EXPOSURE
Racoon International was delighted to work
with top photographer Jack Eames on its recent
photographic collection, White Noise. We asked
Jack to expose a little about his art and craft...
Top hair, beauty and fashion
photographer
Jack
Eames
creates flawless imagery full
of powerful intensity and purity
of spirit. His images evoke
emotion and sensuality and
this, together with his belief
that strong photography needs
to have a sense of movement,
make his signature style
unmistakable.
Southampton. It was a great three
years and, more often than not, I
was to be found in the development
labs and renting more kit than the
photography students. There were a
lot of urban festivals at the time and I’d
shoot their promo campaigns with uni
friends – all very raw, but cool.
Based in London, Jack’s
portfolio includes premium
international brands and a
host of publications. Building
a strong relationship with
clients to truly understand and
deliver against their needs, he
generates a creative energy
that inspires a persuasive
emotional connection between
the image and viewer.
I was fortunate to get the opportunity
to assist the great Andrew O’Toole.
I badgered him for months, we met
for lunch and I then assisted him for
about four years for the majority of
his shoots here in the UK.
What first kindled your interest
in photography?
I was brought up by just my dad
and he had some portrait images of
American first nations tribes and old
banjo players on his walls. He also
had lots of scrap books of old boxing
matches and adult comics; he was
a very visual person, so I think this
naturally developed my interest in
imagery.
Where did you start to learn
your craft?
I
12
studied
photo
journalism
in
How long were you a
photographer’s assistant?
Was learning your art an easy
or difficult ride?
I prefer to learn by doing rather than
reading and early on in my career
I had studio space in Sheffield that
I’d use to work on new lighting
techniques. The freedom to shoot in
this space enabled me to see how
ideas could evolve, move forward.
I was shooting a lot of commercial
work, editorial and occasional hair
jobs in the north of England in my
early career. I loved the beauty side
but living in Sheffield, there wasn’t
enough work there to shoot regularly.
So with the aim of moving to London
I did a fair amount of test shoots to
help build my portfolio. Luckily, lots of
doors began to open once I moved
south.
Can you recall how you felt on
the shoot when you first flew
solo?
I took over a studio in Sheffield from
a guy who did model portfolios. I
was fascinated with the possibilities
of the space and sat in with him on
his shoots. The first time it was just
me, the model, makeup, hairdresser
and stylist, it felt like the first time I got
in the car after passing my driving
test. I had a grasp of what to do but
it felt very odd to be the one creating
the images, rather than watching the
process.
To understand the importance
of planning, walk us through
the process...
Planning, communication and prep
work is the most important part of
any shoot. When a client makes an
enquiry and the booking’s confirmed,
I then start listening to where they
want to go with the shoot and bounce
ideas around. I have a coterie of
very talented creatives with whom
I collaborate and I always engage
with them at the start, formulate the
concept’s foundation which is vital
to keep things on track as you move
things forward. Having the concept
and good models in place allows
me to get the shots we need and the
chance to explore further ideas – all
because we got the planning right.