I used to live near to Gilbert and George in Spitalfields for around 17 years and we often ate in the same caffs. To be honest I was rather in awe of them and apart from saying "Hullo" I didn't have much to do with them. Eventually just before I moved out I asked them if I could take this picture. They were extremely pleasant and accommodating and went out to dinner while I set up the lighting. I shot this on 4x5 film on my trusty old Sinar Camera.
This was originally shot for an Advertising picture for a JVC MP3 Player. We built a scaffolding tower inside the church, which I mounted a 5x4 Sinar camera. My time was very limited I needed to be out within 4 hours. In the garden outside the window was rigged with a HMI light on a hydraulic stand connected to a generator. The scaffolding was rather wobbly because we constructed it ourselves (me and my two assistants), I was roped to the scaffolding and a beam on the top of the church to prevent me and the beam falling over. When we switched the light on and blew the smoke through the beam the shot immediately came to life and we...
