Showtime!

A sliver of new moon appeared in a darkening sky, Venus glowing above it as the sun went down on Saturday night. In the old French town of Guîtres, the 11th century Abbey of Notre-Dame took on its own majesty as lights came on in the square. A crowd gathered as music began to crackle from a pair of speakers. Divine music, uplifting music, joyous .. The Pop Group, The Cure, Virgin Prunes!

It was the opening of my Joy Division/Manchester exhibition, and a cold-wave (post-punk!) disco sparked the evening to life after speeches by myself and the mayor. I was so delighted with the turnout, as well as the interesting questions I attempted to answer in French. I can only thank the lovely people from 'Asso Biodynaboum', the organisation that offered me the show, for the great job they've done in promoting it. (And the mayor with the funky Converse trainers!) ..

The show is now on view at the Marie (town hall) in Guîtres until the end of June. I hope you manage to see it .. 

Instagramatastic ..

 

 

 

 

 

It's not often I'm at the cutting edge of modern trends, but I allowed myself a wry smile when I realised I'd got in early with one of today's big-name Instagram 'influencers' ..

Model Sophia Peschisolido has 360, 000 followers on Instagram and, as the daughter of renowned businesswoman Karren Brady, appeared in some 'At Home' photographs I shot of Mum and then-footballer husband Paul Peschisolido for OK! Magazine back in the 90s ..

I really must tell my Instagram followers about this. All three hundred and eighty of them ..!

 

Eddie, Eddie, Eddie ..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 "How's Eddie?" I asked a friend over the internet yesterday. "Eddie?" he replied. "He died last year .."

And so I bid a belated farewell to my old boss Eddie Fuller, the photographic manager at the Warrington Guardian. (That's him giving the 'OK' sign in the group photograph. I'm the young punk at the back!) It was Eddie who gave me the nickname 'Mo', as he would assign photo-jobs to each of us on a Friday evening and scribble what he thought were my initials next to the jobs I was given. Sadly, he's not the only person in this photograph that's no longer here. Rest in peace, guys, rest in peace ..

 

Fame!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, I've had my fifteen minutes of fame and I hope you managed to catch them. I was interviewed about my new photography book by Mike Sweeney on BBC Radio Manchester on Monday, and was immediately overwhelmed with a rush of orders. Two of them! The Porsche is still on hold .. 

(And if you really want to hear it, it's two hours 32 minutes in here .. )

 

 

Get ye to Guitres ..

 

 

 

 

 

There's a village in France called GuÎtres, a quiet little place with an ancient abbey, an old town hall .. and a Mayor in trendy trainers who's decided to stage a photography exhibition!

He and his cultural association have invited me to be the first person to display my pictures in their 'mairie', and are going to kick off my two month show there with a 'vernissage' - or opening night - at the Abbey, with a post-punk DJ playing music alongside a selection of my work.

What started as a small show of my Joy Division pictures has grown to include an extra 20 or so images from my archive of 1970s Manchester photographs, and I'm delighted to have the opportunity to share my Manchester upbringing with the lovely people of rural France. (Copies of my new photography books will also be available to purchase! End of commercial break ;-) .. )

The show opens to the public on April 22nd and will run until the end of June. Guitres is just an hour from Bordeaux, in the wine-growing area close to the fantastic Chateau de Geai (Best red I've ever tasted!).

It would be great to see you there .. especially if you're wearing Converse One-Stars!     

Give it time ..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The little girl in this photograph is forty-one years old next month. She has two children. Paula and Ian here are proud grand-parents and I'm a photographer wondering where the hell so much time has gone! Thank God I had a camera with me as it passed. It captured so much of life in the days before pronouns and mobiles and Taylor Swift. (I was going to say 'normal' life but I suppose internet-porn and 'on-demand' and shit music are normal life for kids these days!)

For those of you who still 'do' books, I'm putting together a set of five to showcase these archive photographs, and I'm pleased to say they're starting to attract interest. I've had a couple of great reviews on Amazon and tomorrow I'm being interviewed by Mike Sweeney on BBC Radio Manchester. Who knows, in another forty years, my work might be part of someone's dusty 'antique' book collection. Here's hoping! 

 

Mother's (and Father's) Day

 

 

 

 

 

It's Mother's Day today, and also the feast day of St. Joseph, after whom my Dad was named. My Mum got flowers, chocolates and a long telephone call. My Dad got moments of fond reminiscence and a wish that he was still here.

To my parents .. I love you both x

Eternal ..

 

 

 

 

 

Astonishing to think that forty-four years have gone by since I took these photographs. Great to know that people are more interested in them than ever ..

I was just eighteen when Joy Division played at Bowdon Vale Youth Club on March 14th 1979, and I made a set of photographs that has come to play a big part in their legacy. Four of the images have just been used in a MOJO magazine Joy Division special; a fashion company in Tokyo is just about to launch a range of t-shirts featuring my pictures, and the complete set of prints will go on display in an Abbey near Bordeaux towards the end of next month.

Lead singer Ian Curtis killed himself just over a year after I took these shots. I'm proud to play my part in keeping alive his memory  ..

Book me!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm often asked why I haven't produced a book of my photographs. Well now I have, and I'm proud to announce the launch of Book One in a series of 'Wrong Way Wround' photography publications, a compilation of fifty-seven photographs from my 1970s archive. Available on Amazon world-wide for just ten quid (ish!) - https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BVTFSV7C - or directly from me for a signed copy. (Please contact me for details)

 

Ps: Book Two is out in April!

 

Happiness is ..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last night's sunset. Nothing overly-special about it, except that it crept up on me when I had my back turned. I'd had a busy afternoon fitting a new water-butt and, just when I'd decided to call it a day, a little weed waved at me from one of the flower beds. Before I knew it I was on my hands and knees with only a chirping blackbird to keep me company, and I'd been weeding for over an hour before our church bell chimed at six o'clock. It was a wonderful moment. Six o'clock and still sunny. Spring is on the way and I couldn't have been happier. Simple pleasures, eh? 

Treasure them ..

Now we are three ..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's all happening at once ..!

 I've finally finished my latest book! Tofalofalos is the story of a man who takes a two-week holiday to forget about his wife .. the wife who's just left him for another man. It's available now on Amazon. Why not give it a try .. ?

I have also agreed to the use of my Joy Division photographs on a new range of clothing from Japan, and the press release is about to go out on a new exhibition I'm having near Bordeaux.

Three's a crowd? Man, I'm loving this crowd ..

Happy Valley

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tonight's the finale of 'Happy Valley', and that's all the excuse I need to dig out my old photograph of Sarah Lancashire. I used to shoot the PR photography for Granada Studios tour, and this was a press shot for the opening of a new 'Alien' attraction back in the 1990s. Let's hope Sergeant Cawood gets her teeth stuck into the baddies tonight!

And in other news ..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Happy New Year, and it's started well. Please allow me a moment to blow my own trumpet, as I go into 2023 with exciting news. I've been asked if I can stage an exhibition of my photographs, and have been offered the chance to have my work used on a new range of clothing ..

A town near Bordeaux has invited me to show my work in a Spring solo show staged in a vineyard .. details to follow .. and a fashion designer in Japan wants to use my Joy Division photographs on a new range of clothing. All very exciting ..

In other news, our car's broken down and a friend just told me he's got prostate cancer. Life sure has a way of keeping you grounded ..

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That's a wrap ..

 

 

 

 

 

 

And there you have it .. 

2022, over and done with and on we go. Forward to a year where countries don't fight each other, recessions are reversed, diseases are eradicated, famine and food-waste are things of the past, plastic gets recycled, neighbours smile at each other, common sense makes a reappearance in modern life, the world population starts to decline, green energy becomes the norm, the books I've written get picked up by a major publisher and I don't sit here all day daydreaming over my blog ..

Still, nice to picture, isn't it? And, speaking of pictures, here are my favourites of 2022. Not many shots of people in there, but then I don't seem to photograph people any more. Perhaps that should be my New Year's resolution. Get back into portrait photography. Yes, good idea Martin. Get it sorted ..

In the meantime, thank you for reading my blog, and may I wish you a fantastic New Year full of peace, happiness and whatever it is you might need to put the icing on the cake that is your life ..  

Big Money ..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There were two articles about professional writers in the 'paper this week. The first informed me that the average income for a professional author is now around £7,000 a year. Wow, I thought, I can't wait to earn that much! Of course, I don't class my writing as professional, and that's just as well, as my books earned me the grand sum of 82p last month! (The Aston Martin is on hold yet again.) The second item was about writers' book-signing sessions, in which even some of the most famous names in the book-writing world told of events where no-one has come along ..

I take encouragement from an email I had this week from a reader in America. Your story (Page 99, by Joe Bancroft), she said, is entertaining and your writing is both distinctive and interesting. She is now going to order two more copies as Christmas presents for friends. Hey, now that's a good idea. Why don't I give you a helpful link to my website, where you can read all about my books. Hey, why not buy one? Save a writer from the Job-Centre 

(Today's photo, from my archive .. circa 1977) 

 

It's written in the stars ..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alright, let's get upbeat again .. 

I have great news! I've written and illustrated a series of children's story books, all about Space and adventures in the Cosmos. I self-published them on Amazon but, to be honest, the individual cost of each of the four books was a lot higher than I'd have liked. So, I've compiled the first three stories into one single book - The Anthology - and you can buy it now for just £15. A veritable bargain, I'm sure you'll agree, and a great Christmas gift idea if you know any kids from age eight and upwards. The stories are fun but educational, and the drawings are really amusing, if I say so myself ..

Plus, the final book 'Don't go near the Black Hole, Sunshine', will be available within the next couple of days. That book costs just a tenner. I know, so reasonable!..

You can order the book in the UK - or France - or the USA .. or just search on Amazon.

I thank you, and Merry Christmas. It's written in the stars ..

 

Rest in peace ..

 

 

 

 

 

I woke this morning to hear that Fleetwood Mac's Christine McVie had died. It's the third death I've heard about this week, and one of those I literally heard about as I walked into the crematorium for the funeral of a friend who died last week! And that on the day we went to pick up the ashes of our poor little Cocker Spaniel ..

So .. 

Fucking enjoy yourself. That's all I've got to say today. Make the most of it whilst you're here, and try to rise above the bitty shite that makes us humans. Not too eloquent, I grant you, but there you are. 

 Sermon over .. 

Fireside football ..

 

 

 

 

 

 

The weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful and, do you know what, I'm really getting into the fact that this year's world cup is in the 'winter'. Gone is the guilt of a July tournament, sitting in front of the telly on a glorious summer's day, missing out on a tan, worrying about how much gardening needs to be done. Oh yes, this way it's so much better. The weather outside is frightful - far too horrible to be out there gardening - and you can't beat stacking up the wood-burner ready for the first afternoon kick-off of the day, so yeah, bring it on. Even my teams have joined in with the feel-good stuff, with 6-2 and 4-1 wins in their first matches ..

England, England, allez les bleues ... 

(Today's shot? One of my earliest ever colour slide photographs, taken circa 1977 outside an electrical store in Eccles.)

COP out!

 

I'm a bit confused. It seems the Egyptian COP 27 climate talks have been hailed a great success .. yet not a thing's been done to slow the burning of fossil fuels. It would appear that the ever-hastening decline of the planet is not really of any concern as long as the world's richer planets pay the poorer ones for some of the damage it causes. I mean, fucking crazy, or what???..

We can't go on like this. Something has got to change. But it never will, will it? I'm not going to spout on as if I knew the answer, 'cos I don't, but having eight billion people on the planet is never going to help, is it? So yes, I'll put my recycling in the correct bins, cycle rather than drive if I can and watch the developing world pop out those wee bouncy bundles of fun. Aw, lovely .. 

 

 

 

Read all about it .. or not!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Did I mention I'd written some books? 'Page 99, by Joe Bancroft', SNAPS, and an illustrated children's book series about Space. Anyway, time for an update on their sales. 'Page 99' got off to a flying start, and I've sold at least 20 copies since it launched in June. SNAPS is a different matter. It launched a month ago and to date has sold .. one copy. My children's books have sold none at all.  (Stop playing that violin!!)

Like I've said in my blogs, I knew it was going to be a tough job to get the books out into the public realm, but I didn't think it would be this hard! Why not help a starving author and treat yourself to a nice Christmas present at the same time? You can find details of my labours here ..  Merry Christmas!

Oh baby ..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 I find it rather depressing to hear that there are now more than eight billion people on Planet Earth. Eight BILLION!! Isn't that horrendous? But what I find odd is that no-one ever seems to mention the population as a cause for the global climate mess we're in now. It would appear that 'having a child' is everyone's inalienable right, which is all well and good but half the people in the world can't afford the kids they've so desperately wanted. The headline next to the 'eight billion' is the forthcoming famine in Somalia ..

Blackmail, kidnap and sponge-cake ..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the radio today I heard 'Don't stop the cavalry' by Jona Lewie and I froze. What? Christmas songs already? But we've only just hit November ..

Fear not. If the thought of the approaching Yule has sent you into a present-buying frenzy then I can help. I have the perfect gift for the person who has everything. My second novel, which I launch today and just in time, if you ask me ..

SNAPS is about the members of a Yorkshire camera club, following their lives and photographic projects as well as - as a pal of mine so succinctly put it - their petty rivalries, backbiting and illicit sex! All that and blackmail, kidnap and sponge-cake (as it says on my back cover!) And don't worry if you have no photographic knowledge. You won't need any of that pesky stuff as you follow the fourteen club members on their adventures around South Neldon ..

The book costs a mere tenner and, funnily enough, I highly recommend it! Search on Amazon in your country. 

UK readers can buy a copy here, US readers here, French readers here and Aussie readers here ..

Enjoy!!!!

Nowt but a lad ..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I always feel like today's a day worth commemorating. October 11th was the day I was offered my first ever job as a press photographer. October 11th .. 1978! (OMG, forty-four years ago!) I still have the letter I received from Eddie Shah, the renowned newspaper tycoon who went on to stir up the print unions in London. He threw in a motor-bike and forty-five quid a week. I was on my way ..

Incredible to think of the things I've done and seen since that long ago day. And incredible to think that, today, the skills of press photography are all but forgotten. (iphone, anyone?) So glad I was there when I was .. 

 

 

Fancy a good read ..?

 

 

 

 

 

Oh dear, that didn't go so well, did it? Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you .. the September sales report for my self-published book. A little disappointing, to say the least. I knew it was going to be hard to market but .. Jeez! 

Hey ho, October is another month and, God knows, there might be ONE of you out there that fancies a read of it ..

Is there? Anyone? Help .. !

(Here comes the commercial break ..) 

 

There's nowt new ..

 

 

 

 

 

There's nothing new in photography anymore. I've known it for a long time, as I scroll through Instagram and Twitter, looking at all the 'up and coming' new stars of photography. Yeah, yeah, same old, same old. Same for music, too. Same for ..

Oh, shut up and get to the point, Martin ..

The point? There is no point. (Jeez, that sounds heavy, doesn't it?) No, I just wanted a reason to show you this pairing of photographs, taken 44 years apart - the donkey yesterday and the horse when I was a mere lad of 18. Both shots amusing in their own ways, but the 'horse' shot all the more interesting now because of its historical emphasis. You just don't see phone-boxes like those any more. (I explore the idea of photography as 'recorder' in my book, 'Page 99, by Joe Bancroft', if you're interested) ..

So perhaps there is a point, after all. The idea that every generation's got to have their spurt of creativity, before you're forty years on and your work is same old same old ..

Haven't I written this before? ..

Her Majesty, The Queen ..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm proud to say I was once the 'official' photographer to The Queen. I was covering an event in London's Hyde Park, at which only one photographer was allowed to take photographs for the sponsor. This was 1989, long before digital photography, and I was shooting on both 35mm and a Mamiya 645 120 roll film camera. I'd love to be able to show you the results, but the client insisted on taking my negatives, and I've never seen them since! ..

What I can show you is this rather odd photograph, taken in about 1975. I was fourteen or fifteen, and had learnt that Her Majesty would be passing down the motorway on a Royal visit to the area. I snuck out of school, positioned myself ready for the moment and .. well, thank God that lamp-post wasn't another two feet to the right! ..

I'm not a Royalist and, despite having photographed many of the Royal Family over my years as a press photographer, I still begrudge having to kow-tow to people who are only in their privileged positions because of ancestry. However, today's a day to stop and reflect, and to think of the amazing years of service given by Queen Elizabeth. May she rest in peace .. 

The day Di died ..

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's twenty-five years since Lady Diana died in Paris. Time to dive into the archive for this shot of her getting off Prince William .. so to speak! The Princess was in South Manchester to inaugurate the boat, which still gives cruises down the Bridgewater Canal in Sale. (It's certainly had a better start in life than the Prince of Wales aircraft carrier!!) This is one of two times I photographed Di, and she was always great to us cameramen, squashed into whatever corner the Secret Service had corralled us into ..

Now all I want to know is .. where the hell did those twenty-five years go?

  

Working with the stars ..

 

 

 

 

Sorry NASA, you may not have blasted off to The Moon yesterday, but I've already spent the last couple of years working there. Kind of!..

I'm delighted to say I've just finished a series of children's adventure books based on Space travel. I've written and illustrated a set of four books featuring The Moon as one of the main characters, along with the Sun, the Earth and a cast of stars and planets and .. a Black Hole!

The books are aimed at children from the age of eight, and are fun and educational with lots of interesting facts about astronomy. 

(Brief diversion .. if I was ever to believe in omens, a Beatles song has just come on the radio. Which song? Across the universe! You couldn't make it up ..)

Anyway, have a look here for a glimpse of each book, including pricing and details of a free print offer, and you can contact me directly for any of the books.

I'd love it if you gave them a try .. 

 

Houston, we have a problem ..

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today's cancellation of NASA's moon rocket launch took me back in time. In 1989, a pal and I set off on a Pan-Am jet to Florida to watch the launch of a Space Shuttle. "Oh, don't y'all know?" said a stewardess on the Jumbo. "It's been cancelled!" ..

Cue a week of boozing on Daytona Beach and a bizarre night in a bar to watch The Climax Blues Band. 

The only song of theirs we knew was 'Couldn't get it right' .. Whoops!

The word on the street ..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When I was a kid - seven or eight, probably - I received a postal order for a pound after I'd had a letter published in my weekly 'Speed and Power' comic. I was absolutely thrilled. About as thrilled as I am this morning, having received an e-mail from Amazon with the details of my first ever Royalty payment. Yes, I am earning money from my book, at long last! (I'm not going to tell you how much, but let's just say the yacht's on hold for a wee while yet!) ..

'Page 99, by Joe Bancroft' is what I call my 'factional' story (a mix of fact and fiction) of a young Manchester lad who lands his dream job as a press photographer on a local newspaper. It took me about five years to write, edit and finally self-publish on Amazon but, oh boy, has it been worth it. The reviews and comments I'm receiving are like honey to my heart, and it's fascinating to see how the book hits readers in different ways. There's been lots of 'laughing out loud',  lumps in the throat and sadness at the way Joe Bancroft's life progresses, and one reader even told me it related to her own experiences of dealing with dementia and COPD ..

 I now have five 'five-star' reviews on Amazon's website, and sales from as far afield as the USA, New Zealand and Australia. Requests for signed copies from friends and family are always a delight, too ..

I apologise if I'm 'going on' about the book but, having enjoyed my position as author, I must now take on the role of the Marketing and PR department .. (Sales! Graphs! Units!) .. but, above all, I want to get the book out to as many people as I can - people who'll enjoy a good read, a good laugh, a heart-break or two and a warm look back at life at the end of the 1970s ..

Spread the word .. please!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reet chuffed ..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We had a lovely afternoon in the village yesterday. Our library held an event called 'Partir en livre' .. basically 'Lose yourself in books' .. and, very flatteringly, I was asked if I'd join several (real) authors to give a reading from my books. (One writer was a friend who topped the Sunday Times fiction list when her book came out last year).  In the end, I managed two chapters from 'Page 99, by Joe Bancroft' before I was squeezed by the schedules (ouch) and had to forget about reading from my children's book 'Swapsies' ..

But what a 'novel' experience it was. I got some great feedback and even shifted a few units to add to my million-seller target. (How lovely to be asked to sign the books, too.) To top it all, one lady said "Loved the Book Fest. Great readings from Martin, super book, loved listening to it in Martin’s northern accent .. "

Eeh, that made me reet chuffed, that did!

 

 

And we have lift-off ..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The first man on the Moon .. seems so long ago, doesn't it? Probably because it is! Fifty three years ago today to be precise. But what exciting times they were, especially to a nearly-nine year old like myself. I was absolutely fascinated by 'Space', forever gluing Airfix Lunar Modules to papier mâché 'moon surfaces' whilst watching James Burke and Patrick Moore explaining the intricacies of forthcoming 'TLI' manoeuvres. I did a lot of reading, too. The Observer Book of Astronomy and the Peter Fairley Space Annual were never far from my side ..

Which brings me to a new book about 'Space', one which I've written myself. I say 'one', but it's actually the first in a series of four adventure books I've created for children and which I'm thrilled to launch today ..

"Swapsies" is my story of The Sun and The Moon and The Earth, and of how The Moon helps The Sun to find all its friends in Space. The books are educational yet funny, and I'm very proud to say I did all the illustrations, too. I'll be reading from Swapsies at a book event this Sunday in our local park, and I hope it's soon filling a space on the bookshelves of many a wide-eyed new young space enthusiast ..

( If you'd like a copy, you can click here to order .. )

Three, two, one .. lift off!

Hooked from Page One ..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"I was hooked from the first page .." So begins a lovely message from a new reader of my book "Page 99, by Joe Bancroft'. "Joe is wonderful .." she continues. "I laughed and I cried. So many people will be able to relate to this book in so many ways."

Well, what more can I add, dear blog fan? Constantly trying to think of new ways to market my book, I can do no better than relay her words to you, and hope they move you enough to buy the book. (Think how you'll boast when it finally comes out as a film. "Oh yes, I was one of the first to read it, you know?")

Pleasing for me was the fact that this person found "it was an eye opener to read about the life of a press photographer" (though relax ..  it's not a book about press photography) and, best of all, she describes my work as "a real person telling it how it was .."

I am very flattered! Very flattered indeed ..

 

 

Ladies and Gentlemen, my new book ..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Writing a book, they say, is the easy part. After that, you've got to market the bugger! So here I am, marketing the bugger, and you're going to have to get used to me going on about it. Yes, I've finally self-published my book, after probably four years of writing and editing (and trying to find an agent!) ..

Page 99, by Joe Bancroft, is the semi-autobiographical tale of a young Manchester lad who lands his dream job as a press photographer on a local newspaper (ring any bells?) There's a lot more to it than that, of course, and it feels good that it's finally all down on paper ..

I've already had a great review, which ends with the line "Personally I loved the book and can't recommend it highly enough, I can relate to so much that Martin has written about, a joy to read, go on treat yourself to Page 99" .. so that's a good start, isn't it?..

If you fancy a good read, you can get hold of your own copy on Amazon Kindle. 

I really hope you'll give it a go ..

Now and then ..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

An accident in the family meant that I've just had to go back to the UK for the first time in four years. Can't say I was delighted about the trip but decided to make the most of it by having a little wander around some of my old haunts (once the emergency was over!) The changes were astonishing, and I thought it would be fun to put some new shots together with old pictures from my archive. I have to say that poor old Eccles is looking a little worse for wear. (Either that or it was always so, and I just never noticed because I was just a kid.) Lots of vape shops and boarded-up pubs, take-away food shops and litter. Quite depressing, really. I won't be going back for a long time ..

God Saved The Queen ..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, she made it! Seventy years on the throne and good luck to ya, missus! Can't say I'm a big fan of The Royals, though I WAS once rather chuffed to be the sole photographer allowed to cover an event with The Queen in 1989. (I don't own a single shot from the event .. the client insisted on taking all the negatives and says now they have no idea where they might be!) So, enjoy your four-day holiday UK, and here are a couple of photographs from the 1977 Silver Jubilee, taken when I was a mere stripling of sixteen. (That's my sister, in her bedroom!) 

God Saved The Queen!..

Thirteen years ..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And so I mark another year since the death of my Dad. Thirteen now, though it seems like only yesterday. Here's the daft bugger with a big Bell's whisky he won in a raffle. When the booze was gone he filled the bottle with one and two pence pieces and gave the whole amount to the Children's Hospital in Manchester. You can be sure I'll be raising a glass to you tonight, Dad!

One for the ladies ..

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's International Women's Day, so here's a selection of my shots of International Women, though the only ones that are really on my mind at the moment are those poor ladies in Ukraine. God help you, ladies ..

A world turned upside down ..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It feels like the world has been turned upside down this morning. Russia has invaded a European country and I can scarce believe I've just typed that ..

I can only hope that Putin comes to his senses (!!) and that this disaster resolves itself quickly. I pray for the people of Ukraine ..

22.2.22

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Two, two, two, two, two! Another excuse for a blog and what better than my lovely archive shot of Morrissey, lead singer of The Smiths, taken almost forty years ago at Manchester's Free Trade Hall. The Smiths? What've they got to do with .. ah, well .. wasn't one of their songs 'Vicar in a TU-TU'?

Groan!

Back in my day ..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On another day, I might have called today's blog "On being smug and thinking it was better in the old days" .. because that's exactly how I'm feeling! 

I saw a tweet the other day from a photographer asking how they could cut down on the amount of time it took to edit their work. I wasn't the only person to reply "Take less shots! Yesterday I watched a TV programme featuring a young photographer from Liverpool, who's made quite a name for himself by photographing gigs. At one point a caption came up that said he took 'between 1,000 and 2,000 shots per gig'. Reader, I nearly fainted! Holy shit, that's a lot of pictures. I've never taken that many shooting a whole bloody wedding! Does kinda make you think he just leaves his finger on the shutter button and machine-guns what's in front of him, doesn't it?

So why am I feeling so smug? Well, I'll tell you. When I photographed the Joy Division gig in 1979 I sensed that this new band was 'different'. They were so exciting and different to anything I'd heard before that I decided to throw caution to the wind and use a second roll of film. I took the sum total of 72 photographs! Man, I was crazy in my youth ..   

(And just a quick note on today's photo. It's from the Manchester Air Show, circa 1978. I love the guy shooting on a Mamiya!)

2.2.22

It struck me the other day that I haven't written anything here for a while and so, when I got onto this site, I was surprised to see that, this month alone, eighteen people have already read my blog .. and we're only two days into the month. (And that's without even writing anything since last November!) So I got all pretentious and precious and thought that I must write something new today, simply to please 'all' those interested people.

What to write about was a different matter. (Things are pretty quiet around here these days!) My photography consists only of Instagram posts showing leaves and frost and trees - and, of course, I haven't shot a wedding for a long, long time - so I'm hardly in a position to blow your mind with any new photographic insight.

And then it struck me. Today is 2.2.22 and if that's not reason enough to write a blog then what is? Now then, I've had this picture of my Dad on my computer screen for quite a while now. (He's sticking up TWO fingers! See what I did, there?) The reason for the image is that I've written a book that's kinda, sorta based on the years I spent sharing a flat with him, so I've looked at it a lot when I've been searching for words to put down. It's called 'Page 99, by Joe Bancroft', and I'm very, very, very, very proud of it. Getting anyone else to show any interest in it is another matter altogether. I've now submitted it to .. get this .. eighty-nine literary agents without a sniff of anyone wanting to take it forward. (Make that 90 .. I've literally had another rejection this afternoon!) But keep trying, I hear you say. Think of J.K. Rowling. Well, I've thought about her and it doesn't help in the slightest, thank you very much. No, I think my next move might have to be self-publication. Amazon Kindle beckons, and I'll let you know when I hit my first million.

If anyone out there .. anyone! .. is interested in reading my book then please let me know here. It's all about music, looking for chicks .. oh, and press photography .. and is funny, sad, historically interesting and a fab look at the shared lives of two working-class blokes in 1970s Manchester.

As with all 'authors' I feel that, once it lands in the right place, my book will prove to be very successful. When it is, I'll then unleash my second book on the world and try to get used to all the world renown. My second book? Yes, that's right. I've written TWO!

  

My view ..

 

 

 

 

 

We're a few days into the COP 26 conference in Glasgow and, not surprisingly, there's been rather a glut of depressing tv programmes about climate change. On one, an Australian woman was talking about a plague of mice her farm had suffered, after enjoying a bumper crop of cereal after years of drought. Literally famine or feast! The presenter then cut to a shot of Madagascan islanders, starving to death because of the way we're fucking up the world. And then it struck me.. 

 Which was the more sensible species? The mice, obviously! Their population only exploded when there was ENOUGH food to go around. Our population is expanding regardless of any such consideration. The mud hut in Madagascar was literally teeming with little children, brought into the world even though their parents knew they lived under incredibly unfavourable circumstances, and you have to ask yourself .. why? The matriarch of the family described the kids as 'gifts from God'. He should have given them the gift of reason, and perhaps they might have worked out that having so many children might not be such a good idea after all. Religion has got a lot to answer for!

I can't say it enough. Contraception should have been the first thing the COP 26 delegates discussed this week. We have GOT to cut down on the number of people on this planet. Critics of my position tell me that, if my parents had used a condom that chilly November day back in 1959, there would have been no such thing as 'me'. My answer is .. well, I wouldn't be here to worry about that, would I?

COP .. Contraception on Prescription!

Please!

Half a bloody century .. !

What were you up to exactly fifty years ago today? I'll tell you what I was doing .. my French homework! I know this because I still have in my possession the exercise book in which I did it. (I'm a right little hoarder, I am!)

Yes, half a century ago - September 27th 1971 -  little eleven-year old me had just started at Eccles Grammar School and was getting my first taste of the French language. Little did I know that, fifty years on, I'd be living in the country and still trying to learn it!

Oh well, at least I've done my homework!

 

 

 

 

Four years!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's the late summer Bank Holiday Monday in the UK, a date that will stay with me forever. It was on this day, incredibly four years ago, that I photographed my last ever Wedding in England. Now, as I sit here - completely retired - it feels a different world. Weddings filled my days back then .. either shooting them or editing them or promoting myself and looking for bookings. Man, the hours I spent trying to get couples to book me for their Big Day. I don't miss it a bit ..

Me and Abe Lincoln

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another Father's Day, and yet another year without my old pop. Here we are in New York, well over half my lifetime ago. I fucking hated that 'Abraham Lincoln' beard he'd decided to grow, but now I'd give anything to give that bristly chin a cheeky scratch. Miss you Dad x

Over the rainbow ..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After three years, I'm still trying to get my books published, and I was rather encouraged to hear that the daughter of a friend of mine has just had her work accepted, until she told me that it had taken ... FOURTEEN years for that to happen!

I'll be almost 75 in fourteen years. I hope I've still got my marbles about me to enjoy all the acclaim, the TV shows, the book tours, the wine, the women, the song ..

Ah, dream on, Martin. Still, it's a nice dream .. the publication, that is, not the wine, women and song. One just needs to keep one's chin up as one trundles along that long and unforgiving road. 

There must be gold at the end of the rainbow ..