29 Jul 2010

Two fLIPs!

Unfortunately I haven’t been updating my website recently with new photography, although I hope that will change soon. Much of my time over the past 6 months has been spent creating a new vision for the magazine for London Independent Photography, as previously mentioned here. My first issue as editor was launched back in April (cover above left, photo by Carole Evans). Re-titled, redesigned and twice the thickness of the previous magazine, it made a bit of a splash and was exceptionally well received by members and other readers.

Tonight is the launch party for the Summer 2010 LEISURE issue (above right, photo by Tom Robinson) and I’m really excited to see the response to this follow-up. In addition to featuring great work by nearly 40 members, there’s an extensive interview with Stephen Gill, and contributions from Paul Hill and Simon Roberts.

It’s been a fascinating experience to work on the magazine, and even a privilege! Contributors have been outstanding really and I look forward to working on future issues.

20 Jul 2010

La Pura Vida Gallery, Monthly Show June, 2010

Los Alamos, NM
Image ©Simon Kossoff

In June, La Pura Vida Gallery invited anyone to edit a slideshow from a selection of over 200 images, and my slideshow is featured in the gallery. It was really fun to do, and I discovered some exciting photographers’ work in the process!

The theme was “Travel is very useful and it exercises the imagination. All the rest is disappointment and fatigue. Our own journey is entirely imaginary. That is its strength. It goes from life to death. People, animals, cities, things, all are imagined. It’s a novel, simply a fictitious narrative.” – Céline, Journey to the End of the Night

With photographs by: Charalampos Kydonakis, Christian Flatscher, Dave Sinclair, Andrey Bogush, Chuck Patch, Simon Kossoff, Kourosh Azar, John Goldsmith, Julien Barathon, Mehrdad Azmin, Gustavo Sanabria, Ivan Sanjuan, Snjezana Josipovic, Rivo Yubara

10 Apr 2010

Pictory – London showcase

This photograph taken at the Bank of England was selected by Pictory magazine for a showcase on London. Pictory features stories from people around the world, documenting their lives and cultures, and is edited by Laura Brunow Miner. View the showcase here

30 Jan 2010

Haiti Print Auction

I donated prints of these two images for an auction to raise funds in support of relief efforts & rebuilding in Haiti after the earthquake. In collaboration with Charity Print Auctions organised by Andrew Newson, the amazing efforts of the group raised more than £18,000. These sold for £130 with funds going to Red Cross and SOS Children’s Villages.

10 Jan 2010

London Street Zoo

Two of my pictures have been featured in an online slideshow by Street Reverb magazine. It’s a showcase of contemporary London street photography selected from the Hardcore Street Photography pool on flickr. Edited by Bryan Formhals. View the slideshow

9 Dec 2009

New Adventures for 2010

For a few years now I have been a committee member of London Independent Photography and Editor and webmaster of the group’s website. This has been an enjoyable role for me which primarily involves enhancing communication amongst our 500 members, and promoting individual photographers’ activities to the general public. I will continue to do this through the next year, as well as immerse myself in a new endeavour!

Our group also publishes a magazine three times a year featuring members’ work, and I have now taken on the position of Editor with my first issue to be printed in Spring 2010. This is a very exciting time for me, and I hope to not only create a magazine that is rich with thought-provoking and inspirational content, but one which engages our members and the general public alike. It is currently stocked in the Photographers Gallery, Serpentine Gallery bookshop, Viewfinder Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery. I do hope to see future issues reaching out to a wider audience from the shelves of more shops and newsagents, so be on the lookout!

I am already in the process of gathering content, meeting with potential writers and contributors, and encouraging members of LIP to participate in the creation of the magazine in some way. These issues are entirely funded by our annual membership fees – there is no sponsorship, advertising or funding whatsoever paving the production route with gold. Because of this we have the freedom to produce a printed work of the standard that best fits our collaborative personality. As such, the magazine will see a number of changes from its previous incarnation, most recently edited by Britt Hatzius who dedicated three years to the job. She saw the magazine as a printed exhibition work which showcased images submitted on a theme, then she ‘choreographed’ them to flow through the book.

My interpretation of the magazine will involve more dialogue and friendly banter, more articles and photographic series, while still including theme-related work. However it may turn out, I do hope people will feel good about the result, submit their photographic work for consideration and above all read it!

15 Oct 2009

LIP 21st Annual Exhibition

London Independent Photography 21st Annual Exhibition

The exhibition opens on Sunday, October 18th from 2.30-5pm. If you can make it I think the show promises to be somewhat eclectic and interesting this year! It seems the selectors favoured series of work and chose more images from less photographers than in previous years. I had 6 prints selected by Magda Keaney, Curator Photography, National Portrait Gallery and Susanna Brown, Curator Photography, V&A Museum. Runs until October 31st at Cottons Centre Atrium (aka The Jungle!) on Southbank near Hays Galleria, SE1 2QE – (map)

18 Sep 2009

Photomonth Photofair

Alternative Arts is organising a Photofair at Spitalfields market to coincide with the East London Photography Festival. I will be there exhibiting along with some friends on Saturday 10th October, from 10-5pm. Come and visit us at one of the exhibition stands in the southwestern part of the market!

16 Sep 2009

Dr Karanka’s Print Stravaganza Opening

stravaganza

An itinerant photography show of DIY exhibitions in different countries – Cardiff (Wales), Bologna (Italy), Arles (France) and Gilwice (Poland) – comes to London! The exhibition for Photomonth 2009 is the largest to date including original works and fresh submissions that keep the show growing in new and unexpected directions.

The first exhibition was organised by Joni Karanka in the living room of his flat in Cardiff. Since then a box of prints has traveled to different locations, sparking a nomadic series of shows curated by various people who select work from the box. I will be contributing to the selection/curation of the London show, and the opening party is bound to be one of the (if not the) best of Photomonth this year! Dr Karanka will be in attendance.

Opening night Friday, October 9th, 7.30pm till late
At The Others, 6+8 Manor Road, Stoke Newington N16 5SA

30 Aug 2009

Editing Images for a Photobook

I am now in the post-first draft, contemplative phase of reworking a book of images from Crobar, a heavy metal bar in central London. Having shot there over nearly two years, my grand ideas have changed multiple times since I began working with the images. The first draft was quickly put together so I could take it with me to Arles in July. There I was able to show it around, get some feedback, and even put it in front of a couple of portfolio reviewers. Not the best idea perhaps considering that incarnation was new to me and I wasn’t really sure which direction I wanted to steer the images.

Unsurprisingly the reviewers said I had too many threads strung through the book and I should pick just one in order to get a tightly edited body of work that would have more impact. Now I am coming closer to figuring out what that thread is that I want to run with, and I’m preparing to dig back into the images and tear them apart to build something new. Exciting!

At Rencontres d’Arles, JH Engstrom and Anders Petersen’s book From Back Home won the Contemporary Book award. Engstrom talked about how much effort it takes to create a powerful book, that you must live with the images in that form for some time before the final piece reveals itself.