Going to my first football match, aged seven (at Meadow Lane) I couldn’t believe the experience. On approaching the stadium the sound of thousands of people singing inside took my breath away. And the pace of the game, the passion, the anger, the joy, the highs, the lows – it opened a new world for me. 35 years on whilst sometimes disillusioned I still love the game. For all the bad things it still can bring people together, help create a sense of community and offer moments of the sublime. Wherever I have been in the world football has offered a common language and a shared understanding between people whoever they might be and wherever they might be from. So this is a photo project that tries to capture something of what football is all about… the anticipation, the togetherness (and the being alone), the sense of history and the emotion….
When I think of politics I have a tendency to think of arguments, division, polarised opinions and the generally volatile, critical and un-trusting culture that seems to surround it. For me it’s easy to lose sight that it is also a process that has the potential to bring great change and improve people’s lives and is in many ways a rich part of this country’s history. In this project about people who follow a passion I hope to explore what drives people and therefore in this context, explore things from a more personal perspective. Nick Clegg is my local MP in Sheffield, whilst previously he’s been an MEP, leader of the Liberal Democrats and the Deputy Prime Minister from 2010 to 2015. What’s your story of getting into politics? It was quite accidental. I couldn’t bear a lot of politics. It crept up on me – two things happened. I…
1554 Café inside Sheffield Cathedral is celebrating it’s first birthday next month. I had the pleasure of taking some photos on behalf of You Say Social last week. I was concentrating on taking the photos but the coffee and food looked really good and the staff were friendly. All set within the peace and tranquility of the beautiful cathedral. Well worth a visit…….
At a recent portfolio review one of the reviewers commented that a high percentage of my personal work seems to focus on people under pressure. I’d never made this link before but I think I am attracted to photograph people who are pushing themselves. That and people living life as an adventure maybe. Thanks to a talented race car mechanic cousin and Team BMR, I got the chance to photograph a behind the scenes take on the touring car racing at Donnington earlier this month. Whilst safety is the top priority, the drivers race on the edge and the margin for error is tiny. Whilst at Donnington one of the cars burst into flames. Thankfully the driver calmly “parked” the car and got out safely but it can be thin lines. This shoot was also about the wider team and wanting to capture the characters that work in the background.
A lovely surprise and honour to see the Sea Kings documentary project published in March’s Black and White Photography Magazine. There is something about seeing photographs off the screen and in real print… maybe a reminder of dark room days – I am just old enough to know a bit about that era! More documentary projects on the way in the next few weeks…
I was recently commissioned by the Daily Telegraph to do a portrait of Helen Bond – a consultant dietitian. The shoot was arranged to take place in her kitchen – which made sense given the nature of her work. I like to photograph people in their natural environments as there is a better chance of the portrait being more relaxed and genuine. What was unnerving was having no idea what her kitchen would be like. Would there be good quality natural light? Would it be a flattering environment in terms of offering context to the photo? As it turned out yes to both and Helen was lovely to photograph – happy not to rush things despite being very busy.
Rony Robinson is a prolific writer and BBC radio presenter. He has written over 100 plays, numerous books and he is one of the BBC’s longest serving presenters. As we chatted through the idea of this article it became apparent that I couldn’t limit Rony to being defined as a writer or as a presenter but rather he is both and the common theme is his love of words and language. For me though, what shone through most was Rony’s generosity of spirit, humility, engaging nature and genuine warmth towards people. Great thought is given to the words he uses – whether it’s for his radio show (presenting daily on BBC Radio Sheffield), his writing or as witnessed in my case, choosing how to answer the questions below. In my attempt to capture who he is I shan’t be able to do full justice to him here but hopefully you can…
I was sat having a coffee with my wife in town when John passed by outside the window with his familiar green wig and money raising pram. She informed me that “he is absolutely amazing”. I nipped out and asked if I could photograph and interview him for this blog. He graciously agreed. On meeting up with him a couple of weeks later there are a few things that strike me about him. What he is achieving is exceptional – raising such a large sum of money from everyday donations of the people he meets whilst walking the streets. What also strikes me is his incredible warmth, good humour and gratitude. Nearly every donation was greeted with a genuine hearty “thank you”, a handshake and then often followed up with some banter (“keep taking those pills”) or asking how they are doing. Most striking of all is the relationship, kindness…
This was a really special wedding. A blend of Lancashire and South Africa! An amazing wedding venue at Allerton Castle with excellent organisation and food by Dine. But most of all a fantastic warm, genuine and inspiring couple – joined by many friends and family travelling thousands of miles to celebrate their marriage. Below is a sneak preview of Richard and Kay’s wedding photographs.