A Photographic Life

In episode 38 UNP founder and curator Grant Scott is in his shed considering our expectations of personal websites and the relationship between insecurity and creativity. Plus this week photographer Robert Darch takes on the challenge of supplying Grant with an audio file no longer than 5 minutes in length in which he answer’s the question ‘What Does Photography Mean to You?’ Born in Birmingham, England Robert Darch is a photographer, educator & curator based in the South West of England. He holds an MFA with distinction in Photographic Arts and a MA with distinction in Photography & the Book from Plymouth University. He also has a BA with honours in Documentary Photography from Newport, Wales. His photographic practice is motivated by the experience of place, in which the physical geography and material cultures of places merge with impressions from contemporary culture that equally influence perception. From these varied sources, both real and imagined, he constructs narratives that help contextualise a personal response to place. Robert is the Associate Curator at Unveil'd and also created Macula a collective for young photographers based in Exeter, Devon. In 2018 Robert’s work was included in Distinctly, a major group exhibition of British Photography, that included work by Martin Parr, Chris Killip, Daniel Meadows, Tish Murtha, Ken Grant, Paul Seawright, Marketa Luscakova, John Myers, Niall McDiarmid & Kirsty Mackay. Robert was one of the winning exhibitors of the British Journal of Photography 2018 Portrait of Britain. He has recently published his first book, The Moor, with Another Place Press. His photography has been published in The Telegraph, The Guardian & The Financial Times. www.robertdarch.com You can also access and subscribe to these podcasts at SoundCloud https://soundcloud.com/unofphoto on iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/a-photographic-life/id1380344701 on Player FM https://player.fm/series/a-photographic-life and Podbean www.podbean.com/podcast-detail/i6uqx-6d9ad/A-Photographic-Life-Podcast Grant Scott is the founder/curator of United Nations of Photography, a Senior Lecturer in Professional Photography at the University of Gloucestershire, a working photographer, and the author of Professional Photography: The New Global Landscape Explained (Focal Press 2014) and The Essential Student Guide to Professional Photography (Focal Press 2015). His next book New Ways of Seeing: The Democratic Language of Photography will be published by Bloomsbury Academic in 2019. He is currently work on his next documentary film project. He is currently work on his next documentary film project Woke Up This Morning: The Rock n' Roll Thunder of Ray Lowry www.wokeupthismorningfilm.com. His documentary film, Do Not Bend: The Photographic Life of Bill Jay has been screened across the UK and the US in 2018 and will be screened in the US and Canada in 2019. © Grant Scott 2019

In episode 37 UNP founder and curator Grant Scott is in his shed considering the acceptance of photography as a part-time profession, and a new research report titled The State of News Photography 2018, published by the World Press Photo Foundation in Amsterdam. Plus this week Grant re-visits a recorded conversation from 2011 with Magnum photographer Christopher Anderson in which Anderson speaks about discovering photography, the personal connection he has with his images and his intention when creating his iconic Haiti refugee body of work. Christopher Anderson was born in Canada and first gained recognition for his pictures in 1999 when he boarded a small wooden boat with Haitian refugees trying to sail to the United States. The boat, named the Believe In God, sank in the Caribbean. In 2000 the images from that journey received the Robert Capa Gold Medal. Anderson's early work from conflict zones such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon and Israel/ Palestine earned international acclaim and awards such as two World Press Photo Awards and Magazine Photographer of the Year. In 2004, he began traveling to Venezuela to document the country under the presidency of Hugo Chávez. The resulting book, Capitolio (RM 2009) was named one of the best photographic books of 2010 at the Kassels book Festival in Germany. In 2011, Anderson made Capitolio into an app for iPhone and iPad, the first photographic book to be made into an application for such devices. His current work crosses genres, from documentary to art to portraiture of celebrities such as Lady Gaga. Anderson was one of the early members of the VII Photo Agency but he resigned from the agency in 2004 and joined Magnum Photos in 2005. He has served as a contract photographer for Newsweek and National Geographic magazines and is currently the first 'Photographer in Residence' at New York Magazine. www.christopherandersonphoto.com You can also access and subscribe to these podcasts at SoundCloud https://soundcloud.com/unofphoto on iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/a-photographic-life/id1380344701 on Player FM https://player.fm/series/a-photographic-life and Podbean www.podbean.com/podcast-detail/i6uqx-6d9ad/A-Photographic-Life-Podcast Grant Scott is the founder/curator of United Nations of Photography, a Senior Lecturer in Professional Photography at the University of Gloucestershire, a working photographer, and the author of Professional Photography: The New Global Landscape Explained (Focal Press 2014) and The Essential Student Guide to Professional Photography (Focal Press 2015). His next book New Ways of Seeing: The Democratic Language of Photography will be published by Bloomsbury Academic in 2019. He is currently work on his next documentary film project. He is currently work on his next documentary film project Woke Up This Morning: The Rock n' Roll Thunder of Ray Lowry. His documentary film, Do Not Bend: The Photographic Life of Bill Jay has been screened across the UK and the US in 2018 and will be screened in the US and Canada in 2019. © Grant Scott 2019

In episode 36 UNP founder and curator Grant Scott is in his shed looking back on photography in 2018 and forward to what 2019 may or may not hold for the medium. Plus he names his favourite photo books published in 2018, and his favourite exhibition and photography initiative. You can also access and subscribe to these podcasts at SoundCloud https://soundcloud.com/unofphoto on iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/a-photographic-life/id1380344701 on Player FM https://player.fm/series/a-photographic-life and Podbean www.podbean.com/podcast-detail/i6uqx-6d9ad/A-Photographic-Life-Podcast Grant Scott is the founder/curator of United Nations of Photography, a Senior Lecturer in Professional Photography at the University of Gloucestershire, a working photographer, and the author of Professional Photography: The New Global Landscape Explained (Focal Press 2014) and The Essential Student Guide to Professional Photography (Focal Press 2015). His next book New Ways of Seeing: The Democratic Language of Photography will be published by Bloomsbury Academic in 2019. He is currently work on his next documentary film project. He is currently work on his next documentary film project Woke Up This Morning: The Rock n' Roll Thunder of Ray Lowry. His documentary film, Do Not Bend: The Photographic Life of Bill Jay has been screened across the UK and US in 2018 and will be screened in the US and Canada in 2019. © Grant Scott 2019

In this Christmas Special UNP founder and curator Grant Scott is in his festive shed looking back on the past year and thinking about photography's relationship with Christmas. To continue the Christmas message photographer Jim Mortram provides an alternative option to the Queen's speech by taking on the challenge of supplying Grant with an audio file in which he answer’s the question ‘What Does Photography Mean to You?’ Because Jim is definitely on Santa's 'good list' he has given him an extra 5 minutes to fulfil the task. You can also access and subscribe to these podcasts at SoundCloud https://soundcloud.com/unofphoto on iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/a-photographic-life/id1380344701 on Player FM https://player.fm/series/a-photographic-life and Podbean www.podbean.com/podcast-detail/i6uqx-6d9ad/A-Photographic-Life-Podcast Grant Scott is the founder/curator of United Nations of Photography, a Senior Lecturer in Professional Photography at the University of Gloucestershire, a working photographer, and the author of Professional Photography: The New Global Landscape Explained (Focal Press 2014) and The Essential Student Guide to Professional Photography (Focal Press 2015). His next book #New Ways of Seeing: The Democratic Language of Photography will be published by Bloomsbury Academic in January 2019. His documentary film, Do Not Bend: The Photographic Life of Bill Jay will be screened across the UK and the US in 2018. © Grant Scott 2018

In episode 34 UNP founder and curator Grant Scott is in his shed considering photography judging panels, using Instagram as a professional tool and earning money from brand endorsement as a photographer. Plus this week photographer Philip North Coombes takes on the challenge of supplying Grant with an audio file no longer than 5 minutes in length in which he answer’s the question ‘What Does Photography Mean to You?’ UK based photographer Philip North Coombes works globally on assignments for international fashion, lifestyle, sport and advertising brands such as Speedo, Berghaus, John Lewis, Selfridges, Eddie Bauer, LLBean, Sweaty Betty and Timberland amongst others. He has made two BBC documentaries, both at Everest base camp, capturing the life at an emergency hospital set up specifically for the climbing season. Inspired by the natural world and its preservation he is an ambassador for 4Ocean, The Ocean Foundation and Save Wild Tigers. North Coombes is also the founder of the Facebook  based Photographers United, a worldwide community of professional photographers and film makers, supporting, sharing and sustaining each other and the industry. www.philipnorthcoombes.com You can also access and subscribe to these podcasts at: SoundCloud https://soundcloud.com/unofphoto  iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/a-photographic-life/id1380344701  Player FM https://player.fm/series/a-photographic-life  Podbean www.podbean.com/podcast-detail/i6uqx-6d9ad/A-Photographic-Life-Podcast  Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/4oOnPplYSeCKIYqopCK3ra?si=TQz8RdwDQ--ryx90jt6JEA Grant Scott is the founder/curator of United Nations of Photography, a Senior Lecturer in Professional Photography at the University of Gloucestershire, a working photographer, and the author of Professional Photography: The New Global Landscape Explained (Focal Press 2014) and The Essential Student Guide to Professional Photography (Focal Press 2015). His next book #New Ways of Seeing: The Democratic Language of Photography will be published by Bloomsbury Academic in 2019. His documentary film, Do Not Bend: The Photographic Life of Bill Jay will be screened across the UK and the US in 2018. © Grant Scott 2018

In episode 33 UNP founder and curator Grant Scott is in his shed considering photography and the 'gig' economy and the positive aspects of the independent photography scene. Plus this week photographer Dan Wood takes on the challenge of supplying Grant with an audio file no longer than 5 minutes in length in which he answer’s the question ‘What Does Photography Mean to You?’ This is the link to the article Grant mention's in this week's podcast concerning the 'gig' economy https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/dec/06/is-the-gig-economy-what-it-has-been-cracked-up-to-be Born in Wales, in 1974, Dan Wood is a self-taught photographer who discovered photography in the early 90's through the skateboard culture. He mainly focus's on long-term projects that explore the country of Wales and the Welsh; creating stories in both a traditional and contemporary approach. His work has been featured in many publications including The British Journal of Photography, CCQ Magazine, Ernest Journal, Jungle Magazine and Black & White Photography Magazine. He's participated in over 45 exhibitions both nationally and internationally; including six solo shows. In 2018, he was announced as one of the winners of the BJP, Portrait of Britain prize. His books Suicide Machine and Gap in the Hedge are both held in the photo book archive at the Martin Parr Foundation, Bristol. www.danwoodphoto.com You can also access and subscribe to these podcasts at: iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/a-photographic-life/id1380344701  Player FM https://player.fm/series/a-photographic-life  Podbean www.podbean.com/podcast-detail/i6uqx-6d9ad/A-Photographic-Life-Podcast  Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/4oOnPplYSeCKIYqopCK3ra?si=TQz8RdwDQ--ryx90jt6JEA Grant Scott is the founder/curator of United Nations of Photography, a Senior Lecturer in Professional Photography at the University of Gloucestershire, a working photographer, and the author of Professional Photography: The New Global Landscape Explained (Focal Press 2014) and The Essential Student Guide to Professional Photography (Focal Press 2015). His next book New Ways of Seeing: The Democratic Language of Photography will be published by Bloomsbury Academic in 2019. His documentary film, Do Not Bend: The Photographic Life of Bill Jay will be screened across the UK and the US in 2018. © Grant Scott 2018

In episode 32 UNP founder and curator Grant Scott is in his shed considering the promise and marketing of 'instant' photography success and the importance of reading the terms and conditions when entering photo competitions. Plus this week Grant re-visits a recorded conversation with legendary photographer Michael Thompson in which he speaks about moving to New York from the West Coast, assisting Irving Penn and finding your own photographic voice. Michael Thompson is an American photographer who began his career as an assistant to Irving Penn after training at the Brooks Institute of Photography in California. Thompson's work has appeared in W, Details, Allure, Harper's Bazaar, Vogue, Vanity Fair, GQ and The New York Times Magazine. His commercial photography includes campaigns for Gap, Elizabeth Arden, Chanel, and he was the PDN magazine Award winner for his project I Am African. His commercials include those for the fragrance Lovely by Sarah Jessica Parker(winner of the 2006 FiFi Award for Best National Advertising Campaign -Television), the Frank Gehry Collection for Tiffany, and a PSA for his documentation of The American Ballet Theatre. Thompson was one of a small group of photographers who helped set a new agenda for editorial photography under the art direction of Fabian Baron in the early 90's in the re-launched Harpers Bazaar magazine. A collection of his work was published in 2005 by Harry N. Abrams titled Images. Thompson lives and works in Los Angeles. www.michaelthompsonphotographer.com Grant Scott is the founder/curator of www.unitednationsofphotography.com, a Senior Lecturer in Professional Photography at the University of Gloucestershire, a working photographer, and the author of Professional Photography: The New Global Landscape Explained (Focal Press 2014) and The Essential Student Guide to Professional Photography (Focal Press 2015). His next book New Ways of Seeing: The Democratic Language of Photography will be published by Bloomsbury Academic in 2019. He is currently work on his next documentary film project. His documentary film, www.donotbendfilm.com Do Not Bend: The Photographic Life of Bill Jay has been screened across the UK and the US in 2018 and will be screened in the US and Canada in 2019. © Grant Scott 2018

In episode 31 UNP founder and curator Grant Scott is in his shed considering the recent discussions around stock photography and 'free' photography in respect to the recent Squarespace and Unsplash collaboration. He also follows on from last week's podcast with an update on using charcoal to teach photography! Plus this week Grant re-visits a recorded conversation with legendary photographer Mary Ellen Mark from 2012 on the publication of her book Prom. In this short edited clip Ellen Mark comments on the importance of simplicity in portrait of photography and for the image to be about the subject and not the photographer. If you would like to learn more about Unsplash and their business model I suggest watching this excellent filmed interview with Mikael Cho, the company's Co-Founder and CEO. www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZevNRITnWU Mary Ellen Mark was an American photographer known for her photojournalism, documentary photography, portraiture, and advertising photography. She photographed people who were "away from mainstream society and toward its more interesting, often troubled fringes". Mark had 18 collections of her work published, most notably Streetwise and Ward 81. Her work was exhibited at galleries and museums worldwide and published in Life, Rolling Stone, The New Yorker, New York Times, and Vanity Fair magazine. She was a member of Magnum Photos between 1977 and 1981 and received numerous accolades, including three Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Awards, three fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the 2014 Lifetime Achievement in Photography Award from the George Eastman House and the Outstanding Contribution Photography Award from the World Photography Organisation. She died in 2015. You can also access and subscribe to these podcasts at SoundCloud https://soundcloud.com/unofphoto on iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/a-photographic-life/id1380344701 on Player FM https://player.fm/series/a-photographic-life and Podbean www.podbean.com/podcast-detail/i6uqx-6d9ad/A-Photographic-Life-Podcast Grant Scott is the founder/curator of United Nations of Photography, a Senior Lecturer in Professional Photography at the University of Gloucestershire, a working photographer, and the author of Professional Photography: The New Global Landscape Explained (Focal Press 2014) and The Essential Student Guide to Professional Photography (Focal Press 2015). His next book #New Ways of Seeing: The Democratic Language of Photography will be published by Bloomsbury Academic in January 2019. His documentary film, Do Not Bend: The Photographic Life of Bill Jay will be screened across the UK and the US in 2018. © Grant Scott 2018

In episode 30 UNP founder and curator Grant Scott is in his shed considering the importance of networking, long-term relationships and collaboration within photography. He also explains the importance of charcoal and paper to learning photography! Plus this week photographer Danny North takes on the challenge of supplying Grant with an audio file no longer than 5 minutes in length in which he answer’s the question ‘What Does Photography Mean to You?’ London-based portrait photographer Danny North works closely with his subjects whether it’s Lewis Hamilton or the people of the Hebridean island of Eigg. In 2017, two of his images were selected for the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize at the National Portrait Gallery in London. Danny's work has appeared in Newsweek, The Guardian, The Independent, and Q Magazine, with his commercial clients including Monster Energy, MasterCard, Apple, Interscope, and Capitol Records. http://dannynorth.co You can also access and subscribe to these podcasts at SoundCloud https://soundcloud.com/unofphoto on iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/a-photographic-life/id1380344701 on Player FM https://player.fm/series/a-photographic-life and Podbean www.podbean.com/podcast-detail/i6uqx-6d9ad/A-Photographic-Life-Podcast Grant Scott is the founder/curator of United Nations of Photography, a Senior Lecturer in Professional Photography at the University of Gloucestershire, a working photographer, and the author of Professional Photography: The New Global Landscape Explained (Focal Press 2014) and The Essential Student Guide to Professional Photography (Focal Press 2015). His next book #New Ways of Seeing: The Democratic Language of Photography will be published by Bloomsbury Academic in January 2019. His documentary film, Do Not Bend: The Photographic Life of Bill Jay will be screened across the UK and the US in 2018. © Grant Scott 2018

In episode 29 UNP founder and curator Grant Scott is in his shed considering dyslexia amongst the photographic community, whether the expectation for writing to support photography is necessary, and where photographers are today with the moving image. Plus this week Grant re-visits a recorded conversation from 2011 with legendary photographer David Bailey. In this brief edited extract Bailey uses some strong language to deliver his thoughts on how people see him, the importance of cameras to photography, and the problems of achieving success early on in his career. As always with Bailey he doesn't mince his words! In 1959, Bailey became a photographic assistant at the John French studio, and in  1960, he was a contracted as a fashion photographer for British Vogue magazine. Along with Terence Donovan and Brian Duffy, Bailey captured and helped create the 'Swinging London' of the 1960s. The three photographers socialised with actors, musicians and royalty, and found themselves elevated to celebrity status, named by fellow photographer Norman Parkinson 'The Black Trinity'. 'Swinging London' was aptly reflected in his Box of Pin-Ups(1964): a box of poster-prints of 1960s celebrities including Terence Stamp, The Beatles, Mick Jagger, Jean Shrimpton, Cecil Beaton, Rudolf Nureyev, Andy Warhol and notorious East End gangsters, the Kray's. Strong objection to the presence of the Krays by fellow photographer, Lord Snowdon, was the major reason no American edition of the Box was released, and that a second British edition was not issued. Bailey's ascent at Vogue was meteoric and, at the height of his productivity, he shot 800 pages of Vogue editorial in one year. Since 1966, Bailey has also directed several television commercials and documentaries. From 1968 to 1971 he directed and produced TV documentaries titled Beaton, Warhol and Visconti. As well as fashion photography, Bailey photographed album sleeve art for musicians including The Rolling Stones. In 1976, Bailey co-published Ritz Newspaper. In 1985, he documented the Live Aid concert at Wembley Stadium. In 1995 he directed and wrote the South Bank Film The Lady is a Tramp featuring his wife Catherine Bailey. In 1998 he directed a documentary, Models Close Up, commissioned by Channel 4. In 2012, the BBC made a film of the story of his 1962 New York photoshoot with Jean Shrimpton, titled We'll Take Manhattan. He continues to work for a variety of editorial clients including Vogue and publish books of work from his archive and of new work. He does not have a website for his work. You can also access and subscribe to these podcasts at SoundCloud https://soundcloud.com/unofphoto on iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/a-photographic-life/id1380344701 on Player FM https://player.fm/series/a-photographic-life and Podbean www.podbean.com/podcast-detail/i6uqx-6d9ad/A-Photographic-Life-Podcast Grant Scott is the founder/curator of United Nations of Photography, a Senior Lecturer in Professional Photography at the University of Gloucestershire, a working photographer, and the author of Professional Photography: The New Global Landscape Explained (Focal Press 2014) and The Essential Student Guide to Professional Photography (Focal Press 2015). His next book #New Ways of Seeing: The Democratic Language of Photography will be published by Bloomsbury Academic in January 2019. His documentary film, Do Not Bend: The Photographic Life of Bill Jay will be screened across the UK and the US in 2018. © Grant Scott 2018