30 June 2022

A small rainbow appears over the dunes just south of Rhosneigr, Ynys Môn. 

I was having dinner with my family at a restaurant just outside Rhosneigr when I decided to stretch my legs in between courses. As I walked out to the balcony and leant on the railing I gazed out over the dunes. Turning to my left, I spotted this rainbow appear over a house. As I continued to take in the scene, two children, in red and yellow, picked their way into the dune grass. It’s not my children playing in the dunes, but it could be. Is the kind of thing they would do. Looking at it now, to me, it brings up feelings of hope, youth, play, and perhaps innocence. 

I’ve made this print available in my shop if you would like one. 

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I have a small favour to ask. Working on independent, long-term projects is time-consuming and financially challenging, even more so in these difficult times. Many people have decided to pursue a funding model in which the content they produce is only seen or read by subscribers who donate or pay to do so. I have decided to go a different way. I would like to keep my work open for all, So, if you would like to support my work on this ongoing project, or other current and future projects, please consider making a one-time donation, or, if you can, supporting me with a regular amount each month. As little as £1 can go a long way and it only takes a minute. Alternatively, there are other ways you can contribute outlined on the ‘support my work’ page. Buying a print is one way, which provides you with something tangible in return for your investment. There is more information about my prints on this page. If you do not see the specific print, book or zine you would like in my shop, please contact me for information. Thank you.
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29 June 2022

Thank you to everyone who stopped by during Surrey Artists Open Studios (SAOS). This year I exhibited at Kiln Photo, the darkroom and photography workshop/studio I use, along with eight other fellow members. I should clarify; I exhibited alongside my 10 year old son, Alex. You can read a few details about our collaborative project in my previous post. Along with the artist exhibition, a charity exhibition including works from participating members of Kiln Photo and the North Farnham Art Trail raised £225 for local charity, Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice Care.

Many people had fun trying to guess which images were Alex’s and which were mine. We had deliberately left our names off so that this would not lead to pre-conceived biases in their appreciation of the photographs. It was telling that about half did not guess correctly, and wonderful to hear the comments about the image compositions, diptych pairings and print quality. The Ilford RC portfolio postcard paper went very well with the concept. Alex was especially pleased that his teacher and some of his classmates visited. 

Looking forward, Alex and I are excited to see if we can find another outlet for these images, online or otherwise, and are considering whether to collaborate on a zine. I am also keen to find another local spot to exhibit them physically, perhaps a local café or book shop. 

Watch this space… 

30 May 2022 

In June I will be participating in Surrey Artists Open Studios (SAOS) again, but this time with a little twist… it won’t just be me. I’m excited to be exhibiting alongside my son, Alex, for his first show. 

Last year he asked for a film SLR for his birthday. Since then he’s been photographing regularly, as well as developing his own film and printing in the darkroom at Kiln Photo under the tuition of Abbas Nazari, Dylan Haines and Seamus Flanagan. Here’s a brief bit about our exhibit: 

Cartes de Paris, Père et Fils (Postcards from Paris, Father and Son) 

These twelve “call and response” postcard diptychs, twenty-four photographs in total, show Paris as seen through the eyes of a father and his son on a trip made to the city in February 2022. They consist of darkroom silver gelatin prints, hand-made using Ilford RC Portfolio 4x6” double-weight paper. 

It’s been a really fun collaboration putting this together; selecting images, looking for ones that respond to each other and going through the whole editing, printing and sequencing process.

Kiln Photo will be open 11am – 5pm on 11-12th, 17-19th and 23rd-26th June 

The address is: The Kiln, 38 St Georges Road, Badshot Lea, Farnham, GU9 7LY

The studio is situated on the second floor and, unfortunately, it is only accessible via the stairs.

There will be a total of nine photography exhibits at Kiln Photo for this year’s SAOS, each very different. Details can be seen here. It’s a fantastic chance to see the range of work being made by members at Kiln Photo and to come and visit the facilities, which include back and white and colour negative film processing, developing and printing, alternative and traditional techniques, as well as a digital suite with monitors, scanners and Epson printers. 

Kiln Photo is part of the ‘North Farnham Art Trail’ alongside some other wonderful artists and makers. There is so much wonderful art and craft to see at SAOS, so we do hope you’ll pay us a visit. See the graphics below for a map, open days and times. 

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If you are visiting this post as an artist or maker in the Surrey, Hampshire and West Sussex area participating in SAOS, I would like to draw your attention to my personal commissions and work with artists, craftspeople and makers.

Please get in touch via email if you are in need of photographs that document your process and showcase your works. This could be for personal use on your own website, portfolio, social media and print marketing, works in academia or a museum, or work being made as part of a grant or commission. I believe that to get the best out of your work in the photographs it is essential that the process of photographing them is collaborative.