Beautiful Stranger

I was on the lookout for interesting strangers for my 100 Strangers Project a few days ago. Unlike most other times when I do this I was specifically looking for female subjects. I thought my project was getting a little heavy on the male quota of strangers. Poor weather and a lack of interesting characters were causing me great consternation until I saw the lady below. She stood out from the crowd witha beautiful face and great style, infact i think she looks a like the actress Rosario Dawson whom I had been talking about earlier that day. After a little bit of persuasion she agreed to have her portrait taken. This was one of those strange experiances that happen rarely where a complete stranger makes you feel relaxed and happy within a few moments of meeting. I hope that this lady 'my French stranger' will see this post and get in touch as I believe my photo did not do her justice, I would love to photograph her again.

View this image here on flickr by clicking here © Anthony Dorman

A Guide To Recognizing Your Saints

I was in Glasgow last year and I had been on my feet all day taking photographs all over the city and getting a mixed bag of results. It was getting late and I was dead on my feet when I passed a group of young guys playing basketball under the bizarre street lights that feature in parts of the city center. I must of walked past them about three times before the compulsion to as I call it "shoot strangers" kicked in. Now for me this was a city that I don't know well and I am asking a group of strange young guys if I can take their photo. Something must have told me that they were a good group of guys and indeed they were. After the initial awkwardness they really seemed to be at ease in front of the camera. Indeed one of these photos is probably my favourite photo that I have taken. When I look at them I am reminded that I am not a kid anymore but it allows me to see their story unfold with the knowledge that the time they have now is fantastic and to be enjoyed to the maximum. I recently watched a film called "A Guide To Recognizing Your Saints" which is an all time favourite of mine. When I watched the film it reminded me of this set of images. When these guys are older with families and history I hope they will look back and remember the days and nights they had together as friends and all the crazy stuff that you do which shapes you forever.

View this image on flickr by clicking here © Anthony Dorman

View this image on flickr by clicking here © Anthony Dorman

View this image by clicking here © Anthony Dorman

View the image on flickr by clicking here © Anthony Dorman

View this image on flickr by clicking here © Anthony Dorman

View this image on flickr by clicking here © Anthony Dorman

Scotland and Back Again

I came back from Scotland today after a short trip with my girlfriend to see her folks. I did not take this photograph today, I took it in spring 2010 on the way to Glencoe with my old camera. We have been thinking about going up again soon as we love the highlands and this is why this photo sprang to mind. Scotland is God's Country.

 

 View this image on flickr here © Anthony Dorman

The Musician

This photo was taken yesterday. The other photographs on this blog are older images and I am trying to catch up with my current work. I was in Newcastle with a fellow photographer Chris Harrison when I saw this man setting up his busking gear. I love his face and his wild hair. I am going back to find him and see if I can take some more images of him and his violin.

View the image in high resolution on flickr here © Anthony Dorman

New Years Eve Carnival 2010

I was asked if I would like to take some photographs of the Mandinga Arts carnival float by an ex colleague of mine from my Cheltenham Art Gallery days. I was given a pass and allowed to move freely amongst the carnival performers which was great as I wanted to get close to the action. Being me I soon shot into portrait mode. One thing that i was aware of was that I wanted where possible to use only the available light as I am not a huge flash fan. This presented a couple of problems straight away with regards to shutter speed and ISO. Luckily my camera can deal with high ISO very well so that I just had to deal with the changing light sources and frenetic pace of the performers - arrrgh!!!!

View the full size image on flickr by clicking here © Anthony Dorman

View the full size image on flickr by clicking here © Anthony Dorman

View the full size image on flickr by clicking here © Anthony Dorman

View the Mandinga Arts Page by clicking here and see some of their great carnival costumes and floats.

 

As you can see I am posting images that don't correspond to the date of the posts. I have quite a lot of images to post before I am up to date with my current images although some of those can be seen by clicking this link.

Why I Love Rankin

This video shows why I think Rankin is one of the most dynamic and interesting portrait photographers of our time.

Check out his website here

Going Underground

I was trying to think of an interesting place to take some photos that would be indoors as the English weather was being its usual rotten self. I came up with a plan to take some images of the Pedestrian Tyne Tunnel which is quite a place. After a couple of phone calls to the local transport authority I was granted access to take some photos - you have to be careful these days with secuity concerns. The Tunnel when it was first built carried thousands of pedestrians across the River Tyne, mostly shipyard workers in the once busy docks. The tunnel also features the worlds oldest wooden escalator shown below.

Going Underground

View "Going Underground" on flickr here. © Anthony Dorman

What I did not expect to do on my trip to the tunnel was to capture another stranger for my 100 Strangers Project however that is exactly what I got.

30/100 "100 Strangers" 

View the high resolution image on flickr here © Anthony Dorman

Until yesterday I did not realise that this stranger image appeared on Explore on flickr. Thanks to Simon Bussey for letting me know.

View my entire photostream on flickr here.

Lost and Found

I got up early one morning last April all excited about my new camera and decided to go and take some sunrise images further along the coast near St. Mary's Lighthouse. When I got there I was greeted by about 15 other photographers all trying to get the optimum vantage point. I quickly decided that the place was not for me and hopped into my car and started the drive back home. I decided to pull in to a little spot in Whitley Bay and came across the chair below just sitting on the beach. I took a couple of shots including one where I got a bit soggy.

View "Lost and Found" here on flickr © Anthony Dorman

Later that day I took a street portrait which reinforced my view that I was far more interested in portrait photography than landscape imagery. I will still take the odd image when I feel inspired by a scene. I think this image of the lost and found object is more of a visual metaphor about the shift in focus of my own photographs.

Glasgow People and Places

On a weekend visit to my girlfriends family in Falkirk we took a day trip into Glasgow. For my girlfriend and her mum that meant shopping and then the theater. For me it meant a chance to wonder the streets of one of Britain's greatest cities with my camera. My first port of call was a quick bus ride to Parkhead which is the area surrounding Glasgow Celtic's football stadium. I had once taken a wrong turn into Glasgow and discovered an area so run down that it was quite beautiful. I know that sounds strange but some of the old abandoned buildings had layers of peeling paint and amazing colours and textures.

Glasgow Parkhead

   See the high resolution image on my flickr page  © Anthony Dorman

After quite a few hours wondering around some of the more colourful areas on the outside of the city I decided to head back into the center. On Buchanan Street I saw the lady below with a group of her friends and knew that I wanted her in my 100 Strangers Project. Although they all had a a great look and I photographed all of them my stranger below really stood out. Later she contacted me and said how much she liked the photo which was nice.

"Glasgow Girl" 22/100 "100 Strangers"

view the high resolution image here on my flickr page © Anthony Dorman

Later that night I met four more interesting strangers who I will post on this blog at a later date. My day in Glasgow turned out to be very fruitful.

In The City There's A Thousand Things I Want To Say To You

I took this image last October on a rare brilliantly sunny late afternoon in Newcastle. I had seen a number of people crossing the road at this point but waited for a solitary figure. There is something about seeing only one person on a city street that emphasises how easy it can be to lose ones identity and voice. The title was taken from the opening lyrics from "In The City" by The Jam.

view this image here on flickr © Anthony Dorman

New York I Love You

I have been to New York Twice - once without a camera and once with. I did not want to post a load of tourist style photographs here, I wanted to post a small selection of photos that express how I feel about the city. I find the city at times dark and brooding and also full of light and energy. I find the people to be endlessly entertaining and engaging. I love the way that every street reminds me of the films I grew up watching. What I did notice on my first day in New York was a feeling that I should shoot in black and white, I don't know why but it just made sense to me.

 

Cafe Life

© Anthony Dorman

The photo below may not be the greatest photo in the world but it really made me smile when I took it. I was crossing a street somewhere on the Upper West Side when I was aware of a dog wagging its tail like crazy ahead of me. What only became apparent as I raised the camera to my eye was that a great piece of street poetry was happening in front of me. The dog is actually licking the face of a disabled man in a wheelchair who was laughing really loud. The dogs owner is saying "hi" to a passing lady who could only be a New Yorker with her confident stride and carefully balanced coffee.

West Side Story

© Anthony Dorman

As most Englishmen I love a pint and I wanted to experience a great established New York bar. "Old Town Bar" was my favourite, when you walk through the door you expect to bump into a Hollywood legend being filmed next to your seat at the bar. The place is amazing and serves a great pint of Guinness. Esquire Magazine voted Old Town one of the great bars of America.

Old Town Bar

View "Old Town Bar" on flickr © Anthony Dorman

The image below was taken on the Roosevelt Island Tramway. The views are amazing whilst on the car and great when you get to Roosevelt Island itself. All though there is not much to the island its self the views back across to Manhattan are brilliant. At the time I believe a return ticket was only $2 - Amazing.

Roosevelt Tramway

View Roosevelt Tramway on flickr © Anthony Dorman

I have never wanted to live somewhere so badly in my life, I - like many others love New York and its people. I am seriously contemplating writing a blog called "1001 reasons some nice New Yorker should give me a job". Hopefully one day I will go back with my new camera and a greater set of photographic skills. I class these images as some of my first photographs.

These photos were taken in Jan/Feb 2010

New York by Elliott Erwitt/Magnum Photos

I have been lucky to have visited New York twice in my life. On the plane to New York on my first visit I was worried that the city would somehow disappoint me by failing to live up to my expectations. Having been told by family and friends that it was such a great city I was nervous about how I would react to the city. New York is simply the greatest city on earth and I would give my right arm to live there. I will be posting some photographs tomorrow that were taken on my last trip but until I have sorted through my collection here is a video about Elliot Erwitt and some of his amazing NYC photos. Here is a great character that epitomises the unique atmosphere of truly wonderful city.

New York by Elliott Erwitt/Magnum Photos



Check out Elliott Erwitt's website here

Dad

I had to take this photo of my father very craftily as he like the rest of my family is very camera shy. I have practically no photos of my father or my mother. This is highly frustrating for a photographer. This image was taken in Marie Antoinette's (the most amazing cake shop in Whitby).



view this image "Dad" on flickr © Anthony Dorman

Into The Light

I was looking through some older photographs today and came across this one that i had not looked at for a while. The image was taken at the Baltic Centre For Contemporary Art in Gateshead. Most of the photos taken on this day appear to be very geometric in style.

View "Into The Light" on flickr © Anthony Dorman

Stranger Revisited

See "Stranger Revisited" on flickr © Anthony Dorman

Graffiti Alley

There is a rather bizarre little alley on Pilgrim Street in Newcastle that is filled with graffiti, most of which appears to be chalk. Its been like this for a while which is odd considering how central the location is in the centre of Newcastle. I know its probably an ugly image but i quite like images of decay when the colours and textures are aged and rich and full of history. I also find some of the graffiti to be pretty funny.

Check out this image on flickr © Anthony Dorman

part of my "Broken Britain" Set

Wave

It was one of those days when as a photographer you are just not feeling it, there is nothing grabbing you to say shoot me. I was bored and had been in my house too long so I packed my gear and decided to head further along the coast from where I live. After wondering along the promenade near the links at Whitley Bay I was suddenly aware how far in the tide was, I had not noticed it earlier as not being a landscape photographer I had been on the lookout for interesting people. When I got to the section of the promenade next to the "Rendezvous Cafe" I noticed a lady sitting on the sea wall looking down upon her children playing on what was left of the beach. What happened next took us all by surprise a massive wave came from nowhere and caused the image below. I had to jump back from my vantage point not to be soaked myself. Thank God for high speed shooting!

Wave

Check out this image and the 2 others that followed this image on my flickr page

 © Anthony Dorman

Annie Leibovitz Shoots Marie Antoinette

I saw this video on fstoppers which is an amazing resource for photographers of any style and standard. I love Annie Leibovitz celebrity portraits so its great to see one on video. What is truly amazing about this video is how economical she is with her shots - less is definitely more.

I would recommend anyone interested in photography to read her book "A Photographer's Life" - it will make you laugh, cry and laugh again with the candid representation of her loved ones.

A Night in Whitby

My Mum and Dad invited my girlfriend and I to join them for a couple of days in a fantastic house they were renting for a week in Whitby. There is something very special about Whitby, its a very vibrant fishing port with some great boutique shops and restaurants. It even inspired me to get up very, very early and capture some long exposure landscape shots!

Pier

Check out Pier on flickr © Anthony Dorman

Trashy Lingerie

Taken whilst in Soho with my girlfriend last summer. I feel comfortable taking candid street photography in any city other than where I live. Somehow major cities like London or New York lend themselves to this kind of photography.

Trashy Lingerie

check out the "Trashy Lingerie" on flickr © Anthony Dorman

Ojay

Ojay is my third stranger from my 100 Strangers Project, not only that but he is one seriously cool guy. Ojay "the awesome base guy" is well known in Newcastle for producing some amazingly creative electro Jazz with his base guitar.

Ojay

Check out my photo of Ojay on flickr © Anthony Dorman

Check out Ojay's Facebook page Here http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ojay/269626896135

Adams Rib

Whilst on a Trip to London last year I saw this restaurant window and loved how the neon helped frame the image into a voyeuristic scene reminiscent of an Edward Hopper style painting.

Adams Rib

check out "Adams Rib" on flickr © Anthony Dorman

The Photography of Steve McCurry

I just wanted to add an entry about the work of Steve McCurry who is one of the greatest living portrait and reportage photographers currently working. Having documented the people of many remote and difficult regions Steve's work truly captures the human condition applicable to all of us regardless of geographical or ethnic boundaries.

Check out Steve's Website here (Steve McCurry)

Everyone Is Watching Someone

I took this image while on a short break in London with my girlfriend. We popped down to the market at Portobello and discovered a part of the market where there was an apparent outdoor urban gallery for graffiti artists under a flyover. Although I did take some photographs of some of the artwork on display including some great stencils by Agent Provocateur I was really taken by an older gentleman who appeared to be completely engrossed in the artwork on display.

Everyone Is Watching Someone

Check out "Everyone Is Watching Someone" on flickr © Anthony Dorman

Picking Blackcurrants

Just a simple photograph of my lovely girlfriend Rachael taken at a family party in Shropshire. The blackcurrants that were picked here were made into a fantastic desert.

Picking Blackcurrants

See the image on flickr "Picking Blackcurrants" © Anthony Dorman

Roy Abbott - Artist Blacksmith

Roy Abbott is an fine art blacksmith based in Church Stretton Shropshire. These photos were taken in his forge in the summer 2010.

check out the photo at flickr "Hammer Time" © Anthony Dorman

Check out "Roy Abbott At Work" on flickr © Anthony Dorman

Check out "A Nebula of Sparks" on flickr © Anthony Dorman

Check out Roy's website below which also features my photographs

http://www.inwoodforge.co.uk/

and see Roy in action below.

Bob

This photo was taken on fathers day 2010 in the Porthole pub at the North Shields Fish Quay. The photograph is of my Grandad Robert Blewitt and was taken on one of our summer outings. My grandad was in poor health and rarely ventured out as this could only be done using a wheelchair. I have always enjoyed a pint with my Grandad whom has been a major part of my life and someone I am proud to call my hero

Bob

Robert Blewitt sadly passed away on the 6th of December 2010.

Bob on flickr © Anthony Dorman

Vivian Maier "Genius Street Photographer Discovered After Her Death"

I Was checking out f stoppers Video Blog when I came across this video about the recently descovered work of Vivian Maier who may turn out to be one of the greatest street photographers of all time. Check the video and the fstoppers link below.

http://fstoppers.com/

In Bloom

Every now and then I will take a photo of something other than a person.

In Bloom

Check out the image at flickr In Bloom © Anthony Dorman

Andrew 'No Fear' Hillhouse

I saw Andrew walking down Dene St in Newcastle last year and just knew that I had to ask him if I could take his portrait. Not knowing how to approach such a fierce looking massive individual I just thought sod it and shouted "Big Man" at him. To my relief and his amusement he agreed to pose for me. It turned out that he was fighting in Newcastle at the Metro Radio Arena that night in a cage fighting tournament. Not only was Andrew a really cool bloke to talk to we later met up in his home city of Glasgow at the Griphouse Gym where he trains. I was introduced to a number of other fighters and enjoyed a full day taking more photos of some very interesting people.

Andrew "No Fear" Hillhouse

see the image on flickr Andrew "No Fear" Hillhouse © Anthony Dorman

Andrew is my first photo from my 100 Strangers project which is a worldwide project - check the website out here - 100 Strangers.

Homeless Man in Newcastle

I took this image in 2010. It was the first image I took with my 70-200 f2.8L lens. I was looking through a shop window in Newcastle and I knew my settings where probably all over the place. I saw this homeless man (who is well known in Newcastle) and just pressed the shutter and hoped the image would be OK. After posting this image on my flickr account last year I have had a number of people contact me to say they have fed this man. I also had someone contact me and tell me his story, it would be unfair to share it here but what you need to know is - he never begs so if you see him buy him some food or spare him some change.

Homeless Man Newcastle

 check out the image on flickr Homeless Man Newcastle © Anthony Dorman

Homeless Man Newcastle (crop)

check out this image on flickr Homeless Man Newcastle (Crop) © Anthony Dorman

Remember - we are all only a few decisions away from being homeless and suffering from poverty so don't judge, just be kind - it could be you one day.

Thomas

This blog will be a record of some of my photos and the stories that accompany them along the way. I am going to go back to a point in time when things started to click and my true passion for photography started.

Thomas

See the image here Thomas on my flickr page © Anthony Dorman

This image of Thomas, the son of a friend of mine was one of the first photographs taken with my Canon 5DMKII.

My passion for photography comes from my interest in people - you will see this progress as this blog does.