Loving Squeeze

Another wonderful discovery from my Sunday Shoots; the amazing Liz Wilson and her lovely family. Liz, together with husband, Wellington and their two gorgeous children Marvin and Larissa were unwittingly recommended by me as the perfect family for an advertising commission I received. They got the job.

The brief, for the Vauxhall Zafira through agency Draft FCB, involved showing how cramped our family are in their existing car. Squashing everyone up against a huge sheet of perspex would be difficult at the best of times. Including a tiny baby and her toddler brother was asking for trouble. In spite of all this the family rose to the challenge showing endless patience and good spirit.

Liz, by the way is a very talented jewellery designer. Click here to see her work.

Malfoy not a baddie!

Poor Tom Fenton, best known as Malfoy in the Harry Potter movies, is a much maligned man. I say man as he has come of age and is now ready for roles that don't necessarily turn an audience against him. Apparently small children still cower in his presence.

This shoot, for a piece in Reader's Digest, was one of the most pleasant I can remember. Tom is warm, bright and has a great sense of humour. Chillax kids!

Harry Patch

I was saddened this week to hear of the passing of Harry Patch, the last surviving British soldier to have fought in the trenches of the Western Front in World War 1. He had reached the age of 111 and was briefly Europe's oldest man. I had the pleasure of photographing him in 2003 in his nursing home in Wells. Aged 105 at the time he was sprightly and entertaining and, if memory serves me, quite a hit with the ladies.

As a centurian Harry became something of a celebrity. He had a cider, Patch’s Pride, named after him, and was awarded an honorary degree by Bristol University, where he had worked on the Wills memorial 80 years earlier. He also received the Legion d’Honneur from the French government.

Harry became Britain's oldest author in 2007 when he published " The Last Tommy Standing". Radiohead paid tribute to him this week with a beautiful track entitled "Harry Patch (IN Memory Of)". All proceeds from the track go to the British Legion.

To find out more about Harry's life click here.