Get ya guns out....

About three weeks ago, I saw a report on the BBC about the Ministry of Muscle. The report ended, and as they do on the news these days and the 'sign-off' included the location, which was Maidstone. I didn't spit my tea across the room, but was surprised none the less, simply because nothing of any interest happens here. This place basically trains all the strongmen and powerlifters in the region. Considering their small location, their effect has been wide felt.

As I tend to do, I literally walked in and asked if I could start snapping; sometimes the direct approach is often the best. They agreed, and I very quickly forgot any stereotypes I had created in my mind about the sport. I was expecting an aggressive environment, with little co-operation from the lifters, but instead I found a very tight knit community doing a very misunderstood practice, who were more than happy to be in front of a lens.

As we speak, I am a few visits in, and so far this has been a really nice opportunity to get some shots i've been wanting for a long time, including mixing black and white and color, which although very very difficult, could be done with this.

Tarris, Templeton and Paranoia

Ask anyone who knows me as a creative person, and they'll vouch for the following. I am the most disorganised, on-a-whim image maker possible. I pick up and put down idea's like no one else. I cant help it, and recently have found myself beginning to embrace it. Honestly, I know feel its the only way I work; I have to vent my creative outlets in multiple ways. There have been trips untaken, projects unfinished, zines still sitting on my floor waiting for a cover. The amount of planned images that only exist in my head way outweigh the actual amount of images i have ever shot. That being said, there are one or two projects which i find myself picking up, and hanging onto them, one of which is the following.

I've been shooting photo's of my friends (who happen to be a cohort of skateboarders) pretty much since I began to get seriously into skate photography, around 2007. I stumbled in and out of it for some time, but last year whilst doing my teaching degree had to look into some Templeton stuff for a lecture I was giving. I simply forgot how angry his images made me feel. On a photographic level, Templeton is just the most beautiful image maker. He has that authentic touch, where you never question his images. It was more in terms of representation that I found myself getting annoyed. What he portrayed skateboarders as was 'sensationalist' to say the least. I don't have a problem with nudity, drug use etc, but I found that when trying to explain to a bunch of 19 year old students, that, yes I am a skateboarder, yes, here is some photographs of skateboarders by Templeton, but no, i don't travel around the country on drug fueled fuck trips, I live a rather normal boring life, they seemed disappointed. I've had some good times (some very good times) thanks to a plank of wood and four wheels. Anyway, I decided that i knew what it wasn't, so why not find out what it is.

Three years later and I'm looking through, thinking of ditching the whole thing. Sometimes i get what i can only describe as creative paranoia. Its not the 'oh feel sorry for me' tortured artist gig, but a proper 'chuck the whole thing in and become a postman' deal. So here i was sifting through millions of negatives, trying to find anything I had miss to try and pull the 200 or so final images I already had into a coherent body. Thats the problem with a large body of work, through editing you can pretty much make it say anything you damn well please.

I came across this gem. Those of you who know Tarris don't need an introduction, and this post is so long I really cant be arsed to explain him. Basically, I saw this, and it restored my faith in the whole project. I have no idea how I missed it the first time round, thats the nature of taste, ever changing. There's something so awkward, yet appealing in Tarris's pose. He looks so lost, proper uncomfortable, but at the same time, totally at ease. He's actually very photogenic somehow. I saw it, and i thought to myself its worth another three years. I hope i'll keep doing it until I find what it is I'm trying to say.

So Tarris, thank you. I suppose I owe you a drink.