I work with the guys from We Are The Ocean quite a lot and they have just used a few of my photos as backgrounds of their new website. The shots were taken in the recording studio while they were recording the new tracks for their special edition album release of Cutting Our Teeth.

These are just 3 of the 15 grabs that can be seen on their site.

I work with Criminal Damage quite a lot and was just sent a mailer from Hot Topic with some of their new lines and a few of my photographs have been used including this one of Charlie of Rio.

I worked with the guys (and lady) of Hour Of The Awake again not too long ago and as always it was a pleasure. They have just udpated their Myspace with the new images and I really like the way it is looking.

This is a grab of the page. Check them out.

I got a mail last night from the Glen of the band Rag Rag, who I shot with a few weeks ago, and he updated me on the amazing exposure that they have been receiving. I really loved working with these guys because they just had their heads screwed on really well while being humble and down to earth.

They wrote a song called Fighting Pride as a tribute to boxer Manny Pacquaio and it has now become Manny’s theme song before his fights. Below is a scan of the photos I shot of them used in The National and then also a screen grab of their myspace. They’re really rad. Check them out and support what these guys are doing.

Today I looked after my good buddy Kane and it was super rad hanging out with him. He’s the coolest little guy and just smiles and laughs the whole time. It was super scary because he has just started walking and is super inquisitive so he makes his way towards everything that looks remotely dangerous and grabs it or pulls it to the floor. I was so worried the little guy was going to hurt himself but he didn’t … thank goodness.

I shot a few black and white photos with the most basic gear I have used in years. Was really hard because he moved around so much so my readings changed from 1/50th right up to 1/400th and all in between.

They’re definitely not the most technical but I love them just because they show a bit of how he is.

(more…)

A new band has formed as The Dead Famous and I shot photos with them for their promo to launch the project. Their first show has just been announced and the flyer has one of my photos in it. This is it.

Last year I worked with the guys (and girl) from Hour Of The Awake and it was one of the funnest shoots I had during the year in an amazing location. The band have been working super hard on their material and have just launched their new Myspace along with some of their tracks which are sounding great. They have just added a drummer to the line-up so I am excited to see where this project is going to go. Check them out if you are into catchy metalcore.

Being a photographer and working full time shooting photos makes it hard some times to walk around without a camera because I always see stuff I want to shoot. This is a prime example of good friends coming over for dinner on the weekend and then me taking out gear and shooting photos of them with their little girl. I love these three people.

I’ve worked with the guys from Starseed a few times in the last year and a half and it’s always been a pleasure. They recently had an interview out in Muse Magazine and they used one of my photos from a shoot that we did together while they were recording Peace Machine.

This is a scan of the article. Make sure to check the guys out if you like Rock because they do it well.

Last year I worked on a photo shoot with an amazingly talented North London based rap artist named Jelluzz and he was great to work with. Time has flown by since then and he has released an album which is available for free download called Green Eyed Monster and it’s a cracker. They used one of my photographs from the shoot for the front cover which I have posted below followed by the original photo which is one of my favourites from that time with him.

We just worked together again this week on some new stuff and I cannot wait to post them but will wait until I have been given the go ahead. Make sure to check Jelluzz out and give his album a listen.

The shots were originally conceptualized around the single that Jelluzz had out at the time and that was called “It’s My City” so I made sure that all the photographs had Jelluzz with the city as the backdrop.

This is just a random post after a video I saw yesterday sparked me to think about my work and helped me to remember how much fun I have doing what I do.

Last month I worked with We Are The Ocean for the week that they were in studio recording new tracks for an exciting release they are working on. I have worked with these guys for almost a year and a half now and I am really passionate about their music and the effort and time they put into what they are doing so spending time with them in studio (which is quite an intimate and important time for a band) was really special for me.

We worked together, listened a lot, played wii, ate rubbish cheap food, swam, jumped off bridges, walked, explored, listened a lot more, lazed around, slept, hummed, spoke rubbish, sang with the ninja and then on the last day quite early we decided to shoot a few portraits. The lighting during this time was really not the greatest just because it was SO harsh with a lot of moving clouds so it changed dramatically every 30 seconds (aperture reading changing from f7.1 to f18) but we made a plan and tried to get the best with what we had. We found this crazy dodgy location and below is one of the final photographs that I shot followed by 4 that Dan shot of use getting the set ready.

I love what I do.

This blog is my longest running one and was a huge start to me actually shooting more in my spare time trying to make sure that it stays a hobby and not just what I do for work. In a good way I am really busy shooting basically every day which is great because that is what I have worked really hard for over the years but in sad way I find myself shooting less and less just for the fun of it because I have so much to catch up on. In the last few weeks I have started changing this even though these have been my busiest times but it’s really got me excited again on starting a proper personal project even if they take a while to show off but I just want to shoot.

Anyway, to cut my long story short, this was one of those random spur of the moment shoots where friends joined us (my girl and I) for some summer Pimms which ended up in quite a lot of Pimms and a last minute “tapas style” picnic in the park near our house while the sun went down. It was such a great time and I decided that we shoot a quick bunch of portraits. These are a mix of one and two light setups and just messing around but the single light shots are my favourite.

No matter what form of art you are into whether it be photography, writing, design, illustration, music (and and and) just make sure that you keep the passion there but working on stuff just for you.

My friend Alice Edy is an amazing illustrator / artist and an all round general nice person. She worked on a live illustration in an amazing underground venue the other night and I joined her for a bit just to say hi and enjoy the scene. It was candle lit with wall projectors and surrounded by vintage wall mirrors underneath the railways in an old tunnel. Amazing.

I shot a few photos of Alice doing her thing. Always so crazy to witness her talent.

The guys from After the Ordeal have just finished up their EP and their printed final copies have just arrived ready to go on sale. I am so happy with the way they came out and really proud of the guys because I know how much hard work and effort they have put into this and it really shows.

They used a photo from our last photo shoot together on the inside of the cover and that was a really fun shoot to work on and I had my first “LAME” experience of a “kebab” that night. Haha. Good times.

Check these guys out as they go on tour in a few days and purchase their EP because its one worth adding to your collection and they offering it for cheap to just cover costs.

Good guys.

I worked with the guys from, the Bristol based band, Hope Remains Lost towards the end of April and it was another good time together. Their style is described as a metal / hardcore sound but I think it has a slight influence of rockabilly and I really like that about them because it’s different.

Anyway, the guys just launched their new Myspace with a good collection of photos from our shoot together and I love how it has come out.

Check these guys out if you into the harder sounds. They do it well and they are growing fast.

I’ve worked with the guys from Just Me Again and it’s always a good time. The guys have just had their Myspace properly designed and they used a few photographs from our last shoot together and I think it looks really good and presents the guys quite well.

The guys are really young still but amazingly talented with more dedication than most bands older and more experienced than them. I have a strong feeling that these guys are going to go really far with this project …. and even if they don’t, they will have the best time of their lives either way.

A few weeks back I had a photo shoot with the guys of Scrapbook Heroes down in Milton Keynes for their new promo material as they continue stepping it up as a band. The shoot was super fun and I really enjoyed working with these guys and listening to their stories and honestly wish them the best for them just because I know this is what they really want to do and they really are giving it their all.

The guys have just launched their new Myspace with a few of the photographs that I shot with them and I really love the way that it came out. They are also currently in studio working on the final bits recording their EP which is definitely going to be a good one. I thought I would post this up because I like the way it looks but make sure to check out their stuff especially their track up “This isn’t Hollywood” which is catchy as hell and try see them live if they playing anywhere near you. I know you’ll have a super time.

At the end of last year I had a photo shoot with the boys of Zebra and Giraffe while I was out in South Africa and it was really good working with them and hearing stories of their progress.

They have just had 5 of their tracks remixed by Cenzo Townshend which they are currently releasing as an EP in the USA and the UK. Check these guys out, they are one of the most exciting bands I know because they are so dedicated and I’ve heard a few of the demo’s they are working on for their next album and its going to be a killer one.

They used a few photos for the EP and the marketing of it.

A few weeks ago I photographed portraits with the the boys from After The Ordeal which was a really good time as always working with the guys.

Today they released their new Myspace layout using a few of my photographs and it came out really nicely so this is the reason for this post. They have also just finished their EP which releases on 12 July 2010. It is a great listen and it’s definitely worth checking out so show them some support.

Below is a screen grab of the header and then of their profiles.

I haven’t posted on here properly in a while because I have been super busy and this is a good excuse. Haha.

I was contacted a while ago by a really cool couple that are getting married later this year. Trina’s family following tradition wanted to show photos of the two of them on their wedding day so we met up for a shoot in the beautiful Morden Hall Park on a really warm day out.

At the time I was being assisted by two very helpful and fun ladies (Maya and Robin) that were out in London on a work experience placement from Holland. It was great working with them and sadly they have gone back to finish off their studies.

Anyway, this is a photo or Trina and James sitting on a park bench in the full sunlight and then the next photo I took a little further back so you can see Maya and Robin supporting a Profoto light with a big softbox to break the couple out from the killer sun. I thought I would share and use this to wish Trina and James all the best with their journey forward together. Getting married is a fun time.

I also liked these scenes so posting a few more.

Today I spent an amazing day with a bunch of special friends in Hyde Park just relaxing and hanging out. Nothing nicer than having a picnic and speaking crap with people close to you. I waited all day to shoot portraits of us but it started getting dark near the end and as I set up it was basically too late and we got cut short with rain. The light changed so quick and I had to keep adjusting so these are very different in terms of lighting but I like them so much. Special friends making special memories.

Hope you are all well. Happy Bank Holiday weekend.

I have been working really hard lately but having a lot of fun at the same time which is always good news but unfortunately I battle to make time to keep my sites up to date and blog as much as I would like to but that’s just how things go. I finally had some time to go through my portfolio site and update a few of the galleries on their although I have to admit I still have a lot of shoots to go through so I will keep updating it.

If you have the time you should check it out and let me know what you think. The band / music galleries I have just updated include Group Portraits, Individual Portraits and Live Music.

I had a photo shoot with Zebra and Giraffe at the end of November last year and it’s been a really crazy busy time since then but their guitarist, Alan Shenton filmed and edited a short video of our time together on his iPhone 3GS.

This is the video. Hope you are all well. Marcus

I had a really good photo shoot with the band Zebra and Giraffe during December in South Africa and as always it was a pleasure working with them. We shot at a dam during mid day so the sun was as strong as it could be so thank goodness for sun glasses and Profoto-7b kits to fill in.

I was assisted by my buddy Ravi Panchia who’s work is definitely worth checking out and my dad came and joined in to take some behind the scene shots (“Thanks dad”) so I thought I would get a few of these up as well as a photo or two from the shoot. You can see more of these on my music photography blog.

On my recent trip back to South Africa, I was lucky enough to spend the day with my good friend Brad (also known as Ballnut). He is busy finishing off his commercial pilots license so we spend the morning flying around the beautiful sky from Rand Airport in Germiston to Sun City for a good breakfast at a place full of special memories. Brad and I always have a super time hanging out and normally act like “mullets” so I thought that I had to be nervous flying with him but he was super focused and it really was one of the nicest flights I have ever had.

The sky was amazing and it was the perfect day to be up and after our breakfast I decided to shoot a quick portrait or two with him in front of our mini aircraft just before taking off again. The sun at this time was now super harsh and it was hot like hell but I made a plan and really like the way these came out. The first is my favourite because it reminds me exactly of how Brad is.

Good times.

So I have been working like crazy lately which is a good thing but I hate that I have so much new work to show and no where to show it. I mean, I really liked the way my old website looked but it really just was too much distraction as apposed to just showing off the photographs. It’s always hard to think of the best way to showcase online because I do not like Flash based websites purely because I have seen so many people having issues using them and in the end I think I wanted to make sure that mine would be as user friendly as possible. The website I had also never allowed me to put the photos up at a decent size so with all this in mind I have created a new one from scratch and although I am still filtering through photographs and updating the content, there is a good amount up so that I can release it.

If you have a chance, make sure to check out www.marcusmaschwitz.co.uk and have a look. As I said I am still busy uploading content so keep checking back.

This is a screen grab of the home page, hope you like.

Earlier this year I was introduced to a band called We Are The Ocean and since that day I think I have become one of their biggest fans. Their music is amazing and I get it perfectly, their live show is incredible and the guys in person are just really down to earth and it’s always clear that they are doing this purely because they love it. They have come a long way this year having just signed a record deal which will bring the release of their OVER waited full length album and they start their headline UK tour next week which is going to be one that you cannot miss out on.

Anyway I worked with they guys not so long ago and although our time together to shoot was quite short because of things running off time, we managed to get some pretty good portraits. The guys were really happy with them and will be using the one below for a poster on their up coming tour. It will be good to see it large.

The main reason for this post though is because I was just sent the link to their new music video for “Look Alive” which is the first single on their album. It was done in collaboration with the guys at Criminal Damage and it’s bound to get anyone excited about the stuff they are doing. What’s not to like? Liam and Dan’s voices are so different but so complementary in the stuff they do together and the rest of the band have an amazing input to their sound. I like it lots.

Check out the video below and make sure to check out their stuff when the album launches in January. I have a feeling it is going to become one of my favourites.

Earlier this month I was booked to shoot Bloc Party’s live show in Brighton and seeing as they are one of her favourite bands we decided to make a day of it. We rented a smart car (which ended up being a ton of fun on its own) and then drove down for a day in a place that we really love a lot. Later that afternoon we made our way to the venue for one of the best shows that I have worked at this year. It was a good time.

Below is a photo of my girl with our smart car in Devils Dyke and then 3 of my most liked images from the show.

I hope you are all well. Marcus

A few weeks ago I photographed a bunch of really nice guys from the band Chromatone for them to market their new EP which has just been released. It was a pleasure working with them and their music is really exciting and something I am sure we will all hear more of in the future.

I just received a copy of their EP in the mail and it came out really well. They worked with the crew at Three 29 Design on the artwork and they did a super job.

My friend Andrea is an incredible writer and I have been a huge fan of her work for a long time now. She started up a personal blog earlier this year where she went by the name of Rant Chick and used the blog to rant her ideas and it is always a pleasure to read. Since then she has also reviewed live music shows, band albums, restaurants, movies and other general things of interest and now she has decided to go freelance. I think it is about time and really back her up all the way because of the quality and truth behind her writing.

If you are in any need of writing that is fresh, honest and entertaining then you should keep her in mind and check out her personal website on andreazanin.co.uk