Charlotte Church | The Observer Magazine

My first front cover for The Observer Magazine: the wonderful Charlotte Church. Photographed at her outrageously beautiful retreat space 'The Dreaming', which is nestled in the Elan Valley. Surrounded by ancient moss-covered woodlands and dramatic rock faces, the whole place feels like something out of a fairytale, I recommend you visit.

I’m pleased the magazine chose this particular portrait for the cover. Sometimes, portraits seem to find themselves. We shot a lot of great outdoor options, but towards the end of the shoot I clocked in one of the hallways of the main house, a large vase of splayed pampas grass. I took a few test shots with my assistant and immediately noticed its resemblance to angel wings. Combined with Charlotte’s snake tattoos, it felt like a symbolic reflection of her transformation​ - from her first album release to where she is now.

As an aside, I’ve always been visually drawn to pampas grass. Charlotte pointed out that, in the ’70s, it was used to signal that a marital home was open to swinging. Now I can’t help but look at a few of our neighbours in a new light, the deviants.