The first time I went down to Shoreditch in London was around 2011 maybe 2012. I went because I had heard that it was fast becoming a centre of amazing colour with graffiti and art. My background is in art and I still love many other forms of art away from graffiti so I still like to go to galleries and see shows when I can. But at this time there was something special about Shoreditch for me. I was amazed by the market and the food and how chilled out the place felt. Ive been a few more times since but now I have travelled far far more the excitement that I had on that first visit has never returned.
By pure accident the Obey show was on. This was also being filmed for something although I never found out what for. It was ok. I already know a fair bit about graphic art and in particular russian protest posters and I also don’t really buy into mass hysteria over particular artists but the show was good to see, but mostly because I hadn’t planned to see it. This shot is just one of a few I took, but I have to say it was possibly one of the largest shows I have seen.… Read the rest
A very few of the thousands of shots I took when visiting Alicante and Benidorm. I had a few technical issues with my kit and so Im not really very happy with these shots from here but heres a few non the less.
LittleWing, Alicante/Benidorm, November 2016
My favourite colour is blue. But I never want to see my toes go blues ever again. Hyperthermia is not big or clever. Even though this night in forgein lands was both – as well as a memory Im not sure I will ever beat.
Little Wing, Outside of UK, Sometime ago.… Read the rest
Ive been reading a lot of stuff about ego and validation recently. And Ive also been spending less time on uploading and looking at my Instagram accounts. I also recently got accused of ‘showing off’ about something (which horrified me as I haven’t/didn’t intentionally). And all this has led me to start thinking about how the world has changed and for me to take a really honest look at what I actually think/perceive/project.
Its tricky isn’t it.
You can’t really win in this world. If you work hard you get the opportunity to do things out of the ordinary and then they become the ordinary to you. If you share that then you can be seen as being cocky, showing off, getting ‘too big for your boots’. If you share things – why do you? Personal gratification? Showing off? Pride? Over indulgent ego?
But if you do these things and you don’t share them why did you do them? Personal gratification? fear of showing off? shame for your skill/culture? or to smother your over indulgent ego?
For me its really simple. I genuinely do the things I do because I love taking photographs and I love a challenge. I get a HUGE personal satisfaction from my photography and from the adventures I have or have had.… Read the rest
One the very best things I do, and have done for a couple of years is go searching for original old skool graffiti. Im privileged that I get the opportunity to do that with some of the original people who either did it or were there at the time. This makes the adventure a damn sight more interesting and special because its like they are showing me one of their oldest friends.
I recently went on a such a trek with a writer, who gave up his time to take me to several spots in the Midlands and this is a selection of just a few of them.
Whats really interesting to me particularly on the one above is the full date. May 22nd 1991. Thats the first time I have seen an actual full date on any piece anywhere.
What might seem like some nice red bricks to a general passerby holds treasures for my eyes.
And this is where the old and the new collide. Thanks to the internet I am not only able to have these connections with people but then I can share the finds back with the original writers. And thats a bit mind blowing. The debate about what the internet has done – be it a good or a bad thing – to the graffiti culture – is one which takes place pretty much every day.… Read the rest
🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 ah – sleep is over rated anyways 🙁 Heres some moody foggy graffiti shots – which is how my head is at the moment as I await the dawn and then hit a wall of exhaustion 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁
LittleWing, Down South and to the left a bit, January 2017… Read the rest
I am currently having a particularly long bout of insomnia. Im on my 16 day/night/whatever of broken/limited/barely any point sleep. So as Im grumpy Im editing some London shots.
Im not keen on London. I have some lovely friends who are from London, but I just prefer Birmingham as a place. These however are some nice shots I made recently.
If you squint top right you can see Wembley…..
LittleWing, London, January 2017… Read the rest
Graffiti has given me a whole lot of experiences both good and bad. Its given me the opportunity to look at the world in a very different way. Ive made many amazing friends and I have been welcomed in every country Ive travelled to to shoot their graffiti. But its the really secret stuff Ive done when Ive travelled, that has only been made possible by, in most cases, complete strangers who have trusted me and me conversely trusted them – where my real adventures have come from.
In Milan I was really made to feel at home. Im always amazed that when I travel that local contacts take time out of their lives to take me all over their hometowns to share many of their secrets. This particular adventure involved a bit of climbing, a watchman, a whole lot of nettles and the results are below. I said it back then but I will say it again – Milan (and in particular my very lovely hosts) – you are truly amazing – thankyou xx
Day of the Dead Trams……
Little Wing Lost, Milan, 2016
Back in the tail end of 2013, whilst up a ladder, a conversation with a writer about the possibility of shooting a celebrity in front of a wall of graffiti came about. It was sort of a dream of theirs. And it started me off to try and make that happen. As a Blues fan we talked about a ‘Zulu’ wall. As in – wouldn’t it be ace if they did a massive wall that said Zulu and then we got loads of original Zulus in front of it. Within a couple of weeks I visited a small shop in Brum having found out through the internet that this was where I could meet a proper old skool Brum lad. What I didn’t know until then was that I was about to meet a bloke who I had actually ‘nearly been mates with’ for thirty years. His name was Todd and between him and me we spent a long time after that first meeting many weeks talking to various other mates collecting what would be one of the largest gatherings of original Zulus in front of a graffiti piece painted specifically for them.
Todd and I came to realise that we had been ‘nearly mates’ because he went to school with my best mate Brett who also went to school with many of the Zulus who I did know but also many of my other school mates who had hung around with all the same people.… Read the rest
I firmly believe that Birmingham is the greatest of Cities. Of course the bias is completely there as I am from here, however, even though I have always felt that way, the travelling I have done over the last few years (which stepped up majorly over the last two years) has only confirmed that to me. We have a soul here. There is just something about Brummies that makes us really humble but really gobby at the same time. We don’t bang on about how great we are – but we are a City which has produced legends. And then (and I will come back to my thoughts on legends from this City in future blogs – as I have much to say about that hahaha) we have our beloved canals.
Now as a very happy little Brummie – I can remember long long ago when the canals – or the cut as I prefer to call them – weren’t anywhere near as ‘trendy’ as they have become now. Its all very delightful seeing these new paths – all smooth and lovely for cyclists – but I remember when you used to have hack your way through brambles..dodge empty Corona bottles and pretty much accept that your legs were going to be covered to nettles (and I COULD NEVER FIND A HOCK LEAF) if you dared to venture along the sides of any path by the cut.… Read the rest