TONY MOTTRAM'S SHOT OF THE MONTH
THE CASE OF THE MISSING PHOTO SESSION
9th May 2017





When Gary Moore passed away six years ago in 2011, I went through my photo files and carried on scanning more of my photographs, but I noticed that one particular session, a favourite of mine, was missing.

At the time of the 'Out In The Fields' single, Gary, Phil Lynott and the band performed in military jackets. I was working as a freelance photographer for Metal Hammer, RAW and many other magazines, including with a Swedish journalist, Fia Persson, for OKJE & Expressen magazines based in Stockholm.

I was sure I had kept a couple of samples from this shoot and given some to the photo agency I was using at the time. But when I couldn't find any in my files, I contacted the agency but they didn't have any either. I tried to contact Fia Persson & OKJE magazine but no luck...

I have been lucky not to have lost many photographs over the years and not lost any sessions. Usually I have one or two samples or out takes. Over the past six years this has been bugging me.

Ha - I was starting to doubt I'd even done these photographs. I racked my mind - where did I shoot it? was it in Germany? Was it in London? I am still looking for my diaries of the period... would OKJE still have some of my originals? Where is Fia? Can she help?

Then last month via Facebook and Neil Carter's post, I was made aware that a new magazine in Sweden published a Gary Moore and Thin Lizzy feature, using a couple of my photographs from the very 'Out In The Fields' shoot I had done.

A friend of mine, Phil, now based in Gothenburg, helped me see a hard copy of the magazine, then I contacted the writer of the feature and told him I membered shooting the pictures in the car park of the TV studio and it was one of my 'make 'em laugh' pics. Ever see Gary smiling? Ha! Tough guy!

Jorgen the writer agreed they are my original transparencies and he kindly returned them back to me. Result!

If anyone has the original OKJE magazine from 1985-86 I'd Love to see it! If anyone knows where Fia is now I'd like to catch up with her. Also if these images are out there anywhere, please let me know.




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