'Ice cream and Aesop' and the Truth about Jimmy

In 2010 I took a candid photograph of a homeless man known to the folk of Newcastle as 'Homeless Jimmy'. Little did I know at the time the impact this photograph would have on myself and others.

See the original photo on flickr by clicking here  © Anthony Dorman

I have written about my brief experiences with 'Jimmy' since taking that first image in earlier posts including the post I wrote about his reported death. Last summer I took a quick series of photographs of 'Jimmy' whilst walking through Newcastle, shortly after I took these images I went on my honeymoon with my new wife Rachael. On my return I was alerted by a friend that there were numerous reports of 'Jimmy's death circulating around facebook and local forums connected to the daily life of the city. 

See the original image on flickr by clicking here © Anthony Dorman

I posted about his death and was amazed by the kind words of strangers who emailed me with their memories of 'Jimmy', seeing him as one of life's lost and gentle souls . Before long rumours began to circulate mentioning sightings of him back on the streets and doubt spread over me that I had posted something untrue. As mentioned earlier in some of my posts, I took to the streets in search of the truth, speaking with homeless charities and numerous homeless people who knew him. After a few weeks of searching and no concrete evidence of his death I received an email, and then a phone call from 'Jimmy's sister, and the story of this man was told to me. The man known as 'Jimmy' was born Euan McLachlan on 23rd of March 1954, and known to his friends and family as Ian. After a series of sad events in his life as a young man Ian slowly began to turn his back on everything and everyone he knew, suffering from mental illness, he ended up on the streets. I would like to point out that his family and loved ones tried continuously to get him off the streets; concerned about his welfare. As many people in Newcastle will testify Ian simply wanted to be alone, never asking for help from anyone, even the homeless charity workers in Newcastle knew of him, but nothing about him. Ian's family would check a facebook page dedicated to him and communicate with the local police to confirm his whereabouts and well being. When they saw the posts mentioning his death they reported him missing to the police. Ian had been found in Benton suffering after the severe weather the city experienced last summer and was taken to hospital. Sadly his condition was serious and he passed away in hospital on 20th July 2012 as an unknown homeless man. Because of complicated legal issues connected with his identification I have been unable to post this information until now. I have met with Ian's sister and spoken numerous times with her on the phone regarding her brother, his life and tragic passing. I am happy to have discovered that my photographs gave her comfort and have received her blessing to post about her brother.

See my 'Homeless' set on flickr by clicking here © Anthony Dorman

Since taking the initial photographs of Ian I have been described as a 'Homeless Photographer' which is odd, as it is a tiny part of what I do, but does now have some truth in the description. I have met and photographed a number of diverse and, nearly always, friendly homeless people on the streets of Newcastle; many of them now know me by name and as 'the lad with the camera'. My photographs of homeless people were discovered online by author Keir McCabe  who contacted me about producing a cover for his book 'Ice Cream and Aesop'. Keir once homeless himself has managed to turn his life around, no longer homeless he has written his novel based on the hardship's of homeless life. Here is a synopsis of the novel in Keir's words;

"Solomon McGrath is 29 years old, homeless, and living on the former grounds of Jacobs Ice Cream; a haven for the Rough Sleepers and Street Drinkers of a small town. Based on real events, Ice Cream & Aesop is Solomon’s story; the story of one man’s descent into the gutter, told through the fables of Aesop."

Keir asked me if I could provide him with a striking image of a homeless man eating ice cream. 'Yes', I agreed thinking that this could be a great image. The difficulty of the brief soon became apparent; first I have to find someone homeless with a striking face, then they need to willingly have their photograph taken eating an ice cream. Days of searching the streets looking for the right face and person were flying by with no results. Then one day I walked passed Craig sitting near Central Station and I wondered if he could be 'the one'. I explained what I was doing and he agreed to have a test photo taken to send to Keir and that if suitable I would find him again to take the book cover image.

See the original image on flickr by clicking here © Anthony Dorman

 After Keir agreed that Craig was right for the image I spent another couple of days searching for him again, without luck. After chatting with Debbie 'Newcastle's best known Big Issue Seller' she told me where and when to find him. She was spot on, and Craig and I set off to buy an ice cream and take his photo. Craig has been living 'mostly on' and off the streets for the last 20 years, he is quiet and humble, and after chatting told me a bit about his life which echoed Ian's story. For his time, I bought him food and cigarettes as agreed and have promised to look after him whenever I see him.

Here is the link to 'Ice Cream and Aesop' by Keir McCabe featuring my portrait of Craig

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ice-Cream-Aesop-Keir-McCabe/dp/1489512071/

The novel is available in Kindle eBook form for free from Monday 27th May 2013 to Friday 31st May 2013.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ice-Cream-Aesop-ebook/dp/B00CUJHRKK/

Kindle for Mac: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000423923

Kindle for PC: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000423913

Kindle for iPad: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000423883

I believe that I would never have had the opportunity to produce a book cover like this without taking my initial photograph of Ian/'Jimmy'. I also believe that I have made new friends like Joe and Craig who I will look out for on the streets and try and help them the best I can. I know that my photographs of Ian helped his family with their bereavement and find Keir's novel to be a testament to the human spirit, hope and achievement.

To Ian: I hope that you are looking down on all of these positive connections. By being photographed as you were (free, and your own man) you have had a positive impact on my life and how I see the world. You were a gentle soul and our city is a lesser place without you.

Find Me on Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/16059306@N08/

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Searching For Joe

Over the last few years I have taken a number of photographs of homeless people. Mostly the homeless people of my hometown Newcastle upon Tyne. It was never my intention to document homelessness; it just happened via a mixture of chance encounters with interesting people. One of the most engaging homeless characters I have met recently is Joe. After taking the initial photos below I have seen him a few times and stopped to chat with him and provide him with some food and a warm drink. 

See 'Searching' on flickr here © Anthony Dorman

Due to a set of random contacts I am about to look specifically for a homeless person willing to pose for a book cover for a novel written about an ex-homeless persons experiences of life on the street. Joe may or may not be a suitable face but I will be out again tomorrow searching for him to see if he will help me in my quest. 

 See 'Joe' in my 100 Strangers Project Here © Anthony Dorman

Despite his circumstances Joe offered a cheery chat and happily posed for his photograph. He offered to help me locate the homeless people of Newcastle if I wanted and we had a good chat about photography, the weather (as you do when you are British) and other things. I saw strangers look at me with some kind of mixture of shock and disgust when I shook Joe's hand when we finished chatting. I am always amazed by how pathetic and prejudiced people can be towards the homeless. I don't know Joe's full story yet but I do know that he spoke to me with a friendly, gentle and honest manner I wish was more common in the more fortunate population.

See 'Joe' in my flickr page here © Anthony Dorman

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In the Beginning....

I first picked up a camera to document a holiday to Thailand. I was so excited to be visiting a new continent and wanted a record of the trip. On my return I realised just how much enjoyment I found in the process of taking photographs. So began a bumpy and interesting journey learning about photography. I used to head out at all times of day looking for anything interesting to photograph including people, places and things. I never had a notion of what I wanted to photograph and felt free to shoot anything without over thinking the process. 

 See this image on flickr here; Blyth © Anthony Dorman

It did not take long to realise that people would be the focus of my photography. I was becoming increasingly drawn to portraiture and street photography and began studying not only the masters of the genre but up and coming photographers showing their images on flickr. Being a natural people watching voyeur this was an instinctive choice of style and theme that has influenced my whole approach to photography. 

Picking a style of work is not always a conscience decision however I think it is all too easy to get stuck in a rut. Whilst looking through my flickr page I have become increasingly aware that I was moving away from my initial interest in documenting everything. Even though I will always love portrait based work I have made the conscience decision to mix things up and get back to basics - shoot everything!   

See this image on flickr here; Untitled © Anthony Dorman

Like many photographers I know I am guilty of being a bit too precious about the images I produce. Being critical about what images you produce is a good thing however being overly critical can prevent you from learning. It can also remove the fun and excitement out of something that is a passion and to some extent defines you. Whats the point of moping around feeling dejected when you see great images by other photographers? There is no point - simply get out with your camera and start shooting. Try something different, a different style, theme or location. I have been guilty of sitting at home watching crap TV instead of heading out to a new location with the enthusiasm of I felt when I first picked my camera up.

See this image on flickr here; West End © Anthony Dorman

These images are not my normal style, people may or may not like them, it does not bother me either way. I am going back to basics because there is something magical about heading into the unknown with a camera and no preconceived notions of what you want to shoot or are expected to shoot by your peers.

One reminder of how much photography has shaped my life occurred shortly after I took the first image. Whilst shooting a family portrait at the beach a while back my tripod ended up being covered in sand. Since then it has been less than steady. The sand and dampness has corroded the bolts that tighten the adjustable legs. Whilst shooting the long exposure image I decided to check out another angle and walked away from my camera. Imagine my horror as I turned back to see the said tripod toppling over with my Canon 5DMKII and f2.8 24-70mm fastened to the top! Having never dropped this camera before I was distraught to hear it crashing onto concrete from about a 5ft height. I was sure the camera, lens or both would be broken. To my amazement it appears to be working just fine. I did have to straighten out my hotshoe (flash mount) and the surround now has a hefty dint! I had been told by a photographer that he dropped his 5DMKII down some stairs twice without a problem but never wanted to test his theory. In the seconds that I watched the camera fall my heart stopped, what would I do - I can't afford to replace this gear! It reminded me that this crazy stupid, expensive maddening passion of mine is also something that brings me great joy and experiences I would not have had otherwise. I will of course continue to produce street portraits but this will not be the sole focus of what I do. I am just a bloke with a camera; I'm not shooting for anyone other than myself now and this idea makes me happy.

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Natural

I was contacted by an old school friend about producing some portraits of her daughter Bethany. The images below are a mixture of natural and studio lit images produced in Mayfield Studio in Newcastle. Bethany was very natural in front of the camera which made my job much easier.

 © Anthony Dorman

 © Anthony Dorman

 © Anthony Dorman

 © Anthony Dorman

 © Anthony Dorman

© Anthony Dorman

Although the majority of my photographs are taken using only available light I feel a studio project may be on the cards as there is something very dynamic about having total control over lighting. I hope I can find more models as natural as Bethany in the future.

I have started a facebook page for my photographs which you can view here;

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Korcula Procession of Candles

I have been on honeymoon with my wife in Croatia recently. We stayed on the wonderful island of Korcula which is a fantastic destination on the Dalmation coast. Its a real gem, not spoilt by overly commercial tourism like many other European holiday destinations. Twice a year there is a candle light procession through the streets of the old town where crucifixes and other Catholic icons are carried through the streets by the local men.

 © Anthony Dorman

 © Anthony Dorman

 © Anthony Dorman

 © Anthony Dorman

© Anthony Dorman

One of the things that impressed me about the island and the procession was that children are actively encouraged to participate in every aspect of life.

These shots were taken with only the available light which was tricky as there was very little. A large aperture and high ISO was used with slow shutter speed.

I Tweet: https://twitter.com/AnthonyDorman

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100 Strangers Fleeting Moments

The personal project that always inspires me to pick up my camera is the 100 Strangers Project. The idea of the project is to learn not only about portrait photography but also to improve social skills by interacting with complete strangers. The flickr group is heavily moderated and there are a number of rules to guide participating photographers through the challenge.

I always have my camera with me as you never know when something or someone interesting might appear. The three images below were taken very quickly in three very random locations including the beach.

71/100 "100 Strangers" view the image on flickr image here. © Anthony Dorman

 71/100 "100 Strangers" view the image on flickr image here. © Anthony Dorman

79/100 "100 Strangers" view the image on flickr here. © Anthony Dorman

I'm always on the lookout for different types of people for my project. You can see my set so far by clicking this link; http://www.flickr.com/photos/16059306@N08/sets/72157624767974686/with/7184948775/

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Homeless Man Newcastle (Revisited)

On April 2010 I took the following candid photograph of a well known homeless man in Newcastle upon Tyne. Read my original post here;

 http://www.anthonydormanphotography.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Homeless%20in%20Newcastle

                                        View this image on flickr here © Anthony Dorman

Whilst walking in Newcastle last week I saw him again. This time I wanted to ask him if I could take his photo. I was expecting him to say no as he generally avoids people - you never see him begging or being a bother. He stopped in his tracks and quietly said yes. I took about five quick shots aware that this was a rare  and special privilege. I did not want to hassle or embarrass him so this all took about 90 seconds. At the end of the encounter I thanked him and gave him a few quid to help him out.

View this image on flickr here © Anthony Dorman

View this image on flickr here  © Anthony Dorman

View this image on flickr here  © Anthony Dorman

I have been contacted about this man via the first image I took and posted on flickr a number of times. Thankfully I can say that the emails I have received have been great with people telling me how they have helped him out with a bit of money or food. Hopefully these new images may inspire the same results.

I have been interviewed for a new photography website called Worth The Shot recently about my approach to street portraits and other stuff. This is a new page that will feature photographer interviews, tutorials and all things photography related.

Check the site out here: http://worththeshot.co.uk/

check out my flickr page here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/16059306@N08/

I also tweet here: http://twitter.com/anthonydorman

Strangers In The Night

I have been shooting more strangers for my 100 Strangers Project recently. Due to the weather, boredom and lack of inspiration I was in some kind of hibernation mode. One night recently I thought sod it go out and see what wonderful strangers would be on the streets of Newcastle at 10PM. I took a few that night but these were my favourite images. Both were taken with the available ambient light, no flash was used.

 View this image on flickr here

View this image on flickr here

Don't Look Back In Anger

Nearly three years ago I was lucky enough to go to Thailand (Koh Tao) for a holiday. I decided to buy a camera to document my holiday so I picked up a fuji finepix and off I went on my travels. Two weeks later I had taken nearly 2000 images and realised that I had it on me at all times. On my return to the UK I decided that I needed something more versatile and bought myself a Canon 450D with a couple of kit lenses. It was around this time that I realised that photography was becoming such a big part of my life and offered me a freedom of expression that was missing in my life.

See this image in my flickr photostream

I loved my 450D but as with most things in life I soon wanted an even better camera and had my eye on a Canon 5D MKII. Nearly every photographer I know always wants a better more sophisticated camera, for me I knew I needed something that could handle low light conditions. I prefer shooting with natural light and naturally low light as a rule so eventually I got my 5DMKII which I love.

Last year I stumbled across the work of Vivian Maier, a street photographer of breathtaking brilliance, with an eye not just for light and composition but for humour and and an understanding of the human condition. In her life hardly anyone knew she took photos and her extensive body of work is only now coming to light after her death. The thing that strikes me about her story is that she never sought fame and used a camera that by today's standards was very basic. This contrasts with not only my circumstances but those of most of the photographers I know who are passionate about their craft.

This week saw Kodak file for bankruptcy protection. Having failed to move forward into the digital world of photography. The once huge company is now struggling as less and less photographers actually print anymore. I love the look of film and the aesthetics of vintage cameras like the one above which is a 1A Pocket Kodak Series II from around 1920. This is not the camera used so expertly by Vivian Maier but the basic workings are very similar. So here is the paradox for me; without digital I would never have discovered my love of photography and the type of imagery produced by Vivian Maier. Years ago I picked up a film camera at college, I hated the experience, I felt cheated. Not one part of the camera worked properly and no one offered me any guidance as to how to get round these issues. Film wasted, time wasted, no fun at all. 

I now have an urge to go and get a working film camera and re-learn everything and enjoy the magic of the unknown image hidden within. If there was a camera that could take high quality digital images and film images combined I would sell my soul for it. Maybe that's the way to save kodak a company who provided nearly all of us with the images in our family photo albums. So why not look back and look forward at the same time?

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Self Portrait

I rarely let anyone take my photograph, I never like how look and i always feel uncomfortable in front of a camera. As soon as I know my photo is going to be taken I freeze up and become someone else, I become uncomfortable in my own skin. Since picking up a camera it has become almost a physical part of who I am, it feels right holding a camera. I decided to try and capture this feeling with this image.

I felt it was important to create an image that was raw without being rude but was stripped down to the basic elements of man and machine. I am sure that I will receive some humorous comments from people who know me but I don't mind, this is me and who I am. This is an image of me I can live with.

www.anthonydorman.com

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Small Man, Big Dreams

In childhood, we press our nose to the pane, looking out. In memories of childhood, we press our nose to the pane, looking in. ~Robert Brault,

View the image here on flickr

Baltic (Baby It's Cold Outside)

It's that time of year again when you need to wrap up warm to brace the wind, rain and cold of winter. I took these images a few weeks ago whilst out hunting strangers for my 100 Strangers Project. It was freezing cold and damp and there was silly me with my camera practically in a puddle to get the shot of the Baltic entrance and the watery reflection - I must be mad! Due to the weather I decided to pop in and see this years Turner Prize which was on display. This is only the second time the prize has been held outside of London and is somewhat of a big deal regionally. Maybe it's me being a cynic but yet again the only thing worth seeing in my opinion was the building itself!

The building is extremely photogenic with its masses of glass and clean lines. It has some extreme lighting conditions and is great for contrast and shadows. When I first started using a camera I used to take more shots like these, I think its great sometimes to re-visit old places, objects and ideas to refresh and re-learn.

www.anthonydorman.com

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ExVivo

I have had a week off to chill, and my God I have needed it. After a few days of boring daytime TV, lie-ins and half a swimming pool of tea I decided to get my lazy bones into Newcastle. I have been shooting street portraits for over 12 months now for my 100 Strangers Project however lately I have been very slow in adding new people. After a few hours and two great strangers that I will post later I saw this lady.

View the image here on flickr

I knew I had to get her in my project as she simply looked amazing, very alternative but very beautiful and photogenic. I saw her about to cross the road on a busy roundabout in Newcastle city centre and raced after her. I told her about my project and she happily agreed to be part of it - result. This was my first shot, at the time I thought the glaring green and red traffic lights where too harsh and moved her to another nearby location. When I got home and reviewed the images I realised the original lighting was just too good not to use. It turns out that this amazing looking lady is an alternative model called ExVivo. I am now thinking of various photoshoot ideas for ExVivo as I really think I could get some great images with her.

And randomly this music is also banging around my head with regards to this image. But they say music and photography go hand in hand.

Radiohead 'Everything In It's Right Place'

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Faces - Truth and Lies

I am often asked if I take photos of anything other than people and the answer is yes - but not that often. The reason I take portraits is because I truly believe that the human face is endlessly interesting. different emotions can be conveyed by the tilt of a head, glint in an eye or the shape of a smile. I read somewhere that humans are the only mammals who show the whites of our eyes, which is an aid to communication and apparently coincided with our language development. Even when we hide our face with makeup or deliberately distort our features we still show signs of our character - especially with our eyes. The Portrait below is of John from The Low Lights Tavern - my all time favourite pub. Even though John was dressed for Halloween you can still see that behind the ghoulish make up he is a fun, warm and friendly guy.

 "Bad Santa? - see the image here on flickr

Apparently there is an exception to prove every rule - So the image below of my spooky Halloween fiancee - whom is one of the kindest people I know - looks incredibly scary!

"The Haunting" - see the image here on flickr

For a truly amazing collection of portraits check out Steve McCurry's Portraits - one of my all time favourite photographers and a massive inspiration to many photographers of all kinds,

www.anthonydorman.com

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Nick Clegg

One of my clients Chirton Engineering contacted me to ask if I could pop in today and take some images of a very important visitor today. When I asked who it was they said they could not tell me for security reasons and that they were not sure themselves. I turned up this morning and was told by Chirton and the security team present that it was as I suspected the Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg who was visiting. The image below is a candid shot that I took before the corporate images that I produced for the company.

I have been struggling recently to find a balance between my day job and my commercial photography. Whilst I have been so busy that I have lost 2 stone in weight in the last 3 months I have failed to create imagery that makes me happy and reminds me why i picked up a camera in the first place. This is on reason for the lack of blog posts recently. I do however have some really interesting shoots lined up which should get me back on track

www.anthonydorman.com

The Eyes Have It

In a pretty awful week I did see this and it made me smile. I love it when you see a little piece of stupidity in an unexpected place.

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The Waiting Room

Do you sometimes feel that you are just waiting for something in your life to happen? I think most people feel like that. We spend so much time trying to get to where we want to be that we fail to see what is happening around us. I have been waiting for someone to notice my photos and give me the break I need to make a career out of something I truly love.

See this image on my flickr stream here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/16059306@N08/

Recently I was contacted by a company who found my photos on my flickr page and they commissioned me to take some images. This image is not one of those images but for some reason I felt it summed up how I have been feeling - a solitary faceless figure waiting for for something to happen.

www.anthonydorman.com

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Into Vintage

I have been massively busy over the last few weeks and have neglected my blog which makes me feel awful. So here I am back again and posting about one of my recent shoots for Into Vintage a retro/vintage clothing company based in Dalbeattie, Scotland. My brief was to shoot a selection of images for the company's new website and social networking pages.

The shoot was to take place outside on location in Dalbeattie and in true British form it chucked it down with rain and heavy drizzle all day. This was however not going to prevent a Geordie and four Scottish lasses from getting the images needed.

To bring more colour into a very drab day I warmed up the colour temperature of the images before cross processing them with a more vintage feel. I also shot at f2.8 with just a touch of high speed fill flash to reduce the depth of field and eradicate any rain or at least freeze it and remove it in the edit.

After being so busy with non photography based things recently it was lovely to shoot some fantastic models in some great clothing. Although I profess to know nothing about fashion I do feel more comfortable photographing people than any other subject. I think sometimes it's both interesting and informative to shoot something you feel comfortable (people) in a style out of your comfort zone (fashion).

For more information about Into Vintage please check out these links below;

https://marketplace.asos.com/boutique/into-vintage

http://intovintage.blogspot.com/2011/08/this-weekend.html

https://www.facebook.com/#!/intovintage?sk=wall

http://twitter.com/#!/Into_Vintage

I will be posting on a more regular basis now that my life seems to be more settled and time is on my side. I will be posting about my experiences with some recent press photos, issues with photo credits and why you should never work for free unless you get a credit or link that benefits your business as a working photographer.

I also tweet: http://twitter.com/#!/AnthonyDorman





The Colour And The Shape

I love cinematic photographs and I have been searching for a very specific type of image processing to use on some of my low light night portraits. After a fantastic email from one of my flickr contacts detailing a process which he uses I decided to use it on some images I took a few months ago. I'm really happy with the results.

View this image here on flickr © Anthony Dorman

View this image here on flickr © Anthony Dorman

View this image here on flickr © Anthony Dorman

I am going to embark on a number of portraits taken at night in Newcastle using this processing technique, watch this space.

www.anthonydorman.com

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