Hulaboogie Christmas

Just before Christmas, I was invited to photograph Big Boy Bloater's final gig, which was held at the award winning Hulaboogie at South London Pacific. An amazing evening, if a little sad...






More images can be seen here. And I'm back there next month to celebrate the 7th anniversary of Hulaboogie, with an exclusive show from Ray Collins Hot Club with Mike Sanchez. Watch this space for pics.

Merry Christmas!

Brixton People

I have an exciting new project coming up; I have been awarded the opportunity to create a pop-up studio in the heart of Brixton Village, courtesy of SpaceMakers Agency, and in collaboration with Lambeth Council. From 25 – 31 January, I will become a resident photographer at Unit 45 of the Brixton Village arcade. During this residency, I intend to create a body of photographs which encapsulates the population of Brixton, challenging the genre of street photography with the use of a pop-up studio.

Passers by will be invited into the makeshift photographic studio to have their portrait taken. The backdrop and lighting set up will remain consistent, to ensure that the focus of the portrait is on the sitter’s facial expression, their clothes, the way they stand and what they are carrying. Inspired by projects such as Exactitudes by Ari Versluis and Ellie Uyttenbroek, as well as the Brixton Street Studio by Alison Locke and Chris Anderson, the resulting photographs are a study of the inhabitants of Brixton; a series of portraits of people from diverse cultures and walks of life, united by where they live.

The shoots will take place in the afternoon; in the mornings, I will work on the images I have taken the day before, and print them in house. The prints will be pinned to the walls, so as the week progresses, an exhibition will build up. Sitters will be invited back to see their photograph, while new participants will be encouraged to pose for my camera. It is important for me that I involve the community, by encouraging them to participate in creating their own photographs.

Participants will be offered a free print in return for their time, and the whole series will be put on a website so that the exhibition can continue long after the residency ends. The body of work will encapsulate the demographic of Brixton in 2010, and be a record of this vibrant and diverse community.

Come down and see me if you're in the area!

A little decadence...

Haven't posted on here for ages, but am going to more and more now. And have back dated quite a bit of what I've been up to over the Summer... quite a few weddings, a craft event at John Jones, and some other bits and pieces... do scroll down and take a look.

On Saturday I went to the Grand Vintage Ball at the beautiful Rivoli ballroom. I had been there before, but once again I was dazzled at the beauty of this place... it's like stepping back in time. I have to get onto the people there to make some pictures - I have tried before but I was met with stoney reception. At least this time I had free reign, but concentrated on the guests; who were dressed in finery which dated from 20's to 80's...

There was a vintage dress pageant...


followed by much dancing...
More images can be seen here.

And I took some with my Rolleiflex TLR. Here's hoping they come out. And if they do, this'll be where you see them first.

4 July

Another wedding I was commissioned to do was that of the lovely Fiona and Nick, who got married at Strelley Hall near Nottingham. A truly beautiful day in a beautiful venue:






























More images can be seen here

An Indian Spring

I was very lucky to be the chosen photographer for Nick and Neelum's wedding, at Painshill Park on the 25th April. My first Indian wedding, and I was bowled over by the colours, the rituals, and a very beautiful venue:

A little strobist practice

Tonight I had a little Strobist practice... photographs of teddy bears I have owned. Some have been with me almost all my 30 years....

Women in Photography; South of the River

An image from Le Bain is being exhibited the Lewisham Arthouse as part of International Women's week. More details can be found here.

And it has been picked up by the press here.

Valentine's Day

Every Valentine's Day, I take photographs of people in the street who are holding a bunch of flowers. It all started off 4 years ago, when I was single, and I especially noticed how many people succumb to the commercial side of the day, and buy flowers for their partner. The following year, I began the project. Every year I learn, and every year my portraits are getting better. This year I shot on digital for the first time, with an off camera flash. As it was Saturday, I also spent the whole day at it; and it paid off. Here are a selection of the results: More can be seen here.

Xmas Pics

Every second Monday of the month, I meet with a group of girls with whom I did my MA. It is a great way to get feedback on a project we are working on, talk about different opportunities and generally chat about photography. Before Christmas, in an attempt to break the inertia the festive season tends to bring, we set ourselves a mini project. We were to take a photograph on the hour of each hour of Christmas Day. Here are just a few of the results of my day, taken on my new(ish) Contax T2:

Printing 60 Year Old Negs

When clearing out the house of their late mother almost 2 years ago, my half brothers' found some old 6x6 black and white negatives, still in their Kodak envelope. They gave them to me to contact, and we discovered they belonged to Dad; a record of his time as a Doctor in Malaya (as it was known then), just after the war. Dad was born in 1927 (he is still fighting fit!), and was excused military service during World War II as he was studying medicine at Guys in London. Instead, he was stationed in Malaya shortly after the war had finished. These negs have been in my possession now for 2 years, and I have only just got round to printing them. They have been well kept, but have the scratches and marks which one would expect after over 60 years. Even so, they printed remarkably well. Here is a selection - Dad is the tall skinny character. There are plenty more where they came from so watch this space!