I’m a bit late to the party, but I had a few images published recently in Sketchbook Magazine. The magazine is based around fashion and design, so there was a certain irony to being contacted by Luma, the features editor about wanting to include some images of mine that I took at the G20 protests in London earlier in the year rather than any of my fashion work which of course is predominantly what I shoot. My shots above are all the B&W images. The 2 colour images shot in Afganistan and Iran are by Hossein Fatemi.
Simon and I decided to go along to protests following all the media attention it was getting prior. Not quite knowing what to expect we turned up with cameras poised to capture the event. Us and a million other photographers and news crews! It almost seemed like there was as many media and photographers than there were protesters. In my opinion, the clashes wouldn’t have been as severe had there not been such a big media presence. It seemed like there was a certain performance aspect to the small group of extremists. Making sure the spotlight was on them before doing anything like smashing into the RBS bank building and attempting to set on fire. Regardless, Simon and I seemed to be right in the thick of it more out of luck than good management. The crowd was very compact and moving around was virtually impossible. So for some clashes to break out between police and protesters right in front of my eyes was quite the experience. At one point I was the target of a swinging police baton and out of instinct, I moved my head to the side to avoid the blow and as the crowd was so tight, the poor guy behind me copped the full impact of the truncheon on the top of his head. I turned around to give some sort of apology and I saw the poor chap holding his head with blood pouring down his face. You can see some of the action in the images above.
Sketchbook is a new quarterly magazine that showcases established and emerging creative talents in fashion, design and culture with a focus on features, photography and illustration. In Sketchbook, it’s not just about the product itself, but also about the beauty of the process of conceptualisation, creation and appreciating the means to an end. To find out a little more head here.
Part 1 & 2 of Sketchbook Magazine can be purchased here. You can also view a free online preview of Part 2 of this issue here.
Chlo. says:
Hot damn. I found out about Sketchbook a little while ago and would’ve bought a copy if I could’ve afforded it. Can’t believe some of your stuff is in it! That’s so very very awesome.