I’m proud to show this new work that was commissioned by the good folk at Rose Design, for an ad campaign for HMS Belfast and the Imperial War Museum (IWM).

I’ve worked with Rose Design over the years on some wonderful projects for some fascinating clients, and this was no exception. I’ve always had a fascination for all things military and naval and so this was a dream commission.

After a couple of delays, due to weather and bizarrely another warship mooring alongside, the shoot day finally came. A 04:30 start, was followed by 10 hours on a small charter boat bobbing about on the River Thames, patiently waiting for the right light and constantly manoeuvring to a point that gave us the precise distance and low angle from the ship.

As the boat was constantly moving I opted for an image stabilised DSLR, which we tethered to lap top. That way we could constantly monitor sharpness and precise angle and make sure we were filling as much of the frame as possible.

HMS Belfast is a Town-class light cruiser and has a fascinating history. Built by the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast, she was launched in 1938. She went on to serve for many years around the world. Decommissioned in 1963, she finally moored up on the River Thames near Tower Bridge and opened to the public in 1971. She became a branch of the IWM in 1978.

You can find a full detailed history of her here.

I would thoroughly recommend a visit to HMS Belfast. She’s basically a floating museum, where you can spend hours wandering the vast majority of the ship. It’s a fascinating and humbling experience. “Navigate your way around the rooms of this floating city, climbing up and down ladders to visit all nine decks.” You can find full booking details on the HMS Belfast page of IWM web site, here.

Below is the final image placed in the 48 sheet poster.

Client : IWM. Agency : Rose Design. AD : Garry Blackburn.

STOP PRESS - I’m delighted to announce that the HMS Belfast ad campaign poster has won Gold at the Graphis 2025 Poster Awards.

Rose, who commissioned me to undertake the photography, won the award along with 4 Silvers, at the recent event in New York.

Below is the winning 4 sheet poster, with full information, here.