Blog
The Man Who Made Me See
A month ago, Dr Charles Ghenassia, with the aid of a laser and a very steady hand, cut open the corneas of my eyes and successfully removed the cause of my severe short-sightedness and astigmatism with his forceps (yes, literally). This man, giving me the gift of 20:20 vision, has consequently earned his place as one of the Most Important Men in my Life. So to thank Dr Ghenassia, and to mark this momentous happening as a photographer, I took my large format film camera to Nice and made a single portrait of him.
Contemporary Art in Nice
Provence has long been associated with art. Cézanne, Renoir, Chagall, Picasso and Matisse are among the many painters who have been drawn to the bright Mediterranean colours, the light and the agreeable climate of the South of France (photographers, I can attest, also appreciate these qualities…). But does a homegrown arts scene thrive on the French Riviera today, or does it depend on the legacy of its former glory? A writer from German magazine, Stern, came recently to investigate the current art scene in Nice for a travel feature, and I, photographer, was happy to join in his two day art immersion.
Floating Whisky Palace
When I was young, I once overheard the term ‘floating gin palace’ in conversation. My imagination conjured up a thing of wonder, and so I was disappointed later to learn that the term simply refers to the kind of luxury motor yacht plentiful in Antibes, Cannes and other South of France marinas. Last week, I was asked as corporate event photographer to spend the evening in Cannes on a vessel that could have been fairly accurately described as a floating whisky palace.
Lunch with Finnish Economist
Björn Wahlroos is arguably Finland’s most important businessman. As outspoken as he is successful, arch-capitalist economist Björn is chairman of three of the biggest companies in the Nordic region. He also regularly participates in debates on the financial future of Europe in Brussels and has recently written a book about free market economic theories. Danish business newspaper Børsen decided to run a feature about Wahlroos, so their journalist flew down to join him in the South of France and I was the photographer commissioned to take his portrait.
Monaco: Mission Control
Something rather exciting is happening up in the sky at the moment. As I type, the first ever round-the-world flight of a solar-powered plane is being attempted and the current base of the mainly Swiss team of engineers working on this pioneering project is right here on the French Riviera. One might think that Monaco, with its two crowded square kilometres of land, would not be ideally suited to housing a space station, but one would be wrong. Monaco is currently home to the control centre of Solar Impulse and I recently went down to photograph the project’s Mission Control Engineer, Michael Anger.
Countdown to Cannes
The smell of summer is suddenly in the air in the South of France. Down in Cannes, fur coats have been tossed aside in favour of sequinned bikinis as winter-white skin is unleashed onto the beach. MIPIM (Cannes’s big annual real estate trade event held at le Palais des Festivals) has come and gone, which means only one thing: the countdown to the Cannes Film Festival has begun…
Monaco Murder Most Horrid
Think of Monaco and you’re more likely to think of Formula One and champagne than murder mysteries. However, in May this year, the richest woman in Monaco, Hélène Pastor, was gunned down in nearby Nice. The prime suspect in arranging her murder is her son-in-law and the suspected motive was a potent mix of money and social rejection. Eyes across the world briefly turned to Monaco, including those of German news magazine Der Spiegel. I joined two reporters to put together a feature about Monaco’s social culture, the ‘breeding ground’ for this crime.
A Date with The Hexecutioner
He is known to the public as ‘the Hexecutioner’. He has a new tattoo engraved on his small body after every win (there isn’t much space left – to date he has lost only 1 of his 27 professional fights). He keeps pet pythons, iguanas and large spiders. He wears children’s shoes. South Africa’s Hekkie Budler is the world champion minimumweight boxer. Last month, he came to Monaco to defend his titles. Sam, New York Times European Sports Writer, came down to Nice and we spent the day with Hekkie and his entourage a few days before the fight, to make a portrait of the ‘toughest small guy in the world’.
A Dog’s Life in Cannes
Cannes is known the world over for its film festival and timeless French Riviera glamour. La Croisette, the town’s seafront boulevard, is The Place to stroll along, to see and be seen. Below eye level, a surprising number of rather glamorous, happy-looking dogs can be seen promenading too. A dog’s life on the French Riviera can be a very good one.
Monaco: a King among Estate Agents
Comedian Stephen Fry once quipped “Estate agents: you can’t live with them, you can’t live with them”. Let’s face it, property sellers don’t exactly have the best reputation. I was sent to Monaco, where real estate is somewhat larger than life, on an editorial assignment to photograph one of the Principality’s finest estate agents.