Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.
Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.
So please dig deep and donate now.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PRESS RELEASE CONTACT: PETER ROSS / 07970 191668
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NAKED MUSIC PHOTOGRAPHER CAUGHT ON CAMERA
Music photographer Karen McBride who features in a new book ‘The World’s Top Photographers Workshops’ (Rotovision) is preparing to bare all to go under the lens of distinguished photographer Jill Furmanovsky to raise funds for Cancer Research UK.
Already 3 stones lighter, Karen, whose camera has captured artists ranging from
The Ting Tings to Robbie Williams, began a diet in October 2009 aiming to lose
4 stones by April. In a unique twist she talked to Jill Furmanovsky whose work
she has admired for many years about the plan and Jill had no hesitation in
agreeing to donate the portrait that will be auctioned for the charity after it
has toured and been signed by artists appearing at some of the UK’s biggest
festivals this summer. Jill Furmanovsky’s celebrity subjects include punk icons
The Sex Pistols and the legendary Bob Dylan and her original prints are known
to fetch up to thousands of pounds.
News of the photoshoot booked to take place at London’s famous Holborn Studios has also attracted the offer of a pair of shoes and bespoke camera strap designed by Fee Doran aka Mrs Jones, whose star creations include Kylie’s ‘Can’t Get You Out of My Head’ white hooded catsuit and hair by the internationally renowned stylist Keiichiro Hirano, whose work features regularly on the cover of Vogue.
Karen decided to adopt this particular cause because her uncle, her grandma and a friend died of cancer. She is looking forward to showing off her new figure but keen to point out that the photograph will be tasteful and artistic and Cancer Research UK are backing her all the way.
Karen stated, “I thought if I’m going to go to all the lengths of losing this
much weight, getting fit and looking good, I might as well put myself in front
of the camera and get photographed - naked. I thought naked might have a bit
more of an impact. It won’t be crude, it’ll be respectful. Women do the
Calendar Girls style shoots and this fits in with that, but we intend to
introduce a fresh rock and roll twist.”
Jill Furmanovsky told us, “Karen is not only a very fine photographer but also
a very inspiring person. I can’t wait to take the picture of her. As a matter
of fact I need to lose a few kilos too, so perhaps I (and others too?) should
join her for the last stone, though I intend to remain on the dark side of the
camera! ”
Anyone interested in sponsoring Karen should visit www.karenmcbride.wordpress.com
ENDS
Notes to Editors:
About Cancer Research UK:
Together with its partners and supporters, Cancer Research UK's vision is to beat cancer. Cancer Research UK carries out world-class research to improve understanding of the disease and find out how to prevent, diagnose and treat different kinds of cancer. Cancer Research UK ensures that its findings are used to improve the lives of all cancer patients. Cancer Research UK helps people to understand cancer, the progress that is being made and the choices each person can make. Cancer Research UK works in partnership with others to achieve the greatest impact in the global fight against cancer.
For further information about Cancer Research UK's work or to find out how to support the charity, please call 08701 602040 or visit www.cancerresearchuk.org.uk.
About Karen McBride:
Raised in Manchester’s Salford, Karen qualified with a degree in Ancient History and Archeology. But it’s music that’s always been at the centre of Karen’s life–borne from days listening to her father’s collection of Johnny Cash and Elvis records. “The music came before the photography,” she remembers, “and listening to it helped me get through the poverty of growing up in Salford during the 1970’s. But I knew I always wanted to be a photographer.” Today, Karen is recognized as one of the most notable female photographers in Manchester, and one of the most sought-after music photographers around. She prides herself on paying as much attention to unsigned bands as she does touring with the worlds legendary performers. Her clients include big name artists, record labels, music venues and magazines. She was one of the first people to recognize the talent of the previously unsigned scissor sisters-with whom she became friends, and in 2006 she was chosen as official photographer to record the Robbie Williams “Close encounters” European Tour.
Check Karen’s work out @ www.karenmcbride.com
About Jill Furmanovsky:
Brought up in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), Jill Furmanovsky moved with her parents and brother Michael, to London in 1965 in time to join in with Beatlemania. She became one of the ‘Apple scruff’ teenagers that hung around outside Abbey Road hoping to catch sight of the Beatles. Her first rock shot was of Paul McCartney standing outside his house with two of her school friends, taken on a Kodak Instamatic. Following a foundation course at Harrow School of Art, Jill studied textile and graphic design at the Central School of Art and Design. After only two weeks training in photography, she had a lucky break when she was offered (and gleefully accepted) the unpaid job of official photographer at London’s premier rock venue, The Rainbow Theatre in 1972.
Artists photographed in her 35 year career include many of the biggest names in rock music: Pink Floyd, Bob Marley, Eric Clapton, Blondie, The Police, Led Zeppelin, The Pretenders, Bob Dylan and Oasis. She has also made videos for Oasis and The Pretenders and continues to shoot in the music industry. She was invited to document the Cream re-union concerts and rehearsals in May 2005 as well as Pink Floyd’s rehearsals and historic performance at Live 8 in 2005. She is currently working with Queen & Paul Rogers, Oasis, Duffy and Razorlight.
Jill’s book ‘The Moment’ 25 Years of Rock Photography’ (1995) is a seminal work in the genre. Her subsequent Oasis book ‘Was There Then‘ A Photographic Journey’ (1997) followed a ground-breaking exhibition of the same name that toured in the UK and Ireland.
Jill conceived Rockarchive in 1998 with the idea of making unseen work from her own archive and that of her colleagues more accessible to fans and collectors of photography. That it has succeeded in surviving and thriving while maintaining its original aims is a mark of pride for all concerned.
Jill has won many awards for her music photography including The Jane Bown Observer Portrait Award for her classic Charlie Watts portrait in 1992. In 1998 she was honored with the accolade ‘Woman of the Year’ for Music and Related Industries’.
Check Jill’s work out @ www.rockarchive.com
