The blog of photographer Kim Ayres

Sean Taylor and the Mill Sessions

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As well as hosting my Staring Back exhibition, last year the Mill on the Fleet (in the nearby town of Gatehouse of Fleet) trialled the idea of becoming a venue for small, acoustic performances by local and up and coming artists, using the space in one of its galleries. It went well and plans to have monthly sessions are now underway, collectively known as The Mill Sessions.

In a similar vein to my arrangement with The Bakehouse (see last post), I will now be taking photos of guest artists prior to their performances to build up a “hall of fame” collection.

On Saturday, fresh from his concert at Celtic Connections and interview on the Bob Harris Radio 2 show, was Sean Taylor, an amazing bluesy singer and guitarist. His live performance at the Mill was superb.

A day or 2 before he came down I spoke to him on the phone to see if there was a particular style he fancied when we did the photo session. “Dark and moody” was his instant reply. This suited me fine – I like dark and moody.

As usual, click on any of the images for larger versions







You can hear songs from his album, Walk With Me, on his website. My personal favourite is “Hold On”
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16 comments

Pat said...

With those features dark and moody is not easy.
Youthful sweetness of a battered cherub springs more readily to mind.
I'm just saying.

Anonymous said...

I particularly like the first photo...a little hint of arrogant beyond the "dark and moody"

Falak said...

I like the second picture a lot. It makes me wonder if he's lost in thought or lost in the music. For some odd reason he reminds me of Matt Bellamy, the lead singer of the band Muse.

Jayne said...

I like the last one. He looks almost uncertain of his guitar there. Yet, he has complete control of it.
This guy is an amazing guitarist. Great photos. ;-)

Anonymous said...

They work in the vein of dark and moody for me.

Eryl said...

Pat's comment made me laugh so much I'm now having trouble recomposing myself. I suppose one generally wants to look serious about one's art, and 'dark and moody' seems to suggest that. He does look like a cherub in a dark and moody place.

Congrats on the commission.

Helen said...

Hey Bearded One - they are a bit of a cross between "don't mess with me", and "completely misunderstood, tortured artist" - I like them!!!

hope said...

Third one is my favorite. And I apologize for my initial thoughts of #1, which was Robert DeNiro mumbling, "What? You looking at me?"

Why yes we are....because Kim is good at what he does, making us want to take that second look.

The Unbearable Banishment said...

I'm very glad to see that some artists still work in black and white.

pilgrimchick said...

I'm always looking for new music--I've never been into the "popular" stuff as I really don't believe most of it should count as music. Thanks for the suggestion.

Ron said...

Dark and moody is mny preference too Kim. The older I get the easier dark and moody is to achieve.

Anonymous said...

Brilliant.

Mary Witzl said...

I love Pat's comment too -- it's spot on!

That photo reminds me just a little of a Woody Guthrie album cover I've got somewhere. Congratulations to you!

Kim Ayres said...

Thanks to each of you for your comments :)

Fortunately he seems happy with them, so I can count this one as a success :)

David Mark Williams - Poet said...

Superb photos, Kim. What's also becoming noticeable is that you have developed a clearly recognisable style. The mark of greatness!

Kim Ayres said...

Or the mark of a lack of imagination... ;)

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