The secret is out. After hiding for days undetected in a flight case backstage at English National Ballet in order to obtain this world exclusive photograph I can now reveal how English National Ballet store their dancers at night! I always wondered why nobody ever saw them leave by the stage door after the show. Now we know. They hang them up in the wings along with their costumes! They are all there like bats hanging. The only difference is they are not upside down.

I was horrified and appalled until I realised that the dancer pictured Desiree was smiling. It actually makes them happy. Amazing.

More secrets as and when I can bring them. Its a dangerous job but somebody has to do it.

Dancer Desiree Ballantyne in "storage" for the night. © Patrick Baldwin 2010. All rights reserved.

My friend Paul Grundy the architectural photographer likes photographing things that preferably don’t move or talk back. Most buildings fit that category so when his wife Sarah who is a renowned film and televison makeup artist wanted some portraits of her work shooting to go toward a branding campaign he asked me if I would help and of course I jumped at the chance. The brief was sort of the right people in the wrong makeup. We came up with various ideas and settled on a few for the day. Casting was straightforward until we got to the skinhead. We couldn’t find one in time it seemed so I said “could you do it on me?” Have you ever wished you hadn’t opened your gob? This was one of those moments.

Now that it has been done….I am amazed and confused at how cool it looks even if I do say so myself! Plus it perfectly fitted the brief. My friend Marian Alonso actually took the picture.

Me taking one for the team!

So. I turn up at a gig yesterday evening quite early as I usually do. I am standing around getting my bearings deciding where might be the best place to position myself in this small venue that is set up like a dingy WWll era cabaret bar when “man under pressure” (MUP) approaches me:

MUP: “Are you Gary?”

ME: “No I am Patrick the photographer”

MUP: “Oh I thought you were an artist” (MUP walks off)

Well at least I know now. All that angst I have about whether I am an artist lifted off my shoulders just like that.

The Baron. © 2010 Patrick Baldwin. All rights reserved.

Audrey Brisson-Jutras. © 2010 Patrick Baldwin. All rights reserved.

Audrey Brisson-Jutras reacts in character to a stupid comment during a performance of Oliver’s Army at Central School of Speech and Drama.

Magenta Aint A Colour. As pretentious photographers we will say anything to avoid saying the word purple and choose to use the word magenta so as to appear sophisticated. Similarly we never say “out of focus” when we can say “a little soft”. This clearly speaks to our deepest insecurities. According to the link above the colour magenta doesn’t exist! It’s a construct of our mind to bridge the gap between red and violet because magenta doesn’t have a wavelength assigned to it.

So…if it doesn’t exist does that mean that photographers are not pretentious after all?

Thanks to The British Journal of Photography for bringing this up.

What is it with dogs and snowmen? Today in London we have had the heaviest snow for eighteen years apparently. Much to my dog Buddy’s  delight!

© 2009 Patrick Baldwin. All rights reserved.

© 2009 Patrick Baldwin. All rights reserved.

© 2009 Patrick Baldwin. All rights reserved.

For anybody who thinks that Nikons new D3x is overpriced….well you are not alone it seems. Possibly offensive. Definitely funny. Photographer Sam Vert made this.