In this ninth episode of Travels with My Friends, I speak to portrait photographer Frederic Aranda, a friend whom I have been lucky to know since our days at Oxford together long ago, when I was a co-editor of the student magazine, the ‘Isis’. Freddie is very humble, so I will be his cheerleader here: he has won all sorts of amazing photography awards and you may even glimpse his work on billboards these days if you’re lucky, at Kings Cross St Pancras station as you get off the Eurostar from his home country, France. He has photographed the great and the good from members of the royal family, famous politicians, film, sport and music stars, and whole groups for full page and cover spreads in well-known fashion magazines such as Vogue and Harpers Bazaar. We talk about all his exciting photography stories, his tips for taking a good portrait photograph, his favourite photographs, and much more in this impromptu podcast taken over a cup of tea and some delicious cake at my home, after almost burning down the house!

For the photographs explained and described, visit fredericaranda.com