Jeff Pitcher

Overwhelmed that alchemical curator, writer and other-worldly proprietor of the internet’s most inspirational online image archive, @stephenellcock has chosen to include TWO of my photographs in his forthcoming book, England On Fire, which is set to be published by Watkins in May (available to pre-order now). I’m included in a frankly staggering roll-call of artists that includes Aubrey Beardsley, William Blake, Bill Brandt, Julia Margaret Cameron, Lewis Carroll, John Constable, Richard Dadd, William Henry Fox Talbot, Thomas Gainsborough, Barbara Hepworth, Dan Hillier, William Hogarth, Derek Jarman, James Johnston, L.S. Lowry, William Morris, Arthur Rackham, Eric Ravilious, Jamie Reid, William Heath Robinson, Syd Shelton, Austin Osman Spare, JMW Turner, Louis Wain, Nick Waplington, Joseph Wright of Derby and many, many others. I’ve had a sneak preview, and it’s a thing of surreal, stygian beauty. Its pages juxtapose esoteric marginalia with the bucolic mainstream and explore the elastic, magical boundaries between England’s wildly romantic countryside and its hard, urban streets.Writer and musician Mat Osman has given the works a wider context with a spellbinding narrative that takes us on a tour of the dustiest, ritual-wreathed corners of Albion. As Mat writes in the introduction to the book, “For centuries the work of women, of working men, of marginalised communities, of anyone outside power’s rigid paradigm, was erased, more likely to be used for firewood or scrap paper than displayed. How many geniuses were born, blossomed and died without leaving a scratch of their art behind for us? Which Coventry Kahlo, which Plymouth Picasso should be hanging in the National Gallery? Ghost works lost in smoke and salt spray. It is, then, all the more important to cherish those pieces from outside the mainstream that Stephen has unearthed here. They’re a secret history of this country, like those handwritten notes you find in library books that say ‘not so!’ or ‘yes, but…’” Pre-order your copy from your favourite book store or online.

A Portrait of Britain. Honoured to announce that my portraits of Elena Candela and William Henry Hubert Parsons have been selected to appear in the British Journal of Photography’s Portrait of Britain Vol 5. I’ve been a fan of the Hoxton books since they were first published, so to have two in this year’s edition is pretty mind-blowing. I’m especially proud that both my shots were taken on the hoof, rather than careful set-pieces. I didn't know or hadn’t spoken to either of my wonderful subjects before taking photographs of them. The picture of William at 2022’s Jack-in-the-Green was taken at the very beginning of the day as the green 'Bogies' assembled at the Stade, Hastings. It’s always a scrum to get pictures at the event, and difficult to isolate individual portraits on such a crowded day. William’s costume was fantastic, I was in exactly the right place, and he had an expression like a god - I got down low. I don’t enter competitions as a rule, in fact, I haven’t put a photograph in for judging since I started over twenty years ago, so this is particularly sweet. Thank you so much to the best girl Kate Hodges for all the nudging, kicking and arm twisting, without you, I'm nothing. And also huge thanks to Stephen Ellcock who chose two of my photographs to appear in the brilliant England on Fire, which reignited everything for me, especially seeing my photographs outside a computer screen. Many thanks to the judges, British Journal of Photography and Hoxton Mini Press @hoxtonminipress @bjp1854 @jcdecaux_uk And a huge thanks to Elena and William, and, actually, thanks to everyone who’s smiled, posed, grimaced or flipped me the bird in the last year. Let’s do it again this year. Jeff #portraitofbritain #portraitofbritainvol5 #portrait #pitcherphotography

Uniting the Kingdom - with Wham. @whamofficial

Hastings Jack In The Green - The Place To Be. Part 2 Devoloped and back from the chemist just as everyone else has moved on - and social media has returned to a misery of grey, white and shitty blue. I’m quite pleased with my photographs from this year’s event, which was definitely the largest crowd I’ve ever seen at Jack in the Green. The atmosphere across the Old Town was incredible all weekend. See you next year kids. X #hastingsjitg @hastingsjackinthegreen

Hastings Jack In The Green - The Place To Be. PART 1 Devoloped and back from the chemist just as everyone else has moved on and social media has returned to a misery of grey, white and shitty blue - I’m quite pleased with my photographs from this year’s event, which was definitely the largest crowd I’ve ever seen at Jack in the Green. The atmosphere across the Old Town was incredible all weekend. Over the decades, the event has grown into quite a major spectacle. See you next year kids. X

Love these Cats. Proud to work with them. Go catch 'em live. @tuppenny_bunters #tuppennybunters #pitcherphotography

For A Brighter Day Other People's Photographs; The making of a ground breaking public artwork. Folkestone's truly unique participatory street project in which meaning is created through the inhabitants sharing their memories of place, time and history. An exceptional endeavour and a project that stems from the very heart of a place and it's people. ''Other People's Photographs falls into a genre of vernacular photography that has been re-evaluated within the canon of photography over the past few decades. This enormous area of photography has now become recognised as a significant repository of cultural memory and social constructs. Apart from the obvious sense of recognition of places being transformed there is the more allusive but perhaps more important sense of connection which is celebrated in this work . Jointly created - through the generosity and participation of over 1600 people, the project creates a shared sense of community and recognition that so much of what we hold in our family albums is replicated by others.'' Brett Rogers, The Photograhers' Gallery London More info and the wonderful Strange Cargo book here. /product/other-people-s-photographs

Rock N Roll Will Never Die #230 The Parkinsons. Anyone who knows me knows the deal. I’ve got a long-standing weakness for The Parkinsons' rock ’n’ roll, I’m a believer. And there’s a lot to believe in. Bonafide legends. I caught them twice right at the start in the early 2000s. They were one of the first bands I ever shot digitally and, honestly, they helped shape the way I see and shoot rock ’n’ roll. Chaos, movement, moments, not perfection but the perfect band. Last night at the Mike Spenser benefit they were on fire. Same energy, never going through the motions, just raw, wired, alive and, importantly, fun. Exactly how rock ’n’ roll should be. We also had the privilege of sitting with them for the screening of 'A Long Way to Nowhere' documentary too, and getting a real-time, hilarious commentary from the band. An absolute beast of a film. Grit, humour, all the mess and magic you’d expect, beautifully edited by Caroline Richards. A masterpiece. Go find it, watch it and fall in love. These here are from the Stay Sick archives, that first set I ever shot of them, way back when. New stuff to come later - when I wake up. @afons0pinto @victortorpedo A Long Way To Nowhere - The Parkinsons Story @theparkinsonsband Shindig! Magazine... the latest!

NEXT FRIDAY!!! Join us for the fantastic launch of the new Mick Jones RRPL Magazine. Celebrate the release of RRPL Magazine No.3 “We are talking in space… not in time” with a film screening and RRPL DJs. Schedule: 6pm – Doors 7pm – Film Screening 9pm – RRPL DJs Midnight – Close Each ticket includes entry for one, a copy of RRPL Magazine No.3 (choose from 3 covers), and your first drink. Limited availability. Maxilla Social Club, 2a Maxilla Walk, London, W10 6SW Please note: the bar is cash only. Few tickets left - be quick. Ticket link over on the @rocknrollpl page See you there!

Cool photography as always by Jeff Pitcher @pitcher_post from our recent show in London at @lebeatbespoke weekender at @paperdressvintage 🙏🥰 #thejacketsband #lebeatbespoke #london #jeff pitcher #paperdress

Part 2 Nice to be free from Dj-ing this year and to grab a few shots @classiccarbootsale Saturday. Fantastic music and vibes again. See you at the next one. (The grainy black and whites here were shot on Agfa APX 100 - with my new lovely 1974 black Minolta XE - and developed last night) #minoltaxe #agfaapx100

Nice to be free from DJ-ing to enjoy the sights, sounds - and bargains at this year's @classiccarbootsale Great music and vibes again. See you at the next one. #pitcherphotography