The Girl in the Feathered Hat
Monument Valley, Utah – 2023
“When this 1958 Testarossa arrived on set on the Arizona/Utah border, I was struck by its curvaceous beauty. Our initial leaning was to shoot head on and we did exactly that, but when I saw the car in profile, its length and ground hugging architecture was visually arresting. I knew that I had to play on this and where better to do this than in Monument Valley – John Ford’s favourite playground? He kept returning here as he knew he had found a topographic stage without equal. In his own words “it afforded him an extra character for free”.
John Ford was a stickler for horizons and camera angles. Anyone who watched the Fabelmans, specifically the last scene, will know what I am getting at.
I am a lucky man. To be filming with this car, in this most grand of settings, with the female powerhouse that is Brooks Nader, is like getting the first, second and third at the Kentucky Derby. When I set the shot up, I wanted to glorify the length of the car and the vista behind stirred the alchemy that gave us this celebration of life on earth.
It is a beautiful world. Ferrari gets it, John Ford got it and I am learning all the time.” – David Yarrow
AVAILABLE SIZES:
LARGE: Edition of 12 + 3 AP
- Image Size: 38" x 103” in (96.52 cm x 261.6 cm)
- Framed Image: 43" x 118” in (109.2 cm x 299.7 cm)
STANDARD: Edition of 12 + 3 AP
- Image Size: 29” x 77” in (73.66 cm x 195.6 cm)
- Framed Image: 43” x 92” (109.2 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.
The Siberian
North China – 2023
I firmly believe that having interesting stuff in front of the camera is the cornerstone of a good photograph. I know this to be a platitude but sometimes it pays to remember the simple stuff.
I have been deliberating about photographing a Siberian tiger in the habitat that defines it for several years, but North China -where I took this image –had, until recently, been out of bounds for foreigners since Covid. Even now, it is not the most welcoming of places. It’s a long way from home, English tongues are rare and, in the winter, it can offer indecently low temperatures.
The starting point of my interest in this project was that these cats are not just the most visually arresting animal species on our planet, they are also the most dangerous. They will kill a human in eight seconds and do it for fun. The trade-off between safety and proximity was at the heart of this project; I needed to be close and work with a lens that would afford context, but I also needed to be safe.
Two decisions were important in the process of making this picture. The first was to allocate a good amount of time in the north and wait for flat light and snow. Many days in the Siberian winter are played out under high pressure weather systems of freezing temperatures and dry and bright skies. This was not what I wanted. I needed moisture in the air and flat light and snow. That would mean either getting very lucky or waiting. I waited. It is very cold up there, but it doesn’t snow as regularly as it does in western ski resorts. The second decision was to work closely with the Chinese authorities and, in retrospect, this brief encounter was only possible because of the help of two or three extremely influential Chinese people. I am reminded that access is a key word in photography and this is normally achieved by investing in people. My charm offensive with my Chinese contacts was several months long. My team knows who they are and their stature within China, but no one else needs to know.
The question that I will be asked about this picture will simply be “how on earth did you get it?”. My answer would be two-fold. I was in a bespoke vehicle with a lower window opening, smaller than a tiger’s head, but larger than a camera lens. The second part of the answer is more important: it was by showing China and the Chinese some respect. Without that there was no chance. I know some people will criticise me for working with a country with a questionable record in conservation, but life is too short and I am an artist first and foremost.
The evolution of species is quite remarkable. Look at those tiger stripes and the colouring of the tiger and then look behind him. Now that’s clever camouflage. Well done to whomever sorted that one out!
AVAILABLE SIZES:
LARGE: Edition of 12 + 3 AP
- Image Size: 48" x 103” in (121.9 cm x 261.6 cm)
- Framed Image: 63" x 118” in (160 cm x 299.7 cm)
STANDARD: Edition of 12 + 3 AP
- Image Size: 36” x 77” in (91.44 cm x 195.6 cm)
- Framed Image: 51” x 92” (129.5 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.
Marshlands II
Dinokeng, South Africa
I think that this is one of my more powerful lion photographs over the last ten years. It is a tribute to the skills of Kevin Richardson – The Lion Whisperer – whose ability to work with these magnificent cats is without equal.
The night before, the thunderstorms around Dinokeng, South Africa, were so violent and relentless that sleeping was almost impossible. My restlessness was compounded by my excitement about the amount of flood water that would be building in Kevin’s famous sanctuary. Bad weather is always an opportunity, not a threat, and hopefully we practice what we preach.
I knew that it was going to be dirty work as Kevin’s heavy cage at my behest, would be positioned in the new marshland at first light. These lions are wild, and the only way of gaining proximity is by using remotes or working from a very heavy cage. Remotes were a non-runner with the water levels, so it was time for me to get very wet and suck it up.
The end result made it all worthwhile. I can’t really get more out of an adult male lion than this, and what a majestic animal he is.
AVAILABLE SIZES:
LARGE: Edition of 12 + 3 AP
- Image Size: 56" x 73” in (142.2 cm x 185.4 cm)
- Framed Image: 71" x 88” in (180.3 cm x 223.5 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” (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.
Chicago Nights
Chicago, IL USA – 2022
“There is a restaurant we know and love in Chicago’s Little Italy called Bruna’s. It’s a little bit of Siena stuck away in a quiet and unassuming residential street. We have filmed there before, partly because there is such a palpable sense of place and partly because the owner, Luciano, is now family.
We love familiarity with people and places, it allows us to focus on being creative immediately rather than spending time getting up to speed on new variables. Bruna’s is a little treasure trove and if the walls could talk, I am sure there would be more people serving time in Illinois prisons. This was once a mobster’s restaurant and the food is damn good. The chef’s could not afford to make too many mistakes.
So, into Bruna’s we brought The Stanley Cup, some famous Blackhawks and a Sports Illustrated Swimwear cover girl. What could possibly go wrong? We threw a little bit of snow into the mix, as I associate Chicago with the cold, and, after all, these are ice hockey players, not surfers.
I think it turned out rather well and everyone had the best of times.” – David Yarrow
AVAILABLE SIZES:
LARGE: Edition of 20 + 3 AP
- Image Size: 52" x 101” in (132.08 cm x 256.54 cm)
- Framed Image: 67" x 116” in (170.18 cm x 294.64 cm)
STANDARD: Edition of 20 + 3 AP
- Image Size: 37” x 72” in (93.98 cm x 182.88 cm)
- Framed Image: 52” x 87” (132.08 cm x 220.98 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.
Wet Wet Wet
Alaska – 2023
I have largely moved my focus away from wildlife over the last few years, but I am in awe of some of the work I continue to see from other photographers in this challenging and crowded space.
One assignment in the wild, that still excites me enough to take it on every year, is the sockeye salmon run in the rivers to the south of Iliamna, Alaska. It may be an annual summer event, but unlike Wimbledon, the dates are never locked down and so much depends on random variables such as the snow falls in the preceding winter, spring temperatures and the consequential river levels. This year the salmon started to run about 12-14 days after the median date from the last 20 years; we had to adapt.
We had some tough days in Alaska in the summer of 2023, but we also had our moments. This tight portrait, on a miserable rainy evening in very low light, offers a generous level of textural detail. I like working when there is no sun, especially in places like Alaska, as the narrower tonal range removes noise and elevates the subject. I know it sounds counter intuitive to wish for bad conditions, but in the field, I prefer to get wet more than I prefer to get sunburnt.
This picture has a symmetry to it and the bear’s eyes are engaged. It was a lucky glimpse of a moment and a passing testament to the camera’s capability. The operating performance of cameras has improved so much during my career and no more so than when working in low light conditions. My shutter speed was necessarily low and I was lying flat on a moving river boat, so all I can claim credit for is avoiding camera shake. To be fair, most of what I took that night was rubbish, but you only need one.
AVAILABLE SIZES:
LARGE: Edition of 12 + 3 AP
- Image Size: 65" x 56” in (165.1 cm x 142.2 cm)
- Framed Image: 80" x 71” in (203.2 cm x 180.3 cm)
STANDARD: Edition of 12 + 3 AP
- Image Size: 43” x 37” in (109.2 cm x 93.98 cm)
- Framed Image: 58” x 52” (147.3 cm x 132.1 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.
The Border
Big Bend National Park, Texas – 2023
Big Bend National Park on the Texas/Mexican border is one of America’s least visited National Parks whilst also being one of its most spectacular. The issue is that it’s just not that easy to get to, even for Texans who consider a three-hour drive as a work commute. There is no commercial airport within a four-hour drive of Big Bend and those living near the entrance either appear to be in a cunning witness protection programme or auditioning for Breaking Bad. It’s all a bit sketchy down on the border.
To my eye, the most visually dramatic part of the park is the Santa Elena Canyon where the Rio Grande has shaped towering cliff faces worthy of such a storied and relevant National border line. There is no need for a wall when the canyon runs 1000 feet deep.
The problem with filming here and many, including the Oscar winner Tommy Lee Jones have tried, is that it has to be an early start to get into the canyon pre-dawn and pre-tourists. I think we left our motel at 3 am.
There is something rather special about filming on the Rio Grande. We could cross back and forth into Mexico by wading out a few steps from the bank. I sense the proximity to the border makes for tough folk in this part of Texas and it certainly adds to a sense of belonging. As John Steinbeck said “Texas is a state of mind. Texas is an obsession. Above all else, Texas is a nation in every sense of the word.
AVAILABLE SIZES:
LARGE: Edition of 12 + 3 AP
- Image Size: 56” x 66” in (93.98 x 167.6 cm)
- Framed Image: 71” x 81” in (180.3 cm x 205.7 cm)
STANDARD: Edition of 12 + 3 AP
- Image Size: 37” x 44” in (93.98 x 111.8 cm)
- Framed Image: 52” x 59” in (132.1 cm x 149.9 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.
Bear Island
Alaska – 2023
On the final day of our annual trip, we finally had our moment in Alaska.
Filming bears in this final frontier is a challenge that we take up almost every year in late July. We do this knowing that so many variables will come into play and that the key is always to adapt to what we find and not be prescriptive. No location demands a more fluid schedule than Alaska.
The timing of the sockeye salmon run, the depth of the rivers and the behavioural pattern of the big bears are always leading factors when we iterate our plans and then iterate again.
But during our week in Katmai, we had a new factor – blue skies and hot bright sunshine – not the weather associated with this part of the world. We recognised that this would limit our filming hours to the early morning but being able to land our float plane at dawn, high in Katmai was not a given. In these weather conditions mist often forms on the lake where we land, thus making access to the river and the salmon run impossible.
On the first two days of our week we were too early as the bears were late. Then on the first big day, the mist was thick and we were not able to land. The next day we got in and learned from watching the bear activity but didn’t capture anything of note. On the final day, we were all set and had again refined our plan, but all our pilot’s vast experience was called upon to land the plane through the mist at 6 am.
The activity on the river, as the soft early morning light broke through the mist, was as spectacular as anything I have been lucky enough to witness in recent years. There was no point counting the bears as we would lose that count.
Our slightly contentious view, after 10 years coming up here, is that the best lens with which to film bears is a standard lens. The camera kind of sees what we see and this means that the magnification of telephotos is not available. The vast majority of good bear images have been taken with telephoto lenses and we recognise the merits of shooting from a distance but I prefer my camera to be close.
Standard lenses tell a wider story and that is always our goal. This requires the use of remote controls and a great a deal of predicative thinking. It is not exactly a “Hail Mary” approach, but it is low percentage; their default result is to fail.
That’s why this moment, at around 6.45 am that morning, was so welcome. We could then go home and have a bath.
AVAILABLE SIZES:
LARGE: Edition of 12 + 3 AP
- Image Size: 50" x 103” in (127 cm x 261.6 cm)
- Framed Image: 65" x 118” in (165.1 cm x 299.7 cm)
STANDARD: Edition of 12 + 3 AP
- Image Size: 37” x 77” in (93.98 cm x 195.6 cm)
- Framed Image: 52” x 92” (132.1 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.
An Englishman in New York
New York, USA – 2023
Bill Nighy is an English national treasure and adored by all. Earlier this year, his Oscar nomination for Best Actor in a leading role in the film Living was celebrated in London, but for many it was his performance 20 years earlier as Billy Mack in the Richard Curtis romcom Love Actually that is engraved in our hearts as well as our memories.
We remember that his character in that most watchable of movies had a penchant for hard partying, promiscuity and drugs. He stole every scene and no more so than the moment when he turned to the TV camera on a children’s show saying “Hiya kids. Here is an important message from your Uncle Bill. Don’t buy drugs. Become a pop star, and they give you them for free!”. It remains one of the great quotes in comedic cinema.
Bill and I spitballed back and forth as to how to tell a story in a single frame. He is so well read, considered and articulate, that my default position was to listen rather than talk and so elevate the overall drift of the debate.
Together, we formed a few building blocks, we agreed on a period piece to add narrative and we independently found prompts in the image of James Dean in Boulevard of Broken Dreams. In that iconic picture, the ratio of the lead to the contextual narrative worked and the weather added an extra character for free – something I always champion.
Bill is not someone to be pigeonholed and wanted the story to be set outside of London – as that direction was a little predictable – so we settled on New York. From there the jigsaw puzzle came together. The meat packing district, a snowstorm and a nod to a memorable news story in the early 1960s. We chose Muhammad Ali, as we both felt this was a personality who transcended his own sphere of excellence. He was a boxer, but he represented change and in America in the 1960s it was all about change.
Bill was a total delight to work with and when the shoot wrapped, I was saddened that Bill could not morph back into Billy Mack and take me for a big night out.
He was an Englishman in New York.
AVAILABLE SIZES:
LARGE: Edition of 12 + 3 AP
- Image Size: 56” x 76” in (142.2 cm x 193 cm)
- Framed Image: 71" x 91" in (180.3 cm x 231.1 cm)
STANDARD: Edition of 12 + 3 AP
- Image Size: 37” x 50” in (93.98 cm x 127 cm)
- Framed Image: 52” x 65” (132.1 cm x 165.1 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.
Parts Unknown II
Durango, Colorado – 2023
When we shoot in the winter, weather plays a large part in our planning, but given the speed at which weather can change, it does not pay to be too prescriptive too far out from shooting days. But we continually check weather patterns and within 36 hours of a shoot, we tend to home in on a certain plan.
There are, I guess, four or five weather possibilities in the winter: melting snow and sunny, which is horrid; cold and sunny, which is better but restricts filming time; a snowstorm, which is exciting, but can impair detail or, ideally, the end of a big snow fall.
In the Rockies, I guess there are about a dozen days a year when a big storm passes through and clears, leaving behind a winter wonderland and kind gentle light. This is the film maker’s big opportunity, provided the props are in place and access is still possible. It is always challenging, but these are the days we wait for. They don’t come that often.
We know the Durango to Silverton steam train well and have built up a strong friendship with the owner Al Harper and his wonderful team of engineers in Durango. I sensed there was an opportunity at this jaw dropping location made famous by its appearance some 50 years ago in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. We were in town and waiting as the storm system pushed through. It had lasted 36 hours and left 18 inches of new snow in the San Juan Forest that the old steam train cuts through.
We had to operate fast, as the light was picking up all the time and both teams worked quickly to get everyone in position early in the day. The Native American and the horse had the toughest job – that was no easy brief that day.
When I look at this photograph, I feel some sense of pride, it is a hell of a shot. But not pride in myself, pride in all the people that made it happen. A real team effort.
Available sizes
LARGE: Edition of 12 + 3 AP
- Image size: 56" x 70" in (142.2 cm x 177.8 cm)
- Framed Image: 71" x 85" in (180.3 cm x 215.9 cm)
STANDARD: Edition of 12 + 3 AP
- Image size: 46" x 37" in (116.8 cm x 93.98 cm)
- Framed Image: 61" x 52" in (154.9 cm x 190.5 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.
Rodeo
Rodeos are events for the community as much as they are events for the individual performers. No matter the riding skills and bravery of the competitors, they are only part of the story, not the story itself. The action is simply the reason for the gathering and it is ultimately the gathering that is remembered. Rodeos are a celebration of a way of life and are an integral part of Americana. Some States such as Montana, Texas, Wyoming and Colorado would lose much of their identity without these local gatherings.
When working on this idea therefore, I knew that a single frame would fail if there was not a sense of occasion and a wider context. This normally requires a wide-angle lens and this can work against capturing the action in an immersive and detailed way. The champion riders have a formidable skill set and my sense was that this should be celebrated as well.
To offer both context and detailed action within a ring, is a challenge and looking over scores of old rodeo images, most photographs tended to achieve one or the other, but not both. The only way I could see around the riddle was to work from a cage inside the ring and hope that the action would come close enough to my wide-angle lens. To work from outside the ring would leave any image very loose unless I was incredibly lucky.
In my mind photography is often about collaboration; it is indulgent to consider it to be a singular profession and the credit for this photograph goes to the nearby community and its rodeo team, as much as it does to the person behind the lens. Every single person played a role and that is why the image can be looked at for a long time. Some of the facial expressions are fantastic and there is a palpable sense of place.
I remain in awe of the bull rider that day; that is quite a skill to possess.
AVAILABLE SIZES:
LARGE: Edition of 20 + 3 AP
- Image Size: 42” x 103" in (106.7 cm x 261.6 cm)
- Framed Image: 57" x 118” in (144.8 cm x 299.7 cm)
STANDARD: Edition of 20 + 3 AP
- Image Size: 30” x 74” in (76.2 cm x 188 cm)
- Framed Image: 45” x 89” (114.3 cm x 226.1 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.