Gijsbert Hanekroot

Here are some portraits I shot of Dutch Photographer Gijbert Hanekroot a true legend of Rock Photography. He has photographed everybody from the Stones to the Beatles and made his name in the 60s and 70s. On top of that he was the mentor of Celebrity Photographer Anton Corbijn who started out as Gijsbert’s assistant in the 70s.

Conor J O’Brien, Villagers

Shot a portrait of the wonderful Conor O’Brien, lead singer and brainchild of Irish band Villagers at ‘De Beschaving’ (Civilization) Festival in Utrecht, Holland on Saturday 18th June. When the man sings he pours his heart out and at times seems to be close to breaking and shattering into pieces. You might have noticed I’m a big fan… Many years ago when I started out in photography this is what I used to do; gigs and portraits of musicians, I must say I still enjoy it and don’t get to do much of this type of work in Asia…

Namewee

Namewee is a Malaysian Chinese rapper who’s rise to sudden stardom followed the release of his highly controversial piece – Negarakuku. The song covers elements of daily lives in Malaysia,including police corruption, inefficient public services and biased government policies. Wee dedicated it to “all Malaysians, especially the Government.” Since then he has released numerous songs, and did the theme music to the Singapore movie - Where Got Ghost.

The above images were shot outside the historic Kuala Lumpur prison walls and depict Namewee’s take on the proverb of the three wise monkeys (hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil), most likely known as symbols of Koshin faith, a Japanese folk religion.

Charles Cham

Artist Charles Cham is a well known painter originating from Malacca, Malaysia. He is a member of the renowned Association des Artistes Indépendants in Aix-en-Provence and has exhibited in the Salon des Indépendants in 1990 and 1991.

His works are based on the philosophy of Yin and Yang – the duality of life and the attraction of opposites. He believes that everything has another side, visible or not. “The Yin and Yang paintings are actually multiple paintings. They are in fact two paintings on one canvas, with each other facing in the opposite direction.” “I believe that drawing is thinking and painting is feeling. Therefore, I draw what I think and paint what I feel. As there is no feeling without thinking, there is also no painting without drawing. Sometimes I feel more comfortable calling my works painted drawings rather than just paintings.”

The above portraits were shot in his studio in Malacca, Malaysia which goes by the name The Orangutan House.

Oliver Stone

Years after having met 3 times Oscar winning film director Oliver Stone one late night at a Soho night club and sharing some wine and thoughts on his then longtime Director of Photography Robert Richardson, ASC I finally met the man again. This time I was to DOP an interview for one of China’s TV stations. We shot at the bar of the new St Regis hotel along the Orchard Rd. Still animated and outspoken as ever he didn’t let anyone down. After the shoot I managed to get some portraits done of him. Originating on medium format film above is the final selected shot. With so much character in a face only Black and White film would have done it justice. To the purists out there; there is absolutely no DI in this shot! I will be posting the edited interview at a later date.

Zakii Anwar

Here is a selection of images I shot of Malaysian Artist Zakki Anwar. This particular series was shot for the Wall Street Journal. It was shot on location at Zakii’s home and studio. We spent a few hours chatting and shooting. He has a great painting technique using many different materials. To view his work go here: http://www.ahmadzakiianwar.com

The Wall Street Journal piece on Zakii can be found here: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704094304575030331076779888.html

Denise Keller

Denise Keller is a well known model/host/presenter in and around Asia. She is of German and Singapore Chinese decent and so she was an obvious choice for the book on Eurasian faces. This particular shot is part of a series of portraits featuring 1st generation Eurasians I have been shooting called 50/50 (& Thereabouts). Having her endorse the project has opened more doors to other well known Eurasians in the region. Denise is a true pro and very easy to work with.

Michael Stipe, REM

I have always liked REM so it was very exciting to finally meet the man and having the opportunity to shoot him. I wanted to shoot him in a different way then most of his shots out there so I decided to shoot him using a fish eye lens being literally in his face. It gives the portrait a nice surreal feel which is inline with Michael’s lyrical style and personality. With many top celebrities you usually get about 10 minutes so it is imperative that you are prepared properly. I think we shot 2 rolls of 120 film and that was it!

Ben Cowen, 7Hurtz

Portrait of Ben Cowen, one half of London electro outfit 7Hurtz. Knowing someone well can sometimes be a disadvantage when you want to shoot them. I have known Ben for many years and so it took a few sessions to get serious and get the right vibe for this particular shot.

Martijn ten Velden, House DJ/Producer

Here is a series of portraits I have taken of DJ/ProducerMartijn ten Velden. Martijn and I go back a long way and with great pleasure I have seen him coming up through the ranks to become one of the world’s most respected House Dj’s and Producers, scoring hits allover the globe! Besides taking these portraits I have been involved as a session bassist on some of Martijn’s productions for artists such as; Kylie Minoque, DB Boulevard and Stash.