Growing up in the 90’s I was well aware of his reputation as a tough guy
Photography assignment to take portraits of English Hollywood actor and renowned 1980/90’s football tough guy. That’s the fabulous side to working as an editorial photographer – you never know who you’ll be photographing week to week. August took me to the beautiful Sussex countryside to photograph Vinnie. I’ve never met him before, but growing up in the eighties and nineties was well aware of his reputation as a tough guy on the pitch with Wimbledon and then in the 1990’s his success in Guy Ritchie’s film ‘Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels’.
You couldn’t print every word he said with the amount of expletives
I arrived in good time before the journalist had finished the interview and sat quietly listening into the conversation. Vinnie spoke passionately about his love for nature, although you couldn’t print every word he said with the amount of expletives. on the hour Vinnie decided he’d talked enough to the journalist who then to Vinnie’s surprise and annoyance pressured him into making a quick video message to her son. This irritated Vinnie, just in time for me to take the portraits.
White knuckle-ride
Vinnie was fast to inform me he had very short patience, so I needed to work fast. No problem. I’d heard him mention in the interview a sign he’d custom made to warn off dog walkers on his property, I told him I’d like to photograph him with this if possible. He thought about it, as it was located on the opposite side of his estate. The he agreed to take me in his 4WD all-terrain buggy. I grabbed one camera, a lighting system and a boom, jumped into the passenger seat and we sped off across the estate over the rough terrain.
As long as I worked fast Vinnie was happy
Once we got moving and the journalist was long gone Vinnie and I were chatting about his time as a footballer, life in the USA, family, how the health-care system in America saved his wife’s life, his film career, love of nature, and childhood in Watford. All I had to do was make sure I gave clear instructions to stop when I noticed a photogenic location. Then we’d jump out I’d take a few portraits, Vinnie would ask if I’d got it and we’d continue our bumpy journey. As long as I worked fast Vinnie was happy.
Vinnie informed me we would soon get stung to f*
At one point when we stopped in the vicinity of the sign there was an abundance of bees around us. Vinnie soon spotted a hive up in a tree trunk close by, informing me we would soon get stung to f*. He got straight on his radio to get his team to come and rescue the hive and gather the honey and bees. We stopped here to make a few shots of Vinnie with his sign. After avoiding getting stung we circled back around the estate. Vinnie was very generous with his time, chatting all the journey. I really enjoyed my time with Vinnie, although I was glad to get back to my car after bumping around in the 4WD for an hour leaving my camera & lighting kit requiring a service.
It was all worth it and an afternoon to remember. The REVIEW section of Telegraph Saturday’s supplement using my portrait full page.
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