It's Alive!!

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.

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

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!

The National Photographic Awards 2010

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.

Roddy Doyle and The Catcher in the Rye

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.

The Master Dies

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!

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.

The Portrait Studio becomes STUDIO

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

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!

Digital Photographer Magazine Feature

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

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

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!

Easter e-newsletter

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

Sign up! here to receive it.

Sign up!

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!

Sold Out in Vegas!

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?

The British Professional Photography Awards

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!

My New Headshot

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

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!!!