Portraits from a time ..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm delighted to announce the launch of my new books, two self-published collections of portrait photographs dating from the mid 1970s to the early 1980s. Entitled '69 Portraits' and '77 More ..', the books offer a total of 146 portraits taken in and around my home town of Eccles, in Greater Manchester, during a time in which, according to my friend Janet, having your photograph taken was "pretty much a novelty and a delight" ..

Every subject in the books looks directly at the camera. Many of them are gone now, everyone else long into adulthood, but they all seem to be saying "Remember me" as they stare into my lens. The intimacy of the eye-to-eye contact makes a connection with each and every person featured, and I'm only glad I was there to take these photographs during that more innocent time ..

    

One hundred and forty-six ..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

An update on my forthcoming portrait photography books. (Yawn yawn, shuffle shuffle) ..

They say less is more, but I've completely ignored that advice and crammed some extra photographs into my two editions. '61 Portraits' has now become '69', and '75 MORE ..' has grown to '77'. That's one hundred and forty-six photographs in which every single subject is looking straight at the camera. It really is quite an intimate experience to share 'eye-to-eye' contact with so many people, lots of them now grown adults, lots having passed away. I feel, in a way - and without wanting to sound too cringey - that I'm honouring their lives with these little books ..

  

It takes two to tango ..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just like buses, you wait for one book of portrait photographs to come along, then two arrive at the same time. I've just finished creating '75 more ..', another collection of my 1970s/80s portrait photography and the follow-on to '61 portraits'. (What can I say? I was on a roll. It was just so much fun designing yet another photo-book, and I'm just waiting to check the proof-copies before I can make them available to the world) ..

The photographs take you right back to an era that's long gone, and I feel there's a real connection to the people in the pictures because every single one of them is looking straight into the camera. "Remember me," they seem to be saying. "Fifty years from now, remember that I was here." We seem to have worked together, my subjects and I, to create just that memory.

 

 

Hurrah for Winter ..

 

 

 

 

 

 

I always designate the winter months as my 'project time'. When the weather's too bad to get into the garden, what could be better than writing a new book or designing a new publication of photographs? So I'm pleased to say I've now started on the fourth of my adult fiction books and have just finished book number NINE of my self-published photography collection. 61 Portraits is a collection of .. hey, you're ahead of me .. but it amazes me to find I still have enough photographs on file to do another book after this one. I know you're itching to buy the new addition, so stay tuned and I'll let you know when it's available .. 

Sisters are doing it ..

 I love that this shot's been chosen by a client from a shoot with his daughters last week. I think it really sums up the characters of his daughters and I'm delighted that it'll soon be gracing his walls..

This was the second shoot at the studio this week involving sisters, the others being the two year old twins you see here. At that age, of course, character's all you get! There's no hiding behind an 'image' you might have of yourself. It made for fantastic photographs!..

This time next week I'll be gearing up for my 'Photo for a fiver' day. Next Saturday I'm offering 5 minute photo-sessions and a 7x5 digital image in aid of the BBC Children in Need appeal. A few people have already booked appointments, so I have high hopes the day'll do well. Actually, I just had a thought. I remember when I was 15 or so, practising 'being' a photographer. Guess who I used to get to pose for me. My sisters!..

Simples ..

Hey, nosey! Guess what I'm photographing this weekend! Go on! Have a guess..
I'll give you a clue .. it's not a Wedding!
So ..

Er, a christening? Yes, I'm photographing a christening. On Sunday, 100 guests! A family portrait? Yes, I've got one of those, too. Ten people in the shot, for a chap's 80th Birthday present.
Anything else? ..

How about meerkats! Meerkats? Yep, meerkats .. in Culcheth mall! Just two doors down from the studio! (I might ask if they fancy coming in for some close-ups!) Yes, it's finally time for our Zoo2U day at the Mall, when everyone's invited to come and meet meerkats, hedgehogs and ... oooh, all sorts of other cute likkle animals. We've also got face-painting and competitions, and a lot of the shops will be having special offers for the day. Me? I'm offering vouchers for Pet Portraits, with a portrait session and an A4 print of your choice for the meerkattastic price of just £25!! So how do you get a voucher? Just come up to the Mall, between 11 and 3 today. Simples ..

7.30pm Update!

Well, what a great day that was! Dear Santa, I want a meerkat, a skunk and at least 5 little hedgehogs! Oh, and an owl and a tortoise! And a snake... ta!

Hello, blossom ..

It's a funny old day today, mainly because a portrait session I was supposed to be shooting at the studio has been put on hold because the lady forgot she'd made the booking! There's a first! I phoned yesterday to confirm, but it had completely slipped her mind! At least she's going to re-schedule it for next week!..

Time for Plan B, and what I am going to do today is use the time to go through my extensive collection of slides and get some more of those babies digitized! I have boxes and boxes of the little blighters - mainly 35mm but quite a few on medium format - and it'll be great to get them into the archive and used in future projects. Here's a shot of cherry blossom from the Spring of .. well, who knows when?..

I can't mention the 'archive' word without talking about Joy Division, and I'm delighted to say that one of my images of Ian Curtis has been chosen to be part of an exhibition to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the PRS -  The Performing Rights Society : The people who make sure musicians get paid for the use of their work (God, we need a body like that for photographers, don't we!..) Apparently my shot is going to be printed onto aluminium and displayed alongside a number of other images at a show I'll be going to in London next month.

Looks like 2014 is blossoming already..

The Generation Game ..

Great portrait shoot at Studiofivefour last week and two days later the model became a .. Great-Grandma! Amazing, eh? I asked if she'd mind me showing you some of the photographs and she said "Only the good ones, lol..." The good ones? I was spoilt for choice! Congratulations on the new arrival, Ms Daniels, and I look forward to shooting all four generations very soon!...

Don't Say Cheese ..

Oh, Gawd! The Taylor Wessing Portrait Photography awards have been announced for 2013 and, from what I've seen, they've been true to form and avoided smiling like the plague! Why don't they consider a smile as suitable for a portrait? Do they feel a happy face isn't a true representation of a person? Well, it's too deep for me but then I never was one for "analyzing" photographs. All I know is that walking round the pictures at the National Portrait Gallery makes for a really depressing experience so, here .. have my contender for this year's winner. My Mum, beaming like a Cheshire Cat as she waited to board Concorde for a pleasure flight back when .. well, when it was flying! I think the image speaks volumes about my Mum's personality so Ya Boo Sucks Taylor Wessing and I for one won't be zipping down 'the smoke' for a gander at this year's misery fest!

#TaylorWessing
#culchethstudio
#portraitphotography

Get me my fix ..

Man, I'm exhausted! I've been pulling ivy off the walls of the house, then scraping away the clinging tendrils and repainting the walls. It seems a long time since I was chillin' in Greece with a tasty can of 'Fix' lager! However, on with the show and let's get this job done! It's like I was saying the other day when I was photographing inside a factory... I could not do that all day! My dear old Dad used to put in 12 hour shifts as a Maintenance fitter in some of the noisiest, smelliest factories I've ever seen. He'd come home, hands rough and ingrained with oil, and tell me straight that I'd never have hands like his. Well, he's right .. I'm a photographer .. a right old softie .. and long may I stay so!
Cheers, Dad .. you fixed everything! X

#culchethstudio
www.studiofivefour.com