I am former Vice Chairman of Virgin Music Group Worldwide and Virgin Records America. I was with Virgin for 25 years, since a teenager, and retired from music a few years ago. I began taking photos just under 5 years ago. I am totally self taught and never used a camera until 5 years ago, so photography is very new to me although the visual world is not since I oversaw the imaging, artwork, videos, etc, as well as the marketing campaigns, of all of our major artists worldwide and was very intrinsically involved in the visual aspects of music. I live in Bel Air (Los Angeles) and in northern California in Big Sur.
I shoot in a variety of formats: digital, film, polaroid, digital infrared. All of my effects and colors are shot in-camera, they are not computer manipulated or generated. I apply all effects to the camera lens at time of shooting and manipulate the camera as well. This is because I am totally self taught and for me there are no rules when taking photos. I am the “model” (subject) in absolutely all of my photos. 90% of my photos are shot with me holding the camera. Only where I am at obvious distance from the camera and you can see both my hands have I shot them on timer, the rest are hand held. I only work with natural light, never artificial (except a very rare few shot at night). I mainly shoot in the wilderness of Big Sur – at my property, at the sea, in the woods, in rivers. I do everything myself including carrying all my gear and hiking for x miles to location before becoming model and photographer.
