song.

Her piercing eyes turn to a teary sadness as the song moves to its final cords.

Sinead’s shaved head and beautiful eyes presented us with a non-traditional beauty that has later become fashionable.

Sinead still has the same beautiful eyes but somewhere deep down there are now traces of life experience and passed troubles.

She has carried the banner against women’s suppression in religion, opposed other religious opinions, fought against war and

child abuse and fought for her right to become a Rastafarian amongst many things.

Sinead created controversy when she in 1990 was ordinated as a priest despite being a woman with a Roman Catholic background.

Her traumatic upbringing in the Catholic religion has been evident in her actions, describing the Vatican as “a nest of devils”.

She is also known for having sung a version of Bob Marley’s song “War” where she altered the lyrics to protest against sexual

abuse in the Roman Catholic Church.  She tore up a picture of the then Pope, Pope John Paul II while singing the word ‘EVIL’.

Sinead’s life has been a life of uphill struggles.  From having been at the notorious Magdalene Laundry as a teenager to having

raised a flag against the sexual crimes that have taken place behind the Roman Catholic’s closed doors, to fighting for

female’s rights, lesbian rights, against war and child abuse – all before it became a media trend to do so, she’s now come out from

a dark place and is trying to re-establish herself as a much loved artist in music.

I can’t help to think that her movement to Rastafari is an escape from the institution of the Roman Catholic Church into something

which is considerably less institutionalised and more about individualism and the higher self. 

It is impossible to describe what it meant for me to work with Sinead O’Connor.  My feelings were a mixture of an element of fear

as I know she is opinionated and the axe could possibly turn in my direction but mostly a feeling of respect for someone who has

dedicated her life to fight for what is right although it means you face a life of opposition.  But we also have to remember that

Sinead is a musician, and a damn good one too.  The song “Nothing Compares to You” has of course gone down in the history books,

but she has been recognised for many other songs and musical collaborations and at the moment she is performing for smaller

audiences at churches around the country and abroad.  The concerts are small and intimate and are supposed to contain all the

emotions and power that you can possibly imagine.

To not shed a tear is not an option…

Terry Morgan is the main man as far as bringing London’s West and East together.  He is behind the steering wheel of Europe’s

biggest construction project to build a fast rail line from Reading to Shenfield, stopping at London’s main stations with connections to the

rest of the country.  One question comes to mind when you talk about such a project: Where do you start? 

As the rest of the country is suffering from recession, Cross Rail seems to be the only employer who does not do redundancies and

keep on ploughing through London’s under ground.  It’s budgets are increased instead of cut and every politician who can claim some

involvement beg Mr Morgan to stand next to them, shaking their hand as the press photographers shoot the next day’s headline story.

It’s great to be loved… 

A fairytale hat maker with a fairytale story.  Philip grew up in the west of Ireland with seven siblings.

After a three year stint studying Fashion at the National College of  Art and Design in Dublin, where he made hats to

compliment his fashion outfits he got a place at the Royal College of Art in London.  He graduated with a First Honours degree

and the rest is history.  ‘Cinderella Treacy’ is now making hats to fit a princess. 

His office, in South London is a 3 story building with hat drawings on the wall, rooms quiet but filled with people concentrating on

getting the seams right and the main office room where you can see a collection of hats and Michael Jackson memorabilia.

Philip enjoying a cigarette in a track suit top seems far away from the Philip Treacy hats he has supplemented many 5 figured outfits with.