Me and my kickstarter, selling prints of my hometown, my capital city, my london
I have an ongoing series called “dead in the mincers” (cockney rhyming slang for looking someone straight in the eye – as in ‘mince pies’ -eyes) and this is a perfect example. It looks like I’ve been caught red handed capturing the moment and the menace in her eyes would certainly indicate as much. However sometimes people look straight at me but don’t know for sure if I am taking a shot or not as I literally ‘shoot from the hip’. I use the touchscreen on my Olympus OMD as find it hides my photo taking action much better than pulling the camera up to my face and pressing a button. It also means I never look directly at my subjects and in this instant, if I had, I think I would have been rooted to the spot in fear.
I had just seen this trans person, who was now eyeballing me with a look to kill, attack some woman on Soho square by repeatedly hitting her with a handbag. It was over in a flash and she stormed off with her mate after said battering and just by sheer fluke I ran straight into them being interrogated by the police shortly after. She was actually claiming she had been hit rather than the other way round. I did think about offering up my alternative viewpoint of the event in question but thought better of it as didn’t really want to be on the receiving end of her wrath or her handbag. Did I allow justice to fail to protect myself from violent repercussion – yes, absolutely.
There used to be a lot of characters like this around Soho but they have all but disappeared. Relics of a former era now gone forever. I miss them. They brought a vitality to the area that is now sadly lacking. The question I have to ask is when the area got cleaned up and boutiqued to oblivion where did they all go? Where are they now? Hanging out in the suburbs? Mooching about in Margate? It seems unlikely. I really would like to know. Same goes for all the characterful and colourful residents of Old London who got moved on by excessive rents…where the fuck did you all go?
Me and my kickstarter, selling prints of my hometown, my capital city, my london
This was taken on Portobello Road, a road which I have walked down almost every day for at least the last decade or so. And if you are going to walk down the same road over and over it might as well be Portobello as there is nearly always something or someone going on that will be worth documenting. In this case, the someone was the woman in this picture, who for reasons unknown, stepped out in front of this car holding up an open book to her chest and then refused to move. The driver also seemed unaware of the cause of this human blockade but his attempted solution was to scream at her and beep his horn repeatedly which failed to work. She just stood there, determined and resilient, seemingly oblivious to everything around her, including the irate driver and the small traffic jam behind him she was causing.
I have often wondered what the book was. My first choice would be a bible or some religious text as it is often only the word of God that can inspire such commitment and fortitude. However, it could have been Harry potter and the Deathly Hallows for all I know. This situation went on for a while and I ended up leaving them to it so I don’t actually know how the situation resolved or what was ultimately behind it but I was grateful to have captured such a truly bizarre occurrence. London is full of these fleeting moments of madness as lives collide. That’s what makes it such an interesting place to live. You just need to keep your eyes peeled. And I try to keep my eyes peel free at all times…
This photograph is one of the selected prints you can order via this kickstarter campaign where I am trying to sell 100, one of a kind, one off, 1 of 1 prints which are never to be repeated or replicated. As I am only printing 1 of each shot you will not be able to choose your print but you will be the only person in the world to ever own it – please click through on this link to view the campaign and join the lucky dip: https://tinyurl.com/ya43j8bw – your support is very much appreciated. And thank you to everyone who has pledged so far. Muchos Muchos x
tally so far: 31 prints sold, 69 to go, 23 days left.
Me and my kickstarter, selling prints of my hometown, my capital city, my london
Sometimes the planets align to produce a moment of magnificent random chaos that just somehow becomes ordered, designed, destined always to have been. The instant I captured in this photograph I think delivers this to beautifully. I love how the policeman is looking at me, his expression kind of says it all. What I think is great that buried deep in his furrowed brow is the acknowledgement of how ridiculous this situation is and he feels embarrassed and a bit guilty that he has been caught in this predicament. Its not good cop vs bad cop, its real cop vs fake cop and its difficult to tell who’s winning. This is what they call in photography a gift from the gods and all you can do is get it in the bag and declare your gratitude to the universe.
This photograph is one of the selected prints you can order via this kickstarter campaign where I am trying to sell 100, one of a kind, one off, 1 of 1 prints which are never to be repeated or replicated. As I am only printing 1 of each shot you will not be able to choose your print but you will be the only person in the world to ever own it – please click through on this link to view the campaign and join the lucky dip: https://tinyurl.com/ya43j8bw – your support is very much appreciated. And thank you to everyone who has pledged so far. Muchos Muchos x
tally so far: 19 prints sold, 81 to go, 26 days left.
Me and my kickstarter, selling prints of my hometown, my capital city, my london
This was one of those instants when you realise as a photographer that if you really want to capture unique magical moments amidst the humdrum of daily life you must have your camera with you and readily accessible at all times. I don’t think at any point on any journey I have ever travelled on the London Underground I have ever seen anyone sit on the escalators. Not once except on this single occasion. And she sat there with such poise and elegance and seemed so relaxed and at ease in a situation that definitely didn’t demand it, it was truly mesmeric. To this day I feel very lucky to have captured this fleeting moment and also feel very lucky that I was able to do it without disturbing her. She had no idea I was even there, lost so deeply in her own thoughts which were clearly transporting her far and away beyond the transport system she was within.
This photograph is one of the selected prints you can order via this kickstarter campaign where I am trying to sell 100, one of a kind, one off, never to be repeated or replicated, 1 of 1 prints. As I am only printing 1 of each shot you will not be able to choose your print but you will be the only person in the world to ever own it – please click through on this link to view the campaign and join the lucky dip: https://tinyurl.com/ya43j8bw – your support is very much appreciated.
tally so far: 15 prints sold, 85 to go, 27 days left.
Me and my kickstarter, selling prints of my hometown, my capital city, my london
People who have seen this photograph have often asked me what is he doing and in all honesty I have no idea. He could be gardening, praying, have his head stuck in a fence, spying on someone in the basement. In some ways it is not knowing which gives the photograph its meaning as it is what we project on to it that makes us relate to it. The relationship between the viewer and the image is everything, more even than the relationship between the photographer and the image because it is the connection of the consumer which makes it personal and most impactful. This is what gives it greater resonance. So its really not for me to say. You decide. It becomes your picture…which leads me conveniently on to..
This photograph is one of the selected prints you can order via this kickstarter campaign where I am trying to sell 100 one of a kind one off 1 of 1 prints. As I am only printing 1 of each shot you will not be able to choose your print but you will be the only person in the world to ever own it – please click through on this link to view the campaign and join the lucky dip: https://tinyurl.com/ya43j8bw – your support is very much appreciated.
tally so far: 12 prints sold, 88 to go, 28 days left.
Me and my kickstarter, selling prints of my hometown, my capital city, my london
This photograph was #MYLDN (1) – the first picture I ever posted in this blog. I always loved her expression. I think she could see me taking a photograph from over the road and it puzzled her as to why. She even looked a bit irked by it. Somehow this ramshackle parking space blocking construct annoyed her. And then you have this slightly sinister and mysterious figure in black heading into the house but he looks frozen, as if waiting to be beckoned in to the dark house. Three individual and random factors (actually 4 if you include me) unwittingly conspiring to make a scene. Order out of chaos. It are these seemingly unrelated connections between objects and people that I gravitate to on the streets of London. It shows how, whether we like it or not, we are all intertwined.
This photograph is one of the selected prints you can order via this kickstarter campaign where I am trying to sell 100 one of a kind one off 1 of 1 prints in just under 30 days. As I am only printing 1 of each shot you will not be able to choose your print but you will be the only person in the world to ever own it – please click through on this link to join the lucky dip: https://tinyurl.com/ya43j8bw – your support is very much appreciated.
Me and my kickstarter, selling prints of my hometown, my capital city, my london
Dear Subscribers,
Today I am launching a kickstarter project to sell 100 unique, one off, one of a kind, never to be replicated 1 of 1 prints. Please click on link below to see the video and read about the campaign and to buy a print if you would like one. The print has a lucky dip selection as there is only one of each photograph in the series but what’s more fun than a lucky dip? If you buy one you will be the only person in the world to own it. Ever. You can also view the images selected in the link below.
Many of you have been following my blog since the beginning and massively appreciate all your support to date and would be chuffed if you wish to support this project too.
Me and my camera in my home town, my capital city, my london nights
A collection of nightlife shots bathed in deep red light this week. Nothing really to report other than I am relentlessly drawn to red and black and seek them out in almost all areas of my existence. It is something fundamental. The attraction is deep rooted. I do not really need to understand why. I am happy for it just to be that way but our personal gravitation towards certain colours is indefinable and also somewhat inescapable. It is as if we are already hard wired that way. For me, red is the colour that makes everything more appealing to my eyes. And it makes everything that little bit cooler too. Warmer but cooler. A winning combination. I am sure there is a biological explanation or a formative memory that instilled it in me but I don’t really want to know as it would take away the mystique which is what it brings in the first place. Sometimes knowledge can get in the way of primal feelings and we don’t need to understand why everything is the way it is. Sometime we need to just let things be. Mysteries are the gaps in our comprehension but it is the gaps I wish to live in, that is where the real substance of life is. In the things we do not know. Not the things we do…
Me and my camera in my home town, my capital city, my london nights
This is one of The Bumbys. They are hired for parties and give honest appraisals via typed out descriptions of any guests willing to be analysed by a masked stranger with an Olivetti. I was described as “andy kaufman meets a lost beatle. A man of his own creation, the Joker if he didn’t dive into supervillany.” I’ll take it, I’ve definitely had worse.
Me and my camera in my home town, my capital city, my london
Nothing but positive messages and words of encouragement from the street this week…which are indeed rarities amidst the usual ‘everything’s fucked and totally shit’ statements normally scrawled across walls across the city. I do have to admit though, there is a part of me that finds positive messages irritating. For example, even though I agree with the above statement I feel some irrational hostility towards overtly upbeat declarations. I know you’re just trying to help but it’s not really working…
All the shots this week are all part of my ongoing series “r u talkin’ to me” which explores the inward focus of our outward observations and makes us question our relationship with the world around us. Does the universe revolve around me? Is it trying to tell me something? Were these statements specifically designed for me to see? If so how is this even possible? And even if they were, will I take heed of this messages or ignore them? Am I the only one who thinks this way? Am I going to keep asking myself rhetorical questions?
Me and my camera in my home town, my capital city, my london
Think this is the best bit of graffiti I’ve seen in a long time and it really struck me. It seems we’re so hard wired at the moment to dwell on the negative that when you are presented with the alternative it actually feels alien. Almost inappropriate. Am I even allowed to think positively when so much is apparently wrong? But maybe there is nothing wrong. This simple yet stunningly insightful piece of graffiti is trying to remind us that you always have a choice. If there is no actual reality other than how we observe and process it maybe its all within our power to control. You want happy? You can have it. You want misery? Yours for the taking. Both are available at at times. Its just a question of what you focus on. This is obviously about as upbeat as I am ever going to get on a Monday morning in freezing feb so am rollin’ with it…
Me and my camera in my home town, my capital city, my london
(These pictures and the other ones from this week were all taken on the same day last week )
Only heard the term ‘hype beasts’ relatively recently but had been observing them for a while without realising they had a name. The regular queues outside the Supreme store in Soho with ever so patient customers, already decked out top to toe in Supreme gear, waiting to get their hands on yet more insanely expensive limited edition products have become a familiar sight. The gear costs a fortune and many young people seem very happy and able to pay for it although they must be minted to do so when you see what they are charging.
I have recently had some of my work incorporated into the Youth Club archive which focuses on youth sub-culture and this is definitely a modern sub-culture. It does, however, operate slightly differently to previous youth fashion movements. Its modernity is highlighted in its driving force as its largely created by brands promoting their wears rather than by a fashion that came up from the streets. It is also very much driven by money and status as you have to be pretty loaded to be able to drop several hundred pound on a top and be ok with that. This means it is largely for the rich although it is very much branded as urban street fashion, although as you have to be pretty wealthy to live in a city centre these days maybe that’s quite appropriate.
It would be wrong to claim that this is not a defined youth culture because it most definitely is but its hard to not see that it is a very calculated and controlled one and one that champions social hierarchy, rewarding those who can afford it to display their wealth to everyone who can’t. Youth sub-cultures of the past have tended to focus on the opposite, a reaction to the status quo of capitalism and conformity, a rejection of ideals and norms that have been pushed on them by an older established generation. And yet, the previous youth fashion it most resembles is the ‘casuals’ of the 80s who got themselves decked out in Fila, Sergio Taschini, Pierre Cardin, Gabicci etc. and defined themselves by these brands. In some ways it is no different to that sub-culture at all, just a modern update with new names and new logos but the principle remains the same.
The term hype beasts does feel somewhat self-aware, that they know they have bought the hype but don’t care. I had previously used the term ‘brand slaves’ when discussing this lot as felt it summed up those who feel the only way they can have an identity and respect amongst their peers is to be adorned with logos that reveal they are able to buy the most expensive gear available. It is difficult not to see that feelings of insecurity and lack of self-worth could be a factor in those who choose to hide behind brands. But, regardless of my own projected analysis, which is very much coming from someone from a different gen, these teens and young adults who are buying into it wholesale seem totally into it and might just dig the shit so who are we to judge?
For me, its more to do with its exclusive nature that is the problem and the fact it feels like the brands are maybe taking advantage of impressionable youngsters who just want to be acknowledged and belong to something. And also so they have outfits they can wear in their feeds with pride and get the social media recognition and likes that go with it. The need to digitally display your wears in this internet dominated era must be acknowledged as a crucial factor to this movement, which again separates it from previous youth cultures.
(in the midst of it all Soho George walked past as if to perfectly demonstrate how specific fashion is to each generation) (this security guy came out and said to me “I hope you got a shit shot” so felt I had to include)
Even though people were just technically out shopping on a Thursday afternoon there was a proper buzz on the street, with Supreme shoppers loitering around way after their purchases but rather than allow them to congregate the Supreme security were actually quite pushy and a bit aggressive with everyone, herding them from one queue to another which seemed a little inappropriate considering they were about to or had just spend a ton of cash in the store. But the sun poured down onto Peter Street and seeing everyone hanging out in their newly acquired get ups made it feel like some sort of happening which I am sure was being instagrammed to fuck by everyone present. Something was going down and they all wanted to be a part of it and to let everyone else know they were where it was at.
Most youth culture events used to be music driven but now it seems they are more fashion consumer driven. When mutually trendy brands do ‘collabs’ (as they now call ’em) with each other people literally queue overnight to get their mitts on the exclusive range. They all camp out and it becomes a social event, although there are probably more faces staring into screens than interacting with each other. Again, this is the modern way and it ain’t going away, so might as well get used to it. Although I did wonder whether they would not all be chatting to each other if they didn’t have their phones with them. Maybe the tech is keeping individuals separate from being a collective. Every sub-culture movement I have been involved in always involved getting decked out in the gear, hanging out at the right spot and making friends with likemindeds about whatever you were all into. It would be a shame if that social aspect had been lost. Although they might view their social media sharing as communal interaction, albeit a digital one. Did previous youth cultures share what they looked like with the world? No. But we didn’t have the ability to so maybe unfair to compare.
I took these pictures whilst hanging out with my teenage nephew who I was relieved felt it was as crazy as I thought it was. We went for a bite after and we were sat next to these two kids who had just been to the Supreme store and one of them had bought a small box of poppy seeds in a mini supreme box for fifty quid. Fifty quid for some seeds! It seemed utterly insane to me they would cough up that sort of money for something so inconsequential. He displayed the box with pride on the table in the hope the waitress might notice. I couldn’t help but feel that Supreme are massively taking the piss. They know they have street kudos and customers willing to spend to get it and feel they probably sit around in meeting rooms, laughing their heads off, trying to come up with the most ridiculous things they can sell at the most ridiculous prices for and see if they can get away with it. And they are definitely getting away with it. You only have to check ebay to see how much they are getting away with it as people bid stupid money for whatever super duper limited edition jacket they made half a dozen of just in order to ramp up the price. Its bizarre because they pay top dollar for one-offs to look unique but inevitably they all end up looking the same.
I have been photographing hype beasts queues for a while whenever I saw them but somehow the event last week somehow captured the essence of it all. And the light was beautiful which also helped. I find the whole thing quite fascinating and however warped it seems, it is definitely wrong to assume that youth movements of the past mean more than current ones and sometimes you need time to pass to see things as they really are. Were the mods, the rockers, the rude boys, the skinheads and the ravers championed by society at the time? Not at all. Did they all feel they were doing it more authentically than the previous generation? Absolutely. And so it goes on. The most important thing for me about youth culture is that it defines the generation’s own identity, that it reflects the times rather than just borrow from a previous one and the Hype beasts are kind of doing that, although I am looking forward to the day when all this stuff is in TK MAX for cheap because everyone has moved onto the next thing. Every dog has its day and all that…
