GRAINY DAYS / London March 2024

Having tried to replicate the old vintage film look through photoshop, and failing miserably, I thought my only hope was to actually buy an old vintage film camera and see what I can come up with.
My first choice was a Minolta SRT 101, fully mechanical with no autofocus. The images out of the camera and it’s functioning where exactly what I was looking. However, my dodgy eyes just could not handle the autofocus and I cannot shoot with my specs on.
As a Nikon shooter I looked for an autofocus Nikon which would solve the problem and after some Youtubing I settled on a 801s with a 28mm f2.8 lens
Here is the first few images out of the camera shot on Kodak Gold 200
Images - Here

LONDON / Feb / 2024

Before the gig season kicked off fully and most of my evenings are spent in a tiny pit I headed down to London to check out a few walls.
Conditions were spot on , dry and no harsh sunlight.
Not looking for anything in particular the piece by Jim Vision was a real head turner, loved that one!
Images - Here

**DANK / Tokyo Dreams & Street Racers**

Finally headed down to London to point my camera at a few pieces around the Penge area centered it around this amazing double mural from Dan Kitchener / DANK.
It’s a fantastic couple of pieces showcasing Dan’s unique style of all thing’s Japanese infused with neon lights, rain, reflections, super cars all after the hours of daylight.
Images - Here

2022 In Pictures

Jumped on the 2022 in pictures bandwagon
Another year where I find myself so, so lucky to be doing what I love to do…..shooting gigs!
From huge arena shows and major festivals to sweaty dive bars there is nowhere else I would rather be, front and center trying to capture “that” moment.
There are far too many gigs to post them all but here is just a small selection of what I captured through 2022
Ace to hook up with all the talented photographers ( old and new ) throughout the year so we can moan about light and restrictions, and not forgetting all the Tip Top PR lads and lassies that accommodate all my begging emails
Download and Glasto I am coming for you in 2023....hopefully🤞😉
Thanks to Live4ever for always having my back and trusting me to capture these moments for the publication
let’s go 2023!!
Images Here - Gallery

**London / Aug / 2022**

With Leeds Festival on the horizon and a massive Summer of 10 festivals I put the gigs on hold, but not the camera. As good as it is to just put everything down and take a break the camera never seems to factor into that equation.
Had a free week so I chose the hottest day of the year to wander around London’s concrete jungle like a human slow cooker.
In hindsight it probably wasn’t the best day to go shoot some walls, what with the harsh light and shadows but itching fingers got the better of me and off I went.
Its been a good while since i last went down so plenty to see!
Images Here - Gallery

**Pete Shelley // Buzzcocks Mural**

I cant believe it took me so long to go and see **@akse_p19** ‘s amazing Pete Shelley mural in his, and my hometown of Leigh.
Based from the cover of their 1978 single “Ever Fallen In Love” it stands 200msq tall right in the town center close to the library.
With over three years of fundraising coordinated by The Pete Shelley Memorial Campaign. It has been created by a collaboration between graphic art pioneer Malcolm Garrett MBE, and the highly acclaimed street artist Akse P19.
Few more pics here - Gallery

**London Mural Fest 2020 #2**

Headed back down to London to hit up more from the 2020 Mural-fest that I never got chance to see due to lockdown. Also eyed a few bits and bats that had been put up since my last visit.
Some incredible work has gone into this and there are still some pieces I have yet to see/photograph but I had to kick it off with @smugone and his incredible portrait of resident June Barber on the Webheath Estate such an incredible piece.
Camden, Tottenham, Walthamstow, Hackney and Shoreditch all enjoyed a visit from me which my feet regretted immensely the next day!! lol

**Saal Professional Photo-Book**

Had the opportunity to showcase some of my work in one of
Saal Digital’s proffesional photobooks - see how it went
Here

London Mural Fest 2020

Headed down to London for the start of London’s Mural fest at the beginning of September. Only a few pieces up at this time so another visit is on the cards when it is done and dusted.
Was great just to get outta the rut that Lockdown / Covid has got us all languishing in and get out with the camera. Also hit up the usual haunts to check out any new pieces that had gone up since my last visit.
The Camille Walala installation at the One Canada Sq was a particular highlight, the contrast between the metallic city-scape and the blast of colour was stunning.
Gallery - Here

BLACK LIVES MATTER

George Floyd was not the first and will not be the last black life to die at the hands of police brutality or racial injustice. Yes, you can say he was a bad person, was in and out of jail, was a drug addict but did he deserve to die…..no!
The Black Lives Matter movement are committed to create a world where black people can thrive in all aspects of life. George Floyd’s death in police custody was a catalyst that erupted worldwide protests around the world to enact change.
Gallery - Here

**PENGE**

There is nothing I like more than hitting the streets of London ( Shoreditch, Hoxton, Camden ) with the X-T3 seeking out the new street art that is constantly changing in the area. This time, however I stayed on the overground a little longer and headed out to Penge, mainly to grab a shot of the Irony piece on Parish Ln, but to check out uncharted territory.
Eventually headed back into the safety of Brick ln and Shoredtich where the Einstein piece at the Nomadic Community Gardens was top of my list to grab on top of all the usual backstreets I find myself walking down.
Gallery - Here

Hot Wheels

Did you ever think those cars you collected as a kid come come to life and destroy everything in their path right before your eyes, jump higher than you could imagine or spin those tyre burning donuts that would put a waltzer to shame…..well yes they did!!

It was high octane energy from start to finish and coupled with some amazing freestyle motocross, Birmingham was the place to be to get your extreme fix.

Gallery - Here

**Laaandaan!!**

When I have no gigs to shoot there is nothing I like more than hopping the train down to London and pounding the streets with my Fuji’s.
Usually I would concentrate on just a single genre, be it street, architecture or graffiti but I had the whole day to shoot and was sure I wasn’t going to be heading back down for a while so I put the fitbit and my legs through it paces and ground it out.
I never go down to London and ‘not’ shoot The Lloyds Building, its such an iconic futuristic figure that yields a different shot every time I shoot it. I also managed to find ( due to a previous lack of simple planning ) the Thames Barrier but i think I may need a revisit to try and get a shot I am super happy with.
The graff is everywhere so that was always going to end up having my camera pointing at it as it changes every single visit.
Gallery - Here

**Tory Party Demonstrations, Manchester 29.09.2019**

Thousands of protesters braved the awful Manchester weather to take to the streets as the Tory party conference was being held in the city center.
The protesters marched the length of Oxford road to finish up at the conference.
Gallery - Here

**Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Disaster**

“This is something that has never happened before in the history of the planet”
I knew where I was going and I knew what had happened that day, but it was only after watching the horrifying new TV drama “Chernobyl” that I actually fully understood what took place on 26 April 1986.
The world witnessed the worst nuclear catastrophe in history. A reactor at the Chernobyl nuclear plant in Northern Ukraine exploded, spreading radioactive clouds all over Europe and a large part of the globe, but it is what happened next that is truly horrifying.
The lies, the deception, the ignorance, the stupidity, the shame, the guilt all outweighed by the denial.
For 36 hours after the explosion, people were given no reliable information about it and left virtually on their own. They never received instructions on how to protect themselves or their children.
Children were affected the most by Chernobyl radioactive fallout, with 3,000 cases of thyroid cancer registered in the 1990s
Gallery - Here

**Manchester…..The Good, The Bad and the Ugly**

Took an early morning trip to Manchester to try and capture some of the Northern Quarters stunning architecture and street art before the city came alive with commuters, night before revelers and resident street sleepers.
Manchester is a fantastic city and the Northern Quarter is the cultural epicenter with it’s bars, street art , live music and fantastic buildings. It’s easy to see why such such a diverse mix of people live and visit the area.
However with all the beauty and “cool” attached to the area there is also the problem of homelessness and poverty which is more than evident in the beggars, rough sleepers and addicts that converge in and around this iconic area of Manchester.
Gallery - HERE

**FLASH……..AGGGHHHHHH!!**

Always looking to improve and better myself I often find myself trawling Youtube for inspiration. I have always wanted to “master” off camera flash photography but the logistics of all the stands and soft-boxes and transmitters and light meters and receivers put me right off, and that was even before the science of putting them all together to get “the shot” is even a factor.
Up steps a video showcasing the Godox AD200 flash unit and wireless transmitter and “BOOM”, I am sold!
Amazon account fired up, necessary equipment ordered, paid for and delivered.
Many many more Youtube channels and videos will have to be watched on this journey but as you can see from the picture there is no shortage of a willing model to help the learning curve. His enthusiasm knew no bounds! ;)
Gallery - HERE

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