Tom Cruise fist-bumps a rising star: Misan Harriman’s best photograph

I was given the winners room on the British Fashion awards in December 2019, which is the holy grail for photographers at an occasion like that. All of the winners and icons current on the night are ushered in for a one-on-one shoot with the official photographer. Giorgio Armani gained the excellent achievement award and he had some mates come right down to assist him, together with Cate Blanchett, Julia Roberts and a sure Mr Tom Cruise.

This image is of film-maker Cornelius Walker with Tom Cruise. Cornelius is a good younger expertise from London who I got here throughout after his Guardian-commissioned documentary Black Sheep was nominated for an Oscar earlier that yr. It was extraordinary, given this was his first manufacturing, however I fearful in regards to the system that he’s having to perform in, and that his expertise would possibly by no means attain the heights that it ought to.

I invited Cornelius to the Fashion awards as my assistant so he might expertise the night with me and have the prospect to satisfy fascinating individuals. I wished to wheel him out in entrance of any of the A-listers that might give us mere mortals the time of day. I’ve struggled my complete life with impostor syndrome. It’s taken me 4 a long time to understand that I’m midway respectable at a number of the issues I do. So now I wish to get to individuals early sufficient to allow them to know that the one failure is to not strive.

We’d simply completed organising when Tom Cruise appeared. I walked over and I stated: “Listen, Tom, this kid over here just got nominated for an Oscar.” Tom came visiting taking a real curiosity saying: “Tell me who you are, what do you want to get out of the industry?”

I stepped again and took a few photographs as Tom was telling Cornelius that he couldn’t wait to be in his film someday. Not solely did Cornelius should be within the room, however the room is fortunate to have him in there. And one thing about Tom Cruise’s sensibility advised me that Tom knew that, too.

I’ve solely been doing pictures for 3 years, however my eye has been in coaching from a younger age. I’ve all the time buried myself in books, songs and movies, and obsessed over composers, administrators, singers, actors, anybody that created something. I didn’t suppose I personally might create till my (now) spouse inspired me.

When you first have a look at a digicam, you don’t know what the hell to do with it. I’m dyslexic, and I feel dyslexic persons are used to determining learn how to make issues work for them. I went out and began taking pictures no matter I might to develop my fashion, and something technical that I didn’t perceive, I requested the web. I nonetheless have a lengthy method to go, after all, and I’m going to maintain attempting to be the best storyteller with a digicam as I presumably can.

The one who shone a mild on my work is Edward Enninful, the editor of British Vogue. He noticed my imagery of last summer’s civil rights activism, and gave me the chance to be the primary black man to shoot a cover of British Vogue, and be the primary black individual to shoot the all-important September situation within the journal’s 104-year historical past.

If you look now on the covers of shiny magazines and past, there’s extra range than ever. Hopefully a lot of these persons are being shot by black and Asian individuals, as a result of I’m actually not the primary individual that appears the best way I do to carry a digicam. One of my idols, Charlie Phillips, was documenting the Notting Hill carnival and the realm round Ladbroke Grove earlier than I used to be born. His archive is extraordinary and he must be celebrated. He is not any much less gifted than Norman Parkinson, Cecil Beaton or Irving Penn.

I went to personal faculty in England, and so I’ve one foot in that privileged world, however the different foot as a black man. I do know what it means to be othered, however I additionally know the nepotistic world of entry that being in a sure socioeconomic bracket can provide you. Understanding each of these, I now power the difficulty in the case of giving different individuals probabilities.

• See extra work on Instagram @misanharriman

Misan Harriman’s CV

Born: Nigeria, 1977.

Trained: YouTube.

Influences: Moneta Sleet Jr, Charlie Phillips, Gordon Parks, Elliott Erwitt, Bruce Davidson.

High level: “The messages I get from strangers who, seeing my story, are not afraid to try new career paths.”

Low level: “Watching innocent young people die in the recent unrest in Nigeria and feeling helpless.”

Top tip: “Watch every documentary about great photographers that you can find before you even hold the camera. Learn about the history of the still image first.”