Automatic Dlamini Ichiro/Jeremy/Polly/John/Ben Stoneyard Dorset 1989/90
Polly Sunbathing My garden/me practising photography Bristol 1990
'Dress' single cover photo (we used/chose a black & white photocopy for the texture) Fooltime Circus School Bristol November 1990
Me reflected in mirror Polly holding Press Shoot for 'Dress' PJHarveys first single Mosfas Corscombe Dorset 1991 (Used for 'Dry Demos' 2021)
PJHarvey Rob/Steve/Polly Backstage Yeovil College 1991
'Dry' portrait Bristol January 1992
'Rid of Me' Bristol 1992
RocknRoll face My garden Bristol 1992 I suggested I write RocknRoll in eyeliner pencil on Pollys face & she wipe it off as I take photos - we also did a set where at Polly's suggestion I write my name on her face.
Lane Shadows Corscombe Dorset 1992 (Used for Box set B-sides & Rarities 2022)
Licking Lips Dorset 1994 This was taken in Pollys bedroom/Dorset. I'd done some photos that summer in Avignon for a French Theatre group. This session was a direct response to the Caberet dress & style of the theatre group. - I wanted a spotlight but we couldn't afford one so we used a slide projector in place of a slide a piece of black card with a hole punched into it to make the circle of light. (Used for To Bring You My Love Demos 2021)
PJJP SmallWorld Studios Recording 'Dance Hall at Louse Point' Yeovil 1996 (Used for Boxset B-sides & Rarities 2022)
'Is This Desire?' Henleaze Lake Bristol 1998 This is a pinhole camera image - so no lens - just a metal sheet with a hole to let the light in.
Vox Booth Lynford Manor Spring 2000 This was taken during a documentary shoot of the recording of 'Stories from the City Stories from the Sea' - whilst Polly was recording vocals.
'White Chalk' piano room window light Bristol 2007 (Used for 'White Chalk Demos' 2021)
Painted shadow Press for 'Hope Six Demolition Project' 2016
PJ Harvey B&W Timeline
I first met Polly Harvey in the late 1980s when she joined Automatic Dlamini the band of my then boyfriend John Parish. I had just started to study photography & Polly & I fell into working together naturally as friends - when she came up to Bristol for band rehearsals I used to ask her to pose for me so I could practice my photography on a living subject! - My Photography Course and my first covers and photos for PJHarvey were intertwined. For Polly over the years I ended up working on 14 Album sleeves, 17 Single sleeves, 1 Box set, 19 Music videos & 2 Tour videos. This selection of Black & White photos are amongst my favourite.
Rid of Me was PJHarvey’s first album for Island records. When I took this image to the record company and said this is what we want to use for the cover they said - great, don’t worry we can clean up the muck on the wall, the drips and the plant and I had to say no - it’s supposed to be like that it’s part of the picture. It was taken in pitch black in my bathroom with a flash. I remember my housemate Mark who I shared with at the time banging on the bathroom door while we were in there and I was shouting back “fuck off we’re making art” in a very friendly manner, of course.