London, United Kingdom – 2023

This photograph is an unapologetic nod to Steven Knight’s hugely popular 1920s British gangster series Peaky Blinders. With satanic chimneys belching smoke and cobbles awash with industrial grime, the period drama brought hellish industrial UK into our living rooms but did it with an admirable swagger and aesthetic genius. The anomaly of Peaky Blinders is that cinematography made hell look attractive.

Audiences around the world found themselves engaged by a new street subculture and sympathizing with men with totally disposable moral fiber. Birmingham in the UK became known around the world for what it was portrayed to be like 100 years ago rather than what it is like now. That’s quite a trick.

My creative leaning was to twist the narrative a little. Cillian Murphy owned every scene in the series with a mesmerizing intensity, but what if the leader of the gang was a woman? Most of the women in the series were depicted either as objects of lust or familial loyalty rather than necessarily agents of their own destiny. They faded into the scenery as often happens in mobster shows.

In my mindset there was only girl to go this job – the irrepressible force of nature that is Cara Delevingne. She owns this scene, just as Cillian did in the series, and that says it all. She is a national treasure and we are lucky to work with her as often as we do. As I often say to those that ask, “It’s her eyes”.

There was a big cast that day and everyone played their role. It only takes one person to kill the vibe and that evening everyone did a grand Peaky Blinders job. Maybe some of my extras have missed their vocation in life.

London, United Kingdom – 2023

Some projects demand a very high level of creative processing for the end result not to fall flat. My goal was to take a picture in London with an intense sense of place and I knew that to do this and remain original was a formidable challenge. There can be few cities in the world more photographed than London and
to tell a story that would resonate with a content spoiled audience, we had to be at our very best. There is nothing more disappointing than to creatively underwhelm, particularly in my home city. We can hardly plant a well-known figure in front of Trafalgar Square and suggest it’s art, and I pondered over this puzzle for many weeks.

Ultimately my instincts were to go back in time and play to the lore of London’s past. We iterated and iterated and decided to play on the gritty London of the post war 1920s. Within the tight vortex of an unmodernised narrow London street, we could then throw on to the stage as many nods to the era as possible.

The historic dockyards of Chatham offer a strong visual canvas on which to tell stories and I sensed that if we played with the ambient light of the early evening and married that with old London streetlights, we had a platform to build on.

It’s a bit like making Christmas lunch – all the constituent parts must coalesce with each other and elevate the final offering. I had a strong inclination to introduce smoke; it adds another cinematic layer whether that smoke comes from a car exhaust or a chimney.

This roaring twenties in the UK saw material advances in technology and science, but it will also be remembered as a decade when women found equality and their sexuality was celebrated. It was an era where grit and glamour forged an unlikely alchemy. Choosing iconic British supermodel and actress Cara Delevingne – a quintessential London girl – as my lead was one of the easier decisions of my career. Meanwhile, David Gandy is my favourite male lead to work with in the world – he always nails it and gives his all. It was a very London day and we were honoured to work with the best leads that London can offer. There was no room for compromise.

This photograph may celebrate the London of 100 years ago, but for all the challenges of 2023, it remains the most vibrant, creative city in the world. We felt that vibe on set. Not many cities can compete with London Town.