For me, photography is at its most compelling when you zone out distractions and become quietly engaged with a moment.
I don’t think you can force it, but you or others can create environments for that to thrive. If I ever leave my house without my camera I almost always think about how much of an idiot I am by forgetting to.
Photography acts as a catalyst in my life to accept my deafness as a strength rather than a limitation. As one sense is removed, others are heightened… though I’m not sure that’s how I feel at that exact moment but perhaps it’s there.
These images were taken in 2023 for @condenasttraveller commissioned by @mattbuckphoto - one of my main concerns at the time (though I didn’t let on) was how I would cope travelling with a writer with my diminished hearing. It’s funny how we make things difficult for ourselves. I didn’t feel it was much of a problem but it was at a time where my hearing was really starting to take a noticeable dip. It was also one of my first big commissions as a working photographer and to this day I feel extremely proud of them.
In the last 6 years I’ve lost almost all of my hearing. I still hear sounds, just not completely and what was once easy is now extremely difficult. As you can imagine, it comes with challenges, most notably psychological ones.
Taking pictures of people has become an inner battle. More often than not I make the decision not to because conversation is almost impossible and it feels deeply embarrassing. I am however learning how to deal with my anxieties surrounding deafness. The number one priority is ownership of it. I can’t change it, it won’t get better, and I’ve got (touch wood) a lot of life to live yet. My Dad would often repeat the phrase “Son , better to get in control of it than the other way round”. He was absolutely right.
Last week I made a series of portraits, admittedly in perhaps the easier of environments; a studio, models… lunch. But nevertheless it was a stepping stone for me into a world I have never felt particularly confident in, and one that has, as a result of my hearing, become even more tricky to navigate. I recognise the importance of forcing my own hand and stepping into the difficulty to face it head on. “That which we need the most will be found where we least want to look” Carl Jung.
Model - Khadijat @thesquadmanagement
Casting by @alice.tessereaux
Hair - @keitakanohair
Lighting - @charleshall_photo
Studio - @studiomondelondon
South Africa. 2015.
I have been to South Africa maybe 10 times now. Each time I go I feel something different. Sometimes I love it, others not so much. These images were taken from a trip in 2015, the second time I went. It was scorching hot and we were shooting right through the hottest part of the day on a beach during the weekend. While I considered death as a way to cool down, I watched the activity around me and felt that living was clearly the better option.
A house that remembers what it was — and quietly evolves.
In this Notting Hill home by @talafustokstudio , the Victorian framework isn’t contrasted, but carefully reinterpreted. Original features remain, enriched through textiles, crafted elements and subtle interventions that add depth without excess.
It’s less a transformation than a translation — heritage made personal, tactile and quietly contemporary.
Design @talafustokstudio
Photography @philhewitt
#nottinghillinteriors #interiorarchitecture #timelessinteriors #materiality #spatialdesign
Time is our most precious commodity. Up until recently I hadn’t really noticed how quickly time starts moving as you grow a little older. As I doomscolled my way to bed a few days ago I came across a meme that said something along the lines of “The iconic Oscars selfie taken by Ellen DeGeneres was taken 12 years ago and not one thing about it was iconic” I don’t remember thinking at the time it was particularly ground breaking, certainly not iconic but now… now it has served me with a brutal reality check…how on earth was the 12 years ago?
Of course, this has absolutely nothing to do with the images above. These were taken last year on a work trip to Seoul and as I flicked through my archive in search of “content” not one bit of me was angry at trips that reminded me of the passage of time more than the meme about the Oscars selfie. I knew Ellen DeGeneres would have the power to annoy me again despite stepping away from mainstream media but little did I know it would be ignited during my trip down archive lane.
I have made a deal with myself and the deal is to not consider things iconic until at least a decade has passed.
Portraits of “The Peasants” during Binche Carnival. Considered by many to be a “fantasy” society adorned in blue smocks and ostrich feathers. A fine peasant if you ask me.
