duncannicholls

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AMH MENSWEAR - REFLECTIVE RANGE.

This was a fun shoot, for Menswear brand AMH.

Brand Director Ashley Marc Hovelle wanted a portrait series of his customers wearing items from his Reflective Range.  

Stylistically, we wanted the reflective panel to blast out, and so decided on a simple set up, using one hard directional light source -giving lots of contrast and strong shadows. It was then all about their personalities shining through.

Here are a few shots from that day.

Enjoy.

Here's MR AMH himself (below).

and me trying a Reflective T-Shirt on for size!

AMH - http://ashleymarchovelle.com/

For more of my work, please visit:

http://www.duncannicholls.co.uk/

#duncannicholls portraits mensfashion amh

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CLARITY, EMPLOYMENT FOR BLIND PEOPLE. (Behind the scenes images)

Last month, I had the privilege of Co-Directing a number of Videos with Juliette Dalton (2DiceProductionz) for Clarity Employment for Blind People.  The Videos will go live in Early 2015.

Here's a few behind the scenes stills I shot of the inspirational people who work at Clarity.

- and some of myself, Juliette, and sound engineer Michal.

Here's Michal recording machine noise and vibrations, to form part of the soundtrack.   

www.duncannicholls.co.uk 

#portraits #portraiture #clarity #photography

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EVERY CRISIS IS PERSONAL CAMPAIGN - SHOT FOR THE BRITISH RED CROSS

This campaign was commissioned through my agent GA Artists, and is one I'm very proud to have delivered.

It's out and about on Billboards and in the UK Press.

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MORE PORTRAITS OF THE VISUALLY IMPAIRED

Visually impaired Bowls at The Croydon Voluntary Centre for the Blind.  

Commissioned by The Greater London Fund for The Blind (www.glfb.org.uk)

#portraits #charity #portraiture #photography

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Can you imagine waking up one day, having lost your eyesight overnight? After shooting for the Greater London Fund for The Blind (http://www.glfb.org.uk/) for years, I was inspired to find out even more about the experiences of the visual impaired. Collaborating with TV presenter Abi Griffiths we created this Video, telling the stories of Kevin, Mandy & Ricky, who are all visually impaired, and work at Clarity employment for Blind People (http://www.clarityefbp.org/). 

VIDEO:   http://www.duncannicholls.co.uk/charity I'd be very grateful if you could take a second to share this, so raising awareness of the wonderful support given by both the GLFB & Clarity.  They are both very dear to me. Thank you.

#portraits #charity #video

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"I already know the result, I just have to live the story" 

- Boxer YISAN RODRIGUEZ for BREATHE:SPORT

Collaborating with TV Presenter Abi Griffiths, BREATHE:SPORT will tell the stories of many of the worlds leading sporting figures, and those on the ascent to the summit.  

Through a series of portraits, interviews and short films, we will explore the connection between the inspirer and the inspired - and what it takes to become the best on the planet at your craft.

http://www.duncannicholls.co.uk/people-1/98915

#portraits #photograpjhy #breathe:sport

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Sadie Creese, for WIRED MAGAZINE

Here's my portrait of Professor of Cyber Security Sadie Creese, commissioned by WIRED Magazine.  

On arrival we were denied access to the room you see Sadie in above.

The solution?  Firstly, and light and shoot the above space (interior and exterior) at varying exposures.  Measure every possible distance from camera and every light to all key points. Move camera into set and shoot specific elements in greater detail for final comp.  

Secondly - have a cup of tea.  That should have been point one.

Next, find another location to shoot Sadie behind a pane of glass, and replicate the original lighting set up. 

The only option, up 4 flights of stairs and with Sadie no outside, we had to factor in the sun.  Glass being slightly reflective, likes to reflect me into the shot.  So to remove myself from the image, behold my new 'bin liner chic' range.  Never take yourself too seriously.  

Finally hand over all ingredients to a skilled retoucher, stir vigorously, and le voila!

Special thanks to Sadie for being a great sport, and to my brilliant Digital Operator Jake Newell, for a superhuman effort, on a searingly hot day.

#editorial #portraits #technical #photography #wired magazine

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THE MORE YOU CREATE, THE MORE THERE IS TO CREATE

#No.1 - TOM JACKSON

Kicking off this series celebrating artists and their creations, here's my shot of neighbour and fellow Portrait Photographer Tom Jackson, with his Portrait of Jamal Edwards (commissioned by The Times Magazine). 

  As this series moves forward, I'll be photographing and learning more from artists and creatives in a variety of different fields, so it promises to be a fascinating journey.  I hope you enjoy, and perhaps draw inspiration from this too.  

  So, here's what the artist himself had to say about his shoot.

Duncan: Tell us a little about this shoot, Jamal, and the approach you like to take when taking portraits like this.

Tom: The Jamal Edwards job was a commission from The Times Magazine.  Jamal is a young, and very confident guy who was used to having his picture taken.  I used this to my advantage and just let him do what's comfortable.  Not too much direction, that's my usual formula.

He was a wicked guy and very inspiring.  We shot for about 3 hours, when my official time was only 90 minutes.

Duncan:  Away from your commercial business, are you working on any interesting personal projects right now?

Tom:  I am always shooting personal projects, but at the moment I have an exhibition starting on the 18th November in the pier head gallery Cardiff bay.  It's called Welsh Rugby Greats, portraits of great welsh players past and present.

Duncan:  Who've been some of the biggest influences on your career so far? Tom: I have many photographers I admire, to many to list.  But Jane Hilton has been a great inspiration of mine and my mentor. Also the great Richard Avedon.

  Tom's website is http://www.tomjacksonphotography.com/ if you'd like to see more of his work.  

  The more you create, the more there is to create.

#Portraits #Personal Projects #The More You Create..

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ANGOSTURA ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN, TRINIDAD

Client: Angostura

Art Direction: Alison Gibb

Digital: Shivy Kanagaratnam

Lighting: Pro Centre

So when a client calls, and asks if you'd like to shoot a campaign for them in Trinidad, all your hard work comes into focus, and it's most definitely a fun call to receive.

Being aware that Trinidad was just about to enter its rainy season, myself and my Digital team left the UK with all the required lighting and equipment to ensure we could create the sunshine, should the sun decide not to join us.

Two flights later, and after some cash had changed hands in Barbados, everything arrived safely in Trinidad.  

Over the next 4 days, we created a striking Global Campaign for Angostura, which helped my client launch their brand in new territories.

The above shot is one of my favourites, and as you'll see from the below behind the scenes frame, we had to create the 'sunset' feel ourselves.  Not long after this picture was taken, the heavens opened up, and we frantically packed all the equipment and crew back in the bus. 

Thanks to a wonderful client for the opportunity, the people of Trinidad for their warm welcome, and to all the team for putting in some very long days to make this happen.

#Advertising #Campaign #Trinidad #Location #Portraits

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AFRICA, 2013 - Personal Project Series

Every year in the depths of winter, I leave the UK for warmer climates to shoot a new personal project.  

The following photos are a small selection from this years trip to the remote village of Brufut in The Gambia.

I hope you enjoy these images, it was a profound experience meeting these people and taking their portraits.

    In my short time there, I encountered so much joy and happiness amongst the people of the Gambia.  I'm very grateful for the experience, and for the way it made me question my own existence and values in life. 

  There are many ways of living, and I think we can only know the tip of the iceberg of what others feel and know. 

  More of this series can be found at http://www.duncannicholls.co.uk/africa-new

#Portraits #Africa #Location #Personal Projects

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THE GREATER LONDON FUND FOR THE BLIND CHARITY (GLFB)

For three years now, it has been a privilege to use my skills as a Photographer to support The Greater London Fund for The Blind (www.glfb.org.uk) and help those with visual impairment.  

Below are a selection of Portraits of people whose lives are greatly improved thanks to the work and dedication of those within the GLFB family.  Each person in these images has some degree of visual impairment.

I shoot campaigns for the GLFB on a pro bono basis, and also donate a % of my first fee with any new commercial client to them.  Taking these Portraits is an immensely inspiring, educational and moving experience for me.    

If you have the time, please visit these sites to find out more about the wonderful work the GLFB, and some of the organisations they support do for the visually impaired.

http://www.glfb.org.uk/

The first Portraits are of employees at Clarity Employment for The Blind

http://www.clarityefbp.org/

The fifth is of Gerard, shot at

http://www.croydonvisual.plus.com/

The final three photos were captured during a day for visually impaired children at The Oval Cricket ground, run by

http://www.cricketforchange.org.uk/

More of my work for the GLFB can be viewed at 

http://www.duncannicholls.co.uk/charity

#Portraits #Charity #GLFB #Campaigns

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Unruly Media for WIRED MAGAZINE

Client: WIRED MAGAZINE

Art Direction:  Dalia Nassimi

Digital Technician: Shivy Kanagaratnam

Company: Unruly Media (http://www.unrulymedia.com/)

From left to right:

Sarah Wood (Founder & COO), Matt Cooke (Founder and CTO) & Scott Button (Founder & CEO). 

It's long been an ambition of mine to shoot for WIRED, so to be regularly contributing to the magazine recently makes me happy.

I really enjoy working with Dalia.  She produces inspiring, fun concepts and as with the above shot, I'm given the creative freedom to suggest more complex ways to create a better final image.  

We shot on a Hasselblad H4 with P45 Digital back.  A beautiful camera system, but also a necessity due to the ultra fast shutter speeds required to freeze motion.  

The shot required capturing various elements from different places, so the camera and lighting set up was carefully measured, and replicated in multiple locations. 

Thanks to Sarah, Matt & Scott for being so receptive to our ideas.

The final image was a composite of 7 individual frames, and I'm delighted to see the final result in print.  

Good work team!

#Editorial #Technical #Portraits

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WOMENS FASHION SHOOT

Here is a selection of images from a recent collaboration with Stylist Paula Maddin, and Hair & Make Up Artist Jo Mckenna.  I'd worked with Paula on a few Chess London Catalogue and Campaign shoots, and it was a lot of fun producing this series together.  

Huge thanks to my Digital Team of Marco & Jake on this one.

Styling:  Paula Maddin - http://paulamaddin.viewbook.com/portfolio/home

Hair:  Jo McKenna - http://jomckennamakeup.wordpress.com/

Digital Operator:  Marco Pereira

Lighting Assistant:  Jake Newell

Studio:  Alphaville2 http://www.alphaville2.co.uk/

#Fashion #Studio

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GREEN BAY PACKERS V NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

Whilst recently in the US, I attended my first American Football game, when the Green Bay Packers hosted the New Orleans Saints at Lambeau Field.

Here are a few pics from the famous 'tailgate parties', taking place in parking lots surrounding the stadium.  Going to an NFL game clearly involves a lot more than the match itself.

It was a carnival like atmosphere both inside and outside the stadium.  A sea of Green & Gold, with every fan of all ages dressed in their teams colours, and many drinking their own body weight in alcohol.  Which is a lot of beers.  I looked particularly impressive wearing my newly purchased Green Bay Packers Cape, which came free with a 12 pack of Miller Lite.  Win, Win.

  Green Bay itself is a surreal, sleepy industrial town, that bursts into life on match day.  It's populations isn't significantly bigger than the stadium capacity itself (74,000).  The iconic Lambeau Field towers over the flat industrial land around it.

Even for an NFL rookie like myself, with minimal idea of what was actually going on, the game was incredible to watch, packed with controversial decisions, with the Packers coming from behind to win 28-27.  Get in.

Unfortunately the Police weren't too keen on me taking my camera into the ground, so there are no pictures of that.  I can report an Airforce fly by, a passionate rendition of the National Anthem, and particularly hammered fans everywhere.

Thanks again to my friends Pat & John Laughlin, and DJ for an immense day.  Go Pack Go!

#Portraits #USA #Location #Personal Projects

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LONDON START UP SCENE PROJECT

First my Twitter feed, then came my facebook page.. and finally here's my blog!  

Enjoy.

Here's a couple of portraits from an ongoing project I'm shooting here in London.  There's an amazing energy surrounding the Tech Start Up Scene right now, especially around many of the companies and individuals located near the infamous 'Silicon Roundabout'. 

I've decided to Photograph some of the key players, the most innovative and coolest companies, the big success stories so far, and some very early stage start up's who could turn out to be the next big thing.

What's very interesting to me is the mindset and characteristics of this scene as a whole.  Their seems on some levels to be much more of open community feelabout it, than other industries.  Failure, to a certain degree is a badge of honour.  Pivoting your business strategy when things aren't panning out as you'd planned, and moving your brand forward down a route you'd not envisaged at the start.  Much like this project actually.  

The pace of change is frightening too, as illustrated in this opening shot of Andreas and Tamas, who were at the time the co-founders of Lookk.com, but have since moved on.    

Second up is the super cool Rob Fitzpatrick, shot at Bar Music Hall in East London. To learn more about Rob, and watch him squander £10,000 check out http://bootstrapchallenge.com/ and follow him on Twitter @robfitz

More images from this project can be seen on at www.duncannicholls.co.uk

#Location #Portraits #Personal Projects