Like many people this year I have taken the plunge and started wild swimming. I’ve swam down the hill at the local park “pond”, in beautiful Northumberland rivers, the bracing North Sea and stunning Peak District reservoirs. To combine this new found love with photography was a great fit for me – although I hadn’t really considered the implications of so much water, mud and cold whilst endeavouring to use my camera gear! All well worth it though – I have met some lovely people and as ever capturing something so magic on camera is a joy. Big thanks to the New Issue magazine for commissioning some wild swim photos. Please consider buying a print copy of the magazine here. It’s the sister publication of the Big Issue and supports vulnerable people who sell the Big Issue. The extra support would be particulary valued as Big Issue vendors have had…
This is an ongoing creative personal project – documenting family life in lockdown times….. Sunday 12th July 2020 Sunday 21st June 2020 Friday 29th May 2020 Saturday 16th May 2020 Wednesday 29th April 2020 Friday 24th April 2020 Saturday 18th April 2020 Sunday 12th April 2020 (Easter Day) Saturday 11th April 2020 Friday 10th April 2020 (Good Friday) Thursday 5th April 2020 Sunday 5th April 2020 Saturday 4th April 2020 Thursday 2nd April 2020 Sunday 29th March 2020 Friday 27th March 2020 Wednesday 25th March 2020 Tuesday 24th March 2020 Sunday 22nd March 2020 Saturday 21st March 2020
Back in the olden days (last weekend) when you could still gather to watch a gig, I photographed Bulsara and his Queenies at the O2 Academy in Sheffield. Super talented band and some amazing music. Well worth catching when the tour kicks off again soon hopefully……
The wins keep coming. Great football. Optimisim is high… Here are some of my latest attempts to capture it on camera…
I had the privilege of photographing four Normandy Veterans this week at The Farm Road Social Club. Hidden away in an ordinary looking social club near Sheffield city centre the four men represent an incredible part of our history. These guys were part of the operation to attack German occupied France in 1944. The Normandy invasion is seen as a turning point in World War 2 without which Hitler may never have been defeated. These men are now in their late 90’s. They were bright, warm and gentlemanly. And very patient as I endeavoured to capture some portraits before they began their meeting. I wondered if I and my children would be here today, or at least here with the freedom we have, without them and what they did. A profound connection to our freedom and past suddenly became very real.
The World’s Oldest Professional Football League Club relegated to none league football. But all is not lost. Over 9,ooo people turned up last weekend to watch Notts County play. The passion is still there, and with rumours in the summer of liquidation many people feel a gratitude that we still have a club to support. For me football is about entertainment and theatre – but also much more than that – it’s about community, belonging, identity, history (157 years worth so far) and connection. Hopefully these images capture something of that.
A few photos that capture our morning out climbing in the peaks. We went to celebrate my middle boy’s birthday. He’s passionate about climbing and wanted us to go with him as a family instead of a having a birthday party. The Foundry offered us the services of the exceptional Dominika and we had a fantastic adventure. What a great antidote to screens and routine. Dominika managed to cater for our different levels of ability and inspire us all with her knowledge, experience and passion for climbing.
Derby day at Meadow Lane. Following a massive change in form for Notts County, there was a real air of expectation for this sometimes one sided fixture against Mansfield Town! A bit like the olden days, there was a great atmosphere building in the ground even half an hour before kick off. As ever football creates big emotion in people, young and old. I loved trying to catch the range of emotion in the images below. For the record Notts County (despite being bottom versus top) convincingly won the match.
