Fashion Event

Street photography doesn’t interest me at all.

Robert Mapplethorpe

As I read this quote I’m struggling to think of one image by Robert Mapplethorpe that is a caught moment in the real world, in the streets of any city. As I pause to scan my brain of what comes up when I dial in Robert Mapplethorpe I see perfect flowers caught in pristine light, I see the sculpted torso of a male nude, I see the powerfully erotic images that shocked the world but I certainly don’t see any curious real life caught moments of daily life from the streets of New York or Paris for instance. I was curious to discover recently that Mapplethorpe also photographed children and I had not seen these images before. The children were for the most part children of his friends. In some contrast to the skilfully arranged still lives and portraits of adults where Mapplethorpe executed total control, the images of children display a much more free energy. There is playfulness and the children appear at ease, lost in their world and appearing to be free of direction. It appears he had given in to controlling the subject for once and allowed the children to act independently.

Of course it’s absolutely fine that Mapplethorpe focused his skills as such and felt no desire to step into the street and shoot. I a doubt critics and fans of any great artist who painted seascapes complained they didn’t paint enough busy urban environments. Surely its better to celebrate an artist who has honed their vision and style and come to the point in their career where they know what they like, understand their discipline and have mastered what essentially inspires them. I am sure there are some that may have scoffed at the notion that Mapplethorpe could even skilfully master both inanimate objects such as flowers as well as capture personality in his portraits. I feel there is some desire to put creative individuals into boxes and believe that once they have mastered their skill in one discipline then its best they never ever move away from that and be so bold and ambitious as to attempt another area of the medium. And to a certain extent this is something that I have struggled with a little in my own career.

For a while I committed much time to trying to get an agent to represent me when I was shooting predominantly portraits and fashion for magazines such as British Vogue, Spanish Vogue, Glamour, In Style and more. Often the feedback would be they were confused as to whether I wanted to shoot fashion or portraits. This left me quite frustrated, as there was clearly a strong link between the two. My portraits were styled and had a fashion feel and it was clearly ok for numerous other photographers to forge successful careers shooting both fashion and portraits. So why could I not do the same. Well that’s always remained something that will forever frustrate me.

I just love taking photographs and find myself drawn to wanting to capture all manner of stimulating things, places and people I encounter on this wonderful earth. As I travel I encounter people and objects and I feel compelled to photograph them in my own particular way. I want to capture what I feel and represent it in my own style. And it often does not matter whether it’s a person, an animal, an object or a scene such as a landscape or urban environment. In that brief moment you suddenly see something and stop. There is a powerful urge to try to capture whatever it is you feel so moved by. I try to spend a month shooting in Asia each year and this has become something that I now long for an feel is actually necessary as part of my development as a creative person. At first it was essentially a holiday and I took my camera along for the ride just in case anything interesting came up. But as the trips lengthened in time and the adventures become quite emotionally fulfilling and exciting it was the photography element that grew. Now the trips are seen as photography journeys and a chance to shoot travel and continue to hone skills and explore the world and represent it through my eyes. But what is clear is that I continue to have a passion and skill for shooting all manner of subjects. And I relish in the freedom to do this and not feel restricted to any labels as such. So for example I may spend time lost in a beautiful landscape, or I may sit for hours shooting a busy junction capturing traffic and people or I may find some amazing people and ask them to let me photograph them. I then become a portrait photographer and a fashion photographer and a landscape photographer and am free to express myself and be a creative as I wish.

There is something so utterly exciting and life affirming to wake up in a hotel in Bangkok or Phnom Penh and have the entire day ahead of me. To know that I could turn left or right outside the hotel and have no idea which direction will lead to the more exciting encounter. If I turn left will I meet someone beautiful who turns my life around and changes its course forever? If I turn right then perhaps I wont meet that person but I will be on a course to discover something more incredible and capture it on film and reap the rewards of this amazing discovery. Perhaps I discover nothing of great significance and the day is not dull as such but doesn’t necessary turn out to be absolutely rewarding. But for sure there is an amazing feeling to have the freedom to do this and to be the master of my time and have not a single restriction holding me back. I’ve become quite reliant on these trips to energize me and release me from the constraints of briefs, editors and client’s demands. They help reaffirm my absolute love of picture taking and never ending love affair with photography. And for sure they allow me to indulge in a life long hobby of simply meeting strangers and making connections and hopefully capturing them on film. How utterly wonderful to find a beautiful person and make that connection and photograph them and bring some happiness to them. Often I have tried to get the photographs back to people I have photographed but it’s not always possible. As I sit in my office writing this blog we are in the darkest depths of yet another lock down and the freedom and excitement of such a trip to Asia is like a dream that is so beyond my reach. I could perhaps spend the time planning the trip right now to raise hopes and feed the desire. But it might be simply too painful knowing that hotels and destinations may be so drastically changed when we are free to travel and it would be wasted time.

On such journeys I thoroughly enjoy the freedom I have and how I am the master of my time. I can spend hours sat in one spot watching life unfold around me. Patiently sat waiting for all the elements to fall into place. Whether its people watching or waiting for the natural light to change, I’m always quite content. I suppose this has helped me build patience and some better understanding of how this skill can benefit me back in the world of paid commissions. The impact on all your senses stays with you and it becomes a drug. You long to feel the all encompassing heat, encounter the noises and witness the frantic energy of people busily going out their business. You miss the smells and sounds that are so peculiar to that place. In Bangkok the deep guttural sound of a tuk tuk 2-stroke engine zipping down Sukhumvit Rd. is a very specific sound that you hear only there. In the garden of my old apartment in Bangkok where I used to live and work there was a bird that had a very peculiar call. When I hear it now (watching YouTube videos of Thailand) I am suddenly taken back to my old apartment and reminded of those exciting years. It might be the peculiar smell of the place you are shooting in that stays with you. I certainly recall the toxic taste in my mouth and the smell of the streets of Bangkok. The pollution was actually so overwhelming that when I finally moved back to England I remember standing in Heathrow airport breathing in the cold crisp air in disbelief that it could taste so clean and fresh. And that was in the airport!

When I travel I often feel the wonderful reactions from people who are just as interested in me as I am in them, truly helps me to be more curious about the world and respectful of others. I remember once standing for hours in the hectic streets of Hanoi Vietnam trying to capture the thousands people on their mopeds. When the lights would change to red I would run out into the middle of the street and photograph people sat on their bikes. This was using a Hasselblad and shooting film. I did this for hours and took some incredible images. I do recall a girl wandering up to me and she bent down to chat to me as I was crouched on the ground. In a sweet voice she asked me ‘what are you doing?” I find complete strangers offer kindness and friendship and its so touching to discover this. I think of all of the hundreds of amazing kids I have photographed around the world and how truly awesome they have been. Such beauty, such wonderful characters and such great memories. Their no surprises that travel photographers are so drawn to capturing the beauty of children. It’s not always rewarding, there are children that are fearful and not trusting and you certainly need to have empathy for everyone you encounter. I have written in another blog about some of the more dangerous experiences on my travels.

I have no doubt that Robert Mapplethorpe managed to feed all his creative needs in the studio shooting the incredible work that he did and what a success he was. I wish at some point I had added some of his images to my collection but that was not possible. Personally I relish the chance to actually jump between a few disciplines of photography. I do absolutely want to be a street photographer on a journey of discovery through the hot and dusty street of some exciting city not knowing what I will discover and who I will meet that day. Giving my self the freedom to exercise my creativity at will and the thrill of returning to my hotel for an ice-cold beer and looking at some of the images captured that day. And at the same time know that in a month or so I will be back in London shooting fashion for Ralph Lauren or shooting in Claridges or chasing a bride along a country path on the way to the church. It’s exactly the rich mix of all of this that I know enjoy and find so fulfilling. I thrive on these contrasts and the rich mix adds to the excitement. I love the variety and the adventures.

I was asked by Ralph Lauren to photograph another of their wonderful events. This one taking place at Bicester Village. VIP clients were invited to sample products and see the new collections. I did my best to capture the environment, shooting the décor and the beautiful clothes and accessories. I also photographed the guests enjoying the day and as often is the case for an event photographer, all manner of skills were called upon. Guests also enjoyed the unique opportunity to have their portrait sketched by the very talented Lucy McLoughlin of www.liveeventartist.co.uk. I know Robert Mapplethorpe would not have enjoyed this commissions but for me it was yet another chance to do what I love. Simply take photographs.