Mary McCartney: ‘My mum sang backing vocals on Let It Be’
Photography is like magic to me. I was six or seven when my mum [photographer Linda McCartney] first took me to her dark room in Soho. I remember her placing a piece of white paper into the water bath and a black and white image appearing. I don’t remember what the picture was of: probably my dad, as they’d been on tour.
People would say I only got work because of my surname when I first started out. I’ve been in photography for over 20 years now, and I don’t think people commission me because of my name. At some point, the commissions would have dried up if I didn’t do what I do well.
Meeting the Queen was nerve wracking. I was asked to take her pictures at Buckingham Palace to mark her becoming the longest-reigning British monarch last September. It was definitely a moment for me, standing there in a room waiting for her to come in. She’s very switched on, very focused and in control. Which is what you want your queen to be, isn’t it?
Most people feel uncomfortable in front of a camera. They find it very hard to be themselves. Getting a natural expression, rather than someone’s “camera face”, is always my aim.
I can whistle really loudly. You know the two-fingered whistle? That. People are usually really surprised that I can do it.
I’m not a good plane traveller. My mum’s mother died in the first commercial airline crash in America – that big Pan Am flight – so I think knowing that has had quite a big effect on me. I try to rationalise it: there’s more chance of being in a car accident than in a plane crash.
By: Shahesta Shaitly
Source: The Guardian
