Exclusive: Gavin Bond's behind-the-scenes shots of the BAFTAs

For the last three Brtish Academy of Film and Television Arts awards, photographer Gavin Bond has been on hand to capture portraits of the lucky winners. Since 2007 Bafta has built a collection of portraiture photography taken at the awards ceremony alongside providing inspiration and advice for careers in film and television.

This year the awards ceremony moved to The Royal Albert Hall allowing Gavin to create a larger setup space. In previous years, “due to a restricted shooting area I had to make do with head shots,” explains the photographer. “This year I managed to pull back, being able to shoot both full length and groups. This opened up a whole new set of images allowing me to capture the subjects in a very different way to before.”

“It certainly is a rollercoaster of an evening,” Gavin tells It’s Nice That. After a subsequent win, the successful nominee is brought through to the photographer. “Thankfully they’re in a good mood, well they have just won”. To get the process moving Gavin has a wall of references for the subject, “a little wall of inspiration that’s pinned up that usually catches their eye, if only for a split second that always helps,” he explains. “I try to give as much direction as possible in the very small window I have that usually runs from 20 seconds to a few minutes.”

Using solely a Leica S007, “and not for the reason Bond likes to use a 007 camera,” these behind the scenes shots were also taken using a portable Leica camera. “I always have one of my assistants documenting the evening. It’s great to have the shoot documented and to be able to look back on these moments.” The result is a honest representation of the on-screen stars, with Gavin in action suggesting possible positioning or hair tweaks, but overall creating a relaxed environment for the shoot.

“The whole ceremony lasts a few hours, but for me it always ends too soon.”