| April 6th, 2010 | ||||||||||
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Unless you’ve been living under a rock on on a polar ice cap for the past few years, there is a little show on the CW about aspiring models and their quest to gain the top prize of becoming AMERICA’S NEXT TOP MODEL.Our boy Jonathan Mannion was asked to shoot for this incredible reality show not once but twice this season. First for the “fade out” image you see every episode - where the girls fade into the mist after being ejected from the show. Then a second time for the “Drecktitude” episode in which the lovely ladies must post nude for the first time on the show.Here is a peek at the episode 2 “Drecktitude” (Jonathan pops up around 3 minutes in): We’ve also learned that Mannion family favorite, hip hop legend and DJ extraordinare D-Nice will be appearing on the show tonight at 8:00pm. Please tune in and support the family.We had the pleasure last Friday to see D here in studio and Jonathan shot a few portraits of him. Here is a taste of that shoot.
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| February 18th, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||
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A friend of mine Khary Darlington the founder of awomansjournal.com sent me a text message today and asked me “what kind of camera should I buy?” If I had a dollar for every time this question was asked of me, I’d be a rich man! This is a perfect moment to show you my arsenal and give you my perspective on cameras. I always say that it’s not the camera it’s the eye.
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| September 17th, 2009 | |
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VH1 TV Shows | Music Videos | Celebrity Photos | News & Gossip This month Vh1 has brought back the Behind the Music series, kicking it off with an episode on Lil Wayne featuring many of Mannion’s classic images. If you haven’t seen the show already it will air again tonight Sept 17th at 8:00 pm EST and again Friday Sept 18th at 1:00 am EST. click below for more about the story and photos POSTED IN Behind the Scenes | COMMENT (1) |
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| May 22nd, 2009 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Mannion studio would like to congratulate the Orlando Magic, Cleveland Cavaliers, Denver Nuggets, and Los Angeles Lakers for making it to their conference finals. To commemorate this we are posting a few photos that we’ve done in the past with some of the starters from each team. We hope everyone watches the Finals.
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| February 13th, 2009 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Back in 2003, Australian entrepreneur and philanthropist Tony Barbagallo had the genius idea of developing a luxury lifestyle / arts & culture magazine, 100% of whose profits would go to children’s charities throughout Australia. The result was the creation of beautifully art directed Box Magazine. Seven years later this growing magazine and accompanying online luxury guide has not only helped raise funds for children’s charities including their own foundation ToyBox International, but through forward thinking art direction and innovative design has also has covered stories on some of the most prestigious and creative artists of our generation like Mario Testino, Penelope Cruz, Mick Jagger, Karim Rashid, and Angelina Jolie. This month, the glossy art book quarterly features an eight-page photo gallery & interview with our very own Jonathan Mannion, highlighting his meteoric rise to success in still photography and directing, and his genuine passion for hip hop… the business, the culture, and what it stands for. “I prided myself on living the movement, I wasn’t removed from it. He says, when reflecting on how he built his reputation in the industry as a photographer during the early part of his career. “I wasn’t like ‘I don’t give a fuck about Outkast but I’ll shoot them because I can make them look good.’ I was more inspired by the music and I thought visually I could take people to the place because I understood what they were presenting.” Jonathan’s infectious fervor enables him to gain complete trust in the subjects he’s shooting, who in turn allow him to divulge in their personal lives permitting him unprecedented access to areas and situations that other photographers might not otherwise have access to. Because of this Jonathan has been fortunate enough to capture some of the most intimate moments with his subjects that you wouldn’t normally expect. “I want to go to the foundation of what makes you, you. Says Jonathan. “Where did you grow up, take me to your mum’s house, introduce me to your family, what grade school did you go to, show me your first car, where’d you get in your first fight…” Jonathan champions these methods he’s adopted and feels strongly about this being one of the core reasons his images have substance. The in depth feature continues to highlight significant chapters in Jonathan’s burgeoning career as photographer and director in the music industry, cementing him as one of the biggest and leading sought after individuals in the business. POSTED IN Behind the Scenes | COMMENTS (2) It’s been a long time coming, but Jonathan and Usher finally got together to shoot for the cover of VIBE’s July issue, appropriately named “The Swagger Issue” on stands now. Shot at various locations in Harlem, Usher was really able to connect and interact with his fans here in NYC as you will see from the VIBE choices. Having such star power from 126th street to 143rd street is a moment that all involved will not soon forget. Mannion said, “The choice to shoot him “Uptown” was to really present a different side of Usher, approachable, tangible, charming and able to hold down any block as if he owned it from ATL to NYC and worldwide…” Mannion continued… “It was a real honor to collaborate with Usher and create some spectacular images that define this particular moment in time for him. He carefully considers every detail of the shot and how it is presented which is refreshing as I approach making pictures in the same way. It allows for next level imagery…. I look forward to the next round.”Big shout goes out to the Vibe team for what was a historical shoot! It was definitely another great day in Harlem! POSTED IN Behind the Scenes | COMMENTS (2) Click here to read this article http://www.formatmag.com/features/jonathan-mannion/ POSTED IN Behind the Scenes | NO COMMENTS Jonathan Mannion’s singular vision has been a major contribution to hip hop. He has shot some of the game’s greatest legends and most infamous characters all with great style and sensitivity to each subject and their story. In an exclusive interview with MTV News airing this week, Jonathan shares his insights on shooting some of his most classic shots from Jay Z’s Reasonable Doubt cover to Lil Wayne’s “Tha Carter III.” Click below to check out MTV.com for the interview as well as never before seen behind the scenes footage, archival images and in depth commentary from Jonathan Mannion himself. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1588638/20080603/lil_wayne.jhtml POSTED IN Behind the Scenes | COMMENTS (2)
“Jonathan has a way of making you feel really comfortable. He has an amazing way of making you believe in the moment of what he’s trying to create. He sees it already, he just has to get you to see it and he’s really good at articulating exactly what he wants,” reflects a philosophical Anthony Hamilton when discussing his latest partnership with Jonathan Mannion on his third album-packaging project. “I’m such a great fan of his work and I am truly honored to be working with him again.” The story began almost five years ago, when a then relatively unknown soul singer started work on the platinum selling album ‘Comin’ From Where I’m From.’ “I’ve been a silent admirer of Jonathan’s work for a long time without even realizing who was behind it, then to get the chance to work with him was a blessing. Jonathan is one of those people you just keep coming back to,” Anthony continues. “I have a lot of fun working with him and feel really comfortable communicating ideas.” When the original title of the album ‘The Life of a Southern Gentlemen’ had changed to ‘The Point Of It All’ after the shoot had wrapped, there was much deliberation on how the already shot images would be manipulated to suit the new title. Anthony goes on to explain, “See that’s the greatness of Jonathan’s style. When the shoot had wrapped and we got the photo’s back, the original title seemed too contrived, too done up. ‘The Point of It All’ works better, it makes much more sense to the overall feel and style of what I’m trying to say on the album and I think the pictures are better reflected this way.” Jonathan’s style continually strives to push the boundaries of the traditional aspects of photography. Anthony is quick to add, “I love the fact that he’s trying to make his work more of an art form, I think it’s necessary especially in the urban business. It can get mundane sometimes, a little typecast and oversaturated with the same look and he’s trying to stay so far away from that. He really believes in my music and I’m thankful.” While ‘The Point Of It All’ follows through in the same melodic and soulful style of his previous albums, Anthony has proven that you can still churn out good, honest songs without depreciating the value of his listeners. “I’m not the kind of artist who’s gonna sing about degrading women, that’s not what I am about, you’re not gonna hear me singing about pimping out or anything like that to increase album sales. The types of songs I sing just feel right to me.” Anthony is the first to admit that his albums may not stir the kind of media hype likened to that of his counterparts, but isn’t worried about it. “I think my music speaks for itself. It’s because there’s so much substance in it. I think if I was singing about hoes, getting naked, stripping, disrespecting women and stuff my sales may jump. That’s what a lot of people are into right now, but what I will say is that I am aware of it, and in an attempt to broaden my fan base the first single off the album will be a little bit more upbeat.” “Looking at what’s worked and trying to branch out, I want a younger demographic as well. It’s good that I have a solid fan base, but I want to give them something they can jam to as well, I want to bring in some other people because I have some stuff to say. I want everybody to have a chance of hearing and loving the music.” The Point Of It All is released through Zomba Records June 10th. POSTED IN Behind the Scenes | COMMENTS (2)
R&B artist J Holiday doesn’t need much of an intro… Having catapulted up the charts last year with his hugely successful video “Bed,” then following it up with second single “Suffocate,” both songs are still continuing to get huge radio and video play. Here are some exclusive behind the scenes images of J Holiday’s latest music video “Suffocate,” directed by Jonathan Mannion shot in the beautiful city of Paris. On the downtime an excited J Holiday explains, “This is my first time overseas. It’s an amazing city and a great location for the concept of the video.” “Suffocate” picks up from where “Bed” left off – a clean, classic, love story showing a true depiction of how it can be on the road sometimes. “It’s a ‘real life’ kind of video, J continues “and shows how it can get a little lonely while touring.” When sharing his experience of working for the umpteenth time with Jonathan, J is candid “The long hours and standing around a lot can get a little annoying at times, but the best part would definitely have to be the finished product. Thinking back to how long a certain shot took and how many times I had to go over the same thing again and again makes it seem so much worthwhile especially when you see the end result.” J’s relationship with Jonathan has continued to develop literally over the course of his career. Having worked together on his first project “Bed” and soon after “Suffocate” (album packaging and videos) J regards Jonathan with the utmost respect, professionally and personally. “Jonathan’s eye as a director is sick. He always has these innovative, fresh ideas that just blow you away. I felt privileged to work with him actually because I’m a huge fan of his work anyway. Filming “Suffocate” never really felt like work. Jonathan’s like family like a long lost cousin and the team was cool too. Everyone had a cool time but kept it real professional when it needed to be.” While J Holiday continues to ride the charts, he is consistently planning his next move. Check back soon for more exciting news. POSTED IN Behind the Scenes | COMMENT (1) |
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