Eternity (Color)
Kanaan Desert, Namibia – 2024
Archival Pigment Print
“John Ford said that the elemental grandeur of Monument Valley gave him an extra character for free in his movies and that was why it was his preferred filming location. If he was right, and he surely was, then the deserts of Namibia in Africa lend you at least a couple more.
The problem is that filming in the Namibian Desert is logistically a little more challenging than Arizona. The population density is 10 people per square mile – a tenth of America’s density – and in the desert, there is a palpable sense of solitude. Outside of the capital Windhoek the infrastructure is rather basic and to film ambitious projects demands resolve and a passion for adventure.
Namibia is, however, the cheetah capital of the world. Since 1990, smart conservation efforts have resulted in the population in the country growing from 1500 to 2500 – that’s one third of the planet’s total. We have long worked with the acclaimed cheetah conservationists Rudi and Marlice van Vuuren who founded the Naankuse Wildlife Sanctuary nearly 20 years ago and they partnered with us on this project in the Kanaan Desert.
I had this picture in my head since Covid days but I was only able to capture it in September 2024 – good things take time. Sunrise is a dangerous time to film; there are so many traps to fall into and the optimum light is ephemeral.
Shooting towards the sun, which would be my default position, becomes challenging if the photograph like this is contextual as I don’t like to have the sun itself in an image; it can be a little gaudy in colour and look extremely odd in black and white. To avoid the cliches and the tonal tension points, I prefer to film before the sun appears and this desert offers a chance as there are mountains for it to overcome. From my elevated position high in the sand dunes, the sun only arrives on stage a good 30 minutes after daylight.
There is a sense of timeless eternity to this photograph. I look at it and smile – what a wonderful planet we rent. Huge credit to Shanina Shaik, she was brilliant to work with, and cared not one bit about the 3 am wake up calls. I guess it’s not a bad place for a morning walk with a big cat.” – David Yarrow
Available sizes
Large: Edition of 12 + 3 AP
- Image Size: 42” x 103” in (106.7 cm x 262.6 cm)
- Framed Image: 57” x 118” in (144.8 cm x 299.7 cm)
Standard: Edition of 12 + 3 AP
- Image Size: 32” x 77” in (81.28 cm x 195.6 cm)
- Framed Image: 47” x 92” in (119.4 cm x 233.7 cm)
We ship worldwide and use a multitude of providers to safely deliver your masterpiece. Domestic delivery and installation may also be available via Hilton Asmus Contemporary’s private art shuttle. Please inquire.
Enjoy The Silence
Kanaan Desert, Namibia – 2024
Archival Pigment Print
I know this tree in the Kanaan Desert intimately – which is a rather unusual admission. It may be dead, but I fancy it will be around long after all of us; this is not a place where ill-intentioned people come. There is a deafening silence to the desert which amplifies the sense of wilderness.
The tree is enormous and its scale offers the chance to use space to the advantage of the frame. When I was composing the scene, I recognised that the tail of the cheetah and the structure of the tree could align a little and lend some compositional balance.
This male cheetah is the biggest under the acclaimed care of conservationist Rudi and Marlice Van Vuuren. They now employ 500 people in Namibia and their Naankuse Wildlife Sanctuary has earned deserved acclaim. This tableau could not have been taken without their partnership.
I want also to thank Shanina Shaik. She is very much at the top of her game and I can see why she is in such demand. She was a delight to work with.
Shanina and the cheetah look like they own the place. This is their special sanctuary and intruders are not hugely welcome as they are here to Enjoy the Silence.
Thank you to Depeche Mode for the title of this picture.” – David Yarrow
Available sizes
Large: Edition of 12 + 3 AP
- Image Size: 56” x 85” in (142.2 cm x 215.9 cm)
- Framed Image: 71” x 100” in (180.3 cm x 254 cm)
Standard: Edition of 12 + 3 AP
- Image Size: 37” x 56” in (93.98 cm x 142.2 cm)
- Framed Image: 52” x 71” in (132.1 cm x 180.3 cm)
We ship worldwide and use a multitude of providers to safely deliver your masterpiece. Domestic delivery and installation may also be available via Hilton Asmus Contemporary’s private art shuttle. Please inquire.
Positano (Colour)
Amalfi Coast, Italy – 2024
Archival Pigment Print
Available sizes
Large: Edition of 12 + 3 AP
- Image Size: 56” x 93” in (142.2 cm x 236.2 cm)
- Framed Image: 71” x 108” in (180.3 cm x 274.3 cm)
Standard: Edition of 12 + 3 AP
- Image Size: 37” x 62” in (93.98 cm x 157.5 cm)
- Framed Image: 52” x 77” in (132.1 cm x 195.6 cm)
We ship worldwide and use a multitude of providers to safely deliver your masterpiece. Domestic delivery and installation may also be available via Hilton Asmus Contemporary’s private art shuttle. Please inquire.
Positano
Amalfi Coast, Italy – 2024
Archival Pigment Print
Available sizes
Large: Edition of 12 + 3 AP
- Image Size: 56” x 93” in (142.2 cm x 236.2 cm)
- Framed Image: 71” x 108” in (180.3 cm x 274.3 cm)
Standard: Edition of 12 + 3 AP
- Image Size: 37” x 62” in (93.98 cm x 157.5 cm)
- Framed Image: 52” x 77” in (132.1 cm x 195.6 cm)
We ship worldwide and use a multitude of providers to safely deliver your masterpiece. Domestic delivery and installation may also be available via Hilton Asmus Contemporary’s private art shuttle. Please inquire.
James?
St. Moritz, Switzerland – 2023
“Ever since the Bond car chase sequence in Goldfinger was shot in the Furka Pass in 1964, Aston Martins and Swiss mountains have been visually tied. Snow and James
Bond have also been regular bed fellows.
To take a still that plays to a Bond vibe is risky, any shortcomings will be ridiculed by the devotees and we have waited for our moment. There needs to be a strong concept and a strong execution.
This lay-by at the top of the Bernina Pass connects the famous resort town of St. Moritz in the Engadin valley with the Italian-speaking Val Poschiavo, in the Italian town of Tirano. The Bernina Pass – opened in 1865 – is one of the great stretches of mountain road in Europe.
I managed to get hold of a DB5 from a collector in Zurich and with great care it was positioned by the roadside at dawn. My fellow Scot, Sean Connery, is, of course, sadly no longer with us, but I felt I could tell enough of a Bond story without him, I would just leave the viewer to interpret the scene.
Erica Lawrence from Brooklyn New York played basketball in her youth and it is easy to see why from this picture. She is a good friend and so happy to play this kind of role. I wanted glamour and sex appeal to the point of parody, after all, we are 15 minutes from St Moritz and we have a Bond Car – how could there be any other narrative?”
Available sizes
LARGE: Edition of 12 + 3 AP
- Image size: 56" x 72" in (142.2 cm x 182.9 cm)
- Framed Image: 71" x 87" in (180.3 cm x 221 cm)
STANDARD: Edition of 12 + 3 AP
- Image size: 37" x 48" in (93.98 cm x 121.9 cm)
- Framed Image: 52" x 63" in (132.1 cm x 160 cm)
We ship worldwide and use a multitude of providers to safely deliver your masterpiece. Domestic delivery and installation may also be available via Hilton Asmus Contemporary’s private art shuttle. Please inquire.
Beach Bums
Anguilla, Caribbean – 2022
Archival Pigment Print on 315gsm Hahnemühle Photo Rag Baryta Paper
In my deliberation over the Pirates in the Caribbean project, there were two overriding personal filters. The first was to avoid being formulaic and the second was my sense that it would be commercial suicide to be too earnest. Pirates are mythological figures and whilst what they did was very serious, I was only too aware of the dangers of us taking ourselves too seriously in any revisionist portrayal. We should have fun; just as Disney did with their blockbuster franchise.
The pirates we had assembled in Anguilla looked the part and our giant canvas of the pirate boat offered the best context in the background. The key building blocks were in place on this set, we just needed ‘the x factor’. I played with half a dozen ideas to complete the story in the foreground and there was one concept that seemed to stand out – the arriving pirates must have an encounter.
Encounters represent a dilemma for still photographers who can’t do “over the shoulder two takes”. We have the one chance and that tends to mean that we lose one face. But I saw how we could use that to our advantage in that anonymity might work if it told a story.
Daniela Braga, the Brazilian Victoria’s Secret model and a sweetheart, was on set with us. She is smart, fun loving and she fully embraced the idea I had in mind.
I think the photograph works well. As someone wryly said, those pirates who lost an eye must have been cursing themselves.
Available sizes
Large - Edition of 12
- Image Size: 56” x 97” in (142.24 cm x 246.38 cm)
- Framed Image: 71” x 112” in (180.34 cm x 284.48 cm)
Standard - Edition of 12
- Image Size: 37” x 64” in (93.98 cm x 162.56 cm)
- Framed Image: 52” x 79” in (132.08 cm x 200.66 cm)
We ship worldwide and use a multitude of providers to safely deliver your masterpiece. Domestic delivery and installation may also be available via Hilton Asmus Contemporary’s private art shuttle. Please inquire.
Trust
Available Sizes
LARGE: Edition of 20
- Image: 56" x 93.5"
- Framed: 71" x 109""
STANDARD: Edition of 20
- Image: 37" x 62"
- Framed: 52" x 77"
We ship worldwide and use a multitude of providers to safely deliver your artwork. Domestic delivery and installation may also be available via Hilton Contemporary’s private art shuttle. Please inquire.
Girls On Film
Available Sizes
LARGE: Edition of 12
- Image: 56" x 92"
- Framed: 71" x 107"
STANDARD: Edition of 12
- Image: 37" x 61"
- Framed: 52" x 76"
We ship worldwide and use a multitude of providers to safely deliver your artwork. Domestic delivery and installation may also be available via Hilton Contemporary’s private art shuttle. Please inquire.
Let's Catch The Last Train Home
Montana, USA 2018
No one is remembered for playing it safe. On the surface, the idea of placing a couple of exceptional women in front of an abandoned train in a ghost town high up in the mountains of Montana, and styling them in a way that exposes their curves as well as their personalities, is a risky concept in 2018. There is every chance that this work could be seen as gratuitous objectification and not art. It will irk many but equally, their coats were positioned very carefully.
But I will go with it and when I saw the print for the first time in large scale, I knew there was something and others have reinforced this belief. It just works and the more I review the intricacy of the train’s facade, I do think that there is a little magic – the icicles, the expression of the mountain lion, the textural beauty of the wood. The girls both rock and that was not easy for them – it was 15 degrees below zero that morning.
But what I am trying to say? Nothing – nothing at all – I am just playing with visual double takes and remembering that the wild west was exactly that. Let’s just catch the last train home.
AVAILABLE SIZES:
LARGE: Edition of 12
- Image: 79" x 56" (201 cm x 143 cm)
- Framed: 90" x 67" (229 cm x 171 cm)
STANDARD: Edition of 12
- Image: 52" x 37" (132 cm x 94 cm)
- Framed: 63" x 48" (160 cm x 122 cm)
We ship worldwide and use a multitude of providers to safely deliver your masterpiece. Domestic delivery and installation may also be available via Hilton Asmus Contemporary’s private art shuttle. Please inquire.