Photography News | Issue 68 | photographynews.co.uk
Interview 26
the Hammer Horror Convention in London. Writing another letter to be delivered on the day of the event, I was delighted to receive a reply a few days later, and David agreed to sit for a portrait session in London. I wanted to capture a portrait of a more seasoned experienced David Warner for my Northerners portrait exhibition. I have been a fan of David for many years, seeing his cult films and TV appearances from childhood. Now it wasmy chance to direct David and create some striking portraiture. The sitting was very memorable. David was astonishing, creating expressions and emotions that almost hold the viewer. After the session, I contacted the National Portrait Gallery, who then acquired one of the images for their permanent collection. PN: You’re currently offering photography workshops. For anyone thinking of attending, can you give an insight intowhat they’d learn? RL:Myworkshops are practical tuition sessions, giving participants plenty of time to learn the skills they are taught. This enables attendees to work with professional models on the day and capture amazing photography for their portfolio. My workshops teach lighting, direction and camera techniques and attendees walk away with vital knowledge and practical skills. I’m also looking forward to teaching a new series of workshops on the headshot, which are Images Sir Patrick Stewart (left), a “complex and vigorous character”. A portrait of David Warner (below) – Rory Lewis’ first portrait acquired by the National Portrait Gallery
taking place in LA, New York, Amsterdam and London using techniques I’ve developed as a world leader in the headshot industry. To sum up, The Headshot Photography Masterclass is designed for any photographerswho are looking to gain beneficial knowledge from me in order to develop a new skill set when photographing people. So, whether photography is your full- time profession or you are a passionate hobbyist who can’t seem to put your camera down, this workshop is for you. PN: You have an exhibition coming up at Wex inManchester, can you tell us more about it? RL: Northerners: An Exhibition has been a labour of love since 2011, featuring a collection of portraits from a cross section of northern celebrities, sports personalities, actors, politicians and people encountered throughout my career who have all added to the fabric of the north. It features sittings with Sir Ian McKellen, Sir Patrick Stewart, Karl Pilkington and Craig Charles. I’m looking forward to showing the exhibition to the public.
See the exhibition
Rory Lewis’s 2014 exhibition, Northerners , sponsored by Epson, opens on 1 August at Wex PhotoVideo inManchester with free entry. Formore information, please visit events.wexphotovideo.com rorylewis.studio
Stewart’sname is inherently synonymouswith, I directedSirPatrick toassume the fierce, vengeful expressions of a calculated villain. What emerged from this part of the session was a complexandvigorous character, embodied by energy and animation; a side of Sir Patrick that I thoroughly enjoyed watching unfold in front ofmy lens. Though just a short 20 minutes, my sitting with Sir Patrick has been one of the most rewardingofmycareersofar.Thechancetoshow what I cando and influence other photographers withmy style of portraiture, to work with a level of client that consistently interests and inspires my work and, above all, to work with a true British icon. haven’t photographed who you would love to? Or howabout a famousportrait takenbyanother photographer that you wish you’d taken? RL: Nadav Kander is the only portrait photographer I follow. Viewing his sitting with Sir Mark Rylance, I find myself wanting to capture SirMark’s portrait inmy own style. PN: Can you tell us any memorable highlights from your career so far? RL: By far my sitting with Sir Ian McKellen is one that springs to mind. I invited Sir Ian to sit for a portrait session while he and Sir Patrick Stewart were performing Waiting for Godot in the Cort Theatre inNewYork andwas flabbergasted when he accepted. I travelled to Sir Ian’s home in London, where I felt truly humbled to photograph this titan of the stage in his own surroundings – he even had Gandalf’s sword hanging on a clothing rack like an umbrella! I was faced with the curious task of celebrating an immeasurable acting talent and so I sat and PN: Is there anyone you
pondered for a minute. We drew inspiration from his prominence as a Shakespearian performer and decided on a style of portrait reminiscent of the renaissance artist, Holbein, using lighting to preserve the intimate detail andwisdomfound in his expression. Winning the Portrait of Britain two years in a row has also been a highlight. Both my portraits that won promoted diversity, of which I’mextremelyproud. I hope tomake this my third year, fingers crossed. PN: What would you say is your greatest achievement as a photographer? RL: I would have to say my first portrait to be acquiredby theNational PortraitGallery. Inow have seven portraits in the gallery collection. The first to be acquired is the one I consider my finest. The subject was actor DavidWarner (pictured right). A well-known English actor on both sides of the Atlantic, he avoided a professional portrait sitting since Sir Cecil Beaton coaxed himto it in 1965 at the age of 24. At 72, I managed to coax him into sitting. I wrote several letters to David’s various representingagenciesboth in theUKandUSA; alaswithout a reply.Not givingup, I discovered via social networking thatDavidwas attending I like to keep my subjects in continuous motion and direction to capture their thoughts
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