Steve Read
Steve is an acclaimed celebrity portrait photographer who has worked all over the world, including two years for Tina Brown at Talk magazine in L.A. He has photographed A-listers such as Eminen, Sharon and Ozzy Osborne, Ray Liotta, Alanis Morissette, and Barry White.
Following three months as Artist-in-Residence at the Kimpton Charlotte Square Hotel, Edinburgh in summer 2025, his ‘Shooting Starts Pays the Rent’ exhibition transferred to the Refuge at Kimpton Clocktower Hotel, Manchester in December 2025.
The project faced two distinct challenges: Firstly,the Refuge did not have enough wall space to display all his incredible images. And secondly, there was a lead-in time of just over a month from venue confirmation to launch.
After being approached by Steve, Footfall Space persuaded ten relevant independent businesses and venues across the city centre and two South Manchester suburbs to host one of his portraits. Most of the places had never participated in such a venture previously.
Working in close partnership with Steve, a map [above] was designed to advertise the exhibition and the location of his work. With the clock ticking down to the launch, the trail was progressed from leftfield idea to final execution in less than two weeks. Phew!
Due to the success of the initial two month run, all venues agreed to extend by a further month.
The trail allowed for a wider audience reach to enjoy Steve’s work, led to sales of his limited edition prints and also drew the attention of new customers to participating businesses and venues during the quieter, New Year trading months.
Eminem, Johnie’s coffee shop, LA, on display at Rivet & Hide, Manchester
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