The legendary TT motorcycle races on the Isle of Man have always had a special place in my heart. Races have been held on closed public roads on the Island every June since 1907: one lap of the course is over 37 miles long and top speeds are over 200mph!
I first went as a visitor in 2012 and what began as a passion project has turned in to working directly for the event organisers, as I’ve been officially contracted to them since 2016.
It’s unlike any other event on the planet, racing or otherwise – a completely unique spectacle and endlessly fascinating to photograph.
One of the greatest privileges and pleasures of being a photographer is the opportunities it has provided to travel. Capturing the different light, cultures and meeting people I never otherwise would is an ongoing pleasure for which I am incredibly grateful.
Here’s a few of my favourite portraits, more often that not shot only by some bad (on my part) charades and a smile – the global method of human communication.
A family on a train in Sri Lanka, street vendors in Zimbabwe, Guatemalan shoeshine boys and a Tibetan builder are among many I’ve met along the way. The look of delight on the face of the elderly builder when I showed him his portrait in the back of the camera is a shared moment I’ll always treasure.
Wow. Lockdown. Never going to be something I was going to like! What did you do during that long, sunny Spring/Summer of 2020? Work for me pretty much had to stop, so as well as homeschooling two small kids, I built a playhouse for them as a bit of a sanity project (nicknamed ‘The Coronacabin’).
As restrictions finally started to ease and we were allowed to go into each other’s gardens, I was curious to find out how others had passed their time. The answers were a varied and fascinating insight into the human condition …
I love old analogue film cameras. There’s such a charm about them, particularly in all the beautiful imperfections that can occur. They can’t be photoshopped or filtered, which in today’s increasingly groomed and manicured visual landscape I find very refreshing.
This ongoing project is shot on a Holga – £35 quid’s worth of format plastic medium-camera, which can give wonderfully unpredictable results with a dreamy/smeared focus. Take a look for yourself …
The ‘Orange Army’ of trained Marshals at the Isle of Man TT are the unsung heroes of the event, which couldn’t run without them.
All unpaid volunteers, around 500 of them are needed for every practice session or race around the 37.73 mile road course. From first-day newbies to 50+ year veterans (yes, really), they’re the beating heart of the TT.
It’s been fascinating and frequently hilarious to meet them and hear their stories. Groups of friends, husbands and wives, dads and daughters, brothers, uncles and grandparents from all walks of life. All human life is here, united by their love for the TT.
I moved to Crystal Palace when I bought my first flat in August 2007, just before the wheels fell off the economy. The area was definitely struggling by 2008 and I shot a lot of the vacant/closed down businesses as well as the Park with some out-of-date rolls of 120 film and my trusty Holga camera.
Fast-forward seven years to when I moved away from the area and ‘Holy gentrification, Batman!’ Spot the difference…
I recently returned for an update after a further ten-year gap. Some things may change a lot, but some things stay the same. Have a look and see what I found …
I’ve always absolutely loved shooting portraits and the challenge of capturing the essence and personality of someone in a split second. The eyes – ‘windows to the soul’ and all that – are such a key part of that.
However, what I love about these ‘moments between the moments’ is that with the closing of the eyes, it offers the possibility of a far more unguarded and honest – if unintentional – portrait. See what you think …
Two bands. One bus. 5000 miles at 48mph. Many, many adventures…
The BritBus Tour was an amazing experience. For three years it ran coast to coast on a trusty(ish) old double-decker bus named “The Duchess”, promoting British music in the USA. I worked on the project as photographer, designer, creative director, band member and wore several other hats besides (including cowboy).
It was a crazy idea and a huge amount of unforgettable fun, with many gigs, breakdowns, wrong turns and high and lows, fuelled in no small measure by generous alcohol sponsorship …
Little Lemmy has been on all my travels with me since 2003. What started as a bit of a joke has turned into quite a lot of fun over the years. And since the sad departure of his bigger namesake in December 2015 it’s good to know that Lemmy is still out there on the road in some form.
They even got to meet each other once, backstage after a gig in Folkestone. Lemmy was relaxing after just coming off stage, but he still put his hat back on so he’d match the little fella for the pic. What a legend.
