Jack Bridgland on photographing the “weird” metamorphosis of Robert Pattinson

Adding a personal touch to the opening slide of his talk, Jack Bridgland displayed a very cute and smiley picture from his childhood. A welcomed and personal way to kick off a discussion about his journey from the very beginning, Jack explained how, at first, “I didn’t really know if I wanted to do photography or what I wanted to do at school.” Instead, he got a feel for the industry through work experience and climbed up through the ladder with help from Ed Cook, a photographer, mentor and friend who he met after messaging through Tumblr (he was also in the audience that evening). “I’m pretty sure if he didn’t get back to me I wouldn’t be here today.”

From thereon Jack started shooting his own imagery, heading to London every Saturday to hone his craft and “photograph someone” or “someone with friends”. From there, Jack developed his own style as being one that’s now instantly identifiable, involving candid shots of everyday life in London, LA and beyond. Many of his shoots have been of musicians, artists, models and fashion designers, for which Jack implements cartoonish colours and energetic references from Looney Tunes and old-school magazines into his creations – like a recent shoot with model Jordan Barrett. “Doing your own personal stuff with no restrictions is really healthy for your portfolio, because it gives you a chance to have no boundaries and do exactly what you want,” he shared. The latest and perhaps the most recognisable (having been shared widely across social media), is the GQ cover shoot photographing the transforming personalities of the notorious actor Robert Pattinson. Jack told us how he nearly missed the opportunity after Robert’s agent reached out about the opportunity… imagine?! Indulge in the video above to hear more about this incredible, metamorphic shoot where Jack was able to go about things his own way. “This is the moment I wanted. I thought, I’m going to put 100 per cent into this shoot.”