KERRY BROWN
New Zealand-born, South London-based, regularly working all over the world, Kerry Brown is one of the world’s leading unit photographers. Kerry has worked on a great variety of international films over the last 18-years. These include the Ridley Scott epics Robin Hood and Prometheus, The Proposition, An Education, Bel Ami and Dustin Hoffman’s forthcoming directorial debut, Quartet.
Kerry’s introduction to the world of photography came about as a teenage pro’ skateboarder. He started photographing his teammates and it wasn’t long before his work was being published in American Skateboarder Magazine. Kerry then began to focus on photography as a career and he started documenting Auckland’s young fashion designers and post-punk music scene. Covering local then international bands found Kerry shooting the likes of U2, Nick Cave and Siouxsie & the Banshees for the cover of Rip it Up, New Zealand’s Rolling Stone.
His eye for an iconic image lead to him becoming a director of pop videos: Kerry has directed more than 50 videos and his video for Crowded House’s Four Seasons In One Day is widely regarded as a ‘90s classic. Naturally, Kerry gravitated towards feature films: his first unit photographer job was on the seminal Maori drama Once Were Warriors. This striking feature launched its director, lead actors and Kerry and since then he has worked in Europe, North America and Africa. Alongside working as a unit photographer, Kerry also shoots EPKs and DVD extras.
“I’ve had a camera in my hand all my working life,” says Kerry. “I believe my key strength is my diversity – I’ve worked in music, fashion, advertising, documentaries and feature films – and every picture I take is informed by these varied experiences. To me, whatever I’m photographing, it’s all about finding that iconic image, searching for and capturing the decisive moment. I take photographs that capture an actor’s performance and tell stories.”
Kerry emphasises that his long apprenticeship in fashion, TV, music and low-budget films provided invaluable training for the major studio films he now shoots.
“I learnt the hands-on way and always place a big emphasis on forming good relationships with directors and producers, actors and DOPs. I’m a hard working, straight up guy that loves photography and cinema. This has been proven in film after film.”
When not working on films Kerry collaborates on visual arts projects with his wife, the multi-media artist Rosanna Raymond, and enjoys (endures) the company of his teenage children Salvador and Malia.