October Horror

The Rocky Horror is in town and i got a behind the scenes peek at the madness from Almost Legal Productions. I must say that i have not laughed like that for a while, nudity , cross dressing and of course the transvestites from transsexual. All in aid of charity of course.

Reality Street

Street Photography is getting alot more exposure of late.
What with the publication and exhibition of Street Photography Now
http://www.in-public.com/

Street Photography Now from Third Floor Gallery on Vimeo.

A book that is on the heart beat of what is happening now in that world.
Also there is The Street Photography Now Project in connection with the authors of the book and The Photographers Gallery a Flicker group http://www.flickr.com/people/streetphotographynowproject/ has been set up that will go on for 52 weeks until the reopening of The Photographers Gallery.
Digital photography has aloud a burst of creativity for so many that the streets are now alive even more so then at any other time. Its exciting, the street holds so much possibility for spontaneity and wonder that its is a endless subject that will present itself each time with new happenings.

Rally's and Light's

Its been a eventful week. I was involved in my first protest rally "No Tesco in Stokes Croft". Always surprising myself as where the camera takes me, this is a issue that is close to my heart as getting in to photography has concentrated me to the issue of Community and the displacement of it. This i have covered in Bristol before , a few years ago. On this occasion the people of Stokes Croft were protesting against the building plan of a Tesco in a vibrant arty mixed culture part of Bristol. Think east London. I followed the day on the move from Stokes Croft to the council house's on collage green. I was blowen away by the energy that the people of Stokes Croft and touched by there passion for something they believe in and could not understand the arrogance of Mr Tesco! We have to keep the high street from becoming Town of Everywhere!
http://notesco.wordpress.com/







I was commissioned this week by a company called Trainspotters.
A specialist in the antique lighting market but industrial, pre-war and communist decor is just a slice of what they are involved in.
I had the task of shooting a advert that will be going in to Elle decor and World of interiors.
The product was the Dunlop light which to my amazement as been a design godfather, i mean this has been copied time and time again.
But i had the fortune of working two days with the original.
I found it such a pleasing form to explore and with so much to explore in the show room i was spoiled for choice.

http://www.trainspotters.uk.com/

I LOVE BOOKS

I have always loved photography books.
I think it is the one true and best way for the a photographer manifest there work and not only that , it in many ways makes you immortal in the photographic world.
Alec Soth has got this down to a fine art.
He's latest manifestation is Broken Manual http://littlebrownmushroom.wordpress.com/broken-manual/.

A instruction manual for those looking to escape their lives, he has worked with writer Lester B. Morrison.
The book is another angle Soth is exploring a different take of the world.
But for me more than this is the design of the book.
It is a book inside a book. Made in a edition of 300 the book is housed in a one off hand cut shell book with a signed and numbered 8 by 10 print by the artist.
This is what i love about photography right now is a massive change in the way we publish and produce books and the way we view the printed page.
This is a must as much is becoming digital and the book needs take a stand.
Alec Soth is also a book lover modern book lover.
Got to love books!

http://littlebrownmushroom.wordpress.com/broken-manual/

http://vimeo.com/14759277

Galleries !

Well what a month August has been to be honest i have not stopped so sorry for late blog.
I have been involved in a exhibition in Bristol.At ThePhotoGallery http://www.photographique.co.uk/gallery/"Portrait" is the first of many shows been put on Phillip Searle who runs the place, lovely chap.Photographer's in the show are Beso Uznadze,Mike Chick,James Kriszyk,James Stroud,Ellie Davies,Sam Holden and Victoria Hall

There is some really interesting photographic exhibitions on in
London at the moment too.I went along to the Exposed
Voyeurism, Surveillance and the Camera at the Tate Modern.
One of the main reason's for me to visit it is that Philip Lorca Dicorcia's work is on show and i rate Dicorcia as one of my main inspirations in the photographic world.He's street photography work is cinematic stark and surreal,full of tension and atmosphere.A slice from he's series "head's" is part of the exhibit alongside some the great street photographer's of the last hundred years.
Over at the Photographer's Gallery there is a stunning showcase of Sally Mann,s work The Family and the Land. Which takes you on a visual journey of Mann's work which for me is on the edge, there is a glimmer of spirit and soul within the work but this is continually fighting with a dark energy which seems the spill out of Sally Mann's work.
A must go see!

Talking about my inspiration

I have, since getting in to photography had many inspirations.

When I started my degree I was consumed by images , I would find myself lost for ages in the library not doing what I was suppose to, but surfing the books of photographers.

The first to stop me in my tracks was Nadav Kander. A series of images taken at night of motorways and flyovers, on the surface it does not sound like this is anything new.

But as I would discover there is a certain tension in Kander’s work that is trance like state.

It made me stare, it made me ask questions, his nude work is also very powerful.

Not only for its technique layered but for the fact that many of the images are of old people and not the conventional images of beauty. Although Nadav Kander has been able to portray that with cutting edge.

The portrait of David Beckham was like no other celebrity portrait I had seen up until then, for me it sums up the photographer’s identity.

Firstly there is movement and the face of Beckham is distorted also it is photograph very dark with a black background and a blue\green splash of light (which is a trademark of he’s) makes me think of moonlight and there are many examples of this in Kander’s portfolio.

He has shown me another way of looking at the portrait gene in many of he's works there is

Something is in flux, something is about to happen or has?

The uneasy the in-between is for me what Nadav Kander does best and that is what inspired me then and still does with he’s work

Wonderful World of Weddings

A great day by all at Richard and Nicola,s wedding on the weekend.
Such a lovely couple they were too.
While editing the work i was drawn to this image which is , I think a little
surreal.
The bride is walking towards the Priest and some one is holding out the bucay
but as you can see Nicola is not walking to that?
The Priest also seems to be signaling to the bucay too but is not looking towards the camera.
A moment that seems not to be sure but interesting all the same.The wonderful world that is wedding photography.