Low!

 “You look like the kind of people who probably bump into each other a lot...maybe at the same library” - Alan Sparhawk of Low, nailing the audience demographic at last night‘s gig in Rouen.

Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker

I’ve loved Low’s melancholy songs, distorted guitars and eerie harmonies for some time, so it was a real treat to get to see them live. 

Steve Garrington

Steve Garrington

They didn’t disappoint, with this being a highlight of the evening.

Never too loud

Never too loud

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Teeth solo!

Teeth solo!

Here’s my favourite song from their new album, a classic, and a great cover. 

Goodnight Normandy!

Trans / Punk

I shot some portraits recently of Irish transgender people for Michele-Ann Kelly’s Transition, Family and Me project. When Sarah R Phillips and I started talking about music it turned out we’d both been to many of the seminal punk gigs in Dublin. I asked if she’d seen the legendary Slaughter & The Dogs play in Belfield, and she told me not only was she there, she still goes to see them every chance she gets. Respect.

A History-Making Nerd

Liz Carolan is a self-confessed data and transparency nerd. In 2018, she set up a project to bring transparency to online advertising in Ireland’s referendum on the 8th amendment which banned abortion. That project led to a change in policy by Facebook and Google, and prompted commitments by the Irish Government to reform electoral regulations. Reading about her work makes it even more obvious that treating social media, particularly Facebook, with an ever-increasing degree of scepticism can only be a good thing. See also: T-Bone Burnett’s incendiary keynote from SXSW.

I photographed Liz last week in the new Fumbally Exchange, Dublin 8.

A different kind of portrait

Sometimes something very different comes along, such as the couple of times I’ve been asked by friends with cancer to help make a record of their experience. One such friend asked me recently to photograph her lumpectomy scars, and we were both very happy with how the pictures turned out. I’m also very glad to say that she’s doing well now, after a gruelling round of treatment. To be asked to do something like this feels like a real honour.

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What's Wrong With Dreaming?

River City People promo video for 'What's Wrong with Dreaming?'

I barely had a clue what I was doing. Talking to Jarlath recently reminded me of this promo, my very first outing as a lighting cameraman. It came out alright, though- I think wobbly cam was a thing back then. I connected with Siobhan again years later, and we got to hang out in Nashville when I was there to shoot a portrait for the So Far book.

Saw a great comment on the Youtube video, which I just had to respond to…

Paris Brûle...

…well, it was when I took these photographs during Act VIII. There was an escalation of violence last week, but so far today’s protests (Act IXX) have been a lot calmer. A lot of people here feel it’s time to give it a rest, and XX is such a nice round number…

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30 Hours in Dublin

A quick visit, but I was able to see something I often pine for when I’m in Paris.

I also got to pick up the Irish edition of Nicole Flattery’s new book, which I’m really looking forward to reading. Nicole is a brilliant, seriously funny writer. I met her shortly after arriving in Paris, and we did some portraits in the Centre Culturel Irlandais that have become her author pictures.

There’s another portrait of her in the ‘Writers’ gallery which is being used as the author picture in the UK edition of the book. It’s out today - highly recommended.

Happiness, a day late*

Better than no happiness at all...

 *yesterday was the International Day of Happiness.

Cuban Love Songs

One of the photographs from a piece I did on Havana for the Irish Times is being used in this forthcoming anthology of Cuban poetry, designed by my sister’s company Kate Horgan Bespoke Books.

The rest of the Havana pictures and the article can be seen here.

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HCB

“You just have to live and life will give you pictures” - Henri Cartier-Bresson.

Behind the scenes with the Gloaming

After shooting the Gloaming ahead of their show in the beautiful Théâtre de l'Athéné, I stayed on to get some informal portraits during the rehearsal.

The Gloaming, Théâtre de l'Athéné, Paris.

The Gloaming, Théâtre de l'Athéné, Paris.

Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh.

Iarla Ó Lionáird.

Iarla Ó Lionáird.

Thomas Bartlett, aka Doveman.

Thomas Bartlett, aka Doveman.

Caoimhín’s socks.

Caoimhín’s socks.