One day when I was driving to the farm, I passed an agricultural machinery workshop which is set in an old tin barn, I guess it was once a Farriers and it is run by a pair of old chaps. On this day, it was very grey and overcast and there was an orange glow and I could see sparks flying from the work they were doing. I imagined this being an amazing thing to photograph and that made me think of all the other men who work for a living, in important roles or those more humble. I have called this project which will culminate in my next exhibition in 2014 The Working Man.
The Farrier
I felt so privileged to spend the day with Farrier Chris, his skill with and love of horses was magical to watch. He’s been doing this job all his life, after completing an Apprenticeship in Hereford he now has clients all over South Wales. The smells, sights and sounds all went together to create and experience I would describe as equine alchemy.
The Farmer
George runs the family farm with his brother Robert. At the age of 25, he has worked on the farm all his life and loves it. I enjoyed being out in the fields with him, in his crops, this years wheat harvest has been poor though, due to the weather. He’s a really nice guy and plays hockey and loves skiing when he’s not working the farm, which is 7 days a week usually.
The Urban Composer
Lloyd composes, plays and produces music from his studio with analogue and digital synthesisers. I love his work and he composed a brilliant soundtrack for my Silent Sentinels exhibition launch in 2011 which captured the mood of my pictures perfectly. He also works with Martin Degville and other artists, composing, mixing and producing.
The Sushi Chef
Lorne has been a Sushi Chef for 4 years, that’s how long it took him to train and he still has more time to become fully qualified, it can take between 8 and 10 years. He was a really interesting guy to talk to over lunch and I discovered he comes from Devon and started life studying performing arts. After this, he was a model for Topman so in his 24 years so far he has had an amazingly varied career. I’m really glad I met him and that he let me photograph him.
The Drag Queen
Stephanie is new to the drag scene and recently moved to Essex. Quite a sassy but loveable drag queen, friendly and biting. By day, Stephen used to work in a call centre and gave this up to pursue a career tramping the boards as Stephanie Von Clitz. If you saw him out of drag in the street he is a regular young guy, who changes at the drop of a handbag.