Mark Beats Up The Coronas!

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

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!