Mark Nixon

New Blog

2011-03-18T15:04:00.001Z

From now on my blog will be HERE

Elbow

2011-03-09T15:31:00.001Z

Got the call on Friday afternoon, could I get over to RTE at 9pm to shoot a cover image of Elbow for Hot Press. They were appearing that night on The Late Late Show and I could have 5 minutes to shoot them before they went on. Got there about 8.30pm and was shown the space I could shoot them in. Mmmm lovely, long narrow corridor with piles of junk and chairs in it. It opened out at the end, so I could put up the paper background I brought with me.

While I'm setting up, the members of The Commitments were passing by on the way to make-up, which was fine, but I know some of them and they all wanted a chat and I was frantically trying to set up lights etc before Elbow arrived. The record company contact asked if I wouldn't mind taking a shot of them with Ryan Tubridy (the Late Late Show host) and the platinium discs they were being presented with for the last album "The Seldom Seen Kid" (a beautiful album, one of my favourites). I saw a red leather chair I liked and thought it could be good for the group shot, as with my limited background paper, I would need to get them all in very close together. I was just testing the lights when they arrived with Ryan Tubridy too. Ryan has about 1 minute before the start of the show, so I ask Guy, the singer, to sit in the chair and I quickly arrange Ryan and the rest of the band around him with the framed discs, a couple of test shots with the lights, that'll have to do, bang, bang, Ryan's gone.

So, just about to set up the group shot for Hot Press and Guy informs me, he doesn't really want to sit in the chair for the group shot. Ok, no problem, aaaah! except he's taller than the others and I'm not sure if I have enough space for 5 people on my background. Ok guys, squeeze in, closer, closer, closer! Just about. All the while, behind me, the manager, record company people and others are talking to the band, cracking jokes, commenting on various peoples heights etc. Not the most conducive atmosphere for a photo shoot, but needs must. Bang, bang and the band are leaving. I grab Guy and ask if I could just take a few shots of him on his own, he kindly agrees and I even get him to sit in the chair for one! And just like that, they're all gone, leaving me in a hyper sweating mess.

I pack up and retire to the green room for a beer and watch The Commitments talk and perform live on the screen, while hearing them booming through the wall. As I am leaving they are all filing out into the corridor too, to go outside to be photographed by the shivering freelance photographers, who have been waiting there since before I arrived. Hot Press is out tomorrow.

It's Alive!!

2011-02-26T13:44:00.002Z

After years of procrastination, months of work, days of worry, minutes of sleep and seconds of.....?

Anyway, I have a brand spanking new website, with everything now in the one place, Commercial work, Covers, Ads, Fashion, Beauty, Families, Blog and much more.

I'd love to hear your comments and constructive criticisms.

Life Magazine "How We Met"

2011-02-23T14:06:00.003Z

This is my second job for Life and unfortunately they printed the rough proofs by mistake instead of the final retouched and polished images. A little disappointing, but here is what they should have looked like.

Brian O'Driscoll

2011-01-13T14:08:00.004Z

Got a call from Roisin in Hot Press, could I shoot Brian O'Driscoll in their offices at 2pm today? She was heading out to buy a rugby ball for him to sign and them to use in a competition. So I had a think about what I could do image wise and I had an idea to have him hold the ball with his middle finger, so it looks like he's flipping the bird (as our American cousins say).

With a late studio shoot arrival and one thing and another, I was running late, cue increasingly panicy calls from Roisin "are you here yet"? (ooops, still in my studio, downloading memory cards), "Are you here yet"? (just pulling into the carpark down the road). Anyway, I literally just had all the lights set up and ready to go when Brian walked in. Phew!

He didn't have much time (22 minutes to be exact) but was very nice and happy to pose with the ball the way I wanted him to. He just couldn't bend his ring finger due to tendon damage, he tried to bend it more using his little finger, but as you can see, could only get about half way.

Andrew from Hot Press acted as my (star struck) assistant and held the top of the ball in place and I removed his fingers afterwards, though I needn't have bothered, as they cropped out the top of the photo anyway. The New Year off to a good start!

Lorraine Keane VIP Cover Feature

2010-11-12T13:53:00.004Z

Really enjoyed this cover shoot for VIP Magazine. We shot it in the presidential suite of The Westin Hotel in Dublin. Lorraine is great fun to work with and very down to earth. Her 2 sisters are a Hair and Make-Up team and both very beautiful too. They did some great work with the different looks they created. My favourite is the smokey eyes look against the curtains and on the couch. For a bit of fun, I hired a smoke machine. At one stage it was pouring out the window and I expected the Fire Brigade at any minute, but worryingly no sign of them!

Jennifer Maguire

2010-11-04T12:26:00.004Z

Jennifer Maguire was on The Apprentice with Alan Sugar a couple of years ago and has now re-invented herself as a TV presenter. She told some great stories about her time on The Apprentice, most of them unrepeatable, but as an insight into the way TV works and the way they edit things, very interesting.

Sleep deprivation seems to have been part of the plan to wear down the applicants. Jennifer told me, after being up since 5am and going on to win the task, the "winners" had to return to the house and get into their party gear so they could shoot their "reward", a dinner cooked by Jean Christope Novelli. Sounds good, doesn't it? This was at 3am! and they had to be back in the boardroom at 6am. Nice.

This was shot as a fashion shoot for Hot Press, out today.

That's it, I'm moving to Zurich!

2010-11-02T18:30:00.005Z

No, not really! This was a great advertising job to get. Zurich Pensions liked my portfolio and selected me to shoot this campaign. The hardest part was casting it. They were quite specific about the type of people they wanted for each ad and it took me a long time trawling through all the model agencies books to find just the right look. Then it was a lot of test shots and more test shots and finally the shoot. I shot all the models in the studio, with a great team of art director, stylist, hair and make-up. The location images for the backgrounds were all shot on Bull Island and Dollymount Strand and everything was comp'd together afterward. A hairdryer provided the windswept hair. It's great to open the Sunday paper and see these jumping off the page. More of these please!

Sharon Corr

2010-09-24T15:52:00.006+01:00

Photographed the beautiful Sharon Corr of The Corrs for the latest Hot Press cover in my studio. We had such a laugh together. I was flirting like mad with her to get her to open up and give me a real expression and at one stage I said, "Sharon, you're laughing just a little too hard at my attempts to woe you, you're going to give me a complex to go with all my other ones" What's so funny about "You know you want to"???

Her brother Jim Corr was in my backing band for a little while during my music days and I remember asking him if he wanted to form a band together. He said no, he was working on something with his sister, which was Sharon! So I told her, it was all her fault that I'm here and she's there and it should have been me and Jim!

Like I said, we had a laugh.

She wants me, bigtime!

4 in 1 Hot Press Covers

2010-09-09T16:26:00.004+01:00

Only 2 weeks ago I mentioned that I had 2 magazine covers on the newstands at the same time and said I'd have to go for the hat trick! Little did I know that I'd skip 3 and go straight for 4!

Well, it's a bit of a cheat really. Hot Press have issued 4 versions of the same issue with 4 different covers. Each one is a finalist in Guinness's Our Thursday (Arthur's Day, get it) They are flip covers too, which means there is a cover on the back of the main cover.

It was a very busy day, we shot all the bands in my studio and they did their interviews here too, so at one point I think there was about 20 people here. Normally it's very quiet and serene here, not that day.

Hot Press wanted various cover options which meant I had 25 different set ups to shoot. With and without instruments, white background & gold background, singer on their own (with and without instrument), singer with band and more!

Very tiring, and hard to remember if I'd shot all the variations, but I tried to keep the same energy for the last set up as I did for the first, otherwise it wouldn't be fair on the last band (bet you can't tell which one I shot last). I had an early night that night.

Who's on the main front cover? My very best friends The Script.

Who shot it? Not me.

Did I say my very best friends? I meant my very ex best friends!

Newstand

2010-08-28T15:02:00.003+01:00

This is a 1st for me. Two magazine covers on sale at the same time! Got to go for the hat trick.

Glenda VIP

2010-08-28T14:34:00.003+01:00

I was really chuffed when VIP magazine rang to say Glenda Gilson, was being featured in the next issue, had requested that I be the photographer for the shoot. I get on really well with Glenda, she’s a real pro. It was fantastic to work with such a top team on the shoot, Paula Callan O’Keefe (make up), Michael Leong (hair & millenary) Alison McGilligan (stylist) & Elaine Prendergast (VIP Editor)

We shot it in an afternoon at the new Gibson Hotel next to the O2 in Dublin. Locations were limited as they didn’t want it to look like a hotel, but I think we managed to get enough for the feature. This issue is on the shelves now!

VIP has just asked me to do another shoot, with another beautiful Irish woman who I can’t name just yet!

Fight Like Apes

2010-08-12T17:19:00.003+01:00

A wedding with a difference! We had such a laugh doing this new Hot Press cover shoot. MayKay and Pockets from Fight Like Apes or FLApes as they are known, were game for anything. The scary thing was, the dress we borrowed from Oxfam actually fitted Pockets! And he seemed a little too comfortable in it for my liking (joke).

If you look carefully, you'll see that MayKay isn't actually holding him up, she wouldn't have the strength, so I propped him up on some posing stools and covered it with the train of the dress. They have a great video that someone made for them using Lego, check it out HERE.

Caprice

2010-07-13T12:27:00.003+01:00

Just finished a very quick fashion shoot with Caprice for Hot Press.

We only had about an hour of shooting time and we still managed to shoot 6 different outfits in 6 different locations! How did we do it?

Well, we shot it in The Dylan Hotel in Dublin, which has lots of different areas close together that look very different. Caprice was a pro and was right into it, no warming up, she delivered a different pose for every click. Amazingly she didn't blink in a single frame, which I have never seen before!

The last shot was in Caprice's bedroom and at one point everyone else, the stylist, make-up artist and hairdresser all disappeared to get one thing or another and so that left me alone with Caprice who was lying on the bed wearing one of the very fetching bras from her lingerie range and not for the first time I thought, I have a very varied and interesting job!

Hot Press is out on Thursday.

Cathy Davey and the snake

2010-06-16T17:58:00.007+01:00

Friday afternoon last week Hot Press rings, "Mark can you do a shoot with Cathy Davey tomorrow afternoon?" "We need the images tomorrow afternoon too, as we're going to press". "Oh, and she wants to do the shoot with a snake, do you know any?"

Well, I didn't but I found one, a beautiful Burmese Albino Python called "Blayney".

Now the thing about Pythons is if they decide you look good enough to eat, it's like the weight of 2 double decker buses crushing your chest. The thing about Blayney is he's lovely and has been hand reared since he was a mere 12 inches long and taught that it's very naughty to wrap himself around someones neck.

Now the thing about photographing a snake with someone is it looks best when it's wrapped around someones neck, especially a neck as beautiful as Cathy Davey's, but try as we might, we couldn't get Blayney to stay put. It's quite an amazing feeling having this 14 foot very heavy pure muscule thing constantly moving at both ends, while the tail is wrapping itself around you upper thigh, the head end is trying to unwind and get off your neck!

Fair play to Cathy, she was very gentle with Blayney and eventually we got enough, but not the shot I had in my head.

We then switched to a Victorian look that Cathy was interested in exploring. It's fantastic when the subject is really into photography themselves and willing to collaborate in the process to make something good. We had a great time and I can't wait to work with her again, as she kindly said she wanted to.

Dog Days of Summer

2010-06-05T15:05:00.003+01:00

I'm in shock! I sent out my e-newsletter at 10am and by 12 noon my "Dog Days Of Summer" was completely sold out! 25 shoots and 37 dogs, it's going to be a busy day! It's a great deal for a great charity, Dogs Aid. For €25 and a donation of a bag of dog food they get a 10 minute mini shoot and a 7x5 gift photo. Plus Aussie Pet Mobile is setting up outside the studio and giving all the dogs a makeover before their big moment. All the dogs will get a "doggie bag" with lots of goodies including some tasty dog biscuits from Scallywags Dog Bakery. Yum Yum!

Nude for Thought

2010-03-16T15:16:00.005Z

The latest fashion shoot for Hot Press. The theme was "nude" clothing. Really great team this time. The stylist Karl Smith did a brilliant job, all the ladies especially loved the shoes! Lorraine Browne did the hair beautifully and Naomh Kirwan did her usual superb job with the make up.

The model Leah Duff really got into character and produced some fab poses!

The National Photographic Awards 2010

2010-03-01T16:00:00.005Z

The National Photographic Awards were on last night and I am delighted to have won 4 of the top awards. Fashion Photographer of the Year (the second year running), Best Fashion Image, Best Children's Portrait and Best Portrait.

I've always been torn about photography awards, it's fantastic to win, but what does it really mean? So, as much as I love winning, I've decided not to enter any more.

Christy Moore

2010-02-24T18:11:00.003Z

When Hot Press called and said Christy Moore was coming to my studio for a cover shoot, I nearly fell off my chair! Usually I meet them somewhere else and have little time to check locations etc, it also means I have to bring the studio to them. This was a first with Christy coming to here.

I was a bit nervous and with about half an hour to go, was just getting everything ready when Mick, Christy's friend rang to say they were running early and would be there in a few minutes! So I quickly shoved half a sandwich in my mouth and turned on the studio lights. And there he was, at my door!

I needn't have worried, Christy was wonderful, he walked straight into the studio, took off his coat and sat down and starting playing me a brand new song about a Navajo woman that even Mick had never heard. I had to pinch myself, Christy Moore sitting in my studio singing me a new song, mad or what? I hadn't realised what a funny guy he is and very quick with the retort. We were talking about platform shoes and I said it wasn't fair that women had these great heels and most of us men could do with a extra couple of inches, well, like I say he was very quick with the retort!

The shoot went really well and I got loads of great images that may surface at some stage. He slowly added layers of clothing and his hat, then his guitar over the shoulder and before I realised what he was doing, he was off! Laughing all the way.

If you even make Christy a cup of tea, he likes two teabags in a mug and leave them in!

Shoot Happens #2

2010-02-24T13:05:00.006Z

The second of my fashion shoots for Hot Press. This time I wanted some flesh, to be more specific, I wanted a breast in at least one shot. As usual, it was all a bit last minute, I contacted some model agencies and told them of my request. The only one that responded positively was 1st Option, who couldn't have been more helpful. The beautiful Irma agreed to do the shoot on one condition, "no nipples". a bit disappointing, but it actually made it more of a challenge.

The shoot went very smoothly, I kept the lighting low and the studio warm! There is a fine line between genius and madness (only joking, that's Spinal Tap), there is a fine line between a fashion image and a page 3 or Tennents can (for those who remember) and it all came down to the pose and Irma's expression. I wanted the shoot to be of a powerful, strong, proud woman at ease with her sexuality and hopefully I achieved that?

Hot Press is out tomorrow.

Roddy Doyle and The Catcher in the Rye

2010-02-24T11:51:00.003Z

Roddy Doyle popped into the STUDIO the other day to give me a signed 1st edition of his latest book, hot off the presses, "The Dead Republic". He is using my portrait of him for the author's photo on the dust jacket (see above). He is such a lovely guy.

We were chatting and I told him I had decided to start re-reading a lot of books I had first read in my teens and early twenties. I started with "The Catcher in the Rye" and finished the last page on the very evening J. D. Salinger died!

I promised Roddy I wouldn't read the last page of his.

Shoot Happens #1

2010-02-20T09:13:00.004Z

Hot Press have asked me to shoot some fashion spreads for them, which is great fun. I love fashion photography, you can really play with different ideas and processes.

For this first shoot, I thought it would be appropriate to do a fashion shoot of a fashion shoot!

So we have a cool photographer and a hot model. At first she has no interest in him, then slowly she falls for his charms and finally they fall in love, with each other, but mostly with themselves!

Ray D'Arcy's Surprise Hot Press Cover!

2010-02-10T11:16:00.007Z

Got the call from Hot Press to go into Today FM and shoot Ray D'Arcy for what was supposed to be The Hot Press Interview, not the cover. (Which is less pressure and a shorter shoot).

I had a quick recon of the area, while waiting for Ray, to see where I could shoot. The studio itself was promising, good red walls, but there was someone just about to go on air, so I was told I could only have it for 5 minutes. I set up my light and waited for Ray, who arrived with about 30 seconds left of my 5 minutes. So I grabbed a quick few shots of Ray talking into the mike and we were out of there.

We shot the rest of the shoot in a small office with one light and I shot some without the flash, just using the modelling light, to get a very shallow depth of field.

Ray was lovely, exactly as you'd expect him to be, (unlike some others I could mention!) and we had a good chat about posing nude for Spenser Tunick, him in Cork and me in Dublin. I asked him if he'd like to repeat it for me, but maybe next time!

I was a bit horrified when they told me they were considering using it on the cover, as I hadn't shot it with the cover in mind. I immediately suggested I shoot it again and try some other poses ideas etc, but there was no time and they were happy with this.

It's Out Tomorrow.

Paolo Nutini Hot Press Cover

2010-01-27T19:07:00.002Z

Just got a sneak preview of the Hot Press cover from my Paolo Nutini shoot. It's on sale tomorrow.

I think it looks really good. Very happy!

Paolo Nutini

2010-01-22T18:07:00.004Z

Flew to Glasgow yesterday to shoot Paolo Nutini for Hot Press magazine. Originally it was supposed to be Milan, but was changed to Glasgow at the last minute. Got in early and did a bit of sight seeing. Went to The Willow Tea Rooms and had a lovely cup of tea and a toasted tea cake which was absolutely gorgeous. Went to The Kelvingrove Art Galley and Museum, only had a short time but some great paintings and sculptures. Then off to The Hotel du Vin to meet Paolo for the shoot.
They couldn't have been more helpful in the hotel and knew Paolo, he had had his album launch there recently. They showed me various rooms and I picked the best one for the shoot and got set up. I knew I would need my own lights, as we were scheduled to meet at 4.30pm and it's dark by then in winter in Glasgow.
I picked out different areas in the room that I thought might work and thought of what kind of shots I could do there. Then I just paced up and down, waiting and checking the equipment until Paolo arrived.
He's such a lovely guy, very friendly and down to earth. Really handsome and about 6 feet tall. He was extremely camera shy, which is amazing for someone who's number one in the album charts! You'd think he'd have all the poses down pat, but he's just uncomfortable about posing and especially looking into the camera, but we got there in the end and he was very patient while I adjusted the lights etc. The guy with him, Malky, was very helpful too and acted as my light stand, since I could carry one on the plane.
I like these two shots, the one on the bed is how he must spend a lot of time, on his own in hotel rooms, writing songs. The other one has a bit of the old masters paintings about it, the museum earlier must have rubbed off on me. Paolo sang me a bit of "My Bonnie lies over the Ocean" in the style of Ray Charles, very funny. He'd heard Charles cover it on an old album and was amazed as this was a song we were both taught in primary school.
Just got to the airport with minutes to spare to catch the flight home.

Photo of the Week #3

2009-12-24T11:40:00.002Z

Is this the happiest baby ever?

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year everybody!

Photo of the Week #2

2009-12-01T14:28:00.004Z

From a very quick shoot with Dara O'Briain. I had about 5 minutes and 3 or 4 ideas for this shoot. He said no to them all!!!!

Plan B. Some tight headshots and he performed like the pro he is, every shot good and every one different from the last.

To be fair to him, he had a bunch of back to back interviews lined up that day, had flown in early from London and was due on The Late Late Show that night. It didn't help that I teased him about his weight (I know, I don't know what I was thinking, in my madness I thought he would find it funny).

He did wish me Happy Birthday, well sort of.. I think what he actually said was "I don't give a F... if it's your birthday" Ooops!

Photo of the Week #1

2009-11-04T10:25:00.001Z

PJ Gallagher riding his Penny Farthing bike on the Clontarf Promenade Wall. When I asked him to do this, I expected him to say no, like a sane person would have. When he said yes, I realised I may be responsible for seriously injuring him or killing him, so the pressure was on to make sure I got the shot! Especially if it was mid-fall!

Two things to note,

#1; Penny Farthings are extremely difficult to ride as there is no "free wheeling" and the pedals are on the front wheel (the same wheel you steer with)

#2; The wall he is riding on is about 12 inches wide and there is a 20 foot drop on the other side!

Spandau Ballet

2009-10-16T11:28:00.006+01:00

Spandau Ballet's first gig in 20 years and the first night of the tour. Nerves were on edge and there were a few glitches during the sound check, but the gig went really well and it was like they never went away.

Universal asked me to shoot the gig for the cover and back of the live DVD they were recording that night too.

Live music shoots are very difficult for a few reasons; you have no control over the most important element, light, there isn't enough of it to freeze the action, it's rarely in the right place when you want it, it changes constantly, both in intensity and colour, and the band keep moving!

Having said that, it's great fun and I love a challenge.

This is my favorite shot of the night. Someone had thrown an Arsenal flag onstage and Tony Hadley had just held it up. The crowd booed and Martin Kemp turned and laughed, while walking to the back of the stage. Just at that moment the lights lit up the audience and I got this.

The Master Dies

2009-10-08T10:57:00.004+01:00

Irving Penn, the grand master of American portrait and fashion photography has died aged 92. He is the reason I am a photographer, the inspiration, the search for perfection and the mark at which all other photography is measured. His influence can be seen in many other photographers work, from Annie Leibovitz to Albert Watson and my own of course.

I nearly met him once, I came within a few feet, but it was not to be. On a trip to New York, I managed to find out where his studio was and set off to meet him. I found the tall building on 5th Ave, his name was nowhere on the buildings registry, but there was a name that gave me a clue, Conde Nast Publications, so up I went. Stepping out into a dark landing with a door in each corner, there I found him, on the name plate under the spy hole, the name smugged with fingers rubbing, Irving Penn.

I knew I was about to make a fool out of myself and with my heart beating like mad, I rang the bell. A nice looking young girl answered and after listening to my blubbering nonsense about being a photographer from Ireland and Mr Penn being the reason I was, she asked me to wait a moment. Was she going to get him? Is that him coming now??? No! A very stern mature lady appeared with a clipped,"Yes"? I babbled it all again and how I would love to just shake his hand, to which I was told "Mr Penn hasn't even got time to see his friends". "Can I just have a quick look around the studio"?. "I'm sorry, we are working here" and with that the door closed.

I took this photograph of the spyhole with his name underneath and made the best print I could on my last few sheet of "Record Rapid" fiber based photographic paper (it was discontinued due to nasty chemicals) and I sent him a copy, hoping for a nice letter back or maybe one of his prints? I never heard back, I bet Dragon Lady never even showed it to him.

Rest in Peace Mr Penn.

Beep,Beep, Yeah!

2009-10-06T13:20:00.005+01:00

BP Fallon, or Beep as he is affectionately known, is to me, a living legend. He has known and worked with the most amazing bunch of musicans from the last 40 years. The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, T Rex, U2, you name it! Check out his website http://www.bpfallon.com/ and try to keep your claw from dropping open!

Beep very kindly allowed me to photograph him yesterday while back in Dublin for the weedend on a flying visit from New York. I had only contacted him last week, hoping to photograph him sometime in the future and here we were less than a week later! "No time like the Present" says Beep. He made me a lovely cup of herbal tea and was a gentle and gracious host.

Delorentos

2009-10-02T12:46:00.005+01:00

Latest shoot for next issue of Hot Press. Delorentos in their home town of Portrane. We visited a few of their favorite locations and got some good stuff. We had just finished taking some shots at The Round Tower when I looked over in the next field and saw this amazing landscape. The lads quickly jumped over the fence, the sun came out and click, this is the result, no digital trickery, no dropped-in skies, just as it was. It's nice when things go right!

Mark Beats Up The Coronas!

2009-09-25T13:16:00.007+01:00

When Hot Press asked me to shoot The Coronas for the current cover, they mentioned that their new album was called "Tony Was An Ex-Con". This got me thinking!

I love Police Mug Shots. They are amazing photographs, capturing people usually, though not always, at the worst time of their lives. You can see their worlds collapsing in their eyes, the fear, the shame. Sometimes they are defiant and even funny. Do a search and see what I mean.

Anyway back to The Coronas. I thought what if I shot them as Police Mug Shots and they had resisted arrest! So I made up some signs with their names and got Sinead Hannon to do the make-up. She did a fantastic job, those cuts and bruises looked so real!

The band were great and really got into the spirit of it, there's a couple of good actors in there!

Check out the before and after cover shot!

The Portrait Studio becomes STUDIO

2009-09-25T12:38:00.009+01:00

The Portrait Studio is now just STUDIO.

I have changed the name of my studio to reflect the growing diversity of work I am starting to do. Less is More!

On Tour with The Script

2009-09-25T11:13:00.008+01:00

I loved every minute of this! The Script played 5 sold out nights in their hometown of Dublin and kindly asked me to document the event.

I photographed them for the cover of Hot Press recently and they loved the photos. They said they always knew how they wanted to be portrayed, but couldn't really explain it and they had spent an amazing amount of money on a big name LA photographer (sorry, can't tell you who!)and ended up not using them. They told me they now show other photographers my work and tell them that's what they want!

I had access all areas, soundchecks, front stage, back stage, on stage, dressing room, jax, everywhere. These guys are the hardest working, most down to earth, professional, no messing band I have ever seem and I've been around a few. They welcomed me in with open arms and the degree of trust they placed in me, made it really special.

The setting up, soundcheck, waiting around, the atmosphere building and then BAM! on they go, screaming girls and heat and sweat.

From a photographic point of view, shooting this kind of gig is very tricky. Light levels go way up and way down in an instant, the band are constantly moving and moving quickly, so to try and freeze that, get it in focus and at the right exposure is tough, but brilliant fun.

It's like the circus coming to town, lots of colour and noise and then it's gone!

Miriam O'Callaghan Shoot

2009-08-06T10:45:00.004+01:00

I really enjoyed this shoot. It was for The Hot Press Interview. Miriam was lovely, very down to earth and couldn't have been more generous with her time and patience.

I had a good wander around RTE TV studios while waiting for her, picking out various places I thought would be good for the shoot. I chose a wall in the corridor, an area in the Make-Up room, a props area backstage and the reception in a new building.

Miriam is so good at putting people at ease, I forgot who she was and we chatted about all kinds of things.

I asked her if Jason from Hot Press had managed to get any confessions out of her in the interview, like a lesbian affair in college for example, she said no, all very boring. With that Anne Doyle, the newsreader walked past and Miriam said "Anne, he's asking about our supposed lesbian affair", to which Anne paused for a moment and deadpanned "what do you mean supposed" before going in to read the news.

Now there was a shot I missed!

Digital Photographer Magazine Feature

2009-06-19T13:06:00.003+01:00

Just been sent a copy of Digital Photographer Magazine from The UK, with a really great feature on my photography. I sent them a whole bunch of images for the feature and they ended up using a shot of my Dad, who passed away on New Year's Eve and a shot of my son Calum. So, it makes it really special. First time ever I don't feel I was misquoted!

Delores O'Riordan

2009-06-12T14:36:00.004+01:00

Just finished a shoot with Delores O'Riordan from The Cranberries. We shot it in The Westbury Hotel in Dublin, for the next issue of Hot Press. Delores was lovely, very down to earth and looked amazing with her blond hair. I found a corner of the bar and set up a light. I think the colours of the background and what she was wearing worked really well together.

She gave me all the time I needed, about 15 minutes, and even gave me a kiss on the cheek at the end!

New Commercial Website

2009-06-12T14:21:00.005+01:00

I have just launched my new commercial website http://www.nixfoto.com/ It's aimed at the advertising, editorial and fashion business. I am using my old nickname for this kind of work, Nix. I have always liked the idea of having just one name!

My First Hot Press Cover

2009-05-21T09:17:00.003+01:00

This was tough. No time, no light, no pressure!

I was thrilled to be asked to shoot The Script for the next cover of Hot Press. I got the call on Sunday evening and it was off to Belfast the next day. Myself and Jason O'Toole, who was to interview them, went up together. We got there about 3.30pm. No sign of the band. I do a quick recon to see where I could shoot them and picked out a couple of locations, one on a roof at the back of the venue where the band were going to be playing that evening and one in a disused room with a red wall. About 6.30pm the band show up to soundcheck, Jason grabs Danny the frontman, to interview him and I shoot some individual shots of Mark the guitarist and Glen the drummer. They then have to soundcheck. I take some live shots of them onstage. Then it's cover time! Off we go to the roof, the band, the manager, the guy from the venue, Jason and me. I start taking shots, but I don't like it, the light has gone, it just doesn't look as good as I wanted to. So, I move them to another part of the roof, even worse. Plan B, the room with the red wall. I had set up a light earlier so I kick aside some empty boxes and bits of rubbish and start shooting. The pressure is on, the guys need to go! Not exactly how I imagined doing my first Hot Press cover shoot, but this is it, make or break. 10 minutes from start to finish. I get another 5 minutes to shoot Danny on his own and that's it. Phew!

Glenda Gilson Shoot for Hot Press

2009-05-07T16:07:00.006+01:00

It's a dream come true for me, shooting for Hot Press. In my past life as a singer/songerwriter, Hot Press was my bible, I can't believe I'm working with them now as a photographer!

And what a brilliant first shoot to get too!

Glenda was amazing and really into doing something good. I wanted to be sexy and beautiful, also not obvious who it was immediately. I didn't expect her to go for some of the ideas I had, but she did and I am really happy with these shots.

Hot Press just came out today and they gave our shoot 5 pages. In the interview, Glenda said "These shots were cool" she smiles," but I wouldn't be like, "Dad, look at these!" The shoot was very, very risqué." "I haven't posed in about a year" she says, "But when something is done tastefully it can be sexy. It helps when you feel comfortable with the photographer"

Thank you Glenda!

Titanic

2009-04-06T12:26:00.005+01:00

I have always been fascinated by Titanic.

Coming from Belfast, where Titanic was built I suppose it's not unusal to feel drawn to it. The 1958 film " A Night to Remember" with Kenneth Moore made a deep impression on my young mind as I watched it on TV as a child too.

While jogging in Las Vegas recently, I spotted an ad on the side of a cab that said, "Titanic at the Luxor" "Imagine the ride they had"? Good old Vegas, as tasteful as ever.

Anyway, I had to go, if even only to see how tacky it was. But I have to say, they did it really well. They had recreations of first class staterooms, third class bunks, the grand staircase and even the deck with real iceberg you can touch!

I know, it sounds funny, but it actually makes a serious point about just how cold the water was that night. As we know, water freezes at 0ºC, but when it's salt water it freezes at -4ºC or lower, so the iceberg is actually warmer than the water! They ask you to see how long you can keep you hand on the iceberg, (about 10 seconds before it feels like it's on fire!).

At the end of the tour, you turn a corner and there before you is a huge piece of Titanic, which I never knew they had brought up. They didn't rip it off the wreak, it had been lying in the debris field. It is massive and they have it lit very atmospherically, it's quite amazing to see it there in front of you.

There is a rope around it, with warning not to touch, but I just had to, regardless of consequences, I didn't care if they threw me out, I just had to touch Titanic.

What shocked me was how rough the plates were riveted together, overlapping in places, not smooth or even at all. I stayed just looking at it for a long time.

At a family lunch a few weeks ago, my great uncle Harry, who is 92 and still going strong, told me something that raised the hairs on the back of my neck. His father, my great grandfather, worked on Titanic, as a riveter!

Easter e-newsletter

2009-04-01T12:27:00.006+01:00

e-newsletter #2 hits the web! All the news that's fit to print and lots of nice special offers!

Sign up!

2009-03-09T16:24:00.006Z

I am just about to release my first e-newsletter. It has a €15,000 Mother's Day giveaway in it, plus all the latest news.

Believe it or not, it is the first promotion I have done for the studio, so it will be interesting to see how it works. I have a poster for it in my shop window and I have taken out an ad in The Northside People, our local free newspaper.

If you would like to sign up for my, what will hopefully be, monthly newsletters, please click here!

Back with a bang!

2009-02-25T16:47:00.005Z

Just back from WPPI 2009. What an amazing week it was. My sold out Masterclass went amazingly well. Everyone was very complimentary, apart from some complaints from next door about the volume! Ooops!

It took an awful lot of work getting everything ready and the 2 hours went by in a flash, but it was well worth it. I love being on stage, brings back lots of good memories from my band days. Many thanks to everyone who attended and a very special BIG thank you to my best buddy Mark Griffin "The Wedding King of Ireland" for all his help and the above photo!

Here is some of the great feedback I have received so far.

"Hey Mark, Thank you for your master class. I got some great information from your class and am looking forward to integrating it into my studio. If your ever in Vancouver Canada, look me up". Len Grinke

"I attended your Master Class yesterday and I was inspired by your photography and also your personal style. You were so endearing, that it showed me how to slow down and let my clients show me who they are. I would love to do a portrait sitting with you, but I live in California. I am from a fast paced world and generation and you were a breath of fresh air. And you work is stunning. Hahaha That was some off camera flash that I didn't expect!" Kat Willcox

"I also attended your Master Class at WPPI and absolutely loved your portrait work and sense of humor! Your photography inspired me to see in-studio portrait work in a whole new light...just beautiful. I'm excited to give it a try. Thank you for sharing your insight and talents!" Jessica Hanaumi

Sold Out in Vegas!

2009-02-03T10:09:00.007Z

Only a week to go before heading off the Las Vegas to speak at WPPI and I just checked with the organisers and my Masterclass has sold out!

I'm really excited now, I was worried no-one would show up, just me and some tumbleweed rolling across the floor.

For those of you who don't know, WPPI is the worlds biggest professional photography convention with over 11,000 photographer attending last year!

I never got to play Vegas when I was in a band, but now I'm selling out with my photography. Isn't life strange?

Irish Professional Photography Awards

2009-01-27T17:32:00.003Z

I was delighted to win the Family Portfolio Photographer of the Year and Fashion Portfolio Photographer of the Year at the National Photography Awards last Sunday night. These were the two categories I most wanted to win and I was over the moon when I did. The Awards were held in Carton House in Maynooth and Barry Murphy the comedian hosted the ceremony. He was very funny in a very understated way, pretending to be from The German Photographic Society. I was delighted when he mentioned me by name in one of his stories!

**** the recession

2008-12-20T14:33:00.003Z

This will be the first image in my studio window for the New Year. The text to go along with it on the side window will say "how to deal with the recession". Since we have all been scared to death by the media about what the New Year will hold, I thought this was appropriate.

Des Bishop

2008-11-27T16:30:00.008Z

Just did a brilliant shoot with Des Bishop.

Des needed a shot for his new tour "Unbearlable".

He wasn't sure exactly what he wanted, so I had a think and came up with a few ideas.

I was expecting him to say no to most of them, but he did everything I asked of him! Including getting into the sea in November!!! What a trouper.

As a result, there are loads of really great and different shots. (Even if I do say so myself)

I am really happy with this shoot. More like this please!

Clontarf Exhibition

2008-11-10T11:04:00.012Z

After nearly 3 years of shooting, I finally had the opening of "Images of Clontarf". My exhibition of landscape photographs of the Clontarf Promenade, The Wooden Bridge and The Bull Wall.

Roddy Doyle kindly agreed to officially open the exhibition and said some very flattering things about me and my work. The studio looks even better as an art gallery than I could have imagined. There was a great turn out on the night and we sold quite a few limited edition prints.

The opening was on 6th November, 7 years to the day I had the opening of the studio and also my birthday!

The Exhibition will run until Christmas, so if you are passing, please drop in.

Halloween

2008-11-03T15:01:00.008Z

Pearl wanted to fly and Calum wanted to chop someones head off!

Your wish is my command!

And the winner is...

2008-10-22T13:36:00.005+01:00

What does it feel like to win a major photography award?

Have a look at the video I secretly recorded when I won "Overseas Photographer of the Year" at The British Professional Photography Awards.

British Professional Photography Awards "Overseas Photographer of the Year"

2008-10-21T12:26:00.006+01:00

Amazing! I can't believe it! What a night!

I just won "Overseas Photographer of the Year" at The British Professional Photography Awards for the second time!

The "Overseas" awards are for all the entries outside of the UK. There were over 3000 entries and photographers travelled to the awards ceremony from as far away as Russia and Singapore.

The image that won for me is a shot I took of entrepreneur Niall Shanahan. I always feel a good portrait is a collaboration between the photographer and the sitter. There is only so much the photographer can do with lighting etc, the rest has to come from the subject and Niall was great at giving me what I wanted in this shot.

I was surprised to win with this image to be honest, as it's what I would call a "quiet" portrait, it doesn't scream "look at me". But the judges commented on the power of the image to draw you in and the depth of the blacks and print quality.

The British Professional Photography Awards

2008-10-14T14:55:00.007+01:00

This weekend sees the final of The British Professional Photography Awards. I was lucky enough to have won Overseas Photographer of the Year, Overseas Portrait Photographer of the Year and Overseas Wedding Photographer of the Year in 2006.

From the thousands of entries submitted this year, I am delighted to have had some of my images chosen for the grand final.

So it's off to Newcastle upon Tyne on Sunday, with fingers and everything else crossed!

Roddy Doyle

2008-10-06T11:21:00.004+01:00

Roddy Doyle the writer, very kindly agreed to come in to the studio to let me photograph him. I had about 45 minutes and we tried several different lighting set ups. I think one of the keys to a successful portrait is to try and relax as much as possible, both the subject and the photographer. Most people have a dread of being photographed and before the shoot often compare it to a trip to the dentist, but usually by the end, they seem to have enjoyed the experience.
Even though I am sure he has been photographed thousands of times, Roddy was no different. We had a great chat about schooldays and some of the mad teachers we had (he used to be a teacher) and we both relaxed fairly quickly.
These are a couple of my favorite images from the shoot. The second one was literally the last shot of the session. He put on his manbag to leave and I called him back to take a shot with it on as I think it looks really cool. I had been toying with the idea of buying a manbag myself for a while and went out and bought one after the shoot.

He invited me round to his house for a cup of tea and to show him the results of the shoot. He seemed very happy with them and gave me a signed proof copy of Click, a collection of short stories about a photographer. What a lovely guy.

Jason Byrne in Vicar St

2008-09-27T11:55:00.011+01:00

Universal Studios asked me to take some shots of Jason Byrne the comedian in Vicar St for his new live DVD. I had only ever seen him on his TV show Anonymous and had no idea of how funny he is. A really cool, down to earth guy, a pleasure to work with, no problem with me shooting him everywhere, apart from the toilet, I did try!
The show was amazing, he was absolutely on fire, so quick and one of the funniest comedians I have ever seen. The energy level was off the scale. It's no wonder he has just become the biggest selling act in the history of The Edinburgh Fringe Festival 24,000 tickets!
I bumped into PJ Gallagher backstage after the show, another very funny comedian and lovely guy. Jason and PJ used to work together in the same factory. That must have been a fun place to work.

PJ kindly offered me a lift home, but we had to stop and change a flat tyre on the way. Or rather PJ did, I was busy, taking photos!

My New Headshot

2008-09-24T11:58:00.008+01:00

It's a bit like a plumber who never fixes that leaking tap at home. I haven't updated my own headshot for a couple of years now and was in danger of being one of those photographers who look about 20 years older in real life!

I always think you can tell a lot about a photographer from their own headshots. The choice of background, type of pose, use of Photoshop, soft focus (oh dear), camera as prop (oh very dear), etc, speaks volumes about their style and tastes.

I hate having my photo taken. It throws up so many issues with me about self image, I have an idea in my head about how I look and then I see the reality and it's so depressing.
I wanted to do something a bit different and hopefully interesting, so I set up the camera on a tripod in the studio and used the 10 second timer and took the shot myself.

So what does my new headshot say about me? Mmmm.

Speaking at WPPI in Vegas

2008-09-24T11:34:00.010+01:00

This is the BIG one.
I am absolutely delighted to have been asked to give a Masterclass on portrait photography at WPPI in Vegas next year.
This is the biggest professional photography convention in the world with over 9000 photographers attending.
I have seen some of the best speakers there in the past and I can't believe I'm going to be one of them!
Now all I have to do is think of something to say!!!

Diffusion Fashion Shoot

2008-09-24T09:49:00.017+01:00

Just finished my first fashion shoot for years! It is an editorial shoot for Diffusion a beautiful fashion boutique in Clontarf run by Kate Gleeson.
I teamed up with top fashion stylist Tanya Grimson and together we came up with the idea of doing something high fashion with an edge. Tanya and I used to work together on magazine shoots when we were both just starting out, so it was great to work with her again. She is now one of the top stylists in the country and so busy, I was lucky to get her.
The shoot is going to be published in the Weekend magazine of The Irish Independent, which has a circulation of over half a million, so it's a nice calling card to say I'm back!

The Team. From L to R
Tanya Grimson (Stylist), De McKernan (Billy's assistant), Billy Orr (Hair & Make-Up), Anne Hobson (Tanya's assiatant), Me, and in front, our very own supermodel Karen Fitzpatrick

a portrait portfolio

2008-07-03T14:02:00.004+01:00

Here is my new portrait portfolio. It consists of some of my favorite new and old images. My first video and my first blog all on the same day, very productive.

My new blog!

2008-07-03T11:49:00.000+01:00

If you can't beat them, join them.
I have been so bad about updating my "news" page on my website, because I have to use code and I always forgot to put in a < or something, that I thought I would try a blog instead. so here goes!