All the winners from the 18th Julia Margaret Cameron awards are featured in this month’s Fotonostrum magazine.
I was absolutely delighted to have my work chosen and be announced as the winner in three categories. Huge thanks again to the judges for making their selections, and also to the talented team involved in the fashion image, and to Kate Morrissey and her son for their generosity of time whilst I created the documentary image. For more pictures and full credits for these stories click fashion, documentary, landscape.
I am extremely honored to have this project selected by the judges – Jennie Ricketts trustee at Autograph Gallery and the Martin Parr Foundation, and Isabelle Von Ribbentrop the Executive Director of the Prix Pictet.
The Greenham Women’s Peace Camp was the largest female-led protest since suffrage, and led to the international ban of Cruise missiles. But this extraordinary event has largely been written out of history. Last year the activist group Greenham Women Everywhere recreated the protest march from Cardiff to Newbury [that started the Peace Camp] to once again highlight the achievements of these remarkable women.
It was an honor to walk alongside and document this new protest march from Cardiff to Greenham Common. Below is a series of 15 selected works, from this extensive project, that have been shortlisted for the 37th Association of Photographers(AOP)Awards.
Walking for 110 miles over nine days, the pain of polluted roads and thunderous traffic was accompanied by camaraderie and song.
Original Greenham Women shared inspiring, and sometimes terrifying stories, of their time spent at the peace camp, with a new generation of impassioned activists.
Their aim, to highlight the urgent crises of the climate emergency, nuclear weapons escalation, daily violence against women, extreme hunger, and social inequality, could not be more timely.
Having my work chosen for this category, in a genre I am not generally known for, really means a lot to me. I hope that my photography will help highlight the important work initiated by Greenham Women Everywhere.
Many thanks to The Times for featuring one of my images from the Greenham Women 110 mile protest march.
Bringing together original Greenham Women with a new generation of activists. “Walking in the footsteps of our foremothers to highlight the multi crises of the climate emergency, nuclear weapons escalation, extreme hunger, social inequality, daily violence against women, and more.”
A series of this work has been chosen as a finalist in the 37th AOP photography awards.
Women Photograph aims to reshape the makeup of the photojournalism community, ensuring “…the industry’s chief storytellers are as diverse as the communities they hope to represent.”
Established in 2017 Women Photograph is a non-profit created to elevate the voices of women & non-binary photographers. My thanks to Women Photograph founder Daniella Zalcman for inviting me to join and support this important group of 1000 female photojournalists, representing 100 countries.
Every day the Women Photograph team records the lead photo bylines from the front pages of eight major international newspapers, including The New York Times, Le Monde and TheGuardian. Here are the stats from the most recent quarter:
To accompany the opening of Actions of Art and Solidarity at the Kunstnernes Hus Norway this week, the curatorial team at the Office for Contemporary Art, Norway invited participating artists to contribute ideas for a protestplaylist.
“…includes works by both national and international artists operating in the name of cultural, socio-political and environmental solidarity across various geographies and contexts…”
I am of course disappointed that I can’t be in Norway for the opening events, but I am hoping that I may get to see the exhibition [and meet the team] at the Kunstnernes Hus before it closes on March 21st. My sincere thanks to Katya Garcia-Anton, director and chief curator at OCA; Elsa Itzel Archundia Esquivel; Liv Brissach; also Astrid Vostermans the contemporary art publisher and founder of Valiz who is publishing the accompanying reader.
“Solidarity has re-entered the global zeitgeist with resounding force in the last decade. It has driven new thinking focused on countering systemic failures and outright abuses related to climate, economy, surveillance, health, gender and race amongst other issues. Actions of Art and Solidarity considers the central role that artists play within this historical shift in the new millenium, drawing parallels to synergic cases of the twentiethcentury.“
The good people at adam&eveDDB have created an online Art Auction to raise funds for The Avenues Youth Project a North London Youth Club offering fun out-of-school activities for young people. The auction brief asked for work which focuses on championing diversity and the stories of people of colour.
Click here to view [and bid on] exciting photography and art by a diverse group of creatives – look out for my personal favourite, Stay at Home by collage artist Anna Bu Kliewer – and help raise funds for a great group of kids at The Avenues.
I found it incredibly moving watching this exhibition. At a time when visiting galleries has been difficult or impossible, the clever people at the British Journal of Photography have created something quite magical.
“400 photographs [from the 2019 and 2020 Portrait of Humanity award] ascending 130,000 feet into the stratosphere, broadcasting a message of peace and unity from humankind to space – and possibly even our extra-terrestrial counterparts.”
“There is more that unites us than sets us apart“
From take-off to landing, enjoy the whole exhibition here.
As always, my thanks to Emma Slade, Madeleine Smith, Julie Read, Betty Brigstock-Williams and the Parker family. Thanks also to the teams at Portrait of Humanity and British Journal of Photography.
My sister has lived in the Puglia region of Italy for most of her adult life. This week, as the Italian government eases it’s lockdown restrictions, she can leave her home for the first time in two months. It’s also her birthday, so I thought it would be nice to show some photography from her adoptive home. Happy birthday Lynn Carrig x Ciao bella x
Last Easter I began creating a series of photography projects on the Dymchurch Sea Wall – documenting the beach it fronts, the low-lying land it protects, and how both locals and visitors use and respond to the wall. This Easter, with so much having changed in the world, it feels timely to start sharing some of this work. Here are a few selects from Bank Holiday.
Dymchurch Wall has been a vital sea defence on the Kent coast since it was first established by the Romans. It’s current construction connects pale concrete walkways with art deco influenced design; four miles of wall straddle flat marshland and vast sands, and a big sky gives an exquisite quality of light. The surrealist artist Paul Nash made many paintings of the wall most famously The Shore, and the actor and novelist Russell Thorndike based his Dr.Syn stories here at Dymchurch-under-the-Wall. More recently a Banksy rat has appeared surfing the wall’s concrete curves.
As a photographer I am also inspired.
Last Easter I began photographing my own response to the wall, documenting the beach it fronts, the low-lying land it protects, and the people that are drawn there. This Easter, with so much changed in the world, it feels timely to revisit this project.
“Serve God, honour the King, but first maintain the Wall”
Respecting current government regulations I now walk to my Mother’s house everyday; a journey along familiar roads I have driven a thousand times and more, and which I am seeing for the first time. Here are some more pictures from The Road To Wellville #stayhome #protectthenhs #savelives
I’ll be out on the pavement again this evening, making some noise in appreciation of ALL the brave keyworkers working hard in difficult circumstances to keep us safe.
Until normal service is resumed I would like to continue my photo-blog by sharing with you (over the next few weeks/months?) recently published commissions, as well as previously unpublished archive photography.
Meanwhile this is the beginning of a new personal project (respecting current government regulations) recording the daily walk to my mother’s house in the London suburbs. Here are a few pictures from my first week on The Road to Wellville
A unique event discussing law and protest by leading protest practitioners
and hosted by Doughty Street Chambers London.
This event aims to leave you inspired by protest, by providing an overview
of the state of protest law, and mapping the changing nature of policing
protest from Greenham Common to Extinction Rebellion.
The event is combined with my COMMON PEOPLE photography exhibition
which is currently on show in the Doughty Street Chambers private gallery
and will form a visual backdrop to the evening.
If you would like to attend the talk on Thursday 26th March, please message
Many thanks to Feng Gu at The China Photography Association for
featuring my work in their magazine.
Here is a translation of the interview :
1Could you tell me your experiences in photography?I studied photography at Salisbury College of Art before moving to
London to work for four years as an apprentice, mainly to the music
and portrait photographer Mike Owen; he introduced me to the legendary
surrealist photographer Angus McBean whom I also had the pleasure of
working with.I set up on my own in 1990.2 Introduce your job of commercial photography? Do you take documentary
photography now? How do you deal with the relationship of commercial
photography and documentary photography?Most of my commercial work comes via A&R Creative Agency – a wonderful
team who have represented me for 25 years. I am regularly commissioned
for fashion, beauty, lifestyle and portraiture assignments - recent clients
include NBC/The Bi-Life, Triumph, Elle Germany and Stella Telegraph magazine.I am also known for my portrait photography. My work has been selected for
both catalogue cover and poster campaign for the Taylor Wessing Photographic
Portrait Prize at The National Portrait Gallery London; and I have won the
AOP best in category award for portraiture at the Association of Photographer’s
Awards. Recent sittings include the Olympian athlete Tessa Sanderson CBE,
the MP Dr.Rosena Allin-Khan, Buddhist nun Emma Slade, the girl band
Bananarama, and Ayda Field Williams.I am considering working on a new documentary project, but nothing has
been decided upon yet.3 What is the Greenham Common Peace Camp? Could you introduce it to
our Chinese readers? Greenham Common is aformer British RAF (Royal Air Force) base. During
the Cold War period in the 1980s the British government allowed American
nuclear missiles to be installed there. Many people were outraged at
this act and a group of women demonstrators made a peaceful protest by
walking 100 miles from Wales to Greenham Common. The number of protestorseventually grew into thousands and Peace Camps were set upencircling
the base and became women-only. Their mission, to peacefully disrupt
the movement and deployment of nuclear missiles.4Did you join it? Tell some stories about it and you?I was a photography student during the mid-1980s and visited the
Peace Camp for my final year project. I stayed at Greenham for a
couple of weeks during a very cold winter - sleeping under tarpaulin,
eating donated food and wearing donated clothes. Every morning police
and bailiffs would evict us from the site, and as soon as they had
left we would return to relight the campfire for warmth, tea, talk
and songs; and some women would plot and plan and eventually by
nightfall would cut through the wire fence that surrounded the base,
and often be arrested found sitting alongside a nuclear missile.5When you shot these photos of COMMON PEOPLEdid you you think there
will be an exhibition of your work 30 years later?No, not at all, the pictures have been stored in my negative files
until only last year. 6 What do you want to convey through these photos?My pictures mainly show quiet, domestic life at the Peace Camp.I realise
now that this vision is possibly unique, as by excludingall men from
the camps would have also meant excluding most photographers, as photography
at that time was very much male dominated.
7 How do you think the photography experiences affected your later
photography career?As a student I was interested in both documentary and fashion photography.
As a professional photographer Ifell into working in the fashion industry
as I was inspired by the photographers, mainly fashion photographers, whomI had assisted. In recent years I have been working towards more portrait
commissions as I like to show a reality and truth in my work. Re-visiting
my Greenham pictures has made me reconsider my early thoughts on documentary
photography and I am now looking for new ways I can take this forward in my
career.8 What do you think about as a woman photographer in shooting beauty,
fashion,lifestyle photography?I believe that whatever genre of photography I choose to work in – beauty,
fashion, lifestyle, portraiture, documentary etc - my creative style
as a photographer is as individual and unique as the personality of
any photographer, regardless of gender.9 How many years do you take photography as a career? And How do you
keep your passion alive in photography?Next year I will be celebrating thirty years as a professional photographer. The advent of digital cameras was definitely a moment thatboosted my
passion for photography –I often prefer to work with daylight, so the
extra film and shutter speeds combined with auto-focusing allowed me
to push the boundaries of my vision.10Could you give some advice to our readers about how to take a nice
photo?A ‘nice’ photograph doesn’t have to be technically perfect, but I think
it does have to convey something of a message to it’s audience. There is
usually a reason for taking a photograph so it is important that your
audience understands the message or story you are trying to convey.Photography like art is only ‘nice’ if the viewer believes it to be so. I always question my own work by asking myself “Is it real..?”
“do I believe..?”.
COMMON PEOPLE can be seen at the Greenham Common Control Tower
until this Saturday 9th March.
My COMMON PEOPLE photography exhibition continues at Greenham Common
Control Tower Thursday-Sunday until 9th March 2019. The gallery will
then open on Sunday 10th March for a private view, where Dr.Meg Thomas
from the Tower will be in conversation with myself, and Beccy
Trowler QC who is featured in the exhibition and whose image is on the
exhibition poster. Tickets for this event are £8.50 available from
Greenham Common ControlTower