I entered the world of serious photography around 2007, working in events and night clubs and, for my personal projects, landscape work exploring the relationship between humans and space. Educated in the field of Sociology I completed an MA programme in Social Research in 2014 using photo-elicitation interviews to explore the realism (or lack thereof) of researcher produced photography in ethnographic research of an urban community.
Though I grew up before the days of digital photography, I was never serious about the practice in this time; then in 2010 I found a old Praktica TL-5B in a charity shop and exposed a cheap roll of film in it. This fascination has remained and I have continued to work in this medium alongside my digital work exploring new techniques. I combine film exposures and digital post-processing to create hybrid images.
During the intervening period I have amassed a collection of over 200 film cameras, ranging from simple plastic toys to serious film SLRs; from 120 year-old folding Brownies, to computer controlled monsters from the 1990s.
I am normally working on a number of personal photography projects, as well as ad hoc and commissioned work, mostly for events in Leeds.
Saturated Imagery
This is an ongoing long term umberella project using hybrid film/digital photography and other alternative photographic techniques. One major aim, alongside producing the images is finding and using old, often cheap, cameras but rather than just point[ing] an click[ing] actually seeking to understand their attributes, limitations and characteristics to build an online database to help other users gain good results from inexpensive equipment.
Images From the Underground
This project blends my love of electronic and other forms of music with photography, charting the underground clubbing and festival scene in Leeds and further afield. Here I am at the other extreme, working with high-end digital equipment to create images which reproduce the feeling of the clubbing and festival environment through distortion of time and space using irregular perspectives and slow shutter speeds causing visual artifacts such as light trails.
I am available to shoot events as part of this project. Depending on the event, fees are negotiable and may be minimal and on an expenses basis if I think that it will help with this project and I would enjoy the night.
Dance events can be difficult to shoot – often attendees will post blurry and washed out images to social media which does nothing to capture the feel of your event. Similarly getting exciting media shots of DJs and electronic artists can be hard – they don’t jump about as much as guitarists!
I am experienced in this kind of work and produce exciting and vibrant images of your event – getting you the discussion and hits on facebook pages that you need to keep the night in people’s mind and ensure they tell their mates and come again.
Events I have worked with have included Hyde Park Unity Day, Beaverfest, Mush, Sunrise, Remedy, The Beats Bizarre, Lime Tree Festival and Kendal Calling dance tents as well as various gigs around Leeds.
Other Projects
My personal projects tend to focus around human interaction with the environment. I am currently working on a long term project walking and shooting the canals of West Yorkshire. I completed a master of arts degree in social research in 2013 with a thesis entitled ‘Interpreting The Visual’ using researcher produced images for elicitation interviews where my participants built their own stories of the area in which they live based on my images. Thus my photography and writing and research are often interlinked.
Let’s create
I am available for shoots and events, or to produce images to your brief. Remuneration is negotiable and I will often support local projects pro bono or for minimal expenses. My work has featured in Practical Photography Magazine, Mushroom Magazine, The Levellers website, Kirkstall Matters and various other media and webistes for local artists.
I am interested in briefs which align to the image making philosophies and processes which I have outlined above and can work with digital, film, or hybrid techniques.
Get in touch and lets see what we can create…