The Outsiders

Glad to report that I'm currently working with Neil Brown on re-editing and retouching the skate photographs taken back in 1994. Neil is putting together an exhibition planned for later this year and is currently designing a publication. It's good to be working with Neil again and look forward to updates on the Outsiders blog – http://the0utsid3rs.blogspot.com. Have been surprised by many of the images we have discovered as we have journeyed back in time.

Hoy it Ere

Many thanks to Heather and Howard Slights for the loan of their boat back in October. With the retouching of the War and Peace images underway I decided that we could do a reckie trip to France to do some test images for book three. Heather and Howard have their boat moored in a town called called Gravelines. We stayed on the boat for three days back in October acting a base to check images, maps, talk, and plan our next move.

Wardens Bay

I have made several visits to Warden's Bay in October and November this year. The first trip was a scouting mission with Barry Legg down the dangerous eroded cliffs to discover the array of concrete bunkers that have over time slipped down the cliffs and ended up on the beach. I find the beach a fairly beautiful place. There is a pilgrimage of fossil hunters to this beach and it is truly a place of constant change and wonderment. One of the bunkers is completely on one side and the bottom chamber completely submerged in water. 

Hello Broadstairs

Well it has been a long time since I updated this blog but know I have the opportunity to bring my news fully update. Probably the most thing to happen over the past months is that I have moved from Margate to Broadstairs. This has enabled me to set up a base to work from and organise all the technology and books. The main objectives for this winter have been to set up the studio and go to France to make some test images for the new book project.

The return of Ben Slights

Over the summer I printed a number of new images for inclusion in one of my new book projects. These images have been waiting in Ilford boxes in preparation for scanning and retouching and back in September this process started in earnest. I decided to an old friend to help  with this project and very quickly it became apparent that his involvement was going to give the project an incredible boost.  Retouching will continue over Christmas with final images to be shot in the summer of 2009. I careful not to make these images public but here is a taster of what's to come.

American GI, Vietnam 2008

Air to breath

I have spent the past two summers traveling in Eastern Europe and felt it necessary to have a break and start production on a number of new projects. A new journey is about to take place a change in time, ethos and ethic. July was spent putting the finishing touches to a new body of work with the working title  'It happened here'. Then it was off to the darkroom in Whitstable to spend most of August 'bunkered down' and to produce some results. BBC Radio Four kept me entertained and a plentiful range of refreshments and photographic supplies to see me through. The darkroom is a solitary place at the best of times and a determined effort to make it work. A slow start gave way to some of the best sessions I have completed in the darkroom to date and some inspiring images produced. I retreated back to my base at the Royal Sea Bathing to contemplate my next move. Little did I know that it would be to Broadstairs. 

Goodbye Margate

Photo by Paul Crawley – View out to Sea from the Royal Sea Bathing Hospital 2008