The blog of Charlie Clift Photography: 2014

Happy New Year! It seems like my last year review blog post was only a glimpse away and here I am looking back at 2014. And what a year it was. Photography took me travelling for work and for personal projects, I shot some excellent personalities, met some great people and I am hungry for more of all of these in 2015.

The beginning of 2014 was rainy and I waded through it. The floods in the South West of England really affected me and I wanted to contribute to the efforts made during the crisis. The story of the amazing people working in the Somerset Levels is my small part in raising awareness of the dire situation the region found itself in as well as a tribute to the amazing effort of the community. The project was featured on the BBC website, the Independent and It’s Nice That. More photos: http://www.charliecliftphotography.com/projects/faces-of-the-flood#

This was a year of travel - when cycling along Route One from San Francisco to Los Angeles in the summer I photographed the people I met on the way. Armed with just a white sheet and my camera I took portraits of the people who are as much a part of travel as sights are. The project was featured on Creative Boom. More photos: http://www.charliecliftphotography.com/projects/portrait-of-california#

The theme of travel was present in my commissioned work as well. I started a fruitful relationship with a number of exciting clients. UnitedHealthcare Global asked me to photograph an image library for their global launch which required travelling across three continents to 11 locations. From Dallas through Dar Es Sallam to Dubai, I photographed UnitedHealthcare Global’s multinational team and captured the business travel lifestyle so familiar to their clients.

Editorial work remains one of my greatest passions. I am very proud to now shoot for both The Sunday Times Magazine and The Independent Saturday Magazine. The latter is a new addition to my portfolio - I thoroughly enjoyed shooting TV production designers for one of their issues in September. Shooting John Hamilton and his collection of cookbooks must also be one of my favourite commissions ever received. The Sunday Times Magazine has put me in front of their new wine critic as well as their god of small things among other commissions. These jobs are always tight on time and more than rewarding.

And speaking of fascinating commissions I was contacted by Tim Andrews in 2014 as well. You may have heard of his project “Over The Hill”. Tim suffers from Parkinson’s Disease and he has kept a photographic record of his illness ever since his diagnosis. He has now been photographed by over 300 photographers and the exhibition of the works so far happened earlier in 2014 as well. I had the pleasure of photographing Tim after he saw my image of Clare Foges in The Sunday Times Magazine.

Way back in January last year I took my very first portrait for Tatler. Do you enjoy Andrew Neil’s political shows on the BBC? Well, his Golden Retriever Molly certainly enjoys her visits to the set. I met Andrew and Molly on set of This Week and took a portrait of them for Tatler’s Pet of the Month in the January issue. A great opening to an even greater year.

A big big thanks for everyone who made this all possible. I could not have had a better year and it would not be possible without the fantastic producers (Thirdberg, I am looking at you), assistants (you know who you are!), make-up artists, stylists, art directors and commissioning clients.

2014 - A damn fine year