Celloman
Ivan Hussey — known as Celloman — is one of those musicians who exists in a category of his own.
We shot these portraits at a location near Shoreham-by-Sea in West Sussex. No studio — an old army canvas mess tent as a backdrop, mixed light, natural and strobe working together. Ivan had his cello with him, as he always does. This was the second time I had worked with him and the session had the ease of a reunion rather than a first meeting.
Ivan’s career began when he joined the Reggae Philharmonic Orchestra at seventeen, eventually studying at the Guildhall School of Music. From there he built one of the most quietly remarkable careers in British music — a session cellist whose credits include Mick Jagger, Jay-Z, Soul II Soul, Incognito, Annie Lennox, Duran Duran, Snow Patrol, The Lighthouse Family, and Lee Scratch Perry, among dozens of others. He spent years living in the Middle East, absorbing the music of the region — North African rhythms, Middle Eastern scales — sounds that eventually bled into the Celloman project, which he founded in 1999. Nine albums later, four appearances at Glastonbury, performances at Womad and festivals across Europe and Africa, he remains one of the most distinctive voices in British world music.
His instrument of choice is an old cello — battered, lived-in, and completely his. And then there is Arpezzato, the technique he coined and developed — a combination of arpeggio and pizzicato that ditches the bow entirely in favour of finger styles borrowed from jazz, rock, and blues guitar. The Observer described his playing as “surprising, sensuous and funky.” That is exactly right.
What strikes you about Ivan in person is the warmth. He is deeply interesting — curious, unhurried, entirely absorbed in the music he is building. The North African influence is not a stylistic choice for him; it is something that got into his bones during those years abroad and never left. You feel that when you talk to him.
I wanted the portraits to carry that weight — the years of craft, the travels, the instrument that has been with him through all of it. The old cello is as much a portrait subject as Ivan himself.
These portraits were made as part of my ongoing character-led work — musicians, craftspeople, and creatives photographed not for how they wish to appear but for what they carry. Based in Sandwich, Kent, I work with clients across the UK, London, and internationally. If you are looking for a portrait photographer who works this way — get in touch.
Visceral, character-led portraits from honest, quiet human moments. Classical legacy portraiture for private commissions. International, UK, London, based in Sandwich, Kent.