I’d love to say that I’ve got a pitch-side pass or a seat in Abramovich’s white leather-pimped box for next week’s FA Cup Final, but sadly no.
Yesterday I was shooting some chef portraits and doing a recce for a shoot next Fri about the catering for the Cup Final. More on that later.
In between heavy showers the pitch and stadium looked just amazing.
I’m not usually one to do event photography. It’s just not my kind of thing, the kind of style and brief that most PRs ask for. But The Telegraph wanted something a bit looser and so I agreed. It was also a good excuse to try out some fast glass – 50mm f1.2, 35mm f1.4. V nice…
The night of Wed 18 April, The Telegraph organised an event to celebrate the final countdown of 100 days to the start of the London 2012 Olympics. Held at the Mandarin Oriental hotel in London, athletes, organisers and sponsors were invited to celebrate the forthcoming games and also big up The Telegraph’s coverage with champagne and nibbles.
It’s easy to take the usual jaded, cynical stance that London 2012 will just be a shambles of overt brand placement and organisational bungling. (The BBC comedy series Twenty Twelve strikes the sweet spot.) But when Denise Lewis took to the stage (still looking amazing), everyone was captivated. Her gold medal winning performance from Sydney 2000 replayed on the monitors brought the audience to their feet and the inspiring effect of this ultimate symbol of sporting triumph was palpable.
As one presenter commented, ‘The closer the games get, the more the excitement will grow. It is a once in a lifetime event, and however cynical you may be now, who won’t want to watch the Olympic torch passing through their neighbourhood when the time comes?’
The Noisettes rounded off the evening nicely playing a small set on stage.
A touch of glamour at a recent cocktail, interiors and portrait shoot at Salvatore’s Bar at the Playboy Club, London.
The barman in question was Salvatore Calabrese, one of the world’s leading cocktail experts and affectionately known as The Maestro. The bar boasts his amazing collection of vintage spirits including cognacs dating as far back as 1805. One of his vintage cocktails will set you back anything from a few hundred quid to two and a half grand, so you’ll either need deep pockets or a lucky hand at the gaming table.
Pictured here, not quite as bling as one of his vintage cocktails but equally sophisticated, is one of my favourites, an Old Fashioned – a classic cocktail of whisky with Angostura and sugar.
Touching the Void 