The World is Yours – Photographs by Lawrence Watson

Lawrence Watson – ‘The World is Yours’ – 25 Years of Music Photography – A book and retrospective featuring selected photographs.

When Paul Weller decided to scrap the existing artwork for The Style Council’s Confessions of a Pop Group album and replace it with photographs taken by a young Lawrence Watson, it was the break that would propel Lawrence’s career in music photography. A career that has seen him travel the world photographing the biggest names in music and has just been documented in his new book The World is Yours, now on sale.

In the early 80s as hip hop took off, Lawrence went over to the US and captured legendary artists Run DMC. Eric B and Rakim and Public Enemy in their prime. Continuing to work with Paul Weller throughout his solo career, creating iconic album cover images and still working as his tour photographer, Lawrence has gone on to photograph everyone from Morrissey and Oasis to David Bowie and Isaac Hayes.

These photographs can now be viewed in one place for the first time in The World is Yours, a hardback retrospective of Lawrence’s iconic images. Launched in conjunction with Adidas as part of their 60th anniversary, throughout the book, it’s clear there’s a love of the 3-Stripes amongst the artists, from LL Cool J and perhaps most famously Run DMC during those early days of hip-hop to Ian Brown and The Gallaghers.

Former NME colleague and Loaded founder James Brown said: “Lawrence was often the first photographer to capture the raw energy that’s so exciting in the early stages of their careers. He captures people before they become blasé.” He continued: “As a music photographer you can ask for no better recommendation than having the sharpest guys around ask you to work with them again and again.”

Writer, Sean O’Hagan, who also worked with Lawrence on the NME added: “You can sense how Lawrence works – quietly, unobtrusively, intently – from his portraits. You can sense the trust he engenders in people he has grown to know over the years. He kept on doing it, and he kept on getting better. He has that eye for the crucial moment.”

It’s certainly been an exciting journey for Lawrence and one that you can now see documented for yourself in this retrospective, and as he says himself: “It has never felt like work, always a joy.”

‘The World Is Yours’ book retails for £25 and is ON SALE NOW at Paul Smith and Urban Outfitters stores Nationwide

An accompanying Exhibition runs until 7th June 2009 at Londonewcastle Project Space, 28 Redchurch Street, London E2 7DP