people & lifestyle photography Sep 2009

"Don't raise your arms to your kids.
It leaves your groin unprotected."

(South London proverb).

Lifestyle photographer Chris Sisarich seeks to capture the life hidden in a moment and trigger an emotional response with his work through his fresh approach and unique style.

Based in New Zealand because of his love for the ocean and the lifestyle, a laid-back existence sees him operating throughout Australasia. None-the-less, clients such as Lexus, Frito Lay, Skoda and Coca-Cola keep him busy with regular work in Europe, Africa, and the USA.  

Chris is currently in Africa shooting Tourism Egypt's global campaign, although recently he managed a brief working trip home to shoot the new Subaru campaign in Sydney.

Howard Kingsnorth works worldwide, on location and in the studio.

Recent global imagery shot by Howard for HSBC Bank includes the images featured in this Spotlight, but the work also employed his multi-genre skills, covering still life, container ships at sea, and complex studio assemblies of 'world' fishing methods. Pandora (Howard's agent) says, "The agency (rmg) really wanted one photographer for this varied campaign, one who could offer the experience and skill of people direction, complex studio production, still life, location management and, above all, experience."

The other images featured here are a progression of Howard's 'iconic' portrait style. His diversity has lent his talent to photographing world class athletes, local football teams, and the global advertising campaign for Graff Diamonds.

Consistently delivering "only the very best", Jim Luning has a unique perspective and ability to add something special to every project.

Visit his website for more information.

Julian Calverley has over 22 years experience as a photographer.

Coming from a traditional film, print and darkroom background he now shoots high-end digital and has over twelve years experience in post production and digital workflow.

He is at home both in the studio and on location, shooting people, lifestyle, landscapes, automotive and underwater photography.

In the last 12 months he has worked in the the UK, Europe and the USA.

Contact his agent or visit his website for more information and work samples.

Karan Kapoor has been taking photographs for as long as he can remember. His lifestyle images are filled with an immediate energy and sense of vitality, and his background in reportage photography informs a very people-orientated shooting perspective.

2009 has been a busy year for Karan. His projects so far include work for Italian bank Che Banca, a pharmaceutical drug campaign for Estring with agency Draft FCB USA, a shoot with '60s supermodel Twiggy for Olay, the Liverpool One campaign with agency JWT, and a Surestart campaign for CMW London.

Karan was awarded first place in the People/Lifestyle category at the International Photography Awards 2009 for his winning entry 'Old Couple'. Four more of his images won honourable mentions in other categories.

Lorentz Gullachsen recently shot cowboys, showgirls, mechanics, truck drivers, landscape gardeners, teachers and bookkeepers - and that was just in one day!

A busy mix of advertising campaigns, editorial commissions and personal projects has kept Lorentz busy over the last twelve months in the UK, as well as New Zealand, Italy and Spain. From his base in the heart of England he is well placed to get to most UK locations.

The photographer says, "It has been a tough year for everyone, but somehow I've been lucky and pragmatic about all aspects of production. It's great to stay in a five-star hotel, but there are great bed & breakfast places around too, so let's keep real location photography alive - stock shots are for wimps!"

Michael Heffernan's 22 years of experience spans a diverse client base across a variety of sectors, including Nokia, Cadbury, Merck and SABMiller.

Based in London, Michael photographs in a reportage style, producing spontaneous and unconstrained work used for image libraries, promotional campaigns and advertising. Michael's work takes him all over the world and has already seen him shoot in ten countries so far this year, including Brazil, South Africa and Lebanon.

Alongside professional commissions, Michael continues to work on personal projects which this year have involved photographing gang members in Rio's favela shanty towns and documenting religious ceremonies in Bali. An ability to react quickly to events around him is reflected in Michael's uncontrived and instinctive images that capture a local life rarely seen by tourists.

Mike Ellis loves shooting people, whether in the studio or on location. His relaxed approach is designed to put the subject at ease for natural and engaging portraits or stories captured in a candid reportage style in their own environments.

His work over the last 20 years has spanned the editorial, corporate and advertising fields both in the UK and internationally, working with clients large and small.

Mike's recent clients include the BritishHeartFoundation, EDFEnergy, EuropeanBank, Hotel Chocolat, ICAP, KingstonNHS Trust, M&S, Psion, RNIB, NationalGrid, TomTom, PriceWaterhouseCoopers and The Universityof Westminster.

His outlook is that hard work and fun should not be mutually exclusive, and that "a keen eye for detail helps the recipe along."

This year has seen a diverse range of shoots for the photographer Nick David.

Recent commissions have included work for The Government's National Archive, look books for Levi's, a shoot for the charity pfeg, chefs for P&G and a direct mail campaign for Gala Bingo.

In addition to Nick's commercial work, a collaboration with the art commissioning body NOMAD featuring disco death metalists Chrome Hoof and the artist Marcus Coates - exhibition to follow next year.

The summer has also been busy with cheerleading conventions in Coventry for BCA, portraits at Miss Blackpool 2009, a music festival dedicated to all things metal and a chance to photograph bikers at London's Ace cafe.

A mailer featuring all these projects and more to be designed by Damien Poulain for 2010.

Nick is represented by Lisa Pritchard Agency.

London-based photographer Nick Dawe has been shooting all kinds of people in a variety of interesting situations for more than 15 years. It is precisely this diversity of life that continues to intrigue and fascinate him. In the past 12 months, Nick has worked on campaigns for the City and Guilds, the BBC and the Army Cadet Force.

When not working on commercial assignments, Nick is likely to be pursuing personal projects that invariably document some aspect of the British public at work or play. His projects often begin as a point of curiosity or a desire to learn more about something, and at a later date result in a publication, as recently happened with his ongoing series 'Nation of Shopkeepers', which was featured as a photo-essay in Intelligent Life magazine.

Paddy Eckersley shoots people and locations in a relaxed reportage style. He has established relationships with production companies worldwide.

His client list is multinational, his approach singular.

Pete Webb spent his early photographic years shooting surf sports, and when Burton produced their first snowboard he added snow sports to his repertoire. What was already in place was a love of the great outdoors and today he has participated in a great range of adventure sports all over the world. This unique background in sport, travel and lifestyle is what sets him apart. Having an understanding with athletes allows him to be in their club, and knowing great locations around the globe really brings a lifestyle production to life.

Being dropped on a steep mountainside by helicopter, surrounded by sharks underwater, the latest supermodel... all scary stuff, but it is what makes the photographer tick.

All of this came before years of experience shooting ad campaigns, clothing catalogues, sporting events and editorial stories. This last year has seen the BahamasTourist office create images with him once again, Aigle Asia take advantage of his knowledge of the great outdoors in Slovenia where he shot for two days in a snow storm, and Sebago Shoes and Apparel produce a riveting lifestyle catalogue.

With clients as diverse as Kaleidoscope, Debenhams, Ford Motor Company, Max Factor, Quicksilver, Fat Face, Billabong and First Choice, it is obvious that Pete's work is open to any genre.

Sam Robinson was born in 1979 and spent the early part of his life between his mother’s native Barcelona and his father’s home city, London. He finally settled in London for his teenage years, but these two very different cultures have had a huge influence on Sam's photography. He currently strives to balance his time between both cities.

Sam was given a camera by his father at an early age and has since rarely been seen without one. After studying photography at Nottingham Trent University, he spent a couple of years assisting in London before moving on to shoot his own commissions. He has been freelance ever since. In 2006, he built his own studio in central London and although he uses this as a base he predominantly shoots on location around the world. His clients include Nokia, Skype, bmi, movistar, ITV, SKY, Orange, Petrofac and Adidas.

Sam's photography relies on a wonderful ability to encourage the best out of people. His warm and relaxed manner permits him to capture genuine moments of emotion and feeling and lends a sense of real honesty to his work.

Contact Sam directly for more information.

Zac Macaulay has been shooting professionally for 24 years. Growing up by the sea, his love for all things aquatic quickly grew.

His first paid job was assisting Mike Portelly on various underwater television commercials. This whetted his appetite for the creative side of underwater photography shooting in the open sea, alongside advertising production based shoots in film tanks.

He got his first major break shooting an ad for Diesel in 1997 and a string of advertising commissions followed, including the BBC, Boots, Bristol Myers Squibb, British Heart Foundation and the National Lottery campaign. His most recent campaign in August 2009 was for Oxfam.

Zac has won many international awards for his work. His most prized to-date is the Palme d'Or for 'Best Advertising Campaign' at the Antibes Underwater Film and Photography Festival, 2007.

Zac is currently putting together an exhibition of his work for the Royal Suites at London's Heathrow Airport, and has just returned from Egypt where he was shooting wild dolphins.