Excellent story. I had a job in college at our news department, just filing and mailing stories. One day our in-house photographer had a freelance gig for the Los Angeles Times that she couldn't make, and asked me if I wanted to go. Of course I jumped at it, but she also recommended not to turn over negatives until paid. Story was going to press immediately so no time for that; I didn't turn in negatives, photos never got published, and an early shot at photojournalism was missed. Don't be cheap.
Artists like Bjork were helped tremendously by skilled photographers like Harry who could capture their individuality and make their image iconic to the World. Today, there are many talented artists with striking looks but we very rarely see the type of iconic photos we saw in the 90's or 00's. By all rights, I think people like Aurora or Anya Taylor-Joy should be as iconic as Bjork, Sinead O'Connor or PJ Harvey were, but I don't think the new ones are, because there are too many generic images of them.
I hadn't thought about, quite interesting. No modern artist comes to mind which has that same icon status as the three you mentioned! We will definitely do videos on PJ Harvey and Sinead as well in the future!
Great story, glad it worked out in the end. Had a lab ruin a wedding roll many years ago, luckily it was just 1 of 12. Although the WPP winning portrait is great, I actually really like some of the environmental portraits more, especially the one with the orange objects in the window behind Bjork.
Great story. Loved the added drama! I used to use Joe's Basement in Clarkenwell. I don't miss the dropping off, picking up, scanning, removing dust and scratches. What a hassle!
A gripping story! I cut corners once... trying to use my chemistry past its efficacy. Never again. Also, I have been listening to Björk all my life, and at the age of 33, I finally know how to pronounce her name correctly. Thank you.
Metro was the cntre of the photography universe. Evryone used to meet at about 7pm and hand in your films to Arnold and then see each other at 10pm to edit. Those were the days of a real community of creatives. eally supporting each other. I can still smell that E6 bath as you open the door!
Great picture of the wonderful Bjork - who is incredibly photogenic. We still have 2 Flextight scanners at the university. Still have a good few students shooting film and, if printing big on digital, the Flextight is still a necessity.
Curious, which university are you at? City College in San Diego has a nice bw film program. I took the beginning class last year. My first rolls were not exposed correctly, but since I took them to the local public library and scanned the negatives on their printer, I could see that I had photos and could edit them in LRC. I kept scanning the rolls I took, because I like seeing my photos before I spent the time in the darkroom trying to print them. (Contact sheets are too small!)
That was a great story. Really cool to understand where these famous images come from and how they were made. The dodgy negative would have made me just about cry. Still, thank God for the emerging tech of the time.
Amazing video! I loved watching how you broke down your process throughout your quick photoshoot with Björk. I only recently got into film photography, and appreciate how the medium forces you to add more intention and care to each photograph. I appreciate your work so much and am currently binge-watching all your videos, hahaha. Keep it up! :)
Been there. Done that. I don’t mean taking a grat portrait. Rather, saving a couple of bucks on developing. When I got the negatives back on a concert I photographed, there were tiny marks across them. Too many to try to touch up. The only good news was that when I later got a scanner with Digital Ice I was able to salvage some of them.
Fantastic video, stories, and photos. Thanks so much for sharing your wisdom--including the missteps; it's invaluable. I just found your channel recently and I'm addicted. Thanks again!
Great story. I'm even cheaper and used to do my own B&W film developing. I do not miss the panics whether I had correctly measured the chemicals, temperature and development times.
wow you were an early adopter.! I was working on magazines in the 1990s and scanning film was the repro house drum scanner thing. Buying a proper scanner to scan hi res from negatives then... wow impressed! KEEP THE VIDEOS COMING... making me remember the peak of the print era.
Jeepers, saying with all reverence but what a plonker thing to do with anything apart from a test role first. Had XP1 processed in a Paris pro photo lab which went through B/W processing, even though it was very clear it had to go through C41, nothing on film at all! Worked at exhibition printers in SE1 for a while and assisted many great photographers, including Sarah Moon and Albert Watson, never got to work with my fav photographer, Arthur Elgort. Went on to shoot portrait and fashion in Milan, then got a break in film industry in UK and made two feature films. Great photos and thanks for sharing experiences. I really prefer today when we have so much more control ourselves. God, I remember many times bringing back 200-300 rolls back on planes and fighting with security NOT to X-Ray the film. Usually saying the would be liable for quarter million pound reshoots did it, not niw though. Regards, Charles
What a fantastic journey you took us on with this. Definitely have to put this one down to “all’s well that ends well” and lesson learned. But I can only imagine the names you were calling yourself when you first saw those poorly developed negs. My question is…..did that assistant get fired?? lol.
Glad to hear METRO imaging still going strong. Took film to them back in the 90s and their turnaround was fast. Always remember the white plastic bags with the logo down the side with your trannies or whatever inside
If you still have your flextight, it is worth far more than 25 quid! Even the earliest models sell for several thousand euros here in France. They're wonderful, I had the luck to digitize about half my archives on one during my post graduate degree, as my school had the X1, a Hasselblad-branded model. Id love to own one but i doubt I'll ever be in a position to do so. Excellent video, youve got a new fan in me!
Such a great channel Fred, thanks so much for getting your Dad's stories out there as they're beautifully told and reveal so much about the personalities he's photographed. Does Harry still use Photoshop for the bulk of his editing or has he now transitioned over to Lightroom or Capture One?
My pleasure! We love to make the videos I'm glad you enjoy them 😁 I know Harry still uses photoshop. I will ask about light room and Capture One and let you know! 😊
Bjork was/is a true superstar! Such an incredible voice, incredibly forward thinking with her music, no 2 tracks sounded alike. Even her music videos were incredible! My favourite song of hers was Play Dead with David Arnold. It woulda made the perfect James Bond theme. But I do enjoy the British gangster genre film the song was made for Young Americans. Bjork is a one in a million!
I recognize those 2 little triangles on the left side of the film border. Hasselblad :) Every film camera has it's fingerprint. I own the Fuji GW690, I believe you mentioned in another video that you used the 670? The 690 has a half circle cut out of one of the corners on the film border -- I wonder if the 670 does too.
You have a tremendous way of telling stories. Thank you. You can evoke the past quite magically. I suppose it's an obvious observation but did you think about the Icelandic landscapes as a backdrop? Maybe there was no time.
Thanks! That could of been good for sure - but actually, from seeing Harry's work over the years he rarely goes for big landscape backdrops come to think of it! I wonder why...
I went to Paris in 2000 with a girl I had been chasing for months we took 6 roles of atmospheric winter Paris scenes together over a week when I returned to England I took 6 films and asked the shop to produce them and paid for. CDs and everything it was quite expensive and rare for this little shop. I got the same panicky call 3 days later they had destroyed all of them by using colour chemicals. Nothing survived :( not sure what the take away there was as you kind if expect a photo shop to know what they are doing
Is there any chance to purchase these shots of Björk? I saw there is a small retrospective of selected photos available through the site, but the glimpses shared here of those 20 minutes worth of shots are breathtaking.
At the moment sadly no, unless you look through getty or snap galleries. I am currently rebuilding Harry's website however, to be more accessible for people who want to buy prints. We will offer all the pictures featured on the channel in a variety of sizes :)
It's funny how these accidents can sometimes result in real magic, but sadly usually it's just a failure. :) Not sure the lab will be there anymore anyway but it's amazing that sometimes magic happens.
As a photo assistant in those years in London to people who I know you know personally, it used to pain them and myself that partners were preferred over working assistants. I mean lets be honest, anyone know her copy for the shoot? EErrrr no.
@@fredandharryborden sorry I ment to say how long has this singer been around. I only heard about a couple yrs ago when she went after someone in airport for getting to close to her child.
@@jerryrichards8172 Her first album in 1977 at the age of 11. She doesn't feel the author of this album, since she only created one song. They (adults) did that album because they found she sang quite well. As a teenager, she was in several bands in Iceland. Some of them were sort of punk ones, not sure if I should label them. The most known band from that times : The Sugarcubes. She went to London to start her solo career in 1993. She has done 10 or 11 albums, something like that. The last one in 2022.
Excellent story. I had a job in college at our news department, just filing and mailing stories. One day our in-house photographer had a freelance gig for the Los Angeles Times that she couldn't make, and asked me if I wanted to go. Of course I jumped at it, but she also recommended not to turn over negatives until paid. Story was going to press immediately so no time for that; I didn't turn in negatives, photos never got published, and an early shot at photojournalism was missed. Don't be cheap.
To shoot someone as beautiful and unique as Bjork must have been amazing.
This RUclips channel is a goldmine. Thank you so much for producing these videos!
Thanks a lot!
I always loved Björk for her generosity/spontaneous/raw.... Her heart is fully there.
Musically, and behind cameras.
Artists like Bjork were helped tremendously by skilled photographers like Harry who could capture their individuality and make their image iconic to the World. Today, there are many talented artists with striking looks but we very rarely see the type of iconic photos we saw in the 90's or 00's. By all rights, I think people like Aurora or Anya Taylor-Joy should be as iconic as Bjork, Sinead O'Connor or PJ Harvey were, but I don't think the new ones are, because there are too many generic images of them.
I hadn't thought about, quite interesting. No modern artist comes to mind which has that same icon status as the three you mentioned!
We will definitely do videos on PJ Harvey and Sinead as well in the future!
This would be a dream assignment. Stunning imagery and words of wisdom.
Great story, glad it worked out in the end. Had a lab ruin a wedding roll many years ago, luckily it was just 1 of 12. Although the WPP winning portrait is great, I actually really like some of the environmental portraits more, especially the one with the orange objects in the window behind Bjork.
I agree!
I really love the format of these videos. I love how you focus on the experience and do not distract the video with technical lessons.
What an amazing, and stressful, story. You’re right, she is a special individual.
Just stumbled on your channel, what a joy!
Glad you enjoy it! Thanks for the comment.
Great story. Loved the added drama! I used to use Joe's Basement in Clarkenwell. I don't miss the dropping off, picking up, scanning, removing dust and scratches. What a hassle!
Glad you enjoyed - Small world as well! 😁
Harry ….. Always remember the adage: ‘Buy cheap, pay twice!’.
Excellent image of Bjork, deservedly a winning image!
Wise words of wisdom for sure! 😁
20 mins to create award winning photographs amazing
😁 Thanks for the kind comment!
A gripping story! I cut corners once... trying to use my chemistry past its efficacy. Never again.
Also, I have been listening to Björk all my life, and at the age of 33, I finally know how to pronounce her name correctly. Thank you.
Thanks for sharing! And yes how to pronounce her name from her team itself! 😅
There is almost always a great story behind a great photograph.
Metro was the cntre of the photography universe. Evryone used to meet at about 7pm and hand in your films to Arnold and then see each other at 10pm to edit. Those were the days of a real community of creatives. eally supporting each other. I can still smell that E6 bath as you open the door!
Yes, completely agree Simon. Love Arnold. I actually used him as a model for a fashion shoot for an Italian magazine! 🙂
Best channel out there right now. So great. Thanks Harry & Fred!
Thank you! 😁
this is one of the most interesting channels i've found on youtube for ages! thank you.
Great picture of the wonderful Bjork - who is incredibly photogenic. We still have 2 Flextight scanners at the university. Still have a good few students shooting film and, if printing big on digital, the Flextight is still a necessity.
It's a really cool machine 😁thanks for the comment.
Curious, which university are you at? City College in San Diego has a nice bw film program. I took the beginning class last year. My first rolls were not exposed correctly, but since I took them to the local public library and scanned the negatives on their printer, I could see that I had photos and could edit them in LRC. I kept scanning the rolls I took, because I like seeing my photos before I spent the time in the darkroom trying to print them. (Contact sheets are too small!)
The best photography channel on RUclips by far! And my favourite music artist :)
That was a great story. Really cool to understand where these famous images come from and how they were made.
The dodgy negative would have made me just about cry. Still, thank God for the emerging tech of the time.
Being a photographer in the late 90’s and 2000’s was very interesting. We definitely rode the wave of technology.
My new favourite photography channel! Love your work as well as your way of telling these wonderful tales.
Thanks a lot! Glad you enjoyed 😁
Amazing video! I loved watching how you broke down your process throughout your quick photoshoot with Björk. I only recently got into film photography, and appreciate how the medium forces you to add more intention and care to each photograph. I appreciate your work so much and am currently binge-watching all your videos, hahaha. Keep it up! :)
Thanks a lot 😁- We have plenty more to come!
Enjoyed this on two levels. As a fan of Bjork and as an amateur photographer.
Been there. Done that. I don’t mean taking a grat portrait. Rather, saving a couple of bucks on developing. When I got the negatives back on a concert I photographed, there were tiny marks across them. Too many to try to touch up. The only good news was that when I later got a scanner with Digital Ice I was able to salvage some of them.
It's a nightmare! Glad you could recover them
Fantastic story, Harry. I love the flextight and still shoot film from time to time.
That was awesome, I love hearing stories about portraiture and process.
Oh my so glad that worked out in the end
You would be one of my selections in the ‘which five people would l.you like to have at a dinner party’.
Thank you!
Fantastic video, stories, and photos. Thanks so much for sharing your wisdom--including the missteps; it's invaluable.
I just found your channel recently and I'm addicted. Thanks again!
Thank you so much! Means a lot 😁
I wish all of these tales were documented into a movie
Who would play Harry ? Jason Statham ?
love your stories!
Awesome story and fantastic images. ❤
What a fascinating and entertaining memory!
Great story. I'm even cheaper and used to do my own B&W film developing. I do not miss the panics whether I had correctly measured the chemicals, temperature and development times.
Harry ended up doing this too. I am sure he had those same panics haha - thanks for the comment :)
wow you were an early adopter.! I was working on magazines in the 1990s and scanning film was the repro house drum scanner thing. Buying a proper scanner to scan hi res from negatives then... wow impressed! KEEP THE VIDEOS COMING... making me remember the peak of the print era.
Thanks a lot! Many many more to come 😁
Jeepers, saying with all reverence but what a plonker thing to do with anything apart from a test role first. Had XP1 processed in a Paris pro photo lab which went through B/W processing, even though it was very clear it had to go through C41, nothing on film at all! Worked at exhibition printers in SE1 for a while and assisted many great photographers, including Sarah Moon and Albert Watson, never got to work with my fav photographer, Arthur Elgort. Went on to shoot portrait and fashion in Milan, then got a break in film industry in UK and made two feature films. Great photos and thanks for sharing experiences. I really prefer today when we have so much more control ourselves. God, I remember many times bringing back 200-300 rolls back on planes and fighting with security NOT to X-Ray the film. Usually saying the would be liable for quarter million pound reshoots did it, not niw though. Regards, Charles
What a fantastic journey you took us on with this. Definitely have to put this one down to “all’s well that ends well” and lesson learned. But I can only imagine the names you were calling yourself when you first saw those poorly developed negs. My question is…..did that assistant get fired?? lol.
These are nice. Glad to see it is schott on film.
❤ amazing
Glad to hear METRO imaging still going strong. Took film to them back in the 90s and their turnaround was fast. Always remember the white plastic bags with the logo down the side with your trannies or whatever inside
Great branding!
I love your videos as they are a great insight to another world. I bet you can laugh now but how bad must it have been at the time. Thank you
Thank you!
@5:50 -- those of us that still shoot film, are still doing this today! :)
If you still have your flextight, it is worth far more than 25 quid! Even the earliest models sell for several thousand euros here in France. They're wonderful, I had the luck to digitize about half my archives on one during my post graduate degree, as my school had the X1, a Hasselblad-branded model. Id love to own one but i doubt I'll ever be in a position to do so. Excellent video, youve got a new fan in me!
Thanks a lot - I will let Harry know about the price! Not sure where he got 25 quid from 😂
Such a great channel Fred, thanks so much for getting your Dad's stories out there as they're beautifully told and reveal so much about the personalities he's photographed. Does Harry still use Photoshop for the bulk of his editing or has he now transitioned over to Lightroom or Capture One?
My pleasure! We love to make the videos I'm glad you enjoy them 😁 I know Harry still uses photoshop. I will ask about light room and Capture One and let you know! 😊
PhotoShop is still the gold standard and it can do a lot more than either Lightroom or CaptureOne.
Still use a flextime II for everything from 35mm to 4x10 the results are wildly good.
Huge Bjork fan!… I deffo would've messed it up!… 😆
Bjork was/is a true superstar! Such an incredible voice, incredibly forward thinking with her music, no 2 tracks sounded alike. Even her music videos were incredible! My favourite song of hers was Play Dead with David Arnold. It woulda made the perfect James Bond theme. But I do enjoy the British gangster genre film the song was made for Young Americans. Bjork is a one in a million!
I recognize those 2 little triangles on the left side of the film border. Hasselblad :) Every film camera has it's fingerprint. I own the Fuji GW690, I believe you mentioned in another video that you used the 670? The 690 has a half circle cut out of one of the corners on the film border -- I wonder if the 670 does too.
You have a tremendous way of telling stories. Thank you. You can evoke the past quite magically. I suppose it's an obvious observation but did you think about the Icelandic landscapes as a backdrop? Maybe there was no time.
Thanks! That could of been good for sure - but actually, from seeing Harry's work over the years he rarely goes for big landscape backdrops come to think of it! I wonder why...
I went to Paris in 2000 with a girl I had been chasing for months we took 6 roles of atmospheric winter Paris scenes together over a week when I returned to England I took 6 films and asked the shop to produce them and paid for. CDs and everything it was quite expensive and rare for this little shop. I got the same panicky call 3 days later they had destroyed all of them by using colour chemicals. Nothing survived :( not sure what the take away there was as you kind if expect a photo shop to know what they are doing
thats so sad! I would have been fuming - imagine you had those pics now :(
cool video
Is there any chance to purchase these shots of Björk? I saw there is a small retrospective of selected photos available through the site, but the glimpses shared here of those 20 minutes worth of shots are breathtaking.
At the moment sadly no, unless you look through getty or snap galleries. I am currently rebuilding Harry's website however, to be more accessible for people who want to buy prints. We will offer all the pictures featured on the channel in a variety of sizes :)
It's funny how these accidents can sometimes result in real magic, but sadly usually it's just a failure. :) Not sure the lab will be there anymore anyway but it's amazing that sometimes magic happens.
LOVE Sarah Moon!
You're a great storyteller
As a photo assistant in those years in London to people who I know you know personally, it used to pain them and myself that partners were preferred over working assistants. I mean lets be honest, anyone know her copy for the shoot? EErrrr no.
yes, you can scan a bad negative, but printing will be fun :)
I'm going to have nightmares from this!!
Great story! And lol that Imacon should be worth a *wee bit more* than £25!
I know! I have no idea where Harry got £25 from!
They’re still worth thousands.
Did Robin Bell try to print them?
I'm not sure. I will ask Harry!
Hi Jamie, Yes, I think it was. He was the best around at the time.. 😅
@@fredandharryborden Thank you Fred
You are oh so wrong about the imacon scanner price and it hurts me deeply
I searched it up after this comment. Oh how Harry got it wrong haha 😅
@@fredandharryborden If you want to get rid of it and make sure it goes to a good home. 🤠
How long has this been around ?
Which part! The pictures?
@@fredandharryborden sorry I ment to say how long has this singer been around.
I only heard about a couple yrs ago when she went after someone in airport for getting to close to her child.
@@jerryrichards8172 Her first album in 1977 at the age of 11. She doesn't feel the author of this album, since she only created one song. They (adults) did that album because they found she sang quite well. As a teenager, she was in several bands in Iceland. Some of them were sort of punk ones, not sure if I should label them. The most known band from that times : The Sugarcubes. She went to London to start her solo career in 1993. She has done 10 or 11 albums, something like that. The last one in 2022.
@eduardoalfonso3765 OK thank you I had no idea.
Devils advocate but if the lab had developed it properly would we have the image we see today?
Another great one.... shame on you :D
😂👍Thank you!