God bless Kath Smith ..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Do any of you remember the indomitable Kath Smith, the wonder-swirl of a fund-raiser for the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital? She raised something like a million and a half quid for equipment used in the treatment of kids there. Not bad for someone who didn't even begin her charity work 'til she was in her late 60s. (She even convinced Cliff Richard to donate a pair of his trousers to raffle!) Poor old Kath died many years ago, but she lives on in a photograph I've just unearthed, in which she's roped in a couple of elephants for a PR stunt ..

God bless you, Kath Smith! 

Spring has sprung ..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 My calendar tells me today is the first day of Spring, even though I've always thought of that as being March 21st. But hey ho, an extra day of the new season is always a good thing, eh?

Today's shot was taken on 6x6cm colour transparency film, from a series of landscape photographs I was working on in the 1980s. Hard to imagine now, isn't it? A mere twelve shots on a roll of film, a trip to the processing lab and a wait for the results to see if you'd 'got it right'. I was a really slow convert to digital photography, but now I can't imagine shooting any other way. Like the arrival of Spring, it really did bring in a whole new way of life .. 

Joy Division ..

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's now forty-six years since I took these pictures of Joy Division, and I post them again in memory of Ian Curtis. Here's a little video I made of my photographs ..

Read on ..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today is 'Je lis' day in France. (I read!) And it has delighted me to see that my blog is still read a lot (3.7k visitors last week), even though I don't put up as many posts as I used to. But why do I blog? I was asked the question over a lovely dinner this weekend. "Because I like writing," I answered, and I felt for the most part that was true. However, just a few years back, my response would have been 'To promote my work' and I realise now that's still true, too. What Princess Anne has to do with it I have no idea, but I thought I'd show you one of the earliest 'Royal' pictures I ever shot - Autumn, 1978.

Anyway ..  (Here comes the commercial break) .. can I interest you in reading one of my books?

Getting fresh ..

 

 

 

 

 

It was forty-six years ago today that eighteen-year-old me spent a couple of hours walking the mean streets of Sale with The Freshies. This was the band fronted by Chris Sievey, who transformed himself into Frank Sidebottom a few years later. On February 28th, the group had played Bowdon Vale Youth Club - scene of my 'famous' Joy Division photographs - and, after the gig, I asked if I could do a shoot. Why I didn't ask Joy Division I will never know!! ..

Anyway, here are three of the lads, larking about in Tesco's car park and outside the Blue Rooms disco in Sale. Great memories, great times ..

Going, going, gone ..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Dad's old local will shut its doors forever on Friday. And the shopping mall in which I had my photographic studio has just issued eviction notices to every one of its tenants. I know nothing stays the same - and I understand the 'sensible' economic reasoning behind the decisions - but it was a shock for me to realise these places will soon be gone forever ..

The Bridgewater Hotel in Eccles was - I think - the first pub in which I ever had a drink. I know my Dad weaned me onto Guinness there (with the help of a little blackcurrant juice), and he was a big part of the darts team and a larger-than-life character known by many. When I called in at the end of November there were four people drinking there on what would have once been a busy Sunday afternoon. Very sad ..

The shopping mall will shut at the end of this month. I had my studio there for three years. The occupants, who have run successful shops and cafés for as many as twenty-seven years, will have to be out within 28 days. They each received an e-mail telling them the owner's plans and are, as you can imagine, still in shock ..

The Grammar school I went to has been a housing estate for years. The church in which I was confirmed was bulldozed to the ground late last year and the shopping centre in Eccles is about to bite the dust in a 're-development', too. Life goes on, as they say. Things can't stay the same forever. Hurrah for progress ..

What a shame ..

Moments in time ..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was our friend Hélène's funeral yesterday, a very sad day of course, but one that also brought a smile to my face as we all watched a short 'film' of her life in photographs; Hélène as sweet, smiling little girl in communion dress, Hélène as sexy 60s teenager in fashionable hair-do and mini-skirt, Hélène as modern mum on holiday .. it was a fascinating glimpse into a life which, to my shame, I'd never considered. I've only ever know our dear friend as (apologies, Hélène) an old lady, and it was almost a shock to be shown that - yes - she had actually lived a full and rewarding life and leaves behind generations of family and so many, many friends who will miss her immensely ..

My new portrait books are, naturally, never far from my mind at the moment, and I show you two photographs from them today because these young girls will probably be as old as I am now, with whole life stories and possibly children and grandchildren of their own. It's all so fleeting, isn't it? I just hope their lives have been as successful as that of our friend. Rest in peace, Hélène ..