I really can't believe this year is pretty much over. It seems like one minute it was summer and then I blinked and Christmas was over. This blog is going to be a bit of a round up/look back at this last year and what it's meant to me and my photography. I really wanted to go into this year and really get back into shooting music and get back out shooting shows. I also wanted to take a step up with the type of shows I was doing (I wanted back into photo pits rather than only shooting club shows).

January and February were all about getting my new website off the ground and launching myself and Penny Bennett's idea of a new online magazine called Photo Pit Magazine.  Things started well and I got to shoot some good shows like A Day To Remember in Brighton (my first of the year) but we hit some bumps later in the year and it turned out harder than we both had imagined but we are keeping at it. I also got to shoot Glassjaw (one of the highlights of my year by miles), Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows, Blitz Kids, Eyes Set To Kill, Iwrestledabearonce, Howling Bells, Rolo Tomassi and Versaemerge amongst others.

In one of the more random things of the year, I got to see Ellie Goulding busking near Trafalgar Square for Big Issue which lead on to me shooting her show at Somerset House which was fantastic. I love her voice and she is a great performer. 

There were several reacurring people/bands/events in my life this year and early on one of those people was Miss Led. We've done a lot of work together before but she had some really major projects to work on and I got to help document those which was a lot of fun. I also spent more time this year than ever photographing roller derby with London Rollergirls and have gone on to set up my LRG photography events site. I love being a part (no matter how tiny) of that community and they've been incredibly supportive and welcoming.

I got to spend a lot of time with Japanese Voyeurs and it's been a great time for them with their debut album now out. As much as I had fun with them, it wasn't always like that as during one of their shows, the shutter in my camera broke which caused a lot of stress. I probably had my first major wobble around then as I was weighing up whether it was worth carrying on or whether a broken camera was a sign to give up. I got through it and got the camera repaired in time for some big events.

After taking a large amount of time out from burlesque photography I sort of dipped my toe back into it at a festival as well as shooting a proper show and Dr Sketchy's (where I got to meet and photograph the amazing artist, Molly Crabapple). I had it in mind to get back into it more than I have but that's not the way things have worked out but I proved to myself that I can enjoy it again and I can do it. I have some ideas for things I'd like to do in the future in this area.

This summer was a massive one for me, I ended up shooting seven festivals (six of them as part of the official team of photographers). I've always said I lacked a lot of knowledge when it comes to photography but I was really thrown in the deep end with some really amazing other photographers and it forced me to learn fast and look at how what I do and how I do it. I learnt a massive a mount and I would like to think there's a big difference in my work before and after. The festivals were also a massive eye opener in terms of how much I lacked/was behind with equipment. Equipment doesn't make a photographer but it does get to a point where there is only so much you can do with the kit you have. When I was shooting as part of a team, it was important for every one's work to fit in together but to me my photos lacked a quality that was there for the others and the shots really stood out. The festivals were an insane amount of work and very long days/late nights, I had a lot of doubts in the middle of it all and came out of everyone thinking I should have done better. I've had a weird love/hate relationship with my work and no more so than the summer.

In the end I took the plunge and got a new camera which I'm happy about. I now need to spend 2012 working on getting some new lenses so I can keep pushing things forward.

After spending a fairly pack three months working my day job and shooting away I fell out of the habit of shooting shows again. It wasn't easy getting back into it but after talking to Penny I got my butt into gear and got back out there.

I photographed my first protest which I've wanted to do for a long time and with the way the year has gone it seemed like as good a time as ever. I went down and photographed the first day of the Occupy London protest outside St Paul's. It lead to two of my photographs being published in the New Statesman. I would love to be able to do more things like that.

Apart from Japanese Voyeurs, Gallows have been one of the bands of my year and I was blessed to spend more time with them which I've written about recently on the blog. They really capped off the year perfectly.

There's loads of people, events and bands which I haven't mentioned which I probably should have mentioned but haven't yet including Letlive, Tat, Architects, Kellen & the Johnny Cupcakes family, Emma Van Duyts, Clare Maxwell, Hearts Under Fire, Fuel Girls and more. You've all helped make this year amazing so thank you (as well as to all the bands I have mentioned, especially Gallows and Japanese Voyeurs)!

While I'm thanking people, I have to thank the photographers I've had the pleasure of working with, been supportive and have helped push me on. Penny Bennett, Ben Gibson, Andy Whitton, Danny North, Pooneh Ghana, Giles Smith, Ian Taylor, Andrew Kendall, Louise Roberts, Connor Mcdonnell, Loraine Ross, Jess Gilbert, Mike White, Ian Arnold. I also obviously need to thank Nic as well as my friends and family. Sorry if I've missed anyone out.

Guess it's time for some photos right after you've endured this right?

It was tough picking out photos to try and sum up your year. I kept thinking I had missed something or that they didn't sum things up right but here goes:

A Day To Remember (Feb)


A Day To Remember (Nov)


Mimi Soya (Feb)


Versaemerge (Feb)


Versaemerge (Download - June)


Letlive. (Feb)


Letlive. (Download - June)




Letlive. (Oct)


Ellie Goulding (Mar)


Ellie Goulding (July)

Blitz Kids (Mar)


Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows (Mar)


Glassjaw (Mar)


Gallows (Apr)




Gallows (Dec)




Japanese Voyeurs (Apr)


Japanese Voyeurs (Dec)


TRC (Download - June)


Download (June)


Trash Talk (Download - June)


Download (June)


Imelda May (Hard Rock Calling - June)


Bon Jovi (Hard Rock Calling - June)


Nero (Wireless Festival - July)


Wireless Festival (July)


The Sounds (Wireless Festival - July)


Optimus Motherfucker (July)


Young Knives (Truck Festival - July)


Truck Festival (July)


Justin Townes Earle (Truck Festival - July)


Feed The Rhino (Hevy Fest - Aug)


The Dillinger Escape Plan (Hevy Fest - Aug)


The Ghost Of A Thousand (Hevy Fest - Aug)




Shambala Festival (Aug)




Scarlett Girls (Facedown Club - September)

Bestival (Sep)




Paloma Faith (Bestival - Sep)


English National Ballet (Bestival - Sep)

Tara Mcpherson signing(Sep)


Molly Crabapple (Dr Sketchy's London - Sep)


Johnny Cupcakes x Nickelodeon London launch (Sep)




Johnny Cupcakes - Something In The Cupcake Mix launch (Oct)


Fuel Girls (London Tattoo Convention (Sep)




Tat (Facedown Club - Oct)


London at night (Oct)


Occupy London protest (Oct)


London Rollergirls (Oct)


Saves The Day (Nov)


Architects (Dec)



More than ever I have no idea what next year holds, this year has been eventful and I'm not getting my hopes up that it will continue this way but I have some plans and some ideas that I hope I get the chance to see through. I'd like to learn to video and the editing that goes with it. Fingers crossed for a good year.