McCartney Times

The invitation to photograph Sir Paul McCartney came out of the blue. It was a Thursday afternoon in March 2006 and I was on a train, heading back home to Devon after a shoot in London. The sun was shining and I was daydreaming. The train had just pulled out of Reading when my mobile rang.It was Paul McCartney’s agent, asking if I would like to photograph him the following morning at Abbey Road Studios in London. He was recording his classical album Ecce Cor Meum (Behold My Heart) and wanted some reportage-style shots of the recording process for the album artwork.As someone primarily known as a portrait photographer, I was surprised to get the call. I’d recently photographed Heather Mills, to whom McCartney was married at the time, so I assumed there may have been a connection between the two shoots.However, at the moment the offer came, I’d just completed a tiring shoot in London and was looking forward to a long weekend at home. I thanked the publicist for the offer but said, ‘I think I’ll pass on this one.’While on the journey, I phoned my agent and mentioned that I’d turned down the offer to photograph Paul McCartney. He said, ‘Are you mad? Phone him back now and tell him you’ll do it!’I realised I’d made a mistake, so I rang McCartney’s agent and said, ‘I don’t know what I was thinking: it’s a great opportunity and I’d love to photograph him.’ Then I went home, had dinner and travelled 200 miles back up the track to London. I stayed overnight and then went to Abbey Road [Studios] the next morning.When I arrived, the publicist made it clear that McCartney wanted me to photograph only what was happening and not to interact with anyone or give any direction. Although this was completely different to the way I normally worked, it meant I was free for the whole morning to roam around the studio, photographing McCartney, the choir and the orchestra.

Source: Photo Insight with Harry Borden: Sir Paul McCartney – Amateur Photographer