Image of the week.. collaborated mistakes..

Sooo my interest to go back to my roots of roaming with a camera ready (but not nagging) has become a more frequent recent habit. I'm really embracing the way the experience of a walk is largely determined by the company I choose to keep..or lose.

Walking alone has so many advantages and it can be refreshing and liberating, it provides a sense of relief and control. Equally the company of another individual can ensure the walk will be entertaining regardless of the journey and encounters.

What I have found particularly interesting is the discovery of how different people affect walks in different ways. Who are more decisive, fun, adventurous, calm, intellectual, philosophical and what differences that partner makes to your walk.

When two people take a walk or a drive they are held within that experience and encapsulated by company... it is considered unsocial to abandon your company and whether it is enjoyable or not you are forced to remain together.

This contributed to me asking a near stranger to join me.



I contacted Rhiannon shortly after we first met through work as I felt an urge to collaborate

I ve worked in polaroid before and as those loyal blog followers may recall John and I were Impossible project testers.. proving it an impossible project. Rhiannon is a polaroid expert and her work inspired me to regain faith in polaroid again

Rhiannon instantly agreed to the idea of an adventure and as pre arranged met me at liverpool st station excited and carrying more bags than me... yup that s right.. i repeat.. carrying more bags than me. Together we dashed to the next train and the bag ladies instantly began to natter excitedly.

We roamed and talked galore and had a fantastic but short afternoon. Hin would have been disgusted by our brief walk (another factor determined by company.) The agreement with all is not to pressurise or beat ourselves up.. just be..

We migrated to ' the only pub in the village' and over a much needed thaw lay out the images to recap.. very early days but the joy of the craft fully alive..


So to warp up my rant, we discovered a gem of a road with equally interesting residents.. we will surely revisit this little hidden street in the summer when apparently paddling pools come out in full swing!

Once parental permission was gained we shot until our hands froze and the polaroids were such a refreshing and exciting change. Then the mistake of a real collaborated image occurred.. a combination of two images we both wanted to capture shot by each of us without planning a double exposure...

We shall continue with both lone shots and combined polaroids on our forward quest to record our expeditions and experiences.. but the rule shall be never to reveal whether or not we have cocked the shutter for a fresh sheet or one already used... will our images be ruined or created?

Image of the week... reflections ....

Ok sooooo I was lucky enough to be featured amongst some great photographers in the FT on a story I shot whilst in S Sudan. I have nt posted it all on here as it had nt been published. This location was an absolute treat and echos why when escaping the boundries of the UK the camera rises to the eye more easily.






Also for those who have already seen these is an unseen snap from WALK WITH BOYS number 2 - the ever sooooo adorable Hin Chau...

Perhaps this image should not have been taken...perhaps it should have been filmed like we both concluded..but perhaps ...just perhaps it should have.





On one level the contrast in beauty and grime, life and death, flight and burial and moment of transition...almost purgatory keep me hypnotised.. but I cant help feeling it was a moment, a motion, a tension created by waiting...waiting for the birds to take flight, or simple disguise themselves amongst the pic n mix of garbage...

Either way it was important, because it made me question whether it was a moment to capture and how. My aim was not to do it justice as an experience but to let the moment inspire me to create something.

Image of the week...3 men...3 walks

The last few weeks have been adventure filled. A few walks to take time to reflect , play, relax and explore and the company really altered the experience, adding a bit of variety . I was fortunate enough to have the company of 3 different male friends on 3 different walks.

After the Christmas break I struggled to jump back into the January pace and found my head and legs slower than usual. I craved a holiday with my bronica and a bit of blissful ignorance.

This was a chance to catch up with my boys and run away.

So how do walks differ alone? They are more independent in path and thought , exploring feels liberating, it can be self punishing, moods shift and I find the freedom refreshing.

Alternatively the unpredictable nature of company fused with an adventure can be just as fun. Both are memorable and these recent walks created a great opportunity to assess the differences

Unfortunately I canne present them chronologically ... numero 2 is Jonah.

John has the ability to make me revert back to the days of being 9 years old ( a compliment). He is playful, creative yet thoughtful.

This frame was a rare moment when light strikes two photographers' imaginations. Transformed, we were two children encapsulated in the joy of the sun like children discovering an abandoned supersoaker on a sunny day. Identical grins followed by a procession of playful enactments, spontaneous gestures and creative ideas.... innocent play with no expectation...fun.

Harsh sunlight in fleeting visits was a tease .. perhaps the image doesn't show the moment to it s potential but reminds me of the walk....ta sir, you are a ledge x

Image of the week.....a jumble

More adventures needed.... so Im in adventure mode and have been on a few recent walks with male buddies... first up a catch up with Benjamin Roberts and yesterday one with Jonah...films to be scanned so meanwhile here's another STC piccy , a fun memory from dino land and a final one from Tim.

I ve decided that whilst i muster up the new projects and test the waters, walks and company are a good distraction. The opposite of applying pressure of the next project, the need for a focussed idea and a solution to the fog is simple...don't think. Clearing my mind and relaxing is a must right now and the only niggling factor is a broken Hasselblad i treated myself too naively off ebay...grrrr


so until the imacon see s my negs these will have to suffice. There is something so satisfying about clicking a shutter for joy without expectation or pressure....don't think brain.





" Those eyes that you asked me to direct at the lens seem initially to challenge but then there is the realisation that they are saying ''welcome to my misty, mysterious world - come in, the water's fine. Weird and strange, but fine.'' l seem crowned by a mystical ruff of space and time, of light and darkness. The water is indeed fine but how deep and what lies beneath? My illness is represented as a brilliant wash of texture and light but with hidden dangers made more easily dealt with due to the power of the mind behind those eyes to see light where there is darkness, answers where there are questions and beauty where there is ugliness. You, the viewer may well have been in that deep lagoon yourself before. You may not have been there and can only imagine what lies beneath the surface. Either way, you are prepared to trust the possessor of those eyes, those thoughts, those ideas, that knowledge, to lead you through the murkiness to find a piece of cool, clear water in which, at least for a few moments or at most, for a lifetime, you can join him whilst he flips and plunges, floats and ponders, dives and rises up towards the sun on his journey through uncharted waters of emotion, elation and discovery"

image of the week...

My NY resolution..chin up, no floating in self doubt, depression and frustration... I shall make an effort to not vent so much negativity..word.




so....on time (miracles can occur clearly) so only one this Thursday....

I finally got round to scanning some of the images from my shoot with Tim (posted ions ago now) It does seem strange looking back at how the day unfolded and how game Tim was for really trying all of the ideas. The milk-shake theme continued and with kind weather Tim was eager to get his kit off.

He fell into feeling at ease with the camera and initiating his project by the means of modelling for life drawing so this seemed appropriate.

I wanted the images and ideas to be a collaboration and the naked form of his body seemed to be something Tim not only felt would enhance the image, but I also assume contribute to the experience of being photographed. It can give the sitter a feeling of ownership and exposure and this shoot was about Tim; his body, his mind, his life and his soul. The illness was simply a catalyst for the project. The nudity also fitted well with the maternal elements of milk and eggs .

I sent Tim the images and he sent a long, well thought out and conceptual reply. Here is a short quote:

" There is a quietness and simplicity about them which draws you in and then, pow! Each one rolls over you like the sun rising up in the early morning bringing much needed warmth with it and slowly your whole body is infused with a glow as all the aspects of the photograph unfold before you and your mind begins to question and possible answers throw themselves up for consideration, examination, elucidation."

I'll be posting another one soon with more quotes xx

It was a delight to collaborate with a sitter as keen on being involved in a shoot as the photographer and I am relieved he is chuffed; but most of all, that we had fun....random fun...but fun.

image of the week...we all know what my NY resolution should be don't we...

From Hin's recent comment regarding my usual reference to late posting I shall simply slap my wrist... so this weeks post is another Ghana one.

This time on a slightly different story to the gold mines. This hospital is run by Afri kids to support the community financially with work as well as medical care, it is part of their micro finance programme.

I think what astonished me most about the charity was the main goal to be self sufficient in years to come, generating income through their projects to further fund their projects. Really working with the community and learning from the people was a clear indicator of the value of local knowledge. The only people who can understand the harmful and tragic practices and beliefs are those that are victim to it. Local people educating the local people as well as providing financial outlets is slowly changing the way in which the country operates.







On the final night we had dinner with a very young nurse who had come from Australia a few years ago. Despite her only training to be a pediatrician the experience with Afri kids had developed her practice further than imaginable. She was dealing with an unmanagable work load. Patients arrive at 5 am and are often not seen until 7 pm due to the demand for medication. 15 minutes is a maximum appointment one patient has with a doctor so a diagnosis explanation is often not a priority, meaning that knowledge is never passed on. This is something the young nurse tries to oppose and encourages her patients to pass on the information she provides. She seemed distressed and preoccupied with thoughts of a young child with Malaria she treated a few hours earlier when we had visited and kept an eye on her phone the entire meal. She had a heart of gold and I hope that more will follow in her footsteps.

image of the week...murky zone

Writters block would be a blessing .I am wallowing in self pity at the lack of a focussed project. I'm craving an adventure with my Bronica and brain and literally feel trapped in a projectless place arghagdfhajdhjsha



rage vented .....so patience, inspiration and determination must prevail and in the mean time I shall present snippets of previous comissions. This weeks post is from the hazy Carte Blanche morning and another Sudan tale





This lad was def one of the most tragic stories we stumbled upon. Many of the northern returnees were gutted to discover that their home land failed to provide sanitation, food and shelter. WIth minimal supplies and lack of aid EVERY (and I mean) every single person we met that had returned from the north was ill and or dying, mostly from malaria,cholera or aids.


The main concept developed around the fact that the one item that people chose to bring with them when deciding on essentials was their bed ( an iconic symbol of home), people would leave everything they possessed but always take their bed. This then became the most valuable item to trade; many families suffering starvation in order to keep their beds.I shot every northern returnee on their bed ( including this gent) .. here s a different one though


This boy was 19, his wife was also 19 and died a few days prior to our meet. She died from Cholera and they could nt afford the medication to save her life despite begging the hospital for help. She was an intelligent and hopeful young woman with aspirations to work after finishing her degree. Their son ( pictured) was only a few months old. He too now had cholera and we learnt that not only did this young man face overcoming the death of his wife , he now had little choice to let his child die. He is a skilled carpenter but there are no jobs. He can't work and therefore cannot get the essential funds for medication.