After an amazing career, Jeff says: ‘Don’t Shoot Me – I’m Only The Photographer!

A PAISLEY author and an award-winning photographer have created a fascinating new book telling the stories behind the pictures that have featured in newspapers and media all around the world.

Writer Norman Macdonald has chronicled the career of Jeff Holmes who has spent decades taking pictures of Royalty, celebrities and football stars for a living.

Now more than 130 of Jeff’s favourite photographs along with 40,000 words telling the amazing stories behind these pictures has been published in his new book, Don’t Shoot Me – I’m Only The Photographer.

Several of the photographs in the book have a Paisley and Renfrewshire link. And Jeff tells how when footballer Paul Gascoigne lived in Kilbarchan, the pair of them went fishing as part of a photoshoot.

But when Gazza was driving through the village he stopped to go into a local store and came out grinning revealing to Jeff how he had pranked the woman in the shop by giving her a small electric shock with a buzzer ring when he shook hands with her.

The book also features a candid photograph of Celtic football legend Henrik Larsson appearing to admire the ripped torso of Paisley-born Hollywood star, Gerard Butler. The pair had been playing in a charity football match at Parkhead and Jeff had access to the dressing room when he took the picture.

Jeff says: “Gerard Butler has a mighty impressive six-pack and it certainly didn’t come from drinking a half-dozen cans of Tennent’s lager!”

Jeff began his photography career with the local newspaper in his hometown of High Wycombe, in Buckinghamshire, but became an adopted Paisley Buddie when he headed north in 1987 to become a news and sports photographer, living in the town.

He had also earlier spent two years working as a photographer with a news agency on the French Riviera.

In his book Jeff also tells how –

* He was accused of being a spy when he flew into Moscow to cover a Rangers FC European football match and security staff detained him after finding a satellite phone and dish in his luggage he was using to send photographs back to the UK.

* Prince William asked Jeff if he could post one his photos of the Royal hugging an elderly man during a visit to Glasgow on his social media.

* Frank Sinatra’s heavies frogmarched him out of a cornfield in the South of France where he was hiding trying to get snaps of Ol’ Blue Eyes;

* He was treated to a slap-up lunch by moviemaker Richard Attenborough as a thank-you for helping promote his film, Cry Freedom;

* Unbeknown to Jeff, movie star Leonardo DiCaprio auctioned him off at a charity dinner, in London to do a photoshoot for the highest bidder;

* And Jeff unwittingly told the President of Georgia, Eduard Shevardnadze his country was a dump and avoided being sent to the salt mines for his faux pas during a trip covering Celtic FC playing in Europe.

Norman Macdonald said: “I’ve known Jeff for many years and he is one of the best news and sport photographers around.

“The book is packed with some fabulous photographs and behind each picture there’s a great story. Readers will get a good laugh at some of the scrapes Jeff got into.”

Jeff said: “People often ask me how I managed to get some of the photos I’ve taken over the years and when I think about it, behind every picture is a great story. That’s where the idea for the book came from.

“And if I’ve upset anyone along the way trying to get the right picture, all I can say is: “Don’t Shoot Me – I’m Only The Photographer!”

Order your copy of the 156-page A4-size book, Don’t Shoot Me – I’m Only The Photographer from www.jshpix.store.