Blog - Ben Meadows Photographer

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May 13, 2021

Live Streaming !!, Hunting Bears and Blue Elephant

As Lockdown lifts we cant wait for the return of Live Music,Comedy and Performing Arts but streaming has become a way of bringing the live Experience to a wider audience.I have been live streaming through lockdown and here’s a short film about how I helped Chris turn his home studio into a home venue to bring his music back to his fans from London Germany and the Middle East.

Streaming is a useful tool and beyond the pandemic a great way of connecting to your audience, the excitement of watching music, comedy or performance in real time and being part of a shared experience where can you comment and chat to streamed artist along with fellow lovers of art and culture can produce a real buzz on-line.

Chris McConville - Live Stream Trailer

Hunting Bears

It was great to get back on-set shooting unit stills during the lockdown and working with the Hunting Bears Crew was a chilly but magical experience it was a clear crisp day where the sky was blue and the sun shone bright but the temperature would often drop cold enough for brief snow showers, this all added to the atmosphere of the film a sad story of the huge strain for people caring for people with Alzheimer’s without help or support. Hunting Bears is written by Jason Ruddy Stars Nathaniel Parker ( The Inspector Lynley Mysteries, Vanity Fair, Bleak House) and Joel Beckett (The Office, Holby City and Band of Brothers) it also has a soundtrack by David Rowntree, Blur drummer extraordinaire and songwriter.

Joel Beckett ( Left) and Nathaniel Parker in Hunting Bears

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Joel Beckett ( Left) and Nathaniel Parker in Hunting Bears

Interview with Joel Beckett - Hunting Bears Made by Inside Trak

The Blue Elephant – Matt Berry

Matt Berry is back with another album The Blue Elephant a sonic psychedelic head spin with a sound similar to Matts early Albums Witchazel and Kill the Wolf.

I have worked with Matt on Music Videos, Album Covers both Photography and Illustration with the Blue Elephant I was given the brief of creating something truly terrifying I hope I succeeded.

I and Gerard Giorgi-Coll often work together for Matt please check out his new video for Summer Sun a brilliant Animation partly using my pictures.

December 8, 2020

Lanre Olagoke,Susan Wokoma and Adam Buxton

Lanre Olagoke

It was a great pleasure to be invited into Lanre’s Studio on Regent Street and spend the afternoon hearing his story Lanre used Art to turn his life around and would go on to do help other people do the same.Lanre Olagoke was once a homeless drug-addict living on the streets of London.

Art was his salvation, pulling him back from the brink. He found faith and regained his faith in humanity.

For years he has been helping vulnerable adults through his charity.

Lanre lives and breaths soho and very business and restaurant said hello we glided through Carnaby street taking pictures.

It was on this shoot that I began to return to film and shoot on a Classic work horse of a camera my RZ67 I would not say film is better than digital capture but it has a unique look than can bring a extra edge to my shoot.

Susan Wokoma Notion Magazine

Post-Lockdown One I was working with Susan on new BBC comedy/drama Cheaters until production was put on hold.
So it was great to be reunited with Susan in this shoot for Notion Magazine where Susan talked about Enola Holmes and Truth Seekers.

Adam Buxton Red Magazine

For fans of the Adam Buxton Podcast the release if his Autobiography Ramble book was a big event Adam talked to Red Magazine and took some pictures of Adam and Rosy at Adam’s Home in Norfolk

Matt Berry – Sound on Sound

Matt has recorded 7 Albums from and Sound on Sound talks to his Recording Journey from a small home studio in Shad Thames to a much grander affair in Befordshire.

July 9, 2020

Lockdown Idling,Supergrass and New Music from Matt Berry.

This is my first post since lockdown and what’s got me through it the most is the escapism of my lockdown projects and the subtle easing of Government restrictions, making a trip to the playground or buying an alcoholic drink in a public house is now a major event. One of the first projects I was asked to work was on the editing of the Supergrass BUG Special at the BFI Southbank London with Adam Buxton. The Show was a must for all Supergrass Fans highlights included the Band reminiscing about there legendary meeting with Heads of Dreamworks Stephen Spielberg and David Geffen about the possibility of making 7 Seasons of a Supergrass TV Show which would be a homage to the Monkees Where Gaz, Danny, Mick and Rob would get up to crazy shenanigans including SUPERGRASS IN SPACE!, but lucky for us they kept true to there musical roots and turned down Stephen and Davids Offer. The Special is due to be out soon but here’s a little teaser and some pictures from the show.

Hot Rats 10th Anniversary CD/DVD Edition

Unrelated but through my years of photographing bands my archive images were requested to be used in a sleek CD/DVD Box Set Celebrating Ten years since the release of Turn On’s by the Hot Rats. The Hot Rats was a side Supergrass project made up of Gaz Coombes and Danny Goffey taking the name Hots Rats from there love of Frank Zappa and producing a cover version album like Pins up’s by David Bowie. I photographed the Hot Rats for Clash Magazine at The Hoxton Bar and Grill back in 2009 for there London Debut Performance, playing songs from Turn On’s for the first time.

The Hot Rats Turn On’s 10 year Anniversary

Matt Berry – Phantom Birds

Lockdown can sometimes be a good thing Matt was about to head back to America to promote What we do in the Shadows when lockdown kicked in but very quickly Matt got back in the studio to record a new album.The albLockdown can sometimes be a good thing Matt was about to head back to America to promote What we do in the Shadows when lockdown kicked in but very quickly Matt got back in the studio to record a new album. The album was 1/2 finished and at that point un-named and we needed to create artwork during lockdown. A new image of Matt was not an option so I dipped into the archive and created a few different looks but felt that this image suited the mood and feel for Phantom Birds.

I Just Wasn’t Made For These Times – The Beach Boys

At the height of lockdown getting out and taking any new photographs or video was very limiting, but one afternoon I took my some footage of Raymond on his scooter and playing it back I could already hear the beach boys playing over it, Listening to pet sounds felt like the perfect soundtrack for a time full of highs and lows and the uncertainty of how long it could be like this.

Chris McConville – Care Free I have worked with Chris since The Bishops and was overjoyed Chris reach No1 in the Reverb Nation with Fire his Tribute to the late Tony Eke Lead Singer of The Blackhill Pioneers. Following up from that Chris will be releasing a new single in August Carefree and again not being to able shoot fresh material Chris asked me to create new artwork for the single I liked the title Carefree wanted to create an image that showed someone both Embracing the Chaos and Beauty of Modern Life

January 20, 2020

Mark Morriss -Holiday of a Lifetime Video ,Hospitality Action and Vesu

Holiday of a Lifetime - Directed by Gerard Giorgi Coll and Produced by Ben Meadows

Following up from the popularity of Mark’s All the wrong people video we set our sights for something more widescreen and Cinematic for Marks’ new single Holiday of a Lifetime.

We Knew Mark had a natural flare in front of the camera from watching Bluetones like Keep the Home Fires Burning so in this Video Marks plays someone less pressured by Gangster Heavies and More Pressure by Modern Live.

In the Opening Scene, we see Mark stuck in traffic with only a micro fan to cool his discomfort. From this we see Mark Escape to a mini Holiday where all the Fun of the seaside still feels at odds with Mark’s Character.

We Filmed in Margate in Late August on what may have been the best day of the summer, while filming we caught the attention of 80’s Pop Legend Marilyn, Marks talk about the making of the Video and that meeting in the Stu Whiffen Podcast of the Beat and Track.

Mark Morriss – Holiday of a Lifetime Video

We've Got you - Hospitality Action

I enjoyed working on the 2019 Campaign for Hospitality Action Campaign 2019 “we got you”.

I campaign that shows it doesn’t mean if your a Top Chef like Tom Kerridge or Jason Atherton or a Junior Sous Chef like Ioana Gheorghiu in time if you’re going through a hard time you can reach out to Hospitality Action

Angela Hartnett, Tom Kerridge and Jason Atherton for Hospitality Action

VESU and Neil Hannon

Vesu

Heres Some press and publicity shots I took for of a new band comprising of Different Bands The Bishops, The Blackhill Pioneers, and Mortepoint.

Mike Chris and Saphia are Vesu and I photographed there new band at a fantastic Location the Battersea Arts Centre, although damaged a few ago by fire the restored building has a gothic quality which is full of glorious textures and subtle tones of color that could never be styled or created artificially.

Another Chance to Photograph Neil Hannon, It was great to catch up with Neil Pre Rehearsals for the Father Ted Musical that he was Co-writing with Arthur Matthews and Graham Linehan

Neil Hannon

September 3, 2019

Year of the Rabbit ,Stath Lets Flats and Mark Morriss Video

Year of the Rabbit

Here’s a quick look back of a few commissions I took over the summer. Firstly here are some of my favorite portraits from year of the rabbit that I had to hold back before the show aired so not give away any spoilers. Here is my favorite picture of Alun Armstrong as Inspector Wisbech when this photograph was taken I had not seen a single scene with Alun but for me, his composure and expression sums up his character perfectly, definitely in charge of Rabbit but not really in control.

On the last day of filming a surprise character to everyone on-set dropped by, Thor Ragnorak Director and What we do in the Shadows creator Taika Waititti was in town and played Joseph ” The Elephant Man’ Merrick’s helper Norriss it was a great thrill to photograph him and two days later me and my regular collaborator Gerard received a call saying that Taika was after a range of vintage cameras to shoot the title sequence for What we do in the shadows – TV Show, so armed with a box of very old camera’s we assisted Taika on a photoshoot of his own.

Alun Armstrong - Inspector Wisbech - Year of the Rabbit

Taika Waititi - Norriss - Year of the Rabbit

Keeley Hawes - Lydia- Year of the Rabbit

Paul Kaye - Tanner - Year of the Rabbit

Above is one of my favourite shots of Keeley Hawes as Lydia head of the secret society and puller of all the strings in the world that effects Rabbit.

Lastly is Paul Kaye as Rabbit’s Nemesis Tanner , Paul was pasionite about getting the character right and describe his look as part Gary Oldman Part Bowie but character wise a Proper Nasty F**ker.

Stath Lets Flats

A second commission last year from Channel 4 was for Stath Lets Flats.

While on set we created some hero images of Stath for series 2.

When I walked on set Jamie was standing on the bonnet of the iconic Mercedes he drives in the show, at the time I didn’t know this was the formulation of an idea that he had for a shot that we would be creating of Stath knocking back company-branded sparkling water from a family business he no longer feels part of.

Mark Morriss - All The Wrong People

I have worked with Mark over the last couple of years photographing him and The Bluetones. So when he Commissioned myself and Gerard to create a Video for his new single All The Wrong People we were thrilled to be on board. The synopsis of the video is based on the end sequence to a long good Friday. Mark plays a well-to-do man who realizes that his in out of his depth when he gets into back a chauffeur-driven limousine with a couple of gun-carrying Hench Men and ends up taking a surreal journey with a tricky ending.

June 3, 2019

Porters ,Divine Comedy ,Year of the Rabbit !!

Porters Premiered last month on UK-TV so now I can show you some of the fantastic moments from On-Set Porters is a comedy filmed in a working hospital I took Morgues Operating Theaters and Hospitals Wards. Porters has as Surreal twist and we recreated scenes from fight club, Top Gun and Silence of the Lambs.

Daniel Mays & Rutger Hauer

Susan Wokoma
Claudia Jessie
Rutger Hauer
Rutger Hauer
Sanjeev Bhashkar

The Divine Comedy – Office Politics

This Month The Divine Comedy bring out there 11th Studio Album and it’s a Double Album. So a multi-track concept needs an ambitious album cover, so working with Neil Hannon and Divine Comedy Records we created a double gate-fold record with multiple characters staging two scenarios the front a day to day office the center a mad office party where everyone lets themselves go wild. Neil sings about the characters on the album sleeve Billy Bird, Norman & Norma and Knox. To create these images we hired an empty office block in Woolwich that was colder on the inside than it was outside Neil co-art directed the shoot with and we built the picture from a sketch made by Neil using members and friends of the band to play each character.

Neil Hannon - The Divine Comedy — *The Divine Comedy- Neil Hannon*

Behind the Scenes by Gerard Giorgi-Coll

Year of The Rabbit – Channel 4

Monday the 8th of June Channel 4 brings new comedy Year of the Rabbit is described as The Sweeney set in Victorian Times. Matt Berry, Susan Wokoma and Freddie Fox star. Until the show goes out I can’t show you any more but keep posted for an updated post including new pictures of Keeley Hawes, Jill Halfpenny, Alun Armstrong, Taika Waititi and Paul Kaye but enjoyed this selection of the current press shots for the show.

Keeley Hawes
Alun Armstong
Jill Halfpenny

The Bluetones

A pleasure again to work with Mark Morriss and the Bluetones here’s a selection of images taken at 100 Club that i’m very pleased with enjoy !!

October 23, 2018

New Shoots with Susan Wokoma, Jamie Demetriou, Ellie White, and Natasia Demetriou

A running theme through my photography is my work with comedians who are often well established, but there’s nothing more thrilling to be working with people making there mark in comedy. I first met Susan while working On-Set in the world of Victorian Era Comic Caper Year of the Rabbit, a muted canvas lit by gaslighted and filtered by the clouds of haze being pumped on to set a complete contrast from the rainbow Palette in the pictures I would take of Susan next time we met.

Susan is a current Bafta Rising star and from our first meeting to now we have worked together on several occasions sparking from these pictures which would attract the attention of UK TV where I received a commission working on Porters series 2 and most recently on her semi-autobiographical comedy Love the Sinner.

Year of the Rabbit

Jamie came into the studio a week before his new comedy Stath lets flats was about to start on Channel 4 where we created a strong set of images to highlight his profile in the run-up to the show

I really enjoyed working with Jamie he reminded me a lot of working with Rich Fulcher always pushing to make the pictures funnier he’s quick-witted and has a great sense visual awareness I love the way in this picture his pose mirrors the lighting Stands.

I had wanted to work with Natasia for a while since
photographing her on the Live Circuit.
So it was great to work with Natasia and her comedy partner
Ellie White to create a poster for there show new show Ellie and Natasia are getting big.
Natasia wanted to create something in stark contrast to
the extreme characters in there show a mixture of the Kardashian’s
and Herb Ritts Calvin Klien Campaigns..

May 22, 2018

Interview with the Creative Conscience Awards

Here’s an interview i did for the creative conscience awards about my work and why i support them.

Save

May 2, 2018

Doon Mackichan and Adrian Lukis

Back in April, I had a chance to reconnect with a couple of great British Actors Doon Mackichan for the Big Issue and Adrian Lukis for Future Publishing. I met Doon While she was working with Rich Fulcher who I have shot many times. I was a huge fan of Doon’s and it was great for her to come in the studio. although the clock was ticking as my son was to be born any day. Doon was very excited to that myself and Charlotte were soon to be parents and even showed me how to massage Charlotte during the birth which I did use during the birth of our son but was no match for gas and air.

The last pictures I was working on before I left for the hospital were pictures for Doon which ended up being a little late for obvious reasons, I sent her a message to say the pictures were going to be late she rung be back straight away to congratulate us both and praise us our choice of name “a ray of light ” she told me and those first glorious spring weeks of being parents he was exactly that.

So to work again in the spring weather for this lovely article for the Big Issue was a great joy!

Doon Mackichan

Doon Mackichan for the Big Issue

Last Month I worked with Adrian Lukis, last time I met Adrian was playing the role of Blair Toast in Toast of London where his character was going to throw Steven Toast down the stairs for losing him his father’s fortune.

One of the strengths and joys of working on toast of London was working with actors who worked in serious drama’s like Adrian and Robert Bathurst a different world to other comedies that I had worked on.

For one scene we spent a lot of time talking in a classroom in Westminster college while a complex stunt was being set up and one of the things we talked about was Adrian’ Love of Prog so it was great to work with Adrian again talking about his love of music for Prog magazine.

Adrian Lukis and Matt Berry on the set of Toast of London

Adrian Lukis

In a slightly different field, I photographed Chef Tom Brown to celebrate the opening of his new restaurant the Cornerstone in Hackney Wick a favourite area of mine to shoot in when I first drove people to this quite derelict part of London I would not have dreamed of a fine dining restaurant being opened there.

The Restaurant is called The Cornerstone and takes its name from the Arctic Monkeys song of the same name who Tom is a big fan of.

Tom Brown

February 28, 2018

Benedict Wong and Mark Morriss

Back in early February, two shoots that I have been a long time in the planning fell into place.I had met Benedict 3 to 4 years ago and had wanted to work with him but looking back through my email trail I realised how the rise of his career had meant missing the opportunity several times.

the last time I contacted Benedict he was about to leave to film in Malaysia playing Kublai Khan in the Netflix drama Marco Polo for 5 months,and until we made contact again he has become a Marvel superhero and top British science fiction actor starring in Prometheus, The Martian, Black Mirror and Phillip K Dick’s Electric Dreams.When I met up with fellow new dad Benedict we discussed the familiar Theme of the That’s Not My … baby books and the exciting news that he was about to fly out to America to begin filming on the first new Ang Lee movie in 5 years.We created some really pleasing imagery in the studio and on location to promote the announcement of his exciting new role.

Benedict Wong

working with an actor like Benedict was a joy,the small changes of expression that you cant always appreciate at the time especially shooting outside in the cold show a depth of emotion.

Later that month I would be in the studio and out on Location with Bluetones frontman and solo artist Mark Morriss.

I loved “expecting to fly” both sonically and lyrically, for example, the Crisp sound of a can of coke being opened at the beginning of “Time and Again” and the sonic boom of a 747 on the opening track of “talking to clarry”, an obvious nod to the Bluetones being from Hounslow and growing up in the shadow of Heathrow Airport.Another fan of this album is David Arnold, who would arrange the strings section on Marks first album Memory Muscle, a great example of this is on the Track “I’m Sick” a great marriage of grand production and Mark’s Lyrics.I had worked with Mark before but to plan a shoot around him was really exciting, I wanted to create imagery that would reflect the sharp look you would expect from a front man, but also pictures that would suit the folk-tinged sound of Marks solo work.

I knew Mark was coming to shoot sharply dressed and wanted to created a bold set to compliment this.

While shooting in one my favourites part of east London, we came across a Coach Garage that made a great backdrop filled with many 1950s British classic cars in need of a little TLC and had not seen the open road for a long time.

Live Streaming !!, Hunting Bears and Blue Elephant

Chris McConville - Live Stream Trailer

Hunting Bears

Joel Beckett ( Left) and Nathaniel Parker in Hunting Bears

Joel Beckett ( Left) and Nathaniel Parker in Hunting Bears

Interview with Joel Beckett - Hunting Bears Made by Inside Trak

The Blue Elephant – Matt Berry

Lanre Olagoke,Susan Wokoma and Adam Buxton

Lockdown Idling,Supergrass and New Music from Matt Berry.

Mark Morriss -Holiday of a Lifetime Video ,Hospitality Action and Vesu

Holiday of a Lifetime - Directed by Gerard Giorgi Coll and Produced by Ben Meadows

We've Got you - Hospitality Action

VESU and Neil Hannon

Vesu

Neil Hannon

Year of the Rabbit ,Stath Lets Flats and Mark Morriss Video

Year of the Rabbit

Alun Armstrong - Inspector Wisbech - Year of the Rabbit

Taika Waititi - Norriss - Year of the Rabbit

Keeley Hawes - Lydia- Year of the Rabbit

Paul Kaye - Tanner - Year of the Rabbit

Stath Lets Flats

Mark Morriss - All The Wrong People

Porters ,Divine Comedy ,Year of the Rabbit !!

The Divine Comedy – Office Politics

Year of The Rabbit – Channel 4

The Bluetones

New Shoots with Susan Wokoma, Jamie Demetriou, Ellie White, and Natasia Demetriou

Year of the Rabbit

Interview with the Creative Conscience Awards

Doon Mackichan and Adrian Lukis

Benedict Wong and Mark Morriss

Benedict Wong

Benedict Wong

Mark Morriss

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