Chris Floyd - Brian Johnson | AC/DC / Telegraph
Chris Floyd was recently commissioned to shoot these wonderful portraits of rock icon and AC/DC lungsman Brian Johnson in his local London boozer for the Telegraph Magazine. Johnson is celebrating the publication of “The Lives of Brian”, described as a “riotous, lovable memoire, packed with outrageous stories” ⚡️
Chris Floyd - KSI / Men's Health
Knowledge Strength Integrity
Chris Floyd shoots rapper/boxer/joker/all-round entrepreneur KSI for Men’s Health.
"KSI is, to many of his fans, a modern-day polymath and 21st-century renaissance man. If you’re over 25, however, he may well be the most famous person you’ve never heard of.... Having made his name via YouTube skits and gaming commentary, KSI's ventures to date have earned him in excess of £15 million. He has more than 40 million subscribers across his three channels and his 2019 boxing match against fellow YouTuber Logan Paul was one of the top five highest selling-fights in history. KSI is 29 years old."
Huge thanks to all the team involved in creating these wonderful portraits 👏
Chris Floyd - Not Just Pictures / Guardian
Delighted to share this beautiful feature on “Not Just Pictures” by Chris Floyd, in this week’s Guardian, featuring selected portraits and stories - from Sheridan Smith to civil rights icon Claudette Colvin ❤️
“In his latest book, Not Just Pictures to be published by Reel Art Press, the celebrated British photographer shares more than 250 images of extraordinary people: Hollywood stars, artists, actors, athletes and musicians. Here, he tells the stories behind some of those shots. “
We’ve included selected extracts below, and you can see the full article here.
Chris Floyd - Not Just Pictures
Flock are thrilled to announce the publication of CHRIS FLOYD "NOT JUST PICTURES"
A stunning, first monograph dedicated to Chris’s 30-year career, published by Reel Art Press and released this week!!
Featuring over 200 photographs, it includes his sessions with Paul McCartney, David Attenborough, Debbie Harry, David Hockney, David Bowie, Marcus Rashford, Cate Blanchett, Oasis, Iggy Pop and many more. The photographs are accompanied by a collection of stories that paint a broader and often funnier picture of his oeuvre.
In Chris’s words… “For a long time people have told me how much they love reading what I write, as much as looking at the photographs I produce, and that they would love to own a book of this work and these tales. After nearly 30 years in the game, perhaps now is the time to parlay the most interesting, funny, odd, disturbing, confrontational, collaborative and life affirming photographic moments.”
"The man can talk. And he can write too. His book [is]... a handsome showcase for some of his most thrilling work. I can think of many excellent photography books, but none that pulls off this trick so convincingly; showing you the picture, and then, like a rogue magician, lifting the curtain and taking the reader behind the scenes for a glimpse of the delicate negotiations that went into its making."
Esquire
Every picture tells a story… and below is a small selection of the portraits featured in the book (each with a delicious tale to accompany it).
From L-R: Milla Jovovich, Anthony Bourdain, David Hockney, Blondie, Yoko Ono, Bill Murray, Aisling Bea, Helen McCrory, Thom Yorke, David Bowie, Robbie Williams, Oasis, Tina Fey, Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara, David Attenborough, David Bailey, Robert de Niro and Nobu.
Lovely article on the book here.
Click on the links below to order your copy of Chris Floyd Not Just Pictures…
A signed copy from Chris’s local bookstore Jaffé & Neale.
Direct from the publisher Reel Art Press.
And if you'd like to catch Chris chatting about his book in person you can follow all his upcoming events here.
Chris Floyd - Harrods / 5 Chefs!
Such a lovely commission - 5 amazing chefs, photographed by Chris Floyd on the roof of Harrods in London, July 2022.
L to R: Jason Atherton, Dave Pynt, Philip Khoury, Angelo Musa, Tom Kerridge.
In Chris’s words… “One of the great, maybe the greatest, privileges of my job is that I get to spend legitimate time in the company of supremely talented people. This was one of those days. The five men here all gave me their time, with humour and curiosity, on one of the hottest goddamn days of the year, without seeming to release one drop of sweat into their immaculately pressed chef’s whites. And what was greatest of all about it was getting to listen to the five of them taking to each other about what they do, the language of their world, swapping tips and tricks.”
Chris Floyd - Lenny Henry / Saga
“Good to meet you, I’m Lenny Henry off the telly.”
Chris Floyd shoots these delightful portraits of the wonderful Sir Lenny Henry, the British actor / comedian / singer / television presenter and writer - (a man who really needs no introduction!) - for the cover of Saga.
Chris Floyd - Sotheby's / Robert Pattinson
"A" is for Art...!
Actor (/singer/songwriter) Robert Pattinson photographed recently by Chris Floyd for Sotheby’s.
Robert is guest curator of Sotheby's forthcoming contemporary art auction in New York, plus an exhibition featuring selected works “which personally resonate with him” - including pieces by Willem de Kooning (seen here), Richard Serra, Genieve Figgis and Lynette Yiadom-Boakye.
Chris Floyd - Olajida Olatunji / JJ / KSI
Excited to share these amazing portraits captured by Chris Floyd for Men’s Health Magazine.
The star sitter is known to his mum as Olajide Olayinka Williams "JJ" Olatunji.
You can call him @ksi which stands for “Knowledge, Strength, Integrity”.
If you’re not a Gen Zer then he’s probably the “most famous person you’ve never heard of”…
A 29 year old musician, whose YouTube channel boasts the 4th biggest following for a UK artist after One Direction, Ed Sheeran and Adele. And he’s fast becoming a boxing hero, with a big fight against fellow British rapper @swarmz and pro-boxer Luis Alcarez Pineda at O2 this weekend.
Chris Floyd - Esquire / Not Just Pictures
Absolutely thrilled to bits to see this 14 page story about CHRIS FLOYD’s forthcoming monograph ‘NOT JUST PICTURES’ in the Autumn issue of ESQUIRE - focusing on some of the great musicians he has photographed during his career.
"Photographer Chris Floyd’s spectacular forthcoming book offers a treasure trove of pictures of the great, the good, the notable and the notorious: movie stars, models, artists, politicians and more.”
Scroll down for a short extract from the article ⏬
“In October, and not before time, (Chris) publishes his first major monograph. It’s called Not Just Pictures, and those who know and have worked with Chris will understand why. The man can talk. And he can write, too. He is a storyteller to his bones - and his book, a handsome showcase for some of his most thrilling work, includes anecdotes of his adventures, especially those in the often-fraught world of celebrity publicity. I can think of many excellent photography books, but none that pulls off this trick so convincingly, showing you the picture, and then, like a rogue magician, lifting the curtain and taking the reader behind the scenes for a glimpse of the delicate negotiations that went into its making."
Thank you so much to @alexbilmes @ukesquire.
You can pre-order your copy of Chris Floyd Not Just Pictures now…
A signed copy from Chris’s local bookstore Jaffé & Neale.
Direct from the publisher Reel Art Press.
Chris Floyd - Monica Galetti
Bright and beautiful portraits of chef MONICA GALETTI, captured by CHRIS FLOYD.
Samoa-born, New Zealand-raised Monica recently stepped down from her role as judge on Masterchef - The Professionals, after 8 years alongside Michel Roux Jr & Gregg Wallace, to focus on her London restaurant Mere and her family.
Chris Floyd: The Last Days of Boris Johnson / The New Statesman
Strong portrait of Boris Johnson by Chris Floyd in the new issue of The New Statesman accompanying an article written by Andrew Marr.
“Politics is not a game played in a few streets of central London, or parlayed across Westminster coffee tables. When it goes badly wrong, everyone is rocked. Power isn’t the private property of any individual, no matter how ruthless they are, no matter how well they tell jokes, no matter how many billionaires and newspaper proprietors they have cosied up to.
The Johnson seizure of Conservative England does, in the end, feel like a story out of Ancient Rome, something fundamentally un-British. Now it is very close to its end. Millions will be thoroughly delighted. But what is coming next? Something is. And it could be, simply, mayhem. Perhaps a cabal of senior Tories is even now able to concoct an alternative post-Johnson government able to stagger on through the tough year ahead. But don’t bet on it. We deserve a general election. But don’t expect that either.”
Chris Floyd - Not Just Pictures - coming soon!
We have some VERY exciting news!!!
“NOT JUST PICTURES”, the first monograph dedicated to CHRIS FLOYD’s 30 year career as a photographer, will be released on 11th October 2022.
Featuring over 250 photographs and 60 pieces of written text - including his sessions with David Attenborough, Debbie Harry, David Hockney, David Bowie, Marcus Rashford, Cate Blanchett, Oasis, Iggy Pop and many more including the amazing Paul McCartney (who graces the cover, and) who will be headlining Glastonbury this summer! It was also his 80th birthday on Saturday so we wish you a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY MACCA 🎂!!
In Chris’s words…
“If you know how to do what I do you can make anyone forget why they’re there, and when you reach that moment all kinds of secrets reveal themselves.”
Chris Floyd - Dolly Alderton - now and then...
A few weeks ago Chris Floyd photographed the delightful Dolly Alderton, not for the first time…
One of the images will “go hand in hand with a portrait I did of Dolly in 2010 before anyone had ever heard of her”, and will feature in Chris’s forthcoming publication “NOT JUST PICTURES” (due for release later this year).
More on that very soon…! 📸 🎉 👏✨
In Chris’s words…
“Two hours in the company of this woman, or preferably 5 hours at lunch with a lot of gin cocktails, is a tonic for any and all ills. The first time I met her, in 2010, she came to my studio in a miniskirt and crop top. She was 21 and she shone out like a beacon from the off. Dolly Alderton then wrote the memoir to define an era: ‘Everything I Know About Love’ and now it’s been made into a 7-part BBC series starting on 7th June. She’s a hopeless melancholic nostalgic and she has supreme taste in music.”
Dolly Alderton photographed in 2022 at Berry Bros Rudd and 2010 at Chris’s studio in “grotty old Kensal Road”…!
Chris Floyd - Photo North / "The Verve: Inside the Bubble & Half a Lifetime Ago" Exhibition
We wanted to shine a spotlight on "THE VERVE: INSIDE THE BUBBLE & HALF A LIFETIME AGO”, Chris Floyd's headline exhibition at PHOTO NORTH last month (apologies for the late post!).
“It has been 20 years since the colossal global success of The Verve's era-defining Urban Hymns, and it remains one of the biggest-selling British albums of all time. Photographer Chris Floyd was embedded with the band during their meteoric rise from late 1996 to 1997. He documented the recording, touring and promoting of the album in Britain, Ireland and the US--the only photographer to have such access. This is the first time his photographs from that period have been published, with most completely unseen.”
We love this extract from the accompanying text:
“Backstage at The Warfield, San Francisco. The man who designed so many of the great posters of the psychedelic era comes in to meet the band. They discuss the idea of him designing one for The Verve. Richard Ashcroft points at Chris. “If you need any pictures of us to work from then get them from him. He’s on the road with us, taking our souls away every night with his camera.” “Yeah,” adds bassist Simon Jones, “but we get them back on contact sheets.”
Huge thanks to Sharon Price and Peter Dench who organised the festival 👏
Full details here.
And for details about Chris’s publication “The Verve - Photographs by Chris Floyd”, described by Wallpaper magazine as “one nostalgia-filled collectors item not to be missed”, click here.
Shot of Chris Floyd at the exhibition captured by 2021 RPS Documentary Photographer of the Year, David Collyer.
Chris Floyd - Margaret Drabble / Idler
CHRIS FLOYD captures the legendary novelist MARGARET DRABBLE last month for IDLER.
The shoot took place at her home of 50 years in West London, (which was purchased as a separate upstairs and downstairs flat, and remains so to this day - each flat with its own front door!) The decor is also as purchased.
The painting on the wall above her is a portrait of herself, her late daughter Rebecca, and her husband biographer Michael Holroyd (Chris misplaced the name of the artist so if anyone knows please tell us!).
The images accompany a lovely article written by Idler editor Tom Hodgkinson, discussing the art of napping, jigsaws and the particle accelerator at CERN (amongst others things)…!
Chris Floyd - Jennifer Saunders
CHRIS FLOYD captures the awesome JENNIFER SAUNDERS, "quietly subverting everything" for YOU Magazine.
Chris Floyd - Sir Bradley Wiggins CBE / Men's Health
A few weeks ago, CHRIS FLOYD photographed this amazing series of portraits of SIR BRADLEY WIGGINS CBE for MEN'S HEALTH.
“Sir Wiggo” holds world titles in four disciplines, Olympic gold in three and was knighted in recognition of his achievements in 2013.
The images accompany a brilliant interview with Alastair Campbell.
When asked for the story that often accompanies his images, Chris replied, " Brad is a man of few words! We did it all more or less in silence."
The silence captured in these portraits speaks volumes.
Chris Floyd - Sotheby's - The Man of Sorrows
Something quite breath-taking about this portrait of a portrait!
One of BOTTICELLI's final works, painted in the late 15th / early 16th century, "THE MAN OF SORROWS", was filmed by CHRIS FLOYD prior to its sale at auction at SOTHEBY’S in January 2022 for a staggering $45.5M. It had previously changed hands in 1963 for £10,000.
Described by CHRISTOPHER APOSTLE, head of the Old Masters Department as, “one of the most potent, humbling works I have ever encountered. Though seemingly religious, it’s a painting of enormous humanity—a portrait of human suffering and spirituality that speaks a universal language.”
CHRIS was given access to the painting for a day and shot this film. Everything you see was done in camera with controlled use of lighting and some quick draw finger work on light switches from everyone involved!
Chris Floyd - RES / "Even A Child Could Understand It"
A thought provoking short film by CHRIS FLOYD commissioned by global renewable energy company RES, featuring the wonderful CONNIE SAVORETTI.
So simple… ‘Even A Child Could Understand It'…