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michael joseph

michael joseph

Michael Joseph was chosen by the (sleeve designer) Michael Peters from a selection of Portfolios supplied by his photographic agent David Puttnam whose stable included Snowdon, Avedon, Bailey and Duffy.
His portfolio already showed his versatility in handling people as it included social reportage from South Africa, commissioned by the Johannesburg Tatler, which led to photographing Field Marshall Montgomery and “gate crashing” Harold Macmillan’s making the ‘WIND OF CHANGE SPEECH’ in Johannesburg in 1960. The black musical King Kong starring Miriam Makeba & Hugh Masekela also provided early Theatrical experience.

At six his Gran gave him a mini Zeiss Ikon box camera, which provided an early stimulus as summer holidays driving through the Garden Route of Cape of Good Hope provided many “scenes”-especially attractive Zulu Ladies in front of their Beehive Huts!, which helped him win competitions in his school Photographic Society at Michaelhouse in Balgowan, Natal.

Edward Joseph, Michael’s father was heavily involved in Anti-Apartheid activities, especially fundraising. All this gave Michael an early intro in handling people of all shapes, politicians, and trips to Soweto to expose the entire sub-human conditions.

At 21 Michael emigrated to England to study photography at the London college of Printing and Graphic arts. At a party Michael met the picture editor, Paul Hamlyn, who realized his South African (anti apartheid) images could be useful for the WORLD OF CHILDREN which was published in 1966.

At college, a student asked him to photograph Roy Carruthers, art editor of Michael Heseltines magazines TOWN. This led to a shark fishing story in Ireland, and a story on UK’s Primitive Painters, and an America’s Cup Yacht race, which led to a two month trip to cover the war in Vietnam in 1963, with Brian Moynahan.
During the month covering the war, we interviewed General Ky (who succeeded Diem), the 2 month trip via Bangkok, where we enjoyed a night in a 5 star Hotel !
The magazine “forced” us to sell images to PARIS MATCH- SUNDAY TIMES and tabloids, to cover hotel bills!!! These images led to a “reportage” –style advertising campaign in Ireland for Aer Lingus, as CDP already had Art Directors like Alan Parker, Charlie Saatchi and David Puttnam.


In 1995 the travel writer David Saunders approached Michael to do a course book –THE COMPLETE PHOTOGRAPHIC COURSE –Orion, the publishers, commissioned 600 images published in the U.S.A by PHOENIX, Europe and Japan and this was immediately followed by an illustrated version of THE HITCHHIKERS GUIDE TO THE GALAXY, by Douglas Adams. Luckily this coincided with his three children graduating & leaving home, so he retired from advertising to concentrate on “finding my best work” amongst the MYRIADS OF IMAGES SHOT OVER FIFTY YEARS!

Michael and Julie (his business partner /wife of 35 years) sold their seven storey house on Clapham Common, as their youngest daughter an architect student discovered a derelict children’s home in Angel Town, London, with a giant garden and plenty of space for a galleried studio, library and dark room which she cleverly made it excitingly modern ”Bauhaus” type home!


In the swinging sixties Collett Dickinson & Pearce was the most creative advertising agency and they then commissioned me due to the Vietnam spreads to a fortnight in Ireland for Aer Lingus. This lead to 33 years of varied advertising assignments – ranging from Bensons and Hedges’, Schweppes and White Horse. And fashion for HART, SCHAFFNER and MARX in Chicago.

The Rolling Stones employed an ex-BBC presenter, Jackie Crier, to find locations, wacky props & COSTUMES, On the Recce, SARUM CHASE in Hampstead, London I discovered the caretaker was apprehensive if any ladies would be on the shoot – as the Church Commission owned it, so any “TOPLESS” models would incur a further £10 on the £100 location fee! It was very gothic & full of great “objects”!

The Designer commissioned 3 set -ups on 10x8 colour transparency, we began with the interior, which took 2hours to shoot 60 sheets, as there were numerous animals (a cat, three dogs, a sheep and a goat which kept eating the props and the semi-stoned Stones , due to a few vintage Burgundies on set!) To conclude the shooting, Michael exposed one roll of black and white with a hand held HASSELBLAD super wide, of the group and took some close-ups as he wanted to show Mick a new paper Kodalith.
The Stones were very impressed with my collection of STROBE LIGHTING, AND MY USE OF A MEGAPHONE TO CONTROL THE VARIED ANIMALS!
SO WE FINISHED, WITHIN THE TWO HOUR time slot!
Overnight I developed and printed a few blow-ups of the group and a portrait of Mick.
Camera – Linhof – super angulon 165 mm
Lighting – Strobe Swimming pool + 3x5 foot strips (20,000 joules)
Exposure – 1 second at f 45.
.
Mick invited Julie & I to travel up with him & Marianne in a “Limo” (Daimler), so felt he may be pleased to see my prints!
Bill & the others were in the other limo, doing a ton (100mph) up the newly opened A1(M), according to his book ROLLING WITH THE STONES

The second part of the sleeve was to be shot up at Swarkestone (Derbyshire) the next day. The rear cover, them Playing Cricket, in a field, with a white piano tipped over as a prop, and the front cover lying in the grass, in front of an old jousting tournament pavilion.
While having an afternoon tea break, Mick was shown the prints and the 60 colour transparencies. He immediately “FREAKED OUT” by the richness of the prints and felt the “COLOUR WAS BORING” He also loved the portrait, which he signed flamboyantly. I kept back a dozen outtakes! The rest have gone AWOL!
Mick chose “only” to use the Banquet Kodalith and DITCHED the rest!
He had a plain cover with Italic script, like an invite instead! (For the US album, he decided TO USE A PROVOCATIVE GRAFFITI COVERED TOILET!)
Luckily they chose one of the Pavilion for the US album HOT ROCKS.

In 1995, the travel writer David Saunders approached Michael to do a course book –THE COMPLETE PHOTOGRAPHIC COURSE –Orion, the publishers, commissioned another, THE HITCHHIKERS GUIDE TO THE GALAXY, by Douglas Adams. Luckily this coincided with his three children graduating & leaving home, so he retired from advertising to concentrate on “finding” my best work amongst the MYRIADS OF IMAGES SHOT OVER FIFTY YEARS!

Michael and Julie (his business partner /wife of 35 years) sold their seven storey house on Clapham Common, as their youngest daughter, an architect student, discovered a derelict children’s home in Angel Town, London, with a giant garden and plenty of space for a galleried studio, library, and dark room, which she cleverly made into a “Bauhaus” type home!
In retirement, I am tending various gardens here and in France on the corner of Bordeaux, where we have an old Vineyard and 600 plum trees, producing a Prestige d`Eleonore ,red and prunes, which we sell to the local “Chocolat” outlet!

Michael was born in Kimberly, Cape Province – S.A – 1941 while at London College of Printing and Graphic arts Town sent Michael Joseph with Brian Moynahan to Vietnam (1964), These images led to 3500 advertising assignments. Favorite clients: Benson and Hedges, Christies, Nivea, Pirelli, and Malaysian airlines. And more all totally varied – with emphasis on large groups – all thanks to The Stone’s Beggars Banquet.

Technical data – Rolling Stones - Beggars Banquet a.k.a (Mick feeding goat)
Film Stock – KODAK EKTACHROME 100 ASA (10X8)
Camera – Linhof – super angulon 165 mm /Exposure – 1 second at f 45.
Lighting – Strobe Swimming pool + 3x5 foot strips (20,000 joules)
The B&W images were shot on a Hasselblad SWC with Kodak Tri-X handheld. At end of session, I printed a few prints overnight on Kodalith, so I could get The Stones to sign them, but Mick was so “excited by the feel” of the LITH PRINTS
He junked the color!