Simon Marsden

Simon Marsden was an English photographer and author who passed away recently.  He used to work as an assistant to photographer Ruan O'Lochlainn.  His early work was published in photography periodicals around the end of the 1970's.  In 1975 and 1976 he traveled The United States, Europe and The Middle East, having the chance to photograph numerous architectural subjects and magnificent landscapes. 

The Church of San Giorgio Maggiore from the Pazzietta San Marco, Venice, Italy

Marsden's main interests were gloomy, creepy subjects such as haunted houses, graveyards, dark towers and the fairytales and legends that are often connected to them. An interesting fact though, is that the dark atmosphere in his photographs is not created by the subjects alone, but by his choice of using infrared film. 

St. Andrew's Church, Sausthorpe, Lincolnshire, England

His photographs are already world famous and are exhibited in many museums and galleries, including the Saatchi Gallery in London, and the Bibliothèque nationale de France in Paris. Simon Marsden also published a number of illustrated books, the latest having been used as an album cover of the English black metal band 'Cradle of Filth's second album and as an adveritsment for the Japanese manufacturer Toshiba. 

References:

http://www.simonmarsden.co.uk/

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/culture-obituaries/books-obituaries/9067498/Sir-Simon-Marsden-Bt.html

Colin Jones

Colin Jones is a famous English photographer, born in 1936, best known for the photographs he took of the band 'The Who' back in the 1960's. He joined them on several tours, so therefore he had the chance to get to know them very well and photograph them not only in public but in their private domains as well.  His range of musician portraits and documentary images are now high in demand and are often auctioned.

The Who in Manchester - 1966

Jones also studied and is still very passionate about ballet. He was offered a scholarship and ended up studying the subject at the Royal Ballet School in London. He has taken several images of people dancing and performing, that in my opinion, are extremely vibrant, full of energy and passion. In addition to that he also likes to take pictures at the rehearsals and backstage photos of the dancers preparing for the show.

He has published a few critically acclaimed books of his artwork, and has had solo exhibitions at the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C and at the Photographers' Gallery in London, as well as in many other international galleries. 

References:

http://www.colinjonesphotography.co.uk/

https://www.proudonline.co.uk/photographer-Colin-Jones_1575.aspxhttp://magazine.macs-salon.co.uk/2011/01/fifty-years-of-the-royal-ballet/

Paul Harries

Paul Harries is a British photographer whose main interest is photographing famous music bands, preferably ones from the rock and metal scene. For over two decades now, if a group has emerged that is loud and proud of it, chances are its members have posed for Harries' camera. He once jokingly admitted that the only reason why he became a music photographer is because he loves music but cannot sing or play an instrument. 

Ville Valo - Him   by Paul Harries

He mostly shoots in studios, hotels or backstage but in many occasions he had to go out in fields, forests or beaches to capture an image for a specific purpose. An example is the photographs of the world known band Slipknot, for their album cover and promotional posters. 

Paul Harris now occupies the position of leading photographer for Kerrang!, one of the most famous and best selling music magazines in the world. He has photographed bands like Metallica, AC/DC, HIM, Slipknot, Muse, Green Day, Nirvana, Foo Fighters and many more and individual artists like Marilyn Manson and Slash. He is currently exhibiting his Slipknot series at Manchester Photographic.

Corey Taylor - Slipknot  by Paul Harries

I truly envy this man for having worked with such amazing bands and artists. I find all of his work incredibly interesting, I love the colors he uses, which are mostly dark ones like black, purple, blue and emerald, and think his technical skills are right on spot. This is the sort of job I hope to be able to have one day, as music and photography are my two greatest passions.

References:

http://www.paulharries.com/

Charlmcgowan, 2012., Paul Harries Photography, Band Identity, [blog] 6 October Available at : http://charlmcgowan.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/paul-harries-photography.html (Accessed 25 April 2012).