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About/Contact – Clive Arrowsmith Photographer

Clive Arrowsmith Photographer – Online blog of acclaimed fashion , celebrity & Ads photographer Clive Arrowsmith

David Bowie – Cool in Chelsea 1977 – Clive Arrowsmith Photographer

The Heroic Beauty of Waris Dirie (1990) – Clive Arrowsmith Photographer

The Heroic Beauty of Waris Dirie (1990) – Clive Arrowsmith Photographer

The Etherial & Mysterious Kate Bush – Clive Arrowsmith Photographer

Clive Arrowsmith Photographer – Online blog of acclaimed fashion , celebrity & Ads photographer Clive Arrowsmith

About/Contact – Clive Arrowsmith Photographer

June 14, 2024 By maximios in Art

Clive Arrowsmith (to the right of Kansai Yamamoto pictured in November 2012) is an Internationally acclaimed photographer born and raised in North Wales and now living and working in London. This is his blog where he reflects on the work he has done and is doing.  For his commercial site please visit clivearrowsmith.com

Clive Arrowsmith Biography

Clive was a creative and artistic teenager whose parents thought he would follow his Father into a safe career with the local authority in North Wales.  Clive’s attempts at office life however did not work out well, as he was caught playing guitar and flirting with the secretaries (to put it mildly).  He subsequently got a scholarship to art school and studied at The Queensferry Art College across the border from Wales 40 miles from Liverpool at the same time that John Lennon and Stuart Sutcliffe were studying at Liverpool College of Art.  The art students met because  of the London Derby Horse Race, as each art college  hired out open top buses as viewing platforms for the race. The students got a cheap round trip to London (2 pounds and 10 pence, old money and plenty of beer) it was a fantastic and fun way to meet.  Whilst in London, the students would go to Soho and Picadilly and attempt to get into strip clubs but were constantly moved on by the police.  From then on Clive would spend his weekends in Liverpool with John Lennon, Stuart Sutcliffe (who he was particularly close too), George Harrison and Paul MaCartney, drinking more beer and sleeping on the floor of their squat in Gambia Terrace. After completing his studies in Liverpool he secured a place at Kingston College of Art to study painting and illustration, where he also studied with Eric Clapton. The connection between music and the visual arts, set the tone for his career, as Clive  has always related to and worked with the worlds most iconic musicians. In the late 70s he even recorded with Boz Scaggs and released his own record.

After leaving Kingston College of Art Clive began working for Redefusion Television/LWT on the classic music show ‘Ready, Steady, Go!’. This led him to start taking photographs behind the scenes alongside his regular work doing the graphics and titles. He quickly realised that he loved photography and Clive says that:

” My time as a painter taught me everything I needed to know about photography, as I was never an assistant photographer, I was just thrown in at the deep end. Barney Wan then Art Director of English Vogue and Grace Coddington the then Fashion Editor came around to my house in Kensington to see my pictures and drawings. The next day the Editors Secretary came in and said “Come in tomorrow and discuss your career with Vogue” and that’s how my career in photography began.”

Clive has led an extremely colourful life (7 children, 4 wives) and he certainly made the best of the excesses of 70s and 80s before regaining his equilibrium by studying Tibetan Buddhism and giving up all stimulants. To date he has photographed the great and the good across the world in the entertainment, fashion, media, politics and arts. He has photographed classic album covers like ‘Band on The Run’ for Wings, 2 Pirelli Calendars and a multitude of fashion and beauty shoots for Vogue, Harpers, Tatler, De Beers, Zandra Rhodes, Yves Saint Laurent, Prada, Gucci and many, many more.

Clive is has also always been really interested in film and alongside his active photography career he has several film projects in development as well as Director credits on many videos and commercials, famously winning a Silver Lion at Cannes.

For further information, or if you would like to purchase any prints of the pictures featured on this blog (prices on application), please contact Clive’s PA and daughter Eugenie Arrowsmith on:
eugenie (AT) totalcreativefreedom (Dot) com or use the form below.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Clive Arrowsmith Photographer – Online blog of acclaimed fashion , celebrity & Ads photographer Clive Arrowsmith

June 14, 2024 By maximios in Art

When I discovered them again between shoots, exhibitions and the whirlwind of the photography world. I realised how sensual and slightly androgynous the model is who I think is called Mona but I am not 100 percent sure.

I shot these phots on a Linhof 5×4 plate camera for Hearst Magazines – it was a story about the…

Even when I asked her if I could pour water over her head. She said yes and then my assistant was duly instructed to stand on a tall ladder and sprinkle water over her.

I have had the extraordinary blessing of photographing some of the world’s most beautiful women. I first met Kelly in…

Warhol was a man of few words and wielded an antique polaroid camera and insistently took polaroids which he then dropped on the floor, without looking at them. I said ‘Are you going to open the polaroids Andy? He said, ‘No, I like them to cook because the colour becomes more intense.’

Zandra is a major talent as well as being a very bright, approachable and affable lady. The Fashion and Textile Museum (London) are currently exhibiting Zandra Rhodes: Fifty Years of Fabulous from now until the end of January 2020. I recommend you go along and see the gowns in real life, I say this unreservedly the gowns are works of art.

The main thing I find using Adobe Photoshop is I can revitalise and re-image the colour and restore the original quality of the image. An analogy would be, if you remaster a Beatles album, you have the spirit of the original saved in a stable way and that is the blessing of digital.

I always like casting shadows in my pictures and not just casting light, which is something that I don’t think people think about closely enough. There is always the moment of the big reveal that has the most incredible power and dynamism.

I decided it would be fun to shoot in my garden as it was looking particularly good and I had some interesting lighting ideas. I decided to back light all the foliage in the garden so I could capture the the translucence quality of leaves and branches, which gave everything a more mystical look.

Greta looked amazing in this Anthony Price dress. When I explained to her, the concept behind the shoot being women who could have married Prince Charles she burst out laughing and I took this picture.

David Bowie – Cool in Chelsea 1977 – Clive Arrowsmith Photographer

June 14, 2024 By maximios in Art

I was working with the actress Brigette Neilson and Pierre Laroche (make up artist, famous for Bowie’s Aladdin Sane Album Sleeve) and we had just finished shooting. Pierre invited me back to his place for a drink in his bijou little flat at the end of The Kings Road which was  beautifully decorated like a Moroccan salon. He made rose tea and while I was sipping the tea, I said, “I noticed you’ve been working with Bowie again and I wondered how he is.” Pierre said, “Oh, he’s fine” and then I said, “Do send him my love and say if he has the time he can stop by at the studios in Chelsea and we can do some portraits. He can come in costumes or just as he is.” Pierre knew I had photographed David while he was still in Feathers and kindly passed my invitation on.

I went off to Taiwan to shoot for a couple of weeks for a Fashion Rock Shoot and forgot all about our conversation. When I came back Pierre had left me a message saying, “David would love to see you and do a shoot”. So I called him back and Pierre arranged a date.

David arrived in a blue silk jacket, rolled up jeans and wearing blue kickers which where what was happening at the time. Pierre took him the dressing room and as David was very busy he just dabbed him down and refreshed his mascara.

David walked onto the studio back drop, I didn’t say a word and he just started looking over his shoulder and slowly revolving, going through a series of movements and I just kept on shooting. I didn’t want to miss a thing. I congratulated him on how things are going, as it all seemed to be going so well. I then asked him if I could do a portrait and David was just completely amenable. I remember Pierre sitting there with a smile on his face enjoying David’s natural elegance, laughing and shouting camp encouragements, not that David needed any. David loved the camera.

I had this old Balkar spot flashlight, which was held together with string and gaffer tape, but I loved it because it gave me such a crisp sharp light. I placed a cone of black paper over the light with the thin end pointing toward David, so it just gave a small beam of sharp light. I focused it and realised it was only lighting one side of his face. This was not what I had intended but I took a Polaroid and liked it so much I just carried on. There was this intense magnetic look in his eye that I had to capture. After I got that shot I cut the paper and got a wider beam of light across his face and carried on shooting. However this is still my favourite image from that shoot. Suddenly there was a ring on the studio door and David’s driver said “We have to leave now for your next appointment”. With that David smiled and hug Pierre and I goodbye. I thanked him for coming and that was that.

The following April I was celebrating my birthday at St Lorenzo (1978) and David walked in. David joined my Birthday dinner party table. Champagne and substances were imbibed and then David invited me to the Xenon nightclub in Piccadilly. As the evening progressed I was getting more and more wired while David seemed to be completely calm as if he was at a Sunday tea party, he was just that cool. After an evening of crazy conversations and laughter by about 4am, we got into cabs and went our separate ways. This was the last time I ever saw David. What a wonderful icon he became, but to me he was always the same guy I knew from his first band Feathers.

Poster Available now – A4-A3-A2 from £30.00-£55.00 (plus p & p) C-Type print SHOP NOW

Poster Available now – A4-A3-A2 from £30.00-£55.00 (plus p & p) C-Type print SHOP NOW

  • Clive Arrowsmith is shooting stunning images, staging exhibitions and is as passionate about photography as he was when he first pressed the shutter at The Paris Collections. He is available for global media opportunities related to his work and photography generally. Bespoke prints from Clive’s archive are also available by special request, for any enquiries  (email Eugenie here). Clive’s book Arrowsmith: Fashion, Beauty & Portraits is available here  Lowry at Home: Salford 1966 is available here

The Heroic Beauty of Waris Dirie (1990) – Clive Arrowsmith Photographer

April 27, 2024 By maximios in Art

I cannot voice the campaign as well as Waris does in the video below so I won’t try. I recommend you support her and listen to her words. It touches me deeply when I see how she has used her voice in the world to remind us of the suffering of others and is leading a path to alleviate that suffering.

There are those rare occasions in life where you are literally completely arrested by the presence of another human being. The moment I met Waris Dirie I knew she was a live wire, a presence, a spark, a light and a heroine. Anyway whatever the words may be I knew I wasn’t just dealing with someone who was modelling from anything but a place of purpose and intent.

I met Waris at a casting and she just stood out immediately. I noticed she had the most incredible skin, that was soft like satin and a smile that lit up the universe.

Ritz Magazine asked me to do a shoot and I told David Litchfield that I had just met this most amazing Somalian model called Waris. Ritz got these incredible clothes and we worked together.

The shoot was full of laughter, we literally, joked from start to finish. I asked her to assume and number of different shapes and she just got it straight away, she was natural and expressive in front of the camera, humorous and fearless.

It’s hardly surprising that she was so incredible given the difficulties she had over come just to get to the point of standing in front of the camera.

The obstacles she had already faced were huge and for most of us would have been insurmountable.  Despite her own difficult personal experiences, she has gone on to become a great humanitarian campaigner (specifically against female genital mutilation) working as a  UN Ambassador, actress and authoress.

Waris still campaigns and runs The Desert Flower Organisation which works for change and has created anti FGM literature and educational programmes across Africa. I cannot voice the campaign as well as Waris does in the video below so I won’t try. I recommend you support her and listen to her words. It touches me deeply when I see how she has used her voice in the world to remind us of the suffering of others and is leading a path to alleviate that suffering.

  • Clive Arrowsmith is shooting stunning images, staging exhibitions and is as passionate about photography as he was when he first pressed the shutter at The Paris Collections. He is available for global media opportunities related to his work and photography generally. Bespoke prints from Clive’s archive are also available by special request, for any enquiries  (email Eugenie here). Clive’s book Arrowsmith: Fashion, Beauty & Portraits is available here and Lowry at Home: Salford 1966 is available here

The Heroic Beauty of Waris Dirie (1990) – Clive Arrowsmith Photographer

April 27, 2024 By maximios in Art

There are those rare occasions in life where you are literally completely arrested by the presence of another human being. The moment I met Waris Dirie I knew she was a live wire, a presence, a spark, a light and a heroine. Anyway whatever the words may be I knew I wasn’t just dealing with someone who was modelling from anything but a place of purpose and intent.

I met Waris at a casting and she just stood out immediately. I noticed she had the most incredible skin, that was soft like satin and a smile that lit up the universe.

Ritz Magazine asked me to do a shoot and I told David Litchfield that I had just met this most amazing Somalian model called Waris. Ritz got these incredible clothes and we worked together.

The shoot was full of laughter, we literally, joked from start to finish. I asked her to assume and number of different shapes and she just got it straight away, she was natural and expressive in front of the camera, humorous and fearless.

It’s hardly surprising that she was so incredible given the difficulties she had over come just to get to the point of standing in front of the camera.

The obstacles she had already faced were huge and for most of us would have been insurmountable.  Despite her own difficult personal experiences, she has gone on to become a great humanitarian campaigner (specifically against female genital mutilation) working as a  UN Ambassador, actress and authoress.

Waris still campaigns and runs The Desert Flower Organisation which works for change and has created anti FGM literature and educational programmes across Africa. I cannot voice the campaign as well as Waris does in the video below so I won’t try. I recommend you support her and listen to her words. It touches me deeply when I see how she has used her voice in the world to remind us of the suffering of others and is leading a path to alleviate that suffering.

  • Clive Arrowsmith is shooting stunning images, staging exhibitions and is as passionate about photography as he was when he first pressed the shutter at The Paris Collections. He is available for global media opportunities related to his work and photography generally. Bespoke prints from Clive’s archive are also available by special request, for any enquiries  (email Eugenie here). Clive’s book Arrowsmith: Fashion, Beauty & Portraits is available here and Lowry at Home: Salford 1966 is available here

The Etherial & Mysterious Kate Bush – Clive Arrowsmith Photographer

February 29, 2024 By maximios in Art

Kate Bush came the famous Holborn Studios in London for a shoot for Hearst Magazines who had asked me to take  cover photograph for their new magazine Company.    Kate was very definitely the woman of the moment at that time and her career was going from strength to strength all over the world.

She said very little when  she arrived and looked a little sad. Not everyone enjoys promoting their music be doing shoots and I appreciate that. Most performers love it but some find it a necessary evil. I was immediately struck by her striking looks. I sent  the stylist out to get strong theatrical gauze, in different colours, while Kate’s make up was being done,and I asked for some strands of Ivy (more on that in a moment). Kate was very easy to work with and a calm silence pervaded her while we all worked, after hair and make, I got the stylist to help me by fiddling around with the shape of the blue gauze which I wanted to surround her face.  I set up a blue light behind her, to surround her in blue and to enhance the blue gauze, which contrasted with the red of her lips and her hazel. She was not animated in front of the camera, hardly varying her facial expression while I was shooting, maybe it was me, or she genuinely found it difficult being in front of the camera. I felt as if she was  just enduring the shoot, or that she must have something sad thing on her mind. She  spoke very little, and then in quite voice and just obey my request that she move this of that way.  After the blue image my team and myself hung the Ivy from a boom  over her head   I directed  the hairdresser from my camera viewfinder to refine the ivy strand arrangement. I asked  Kate to hold the pose and we got the shot below. I asked the Magazine Editor why she was so silent and contemplative, she told me later she was upset by something that had happen that morning before she came to the studio. We never found out what it was and I don’t suppose it matters, but you do feel an etherial sadness in these pictures which to this day I find totally captivating. When you are shooting portraits you have to take people as you find them in that moment so I did try and reflect the wistful and ethereal feeling I got from her.  I had been very excited to meet her and had been listening to her music the evening before. Kate is a totally genuine musical artist and these images also capture that very serious aspect of her talent. Although these could be seen as fashion or beauty images Kate’s presence adds such a depth of feeling that they have become an artwork in themselves. Even though I spent that time with her I still feel she is a complete enigma and that I know, no more or less than I did from listening to her music. Kate Bush Titania Poster (A2/A3) available here
Kate Bush Poster (A2/A3) available here

  • Clive Arrowsmith is shooting stunning images, staging exhibitions and is as passionate about photography as he was when he first pressed the shutter at The Paris Collections. He is available for global media opportunities related to his work and photography generally. Bespoke prints from Clive’s archive are also available by special request, for any enquiries  (email Eugenie here). Clive’s book Arrowsmith: Fashion, Beauty & Portraits is available here and Lowry at Home: Salford 1966 is available here

Clive Arrowsmith Photographer – Online blog of acclaimed fashion , celebrity & Ads photographer Clive Arrowsmith

January 15, 2024 By maximios in Art

When I discovered them again between shoots, exhibitions and the whirlwind of the photography world. I realised how sensual and slightly androgynous the model is who I think is called Mona but I am not 100 percent sure.

I shot these phots on a Linhof 5×4 plate camera for Hearst Magazines – it was a story about the…

Even when I asked her if I could pour water over her head. She said yes and then my assistant was duly instructed to stand on a tall ladder and sprinkle water over her.

I have had the extraordinary blessing of photographing some of the world’s most beautiful women. I first met Kelly in…

Warhol was a man of few words and wielded an antique polaroid camera and insistently took polaroids which he then dropped on the floor, without looking at them. I said ‘Are you going to open the polaroids Andy? He said, ‘No, I like them to cook because the colour becomes more intense.’

Zandra is a major talent as well as being a very bright, approachable and affable lady. The Fashion and Textile Museum (London) are currently exhibiting Zandra Rhodes: Fifty Years of Fabulous from now until the end of January 2020. I recommend you go along and see the gowns in real life, I say this unreservedly the gowns are works of art.

The main thing I find using Adobe Photoshop is I can revitalise and re-image the colour and restore the original quality of the image. An analogy would be, if you remaster a Beatles album, you have the spirit of the original saved in a stable way and that is the blessing of digital.

I always like casting shadows in my pictures and not just casting light, which is something that I don’t think people think about closely enough. There is always the moment of the big reveal that has the most incredible power and dynamism.

I decided it would be fun to shoot in my garden as it was looking particularly good and I had some interesting lighting ideas. I decided to back light all the foliage in the garden so I could capture the the translucence quality of leaves and branches, which gave everything a more mystical look.

Greta looked amazing in this Anthony Price dress. When I explained to her, the concept behind the shoot being women who could have married Prince Charles she burst out laughing and I took this picture.

The Hollywood Highlander – The Joyous & Utterly Spectacular Alan Cumming – Clive Arrowsmith Photographer

January 8, 2024 By maximios in Art

I was at The Worx studio in Chelsea waiting to photograph the up and coming actor (as he was at that time) Alan Cumming, for the Sunday Times ‘Next Big Thing’ feature. I was wondering what he would wear when he rolled into the studio dragging a wheeled suitcase behind him. “Hi” he said with a broad smile  “I’ve come to have my picture taken by Clive Arrowsmith, is that you?”.

There was something so fantastic about him that I immediately took to his warm and quick-witted personality. “What will you be wearing” I ventured and he looked at his large suitcase and said “Don’t worry I’ve brought some costumes with me”. Earlier I had made a desperate call to the stylist demanding some appropriate attire (kilts, sporrans, claymores and a selection of haggis, which I was reliably informed was not a type of hat) but she had not been able to get anything at such short notice.

I was so relieved he had come prepared and very curious. I said to my assistant “I wonder what (costumes) he’s brought with him” (while Alan prepared himself in the dressing room), “I bet it will be good as he was so fantastic in Hamlet at The Donmar Warehouse, although he seems far too cheerful to play Hamlet,” My assistant said “No, no he was absolutely amazing in it”

I was bent over the camera, adjusting the lens for the exposure and instructing my assistants to make the final touches to the set when I felt my assistants whispered in my ear “He’s ready”. I looked up and there to my delight and relief was Alan in full Scottish regalia with the adaptation of a leopard skin kilt, Doctor Martin’s boots and a see through black net vest, bag pipes and tartan bonnet.

I said “Is this the new Scottish National Costume” “Yes it is” he replied and put his leg on a box and adopted what can only be described as a naughty, haughty, fabulous Scotsman pose. I said “Fantastic” knowing that this was the most dynamic, joyful and dare I say camp adaptation of the Highlander theme I’d ever seen and  completely up my street.

After we’d made inappropriate jokes about bag pipes and Alan toyed with his instrument in a suggestive manner (which made us all cry with laughter so much I had to stop shooting) I indulged in the classic “what do Scotsmen wear under their kilts” interrogation. Alan said, “Mostly nothing, unless it’s freezing cold” He then returned to the dressing room and came out in what looked like a PVC kilt and a tartan trimmed Scottish beret. This was more fabulous than the previous outfit and at this point he was topless and his nipple piercing was on show..

Rarely have I photographed someone who was such a total delight to photograph, principally because he was so completely comfortable with himself and in front of the camera. This is unusual for an actor as they can sometime be quite self aware and self conscious. Alan was just so open, so joyful and fun and didn’t hold back at all. I am so pleased his career as an actor has gone from strength to strength I knew from that afternoon that he would do great things. He just had that extra spark, that ‘it’, that cannot really be put into words and came across as very kind too. It’s great that he has done so much to campaign for gay rights and is now happily married. It’s also self evident that Alan just loves what he does, on stage, or on film he is having a wonderful time. Where ever you are Alan, it was a total blast to work with you. Come over for tea with your husband when you are next in London. Always Love Clive.

  • Clive Arrowsmith is shooting stunning images, staging exhibitions and is as passionate about photography as he was when he first pressed the shutter at The Paris Collections. He is available for global media opportunities related to his work and photography generally. SEE OUR  *Kickstarter Campaign for LIMITED EDITION PETER GABRIEL REFLECTIONS EXHIBITION CATALOGUE – HERE – Bespoke prints from Clive’s archive are also available by special request, for any enquiries  (email Eugenie here). Clive’s book Arrowsmith: Fashion, Beauty & Portraits is available here   and Lowry at Home: Salford 1966 is available here

Band on The Run – The Great ‘Wrong Film’ Debacle – Clive Arrowsmith Photographer

December 18, 2023 By maximios in Art

band-on-the-run1-copy-8569587

This was one of my first photographic jobs when I was still an Art Director. I had known Paul McCartney and John Lennon from my art school days and Paul asked me to shoot the cover of his new Wings album Band On The Run. With only enthusiasm and not much experience I went for a meeting with Paul and his art director the late great Storm Thorgerson from Hipgnosis. Paul and Storm talked through the basic concept that surprisingly the ‘band was on the run’ and we all agreed that the best way put this across was like an old fashioned ‘Hollywood prison break movie’ with the convicts in a spotlight against the prison wall (with additional celebrities as convicts).

On the day I hired a spotlight from the lighting company which, unfortunately, was not powerful enough for the job. This meant that everyone had to be very still for over 2 seconds for the picture to be sharp. Two seconds may not sound like a long time, however, they did have a party before the shoot and everyone was very much the worse for wear, but still enjoying each others company to say the least. Trying to get everyone to stay still and play the part of escaping prisoners was proving extremely difficult, amid the laughter, jokes and substance haze; I arranged them all together so they could lean against each other and the wall. Now, because they had all become a little unsteady on their feet, Denny Lane fell over a couple of times laughing hysterically – everyone was having a great time.  I had to have a megaphone to get their attention, I had even positioned myself up to the top of a ladder, next to the spotlight and barked instructions persistently, which the most part everyone ignored, until I finally snapped and screamed ‘Stay Still!’.

I only managed to shoot 2 rolls of film, which is only 24 exposures in total. The group couldn’t hold the pose for long, some would be still in one frame and others would be moving in another, the real worry was that there wouldn’t be a shot where everyone was still and sharp. My woes did not end there, once the film came back it had a strong warm yellow cast but thankfully there were four frames where everyone was sharp. I showed them to Paul and he loved them, I never mentioned the golden hue to him until a few years later when I was photographing the back cover for Wings At The Speed of Sound.

After the shoot, over coffee, I said ” Paul, there is something I’ve meant to tell you for years, that yellow light on the Band on the Run Cover? That was a mistake. I used daylight film instead of tungsten ” Paul laughed and said “That’s fine, I thought it looked great and that you meant to do it.”

Above is a letter I received from Paul along with the with the 25th Anniversary CD of Band on The Run which he kindly sent me. The great thing about Paul I have found over the years, is that when you ask him to dress up or do funny things, he is always up for it – and is magic in front of the camera. Working with him over the years has been a lot of fun, and a genuine pleasure. Below is a picture that has just been used by Random House in NYC for the cover of his forthcoming biography Man on The Run.

Below is the original shot, the right way around folks as a new Limited Edition Poster – Enjoy!

You can purchase this 1/100 Limited Edition Poster Here.

  • Clive Arrowsmith is still  shooting stunning images, staging exhibitions and is as passionate about photography as he was when he first pressed the shutter at The Paris Collections. He is available for global media opportunities related to his work and photography generally. Bespoke prints from Clive’s archive are also available by special request, for any enquiries  (email Eugenie here). Clive’s book Arrowsmith: Fashion, Beauty & Portraits is available here and Lowry at Home: Salford 1966 is available here

Band on The Run – The Great ‘Wrong Film’ Debacle – Clive Arrowsmith Photographer

December 16, 2023 By maximios in Art

band-on-the-run1-copy-6453134

This was one of my first photographic jobs when I was still an Art Director. I had known Paul McCartney and John Lennon from my art school days and Paul asked me to shoot the cover of his new Wings album Band On The Run. With only enthusiasm and not much experience I went for a meeting with Paul and his art director the late great Storm Thorgerson from Hipgnosis. Paul and Storm talked through the basic concept that surprisingly the ‘band was on the run’ and we all agreed that the best way put this across was like an old fashioned ‘Hollywood prison break movie’ with the convicts in a spotlight against the prison wall (with additional celebrities as convicts).

On the day I hired a spotlight from the lighting company which, unfortunately, was not powerful enough for the job. This meant that everyone had to be very still for over 2 seconds for the picture to be sharp. Two seconds may not sound like a long time, however, they did have a party before the shoot and everyone was very much the worse for wear, but still enjoying each others company to say the least. Trying to get everyone to stay still and play the part of escaping prisoners was proving extremely difficult, amid the laughter, jokes and substance haze; I arranged them all together so they could lean against each other and the wall. Now, because they had all become a little unsteady on their feet, Denny Lane fell over a couple of times laughing hysterically – everyone was having a great time.  I had to have a megaphone to get their attention, I had even positioned myself up to the top of a ladder, next to the spotlight and barked instructions persistently, which the most part everyone ignored, until I finally snapped and screamed ‘Stay Still!’.

I only managed to shoot 2 rolls of film, which is only 24 exposures in total. The group couldn’t hold the pose for long, some would be still in one frame and others would be moving in another, the real worry was that there wouldn’t be a shot where everyone was still and sharp. My woes did not end there, once the film came back it had a strong warm yellow cast but thankfully there were four frames where everyone was sharp. I showed them to Paul and he loved them, I never mentioned the golden hue to him until a few years later when I was photographing the back cover for Wings At The Speed of Sound.

After the shoot, over coffee, I said ” Paul, there is something I’ve meant to tell you for years, that yellow light on the Band on the Run Cover? That was a mistake. I used daylight film instead of tungsten ” Paul laughed and said “That’s fine, I thought it looked great and that you meant to do it.”

Above is a letter I received from Paul along with the with the 25th Anniversary CD of Band on The Run which he kindly sent me. The great thing about Paul I have found over the years, is that when you ask him to dress up or do funny things, he is always up for it – and is magic in front of the camera. Working with him over the years has been a lot of fun, and a genuine pleasure. Below is a picture that has just been used by Random House in NYC for the cover of his forthcoming biography Man on The Run.

Below is the original shot, the right way around folks as a new Limited Edition Poster – Enjoy!

You can purchase this 1/100 Limited Edition Poster Here.

  • Clive Arrowsmith is still  shooting stunning images, staging exhibitions and is as passionate about photography as he was when he first pressed the shutter at The Paris Collections. He is available for global media opportunities related to his work and photography generally. Bespoke prints from Clive’s archive are also available by special request, for any enquiries  (email Eugenie here). Clive’s book Arrowsmith: Fashion, Beauty & Portraits is available here and Lowry at Home: Salford 1966 is available here
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Recent Posts

  • About/Contact – Clive Arrowsmith Photographer
  • Clive Arrowsmith Photographer – Online blog of acclaimed fashion , celebrity & Ads photographer Clive Arrowsmith
  • David Bowie – Cool in Chelsea 1977 – Clive Arrowsmith Photographer
  • The Heroic Beauty of Waris Dirie (1990) – Clive Arrowsmith Photographer
  • The Heroic Beauty of Waris Dirie (1990) – Clive Arrowsmith Photographer

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About/Contact – Clive Arrowsmith Photographer

Clive Arrowsmith Photographer – Online blog of acclaimed fashion , celebrity & Ads photographer Clive Arrowsmith

David Bowie – Cool in Chelsea 1977 – Clive Arrowsmith Photographer

The Heroic Beauty of Waris Dirie (1990) – Clive Arrowsmith Photographer

The Heroic Beauty of Waris Dirie (1990) – Clive Arrowsmith Photographer

The Etherial & Mysterious Kate Bush – Clive Arrowsmith Photographer

Clive Arrowsmith Photographer – Online blog of acclaimed fashion , celebrity & Ads photographer Clive Arrowsmith

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