If you read through a few of the blog entries for the 'Dome Sessions' you will find a recurring theme. That is how often the people I'm photographing are friendly, helpful and a pleasure to work with. The Proclaimers were exactly this. After a powerful and confident soundcheck they came with me to the fron of house hallway where I wanted to photograph them against the jade green ceramic wall tiles. Every performer suggests an approach to me and Charlie and Craig were no different. Working with a shallow depth of field I wanted to create an image with a sense of drama and unified tonality.

I grew up listening to this show on Radio Four and getting an opportunity to photograph them was an honour. From left to right the team are Jeremy Hardy, Colin Sell, Tim Brooke-Taylor, Humphery Lyttelton, Graeme Garden and of course Barry Cryer. I knew that I didn't want a group photo and just encouraged them to sit and continue their banter which had begun from the moment they had all met up in the dressing room. Jeremy is having a sandwich, the others talking the same nonsense they talk throughout the show. The humour and good feeling between them was obvious to see and it's what I wanted to capture. Barry had decided that it should be an arm folded photo and ignored the rest giving me his full attention. What a joy they are.

Lucy is great. Funny, helpful and more than willing to jump into a box. I had had my eye on this space all year and had just been waiting for the right moment to use it. Just beside the main space of the Corn Exchange it's an area where all sorts of props and equipment are stored. I love this image with its graphic elements and Lucy's melancholic look, as if she had been put away until the next show.

This was an unusual shoot, as it was the first of the 'Dome Sessions' taken after a performers show. Jo suggested it, I agreed and the natural location was in her dresing room. She was in dressing room number one under the Pavilion Theatre, a long narrow, over bright room with no windows and a mix of furnishings. Jo was funny on stage and easy to shoot, although she admitted that it was not something she enjoyed. She is always being asked to act like a 'comedian' in shoots and seemed happy that this was not my way of working. As a result the edited image is not 'happy, smiley' but a strong portrait of Jo which I think shows her as strong, determined woman. A side of her charcter which she shows in her comedy.

After a rainy September afternoon, the light was particularly intense and on my way to shoot Darren Hayes I realised that I needed to move quickly and persuade him to come outside for the shoot. From the very beginning of the 'Dome Sessions' I had wanted to use this bench next to the main arch entrance into the Pavilion Gardens as a location for at least one of the shoots. The combination of the light and a strangly discarded pair of bright yellow shoes confirmed for me that this was the time to use it. Darren was suffering from a cold but was polite and helpful. It was raining lightly and he clung onto his hot drink. A few frames and I knew that I had the shot I wanted. We spoke little and parted with a hug. A simple shoot where we both knew what we wanted but didn't need to express it.