Halfway through my photo shoot with the talented Sinead O’Connor in London some years back; “I’m grasping for a fag, have you got any my man”.
I didn’t smoke back then, and a little panicked I asked around the studio, including her PR agent at the time if there were any spare cigs for Sinead.
Luckily my brilliant assistant on the day, Nick, offered to run down, we were in a photo studio near London Bridge, and he bought her a pack of Marlboro Lights.
I asked her if we could carry on the shoot while waiting for Nick to come back, which she did, but I only managed to get a couple of frames off before she wanted to stop again for a break.
She wanted to talk to me rather than I take any pictures, which was lovely; we chatted about everything from the state of Politics to of course the music scene. But I could see her PR agent just wanted to get the shoot over and done with, as they had another appointment after mine.
But most agents / PR and managers were like this, always in a massive rush. “Can we get this done asap” was always their stock answer. I’ve missed out on some glorious opportunities because of rushed celebrity shoots. So I took my time with Sinead, So I said, yes no problem, we’ll wait for Nick to get back with her cigarettes before starting again”.
Much to the disappointment of the PR, who I’d met before on other celebrity shoots, so I was easy with it.
Portrait of the late Irish Singer /Songwriter Sinead O’ Connor
But in saying this, I still hadn’t got the image (and never did) get the shot I was after, she was agitated and restless up to the point of waiting for her cigarettes to arrive, so having a little break and chat and a cig seemed to settle her down. It also transpired that I knew her third husband, so we kinda bonded over this, and I was able to tell her how he was doing at the time.
I’ve photographed hundreds of celebrities over my years in the entertainment industry, but this shoot was definitely a different experience photographing Sinead, not in a bad or strange way, just in a different way. She certainly had a presence.
I was honoured to meet her and to spend some time with her.
I’m really sad to hear that she has now passed, and so young too.
What a talent, as yet so troubled, like many singers before her. She's now at peace and her memory will long last with many, it certainly will with me.
