A moment in (my) history ..

Great news! My mission to London has been a success and I'm delighted to say my archive is now being represented by one of the finest 'specialist' historical Picture Agencies in the country! I went down for a meeting with a very nice guy from the Mary Evans Picture Library who said he 'loves' my work and would be very happy to add it to their wonderful collection. I am so flattered, and in such great company, too. The library houses the archives of both Shirley Baker and Roger Mayne, both fantastic photographers of the latter half of the 20th century. So this will be a really great way for my work to be seen and - hopefully - used around the world! Oh, did I say they were one of the best in the country? Sorry, I meant World! The library is itself represented by over 100 agents in over 70 countries across the globe! World domination beckons! Or at least the odd shot in an American magazine every now and again!..

Speaking of history, I popped down to the Tower of London to see the magnificent 'Blood swept lands..' display of ceramic poppies filling the moat. I couldn't get near it! There were, like, a kertrillion tourists hogging every inch of the railings above the display, all taking 'selfies' for the folks back home in Idaho! I actually thought I'd caught a  moment when I saw this chap in a 'Help for heroes' sweater, standing with his head bowed in what seemed like poignant prayer for several minutes. As I moved away I looked back to see he was actually .. texting on his phone!
Hmm, I doubt they'll take this shot for the archive!.. 



 

Hooray for XA ..

I dusted down one of my old Olympus XA cameras last weekend, took it to the Southport Air Show and pointed it at .. people! Got some nice pix, too! (Click the montage to get a closer look!) Oh, yes .. this is what I've been missing! The kind of close up, in yer face photography that I shot so much of in the past. Now, I almost steer away from it. The fear of getting whalloped, attacked or called a paedo has kept my camera in my pocket and my self-value as a street photographer in the waste basket! I've just not dared do it, to be honest. I've not dared shoot the kind of photography that I shot all the time in 'the olden days'! The days when you weren't thought of as sleazy because you wanted to photograph someone, the days when a subject thought it was practically a form of flattery to be asked to pose, or to be amused if they 'clocked' me taking their photograph. I filled a book with shots like those - Don't Miss This, available in the foyer! - and, guess what, I intend to fill another one now! I've priced up dev and scan at Asda, and I've started ordering film in five packs. Oh, yes! Da boy is back! The Olympus is back. Hooray for XA!..

When I were a lad...

I've done it! I've bloody done it! After months of searching through thousands of negatives, scanning hundreds of strips of film and cleaning up the scratches and dust of 35 years in a box .. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you .. MY ARCHIVE!

At last! It's finished! Over 900 photographs from my early photographic years! Man, I can't tell you how good that feels! And it looks amazing! I can't believe (he said modestly) that I was taking photographs like these when I was just 17 and 18 years old. They're fantastic! And they work on two levels (I think!) They work as pure and simple 'documents' of the 1970s and early 80s, recording the styles, fashions and environments of the time, but they also work (I like to think!) as interesting, amusing, eye-catching photographs in their own right. And they're so descriptive of my small-town upbringing as a teenager. (Never went to restaurants! Never travelled abroad! Aw...) They show Eccles market (a lot), they show the estate on which I grew up - and the people I grew up with - they show Barton Air Show, they show the bus rides I took as a lad, the shop-fronts, the power station, the old Morisson's supermarket, the chip shops, the Army Cadets, the clubs I began to go to, the cars, the flares .. and the all-prevalent smoking, and it's sad to think that so many, many of the people and places in the pictures are now all long gone! It's been a real trip back for me, and I have such a sense of pride that I've finally managed to finish the project. Of course, the important thing now is getting it seen, so it's over to Flickr and the hope that you all might let your pals know about my body of work. I've decided to release 80 images on the first day of each month of the coming year and all, of course, will be available for licensing or for purchase as prints. There'll be a small exhibition in Eccles in January, too - finalised details to come!

Man, I am so pleased I joined St Pat's camera club when I was thirteen...