As part of my Alternatives Project, I recently photographed some Queens (and a King) from Oxford Drag Collective. Check out the carousel below for a mix of performance and behind the scenes images. 

As part of my ongoing project, Alternatives, I photographed Anna Muir, a musician I had previously photographed at an open mic night at The Railway Inn, Winchester. 

AuTristic is new to the modelling scene but not phased by the camera and willing to pose or take direction. He's available to book, so if you're interested or you just want to know more you can head over to his Instagram, the link is below.

Thank you so much to the team at People's Pride Southampton for allowing me to come along with my camera, and to Emma Terracciano of EJ Event Photography (https://www.instagram.com/ejeventphotography/) for showing me the ropes and making me very welcome, such a wonderful lot. 

My first gig photography was at the Railway, its the place we hung out at as teens, it was somewhere my parents went when they were younger and it’s where my (now adult) kids go to see gigs locally. So it seemed somehow appropriate that it would be at the Railway that I had my first real go at photographing gigs. The gig was Charlie Smith’s acoustic night, and he was in need of a photographer, I was already there with my camera and so, after prompting from the lovely D’Kenzion (also a musician), he asked for me to help out in return for tickets to see the show. I took him up on it (with fair warning that I hadn’t done it before) as it was something I wanted to try and it felt a little like fate (I am a tiny bit superstitious but only about weird things lol).

The Evolution of Alternatives. Thanks for visiting this post, this is an introduction to my Alternatives project, focusing on the diversity of the alternative community. A community that is built as much around different styles and subcultures as it is around the music that pulls it all together. A reminder not to judge a book (or an LP) by its cover.

I went there to work on my Alternatives project, building on the idea of alternative being more than just its older definition. After I finished shooting, my husband and I were chatting away to the landlord, Dan and I got distracted. I took a few random pictures and then got into a discussion with a couple of guys who were there to perform. It ended with me being offered a chance to take photos for a gig. The performers were Charlie Smith, D’kenzion, Anna Muir and The Guillotine Union Boys.

This was the first one-on-one portrait set for this project, my volunteer was RPG Author James 'Grim' Desborough. In an attempt to keep things natural and relaxed for him, we opted to go for a morning walk in the sunshine and a beautiful day it was too. I had considered sticking with black-and-white images but felt the eclectic and colourful nature of his clothes would be lost. I hope to have a few words from him to add below in the near future. 

So I shared my first intentional shoot for this project, and I hope to do more soon, but in the mean time I've been photographing people who live a lifestyle outside of what's considered normal, mainstream lives. I've photographed friends and family, bands whole they perform and events full of people living lives that would be considered outside of the mainstream, outside of ordinary, alternative. They may not define themselves in this manner, but they fit the definition, to some degree or another.

I've talked previously about how the term alternative started out generalised, became and label and has now, in my opinion, stepped back into a more umbrella term for those who don't fit mainstream societies idea of the norm.

Let's cover a few key points before we start, I've never done a photo essay, but I'm a psych graduate, so I know how to research. I am not an expert on this or any other topic, only an expert on my own experiences. And lastly, this topic means a lot to me, but if its not your thing, that's okay, come back another time and I'll have other topics for you to read.

Despite loving writing, especially fiction I'm not great at introductions, but if you bear with me, I'll do my best.