Month: April 2019

Skin Heads. Birmingham, ’70’s/’80’s

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Recently, I was trying to decide on a picture to put in place at home. Knowing Sue, my wife likes this image I decided on this. It was taken at Cannon Hill Park, Birmingham in the late ’70s, maybe very early ’80s. It shows two of a group of Skin Heads standing on the Waltzers, a fairground ride at the ‘Tulip Festival’.  Both are wearing tight Levi jeans and ‘Doc Marten’ boots, one with a ‘Ben Sherman’ check shirt and with a ‘Crombie style’ overcoat over. And each, of course with the required shaved head haircut, Various pins and badges are worn on the lapels, one being a Nazi Swastika. On occasion, wrongly I’ve printed it without the badge. I print it here without any editing – as I believe it should be. The image portrayed by the skinheads is underlined by the “Love and Hate” tattoo across the knuckles of each hand further enhancing the anarchic, hard man ‘Fuck you’  image they choose to put out. It is a picture of its time reflecting, as it …

Do Not Bend: The Photographic Life of Bill Jay.

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An excellent, even essential,  film over on YouTube, for all those interested in photography. Featuring input by photographic greats of the 20thC. Link to youtube video: Do Not Bend: The Photographic Life of Bill Jay.   Image credit: Bill Jay photograph copyright of Darius Himes, from SoCal PhotoExchange. The PhotoExchange.

Crucified​ in the market square.

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It’s Good Friday. As a Humanist, the religious aspect of this holds little interest for me, I merely observe, but as a photographer, I’m interested in the pageant and the spectacle. So it was, back in 2003, I visited Market Rasen here in Lincolnshire, to see the annual passion play. Sadly this event hasn’t taken place since 2006 I believe. (should anybody know different I would love to hear about it) Here are a few images from the day.    

A nail in our cultural coffin perhaps?

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Designed by the architect Sir Reginald Blomfield R.A. The Usher Gallery, on Lindum Hill, was officially opened on the 25th May 1927 with a solid gold key by the Prince of Wales.  The gallery was built as a result of a bequest by Lincoln jeweller James Ward Usher.  Usher never married and devoted his life to collecting, travelling far in search of particular items to enhance his collection. He never sought public honours but was offered the position of Sheriff of Lincoln in 1916.  In 1921 he died at the age of 76, and as was his wish he bequeathed to the City his collection of watches, miniatures, porcelain and silver. He also left a considerable amount of money for a gallery to be built in order to house his collection. Now, in 2019, the County Council wishes to turn the gallery into a wedding venue – despite the fact they do not own the building. This seems to be against the wishes of the original bequest by Usher. It’s certainly against the wishes of …