Nourished by Accident

Nourished By Time is Marcus Brown, a Baltimore native gaining traction in the UK and landing the cover of NME. His sound fuses indie rock, electronic, and R&B into something low key, unexpected, and emotionally resonant.

Paradoxically, he manages to come off as both genuinely curious and blasé. Perhaps there is nothing more exciting in a photo shoot than someone who is unpredictable. It’s stressful while you’re doing it, but it results in unexpected and engaging portraits.

Halfway through the shoot, we were at an impasse. He was saying no to most everything, and I was running out of the ideas that I came in with. The AC was broken and the room was cooking. We now had turned the fan off, as it was blowing the seamless around. We arrived at one of those moments where everyone just kind of looked at each other like, “Now what?”

This is where my years of experience pay off, as I remained calm and moved ahead, taking small steps forward. I’d layered yellow seamless over blue for fast transitions, and now I asked Marcus to sit between the two colors on an applebox. He hesitated—but sitting down is a soft ask, and he obliged. And it gave him enough psychological distance to relax and vary his poses.

Of course, I always go in with a lot of research and preparation, with concepts, visual approaches, and a game plan, but what stands out when making selects is usually the accident, the surprise. A moment or gesture that sneaks in and transforms the story.

Top Image: Nourished By Time, photographed in Bushwick, Brooklyn, June 23, 2025.

Second Image: Behind the scenes photos and videos were shot by my 15-year-old daughter, Olive Buck. She hadn’t been on set with me since she was five, when I brought her along to a last-minute A$AP Rocky shoot. Along with the BTS duties she helped with the loading of gear, and understood when to blend in and when to engage. Ten years makes a difference; she showed real poise—and on a chaotic set, that’s half the job.

Bottom Image: The New Musical Express cover.