大象传媒

Misan Harriman didn鈥檛 become a photographer till five years ago, when his wife gave him a camera for his fortieth birthday. Since then he鈥檚 become world-famous, photographing celebrities such as Tom Cruise, Cate Blanchett, and Meghan Markle 鈥� his was the romantic black-and-white photograph of Harry and Meghan announcing her pregnancy last year. Alongside these high-profile celebrity commissions, he鈥檚 also become a photographer known for documenting Extinction Rebellion, anti-Trump protests, and the Black Lives Matter movement. In 2020 he became the first black person in the 104-year history of British Vogue to shoot the cover of its prestigious September issue; last year he became the Chair of the Southbank Centre, the renowned arts complex in London.

In conversation with Michael Berkeley, Misan talks about his journey to become a photographer, from early childhood in Nigeria to his time at an English boarding school. He reveals his 鈥渟uperpower鈥� of dyslexia, and how he鈥檚 found a new way of shooting portraits in lockdown: 鈥渞emote photography鈥�.

Misan Harriman is a passionate film buff, and all his music choices come from movies that have made a profound impression on him, from the soundtrack to 鈥淕host鈥� which he saw as a boy, to William Walton鈥檚 score for 鈥淗enry V鈥� and the moving Dunkirk scene in 鈥淎tonement鈥�.

A Loftus Media production for 大象传媒 Radio 3
Produced by Elizabeth Burke