New work

Carluccio’s cracking Easter eggs

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Easter carluccios

image © David Sykes 2013 All rights reserved.

Last month I was commissioned by Irving & co to shoot this year’s Carluccio’s Easter poster campaign working with the talented Ana Rachel.

The poster design was great, very simple and they’d designed fantastic type to go with it. It was a dream job as photographer, and when the product arrived I was even more pleased!

The Carluccio’s eggs are beautiful objects. They were lovely to shoot. We had a great day coming up with different ways to show off the eggs. In the end we decided to see what they would like cracked – showing off the dark chocolate inside, looked even more delicious! It did take a while to get them to break in the right way though. In the end I perfected a technique that works perfectly every time ( with a little help from a hammer! )

I also managed to film a short animation for them at the same time, using the mini chocolate eggs – which you can watch below.

I hope everyone has a great Easter and, I hope you are lucky enough to receive a Carluccio’s Easter treat!

Easter carluccios 2

image © David Sykes 2013 All rights reserved.


Music : J’y Suis Jamais Allé by Yann Tiersen
Available on itunes here

First past the post

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202247_Sport_RacingPost_0803_BC.indd

image © David Sykes 2013 All rights reserved.

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image © David Sykes 2013 All rights reserved.

Last friday my latest work hit the news stands in the form of an advertising wrap on the Sport magazine for the Racing Post.
I was commissioned by the talented folks at Sell Sell. They wanted to make an image containing all the essentials one would need at the races, including all the different ways to get info from the Racing Post.
It was a fun day the lovely Katie Cordell sourced some fantastic props to make up our gents outfit it was all very fancy, it was like a high end Bond Street store in the studio for the day!
I even made my self useful by finding the hip flask we used in the shot while I was away in Salzburg for a long weekend it was one of the few things not to have a Mozart on it!

Goldbären

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20130304-194035.jpg

image © David Sykes 2013 All rights reserved.

I was pleased to be asked to shoot another cover for Monocle magazine, this months issue is all about how the world needs the new Germans (and their sweet bear)
I had to shoot a super close up of a Haribo bear we had to hold a Goldbären (Golden bear in German) casting which meant we had to buy lot’s and lot’s of Haribo it’s a hard job but someone has to do it!
Me and Sam my assistant are still working our way through the reject bears and other yummy Haribo’s.

I also had to photograph lots of German stationary for this issue which was great for me because as I’ve always had a soft spot for some quality stationary from back in my graphic design days!

issue 61 stationary

image © David Sykes 2013 All rights reserved.

sacred hearts

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heart collector final

image © David Sykes 2013 All rights reserved.

Here’s my recent valentines inspired test.
I found these hearts in my local art shop and couldn’t resist getting them, a bit of red spray paint later and voila!

This lady has been stealing men’s hearts for years who’s next?……

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Adventgram final 25

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adventgram work 2012

All images © David Sykes 2013 All rights reserved.

Happy New year!

Thanks to all of you that contributed to this years adventgram and followed the project.
It was great seeing all the different ways people interpreted the project.
I look forward to doing it again at the end of this year.

Hope you all had a great festive break here’s to a great 2013

Photo 01-01-2013 00 27 13

All images © David Sykes 2013 All rights reserved.

The proof of the pudding

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chrismas pud card2

All images © David Sykes 2012 All rights reserved.

This Festive season I decided it would be good to create a Christmas inspired shot that I could send out to the people I’ve worked with over the years, so I started to think up ideas and came to the conclusion that everyone loves festive food and presents at christmas so why not combine the two.
That is how I came to create my sock christmas pudding, for those that have followed my work over the years you’ll know that I have liked to create food images but not using food but everyday objects to create faux food.
So I dusted off (and repainted) my giant 4 foot plate and went about creating my giant sock pudding, the pile ended up being 3 foot high and nearly 4 foot wide and Katie Cordell the stylist had to source over a hundred socks.
It took us the best part of a day to create the perfect sock pile and at the end I was tempted to go for the flaming Christmas pud and set fire to them! But I couldn’t as I needed them for the next part of my mailer.
wip blog

All images © David Sykes 2012 All rights reserved.

I thought it would be fun to send people one sock from my pudding as a memento and as creative inspiration, I custom made some sock tags with a challenge on them to make the lonely sock into a festive stocking or christmas character. To help them on there way I supplied a starter kit of some fake fur some red and green felt, googly eyes and some buttons. (see below) I’m asking them to send pictures of the results so I’m looking forward to seeing the festive creations.

mailer wip

All images © David Sykes 2012 All rights reserved.

This will probably be my last post of the year so I’d like to wish everyone a merry christmas and a happy new year thanks for following my blog.

Adventgram 2012

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20121203-230324.jpg
This is adventgram from 2011

All images © David Sykes 2012 All rights reserved.

We are surrounded by numbers every day as a result they tend to go unnoticed, there are 1000’s of different typefaces out there, some beautifully crafted some not so.
I’ve decided to celebrate the humble number, and what better month than December the one month that most of us count down to an event, Christmas day.
I’m shooting my adventgram project for the second year running. Every day I find and shoot the number of the day on my phone using instagram to publish it.
This year I’m being joined by some fellow instagramers using the hashtag #adventgram

Monocle, the gift that keeps on giving

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All images © David Sykes 2012 All rights reserved.

It’s that time of year again the gift guide issue of Monocle and this year it’s themed. All the gift ideas are from vienna (who knew they made so many cool things!).

I also shot some of the new Monocle mechanise they are selling this christmas, they have there own umbrella now and I have to say it’s probably the best made umbrella I’ve ever seen but if you’re thinking of getting me one for christmas don’t I have a tenancy to lose them!

We had lots of fun with paper and boxes this issue and I thought Richard spencer-powells choice of colours for the boxes worked so well I had to give them there very own photo.

All the fun of the fair

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All images © David Sykes 2012 All rights reserved.

For my latest piece of personal work I had the pleasure of working with Stylist Carrie Louise on this project we wanted to look at the great textures and objects you get at a fun fair and shoot them in an abstract way.
It was a fun couple of days shooting, if not a little messy as we hired a candy floss machine for the day. I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to eat candy floss again probably the stickiest day in the studio I’ve had so far, and rest assured that no goldfish were harmed in the making of this project just a couple of coconuts!

Michael Parkinson’s background

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All images © David Sykes 2012 All rights reserved.

I was recently commissioned by Sky arts to shoot some backgrounds for a couple of their new shows, here is the one I shot for the new Michael Parkinson show Parkinson: masterclass it starts on the 13th of November looks quite good. It’s up on 48 sheet poster nation wide keep an eye out for them.
Unfortunately I didn’t get to meet the man himself the portrait was shot by their in house photographer. I’m sure parky is a fascinating man to talk to, maybe next time?

Pick your teeth

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All images © David Sykes 2012 All rights reserved.

I found these whilst Halloween shopping. Thought they were such a fangtastic selection of ghoulish teeth I had to shoot them, I decided that they deserved there own halloween alter.
Which one’s would you pick?

Hope everyone has a Happy Halloween of trick or treating this weekend!

Shooting medals

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All images © David Sykes 2012 All rights reserved.

I was asked by Bloomburg Business Week to photograph the 2012 Olympic medals.
I had to shoot them at the London offices of Rio Tinto who are providing the metal for the medals.
Once we had cleared security we were taken to a room to shoot the medals. It was amazing to get to hold something as special as an Olympic gold medal, it was a lot bigger and heavier than I expected.
I had only an hour and a half to shoot them, which is a lot less time than I usually take over a still life, but I’m really pleased with the results!

One interesting fact I learnt was that the gold medal is actually 92.5% silver, but I guess if you win one you don’t care what it’s made of!

Good luck to all the competitors at this years Olympics but as a Londoner, I will be cheering for team GB!

Jelly Jubilee

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All images © David Sykes 2012 All rights reserved.

I found this jelly mould by Lydia Leith and knew I wanted to do a test shot with it unfortunately I have been so busy I didn’t manage to do it before the jubilee so to wet your appetite I created this more simple shot for the jubilee weekend.

It’s win win all round.

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All images © David Sykes 2012 All rights reserved.

My latest Advertising work for Fallon is up and about around the UK.
It was shot for Cadburys who are helping you to send a message of encouragement to team GB and you get to eat their lovely Chocolate so a win win situation all round!
We built a giant pin board in the studio then pinned hundreds of cards to it, a few prick fingers later this was the result.
If you run out of chocolate easter eggs over the weekend grab a bar of Cadburys Dairy milk and write team GB a message of support.

All work and no play makes jack a dull boy

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All images © David Sykes 2012 All rights reserved.

Here is one of my latest pieces of personal work, and as we’re in the middle of “Mad Men” fever I had to pair it up with my whiskey shot from a few weeks ago I think they work well together.
If the rest of the series is anything like the first episode the hype is well deserved. Hope you enjoy my new work and Mad Men.

All images © David Sykes 2012 All rights reserved.

Hair of the dog

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All images ©David Sykes 2012 All rights reserved.

Happy New Year!

I hope you all had a good holiday?

January might be known as the month of recovery, and of abstinence from the temptations of the festive period, but in my opinion the long winter nights need a bit of old fashioned warmth. So, for the first post of 2012, I thought I’d share my latest personal work, something traditional to warm the cockles as the cold bites. Oh, and in the spirit of recovery, here’s the antidote as well.

Last minute gift ideas

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All images ©David Sykes 2011 All rights reserved.

For those of of you who are looking for those last minute gift ideas have a look at the December issue of Monocle they have some fantastic gift ideas in there gift guide.

I was asked to create a Monocle version of a department store window display for each of there gift guide sections.
I always love shooting Monocles gift guide as I get a sneak preview to all the latest and greatest gifts on sale (and I have to admit that quite a few were added to my charisma list.)

So this is my last post before Christmas so I’d just like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New year!

QR Riddle

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All images ©David Sykes 2011 All rights reserved.

I wanted to promote the relaunch of my website and this blog with a bespoke shot and a mail-out. The QR code is the perfect example of something physical that links to the digital world, so I hit on the idea of building and shooting my own physical QR code and sending out a limited edition mailer. Just the QR photograph; no name, no other links or information, just that.

I wanted to play with the juxtaposition of a physical object linking directly to the digital, so I decided to build a 3D model of the code and create the image in one shot. This is in line with the way I like to work, I try to shoot as many things ‘in camera’ as I can. This meant scaling up and then building the 8 foot square model of the code. To create another link to my previous work I used objects from around the studio to build up the shot. Over three days, I worked with the stylist, Carrie Louise, to source the props, plan out and construct the QR city.

To further demonstrate the ‘in camera’ feel of the code I shot on film. To give the mail-out the sense of being a sheet of 10 x 8 film I retained the full frame of the shot, including studio in the background and rebates. I even presented it in the same bags you would get the film back from the lab in.

So, a brand new website via QR promotion with a traditional twist. An intriguing QR code arrives in the post, would you scan it?

Credits: Website designed by The Chase and built by Christian Duncan

Paper owls

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All images ©David Sykes 2011 All rights reserved.

This is my latest work for Dell working with the agency VML.
I’ve been asked to shoot a few paper craft objects over the last year and I always find them such lovely things to work with all the different folds,colours and textures they alway make great subjects.

Aftermath

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All images ©David Sykes 2011 All rights reserved.

Here is the first of a new series of personal work I’m working on called “aftermath” looking at the interesting colours and textures that are left behind when the meal is over.

The final frontier…

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All images ©David Sykes 2011 All rights reserved.

One of my latest shots is up on poster’s for You Tube’s space lab. I worked with Aidan Sharkey at Toaster.

You Tube are asking people to come up with a science experiment for space and upload a video explaining it to YouTube. If the idea wins, it will be performed on the International Space Station and live streamed on YouTube to the world!

It was a fun shoot to work on, the helmet was a genuine nasa helmet, shipped all the way from America for the shoot so had to be handled with care!

Fuelling imaginations

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All images ©David Sykes 2011 All rights reserved.

My latest work for Esso is now running on 48 and 6 posters in the U.K.
The shoot was commissioned by DDB London working with Art director Matt Lee and copywriter Brian Ridley.
One of my first ever commissions was for Lego 12 years ago so was great to be working with Lego again.

Monocle cover

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This month I was fortunate to be asked to shoot two covers for the latest edition of Monocle the first is the front cover and the second is the design directory 2011/2012 cover.
The issues main theme is “How do you jump-start Japan?” which is obviously a very poignant subject at the moment.
Monocle has produced a limited edition leather support Japan bracelet with all the proceeds going to Civic Force who are helping with the relief effort after the earthquakes. Worth having a look.

Issue 43 is out now check it out.

All images ©David Sykes 2011 All rights reserved.

Stopwash

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All images ©David Sykes 2011 All rights reserved.

My latest work for Persil Bio is now running in the press and up on posters in the U.K.
I was working with the very talented creative team from BBH art director Harry Orton and copywriter Robin Warman.
Model making was by the excellent Wesley west and styling by the fabulous Jennie webster

Party season

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All images ©David Sykes 2010 All rights reserved.

As we’re in middle of the party season I thought it was a good time to show you my party inspired new personal work.
And I’d like to wish all my friends and followers a fantastic Christmas and a very happy new year.
I have lots planned for 2011 so watch this space for all my latest news and photography.

Monocle gift guide

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Here is my latest work for Monocle magazine. This month issue is there excellent christmas gift guide one of my favourite issues to work on every year as I get a sneak preview of all the latest and greatest gifts and gadgets out there, and some fantastic cheese to sample!
If you struggling for gift ideas would recommend a look its a bumper issue!

All images ©David Sykes 2010 All rights reserved.

All images ©David Sykes 2010 All rights reserved.

All images ©David Sykes 2010 All rights reserved.

Hellmann’s with a Spark

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All images ©David Sykes 2010 All rights reserved.

My latest work for Hellmann’s mayonnaise is now running in the press and up on posters in the U.K.
I was working with the excellent art director Guilherme Nobrega at ogilvy.It was a fun shoot although the studio did smell of garlic for a week after!

Light ice cream

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All images ©David Sykes 2010 All rights reserved.

Here is some new personal work it’s part of a new series I’ve been working on.

Monocle’s got it covered

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top 50

All images ©David Sykes 2009 All rights reserved.

I’m pleased to announce that this months double issue of monocle with my latest cover shot is available now.
Also above is my cover shot for the travel top 50, and I shot there bumper christmas gift section.
The cover shot is a paper craft medicine cabinet made by Japanese artist Makiko Azakami.