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Taking responsibility on the streets

Jun 29, 2020 Practice & Culture

As an experienced Street Photographer, I'm actually not that comfortable taking pictures of strangers. Should we shoot whatever we want in public spaces, or is it better to set personal limits of responsibility and integrity?

Clear the mind and see the light

Apr 13, 2020 Inspiration

As the days of isolation have continued I have begun to become more and more aware of how the light at different times of the day turns quotidian household fixtures and fittings into objects of beauty. The simple duty of having to slow down has uncluttered my brain and increased my sense of perception. I literally see things today in a new light.

Visual conversations with Niall McDiarmid

Jan 21, 2020 Featured, Inspiration, Interview

Around 4 years ago I discovered Niall McDiarmid’s work. Over and above enjoying and admiring his images, I felt he ticked many of the boxes that were missing in my work. The crossover of portraiture and street photography really appealed, he was saying something meaningful that went beyond personal artistic expression.

Paris autumn Street Photography workshop

Nov 24, 2019 Workshops

Several months’ preparatory work came to fruition with this autumn’s Street Photography workshop in Paris. From finding a suitable base to seeking out a varied set of locations, my aim is to pass on what I believe are those aspects of the craft that are teachable and reproducible in real life conditions.

Loire Atlantique Photo Spring Workshop

May 10, 2019 Workshops

Following on from the success of last autumn's workshop, a new set of street shooting enthusiasts from local photo clubs, joined me for a spring weekend in Nantes & Saint Nazaire. From the city centre flea-market to the seaside promenade: a variety of environments to capture the imagination & harness our skills.

Photo Festival – Pont Saint Martin

Nov 16, 2018 Exhibitions

Delighted to have been one of the five photographers invited to exhibit their work last weekend for the 12th edition of the Pont Saint Martin photo festival, an event of growing significance in the Nantes photographic calendar.

Exhibition in Trentemoult

Jun 6, 2018 Exhibitions

I'm delighted to be taking part in the seventh edition of the celebrated cultural event & art festival- le Parcours des Créateurs-held in the picturesque former fishing village of Trentemoult, situated on the south bank of the Loire river opposite Nantes. I'll be exhibiting a selection of large format, colourful and graphic Street photos, taken in London, Rome, Nantes and other urban environments, from Friday 15th to Sunday 17th June.

A Small Voice travels far

May 4, 2018 Inspiration, Interview

Maybe it’s because we share monosyllabic names , or something to do with the fact that we were both trying to market the idea of documentary wedding photography back in the 1990’s ....that I have long felt that Ben Smith is in some way a kindred spirit.

Great Street Photographers take shit pictures

Apr 28, 2020 Featured, Practice & Culture

Far from wanting to knock “star names” off their pedestals, I intend to show that one can learn just as much, from bad or error pictures, as from the good ones. Indeed it may be that the “shit photos” separate out the best shooters from the common mortals, just as significantly, as the successful hits do.

Is Street Photography necessarily a solitary occupation?

Feb 21, 2020 Featured, Practice & Culture

Many Street Photographers talk of a spiritual-like experience when our perceptions are truly heightened and we can suddenly order the surrounding chaos in magical ways, to capture a beautiful single moment. Is shooting on one's own the only way to achieve this - how else can we be totally concentrated, immune from distractions?

Street Photography highlights 2019

Dec 29, 2019 Personal work

No less an authority than Alex Webb once told me that I had a good natural instinct for photographing in portrait format. I took it as a compliment! When I look back at my street pictures over this last year I find again that some of my most successful or interesting images were upright ones. There's something about the vertical frame that I consider particularly appealing: a certain elegance, a sense of form and space which is inherent to composing a scene in such a way.

New Street Photography Newsletter

Apr 24, 2019 Personal work

My new purpose designed Street Photography newsletter. Keep up to date with the the latest articles, interviews, book and exhibition recommendations, as well as receiving advance notice of upcoming Workshops and special offers.

Location, location, location

Mar 12, 2019 Featured, Practice & Culture

When we marvel at the skill of street photographers to extract from the chaotic mass of visual information that surrounds us, a spontaneous and magical moment of everyday life, it would seem that they are just blessed with good luck. The truth however is somewhat different. We head to locations that we know are going to provide us with rich photographic potential.

Seeing quickly, moving slowly: the Matt Stuart way

Nov 13, 2018 Inspiration, Workshops

There are probably nearly as many workshops around these days as photographers, but when the chance to visit a nearby capital city I’d never visited before (Brussels) arose at the beginning of October, in the company of Matt Stuart, all tied in with a Street Photography Festival, it was an opportunity too good to pass up.

In praise of verticality

Aug 15, 2018 Featured, Practice & Culture

I’ve always approached photography as the art of capturing reality in a way that is not instinctively obvious to the naked eye. This is one of the fundamental reasons I’ve often been drawn to the vertical format. Framing a picture within the upright dimensions of a 35mm camera, is a compositional choice which creates, by its nature, an alternate perspective.

London spring street photography workshop

May 14, 2018 Workshops

My over-riding aim was to provide the participants with as much shooting time as possible, in order to maximize their practical experience and their pleasure in enjoying a photographic guided-tour of this wonderful city.

2017 photography highlights – my Top Ten

Dec 27, 2017 Personal work

As Christmas comes and goes, and one enjoys some quality time off with family before embarking on another 12 month professional journey, it's the occasion to compile a personal " best of " photography moments of the year drawing to a close.

About

English freelance professional photographer based in Nantes, France. Street Photography has been my passion ever since I first held a film camera in my hand. I run Workshops throughout France and other major European cities.
I also have over 20 years’ experience in Editorial and Corporate work, as well as making a career in shooting Documentary Weddings.
For the last decade I have been a photography educator, teaching in the Graphic Design School for undergraduate students in Nantes.

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