A project from 2023. Shot in a house I was just moving out of, based on an urge to make one last piece of work in a space that had been home for seven years. Years that had seen me graduate university, begin the stages of navigating the creative industries as a photographer, and of course those lockdown times. I’m in the process of writing this project up and will add it to the Personal Projects section on my website menu.
I may have shared this image as an ‘image of the week before’… but I take a very holistic approach to these posts and generally share what takes me at the moment I’m looking for an image to share. Perhaps I should be be more organised and have the images prepped in advance more often, but I also quite like taking a lucky dip through my work and seeing what’s landing with me at that moment in time.
Why journal at all? It’s a way to share more work, you can only show so much on your website and instagram. Those of you who have followed my work/career for years will already know I used to be a ‘blogger’. From around 2010-2014 I wrote a pretty successful blog about vintage and secondhand fashion and style. I worked with many amazing brands and had some brilliant experiences.
However by 2014, I was becoming concerned about over consumption and was I pushing that through my blog? Blogging was changing and although I didn’t know it at the time, the hints of ‘influencer’ culture were starting to develop. I knew something was changing and it wasn’t a direction I was feeling my groove with. It was a hard choice to stop blogging (in fact I killed years of work by taking it off line). Blogging 100% helped me get on the career path I am now on. Not just through the opportunities it gave me but the way it helped build my confidence and explore and develop my interests. In those early days of blogging, us bloggers were just throwing our thoughts out online, not even knowing if anyone would read our posts. Following numbers didn’t matter to most of us. Those days seemed like much simpler times…
A rework of a shoot with Music Artist Molly Willis. I like revisiting past work, having many many files to go back through during those lockdowns was the distraction i needed. In an effort to be organised on social media, I was going back though work to plan some instagram posts. I’ve had a couple of months enjoying a mainly successful instagram detox, so this task did not come easy… which is perhaps why I found myself looking ways to disseminate the work. Creative procrastination.
You can see more from this work (along with a music visualiser) made in the summer of 2023 here
Just a quick post to share some news about an event this month where you’ll be able to find me. Artist Morwenna Farrell returns to the Shoe Factory Norwich for an evening of fashion and live music. She’ll be showcasing her latest upcycled vintage collection and screen printed eco tshirts with her signature western style.
Models will walk to live music from a hand curated selection of bands, who will be playing stripped back sets so a beautiful opportunity to hear some fresh music, watch some looks and just generally have a nice evening.
Ten artists are also showing some work to create an exhibition. These artists have been invited by Morwenna and I’m happy to say I’m one of them. Alongside all of this, there will also be some creatives with stalls, I’ll have some prints for sale. I’ll also be photographing the show and the music - so some along and say hi.
Morwenna has also super kindly offered me some space at the Shoe Factory to create some personal work so I’m very excited to see what comes out of this because it’s a space I find so inspiring.
Some pictures to give you a flavour of what Morwenna’s last launch event in the Shoe Factory was in 2022. If you’ve followed my work for a while, Morwenna Farrell will be familiar as I’ve been lucky enough to work with her so many times over the years both as she’s developed her amazing brand and now her music career too.
Always a pleasure to work with her. She puts her heart and soul in to her creations, creating the designs, sourcing the vintage, screen printing by hand, writing her own songs… she is the true definition of an indie artist, she is incredibly supportive and a wonderful ambassador of slow fashion and music in Norwich. I’d encourage you to go take a look and maybe follow if you don’t already.
To discuss working with me or to make general enquiries drop me an email hello@kerrycurl.com Follow me over on instagram
Image of the week with Jordan Wake. This is from an ongoing project called ‘Beyond Threads’ which documents my meet ups with Jordan, which are infrequent so this is a very fluid project with no closing date. The benefits of this mean there’s no pressure and each time we meet is an opportunity to just play and explore with clothing as we catch up on life.
I photographed this in an empty shop unit in Norwich which I set up residency in for a while and used it as a studio space to make work. I like working from environments which aren’t dedicated photography studios. In fact none of my studio spaces so far have been ‘typical’ ranging from backrooms of old shops, former galleries, this shop space and the latest on is above a sign manufacturing business…
Someone asked me recently why I spend time making personal work, and allow my focus to drift onto personal projects. I could only answer with three words.. “Why wouldn’t I?…
To chat about commissions, make general enquiries or suggest ideas on how we can work together, feel free to email me hello@kerrycurl.com . Follow me over on instagram .
As we approach the countdown to the end of the year, I find myself as per usual, using Autumn for a bit of reflection and thinking ahead to the new year. I think it’s a September ‘new term’ thing. In many ways I find September more of a key month that January.
So despite all of the above the work I’m about to share is actually from 2023, because it’s one of those ‘wow was it really that long ago??’ moments and I realised that although I had shared some of the work I made behind the scenes of Finn Doherty’s music video previously but there was also lot that I hadn’t. It was a full day shoot so unsurprisingly given that Finn and his team had created three amazing sets, there was a lot of imagery, ranging from documenting behind the scenes to capturing stills of the scenes. I loved it.
Team credits:
Directed by: Atkin and Finn Doherty
Produced by: Finn Doherty and Paolo Tuveri Director of Photography: Samuel Robinson Editing and Colour Grading: Elif Gonen Gaffer: Ray Njoku 1st AC: Isaac Stanley Hair & Makeup: Olivia Birch Stills: Kerry Curl
‘Figure It Out’ written by: Finn Doherty Produced by: Evin Durkin & Finn Doherty
I would love to do more work like this, going behind the scenes to document music videos, so if you are planning something and would like an extra layer to your content offerings to share with your audience then get in touch.
I’ve had to make my piece with the word ‘content’ and that photography can and very often does fall in to this category as we are forced to feed the social media monsters and layer what we share and how we share it. So if you are making work and want to create an image library so share more than the official final outcome, let’s chat.
Some news on the 23rd Julia Margaret Cameron Awards…I’ve had some success in this latest round of awards in the form of six Honourable Mentions in both the Fine Art and Portrait categories as well as also receiving a Winner Award in the Portrait category.
I’ve just updated my ‘About’ page if you’d like to have a browse of how my images have been received and exhibited over the years.
For the 23rd Julia Margaret Cameron Awards, the selected images were:
To chat about commissions, make general enquiries or suggest ideas on how we can work together, feel free to email me hello@kerrycurl.com . Follow me over on instagram .
Huge thanks to the lovely humans featured in these images. They are all creatives and/or people with an instagram profile, If you’d like to visit them you can find them below -
Happy to share that this images made with Dance Artist Chloe Rowlatt has been selected for The Glasgow Photographers Gallery group show which runs 5th - 30th June 2024.
To chat about commissions, make general enquiries or suggest ideas on how we can work together, feel free to email me hello@kerrycurl.com . Follow me over on instagram
Their shows are always brilliant and feature artists working with a varied range of mediums. I’ll be showing some work from my ‘The Last Ballad of Magdalen’. The opportunity to exhibit this work has also afforded me the chance to sit down and express some thoughts about the concept of the work.
I’ll share some more once the exhibition is live, I’ll be sharing prints and moving image. If you can make it then please come along!
Exhibition details
TBA - Artist Collective. Five Years
Opening Eve: March 7th 6-9pm (all welcome)
Exhibition dates: March 8th/March 9th 10am-5pm
March 10th 12pm-4pm
Location: The Shoe Factory St. Mary’s Works - St. Mary’s Plain, Norwich NR33AF
‘The Last Ballad of Magdalen’ features Eden, and the shoots assistant was Morwenna Farrell. The work was conceived as a poignant ode to bidding farewell and forging new memories steeped in a simulated nostalgia.
Come along and see more if you can, but I’ll also share as much as possible on social media too, including the exhibition itself plus more on the concept and ideas behind the idea. Every item in this work is second-hand/vintage and/or already owned by Eden or myself. If you’ve been following my work for a while you’ll know incorporating vintage and second-hand clothing is an enduring and important element in my work. Utilising and repurposing them is very much part of my process.
Hopefully see you there!
To chat about commissions, make general enquiries or suggest ideas on how we can work together, feel free to email me hello@kerrycurl.com . Follow me over on instagram
Documenting the creative process is one of my favourite things to do, so when The Molee Shakes asked if I’d be able to come and observe them in the studio as they recorded their first album the answer was a big YES.
Recorded at Catch 21 Records in Norwich and thanks to the recording studios owner Gavin for having me along.
I photographed The Molee Shakes first live gig a couple of years ago so it’s lovely to be able to document their story like this.
To chat about commissions, make general enquiries or suggest ideas on how we can work together, feel free to email me hello@kerrycurl.com . Follow me over on instagram
Had a super quick flyby shoot with the band UFORODEO this week.
They’re at Red Rooster Festival later this year but you can also catch them elsewhere - keep an eye on their instgram for news and updates. https://www.instagram.com/uforodeoband/
To chat about commissions, make general enquiries or suggest ideas on how we can work together, feel free to email me hello@kerrycurl.com . Follow me over on instagram
SOMEWHERENOW - A durational work by Movement Director Hannah Ashmore, performed at Norwich Shoe Factory with dance artists from Norwich City College.
I recently had the chance to capture the City College Norwich dancers as they created improvised performances on the opening night of the college’s ‘Apricity’ art exhibition. It was an interesting one to document as the dancers moved freely through the building, the artworks and the many guests.
Once again I found myself understanding how much being photographer backstage at fashion weeks has developed my style and that I feel extremely comfortable with my documentary approach to the making process. A special thanks to Movement Artist Hannah Ashmore for involving me in her ‘SOMEWHERENOW’ project. I’m looking forward to making more work with Hannah in 2024.
Photography/Video - Kerry Curl
Music - Monsplair
To chat about commissions, make general enquiries or suggest ideas on how we can work together, feel free to email me hello@kerrycurl.com . Follow me over on instagram
In the 22nd Julia Margaret Cameron Awards, I’ve been fortunate enough to be recognised with a few Honourable Mentions. One of the series awarded is called ‘Meeting Chloe,’ which was a collaboration with dancer Chloe Rowlatt I’m so grateful to have been able to create this work at my forever happy place The Shoe Factory in Norwich. Additionally, a heartfelt thank you goes to Morwenna Farrell for generously sharing the space, enabling me to pursue new ideas and projects.
The second series selected is ‘The Last Ballad of Magdalen’ Both of these series received their Honourable Mentions in the Fine Art Catagory. This series was features Eden and was assisted by Morwenna Farrell. I’ll be sharing some more from this series next month so I’ll save sharing more about the concept and ideas behind it until then.
I’ve also been fortunate to receive some Highly Commended awards in the single image categories too. In the Fine Art category one of my acid landscapes was selected (you can read more about that project here) the other selected image was from a collaborative photoshoot with model Lindsey-Ann and hair stylist Kathy Narayn-Webb. Work including this image and video from this shoot with Lindsey-Ann and Kathy has been preciously shown in an Open Studio in Norwich (2021). It’s nice to be able to keep finding new audiences for the work.
The final Highly Commended award goes to an image of Jordan Wake in the Portrait Category. This image was also long listed in the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2023. It’s part of an going project with Jordan which I’m in the process of writing about and adding to my selected projects section of my website.
To chat with me about commissions or make general enquiries, suggest ideas on how we can work together, feel free to email me hello@kerrycurl.com . Follow me over on instagram
I’ve photographed Karen (Fabulous Miss K) This particular image is just one among many captured during various shoots over the years. Some images from this shoot went on to find a wider audience, with one being selected as a winning image in The British Journal of Photography’s Portrait of Britain 2019 and another being displayed at the ‘Hello Future Fashion’ exhibition as part of Norwich Science Week in 2021. This particular image though has sat on a hard drive. Revisiting this work a few months ago this one uncropped really caught me. Left uncropped, including the behind the scenes preserve’s its authenticity maybe. Plus the body language and perhaps I also miss this studio space a little bit.
The studio it was taken in was the back room of a former tattoo shop in Norwich. Despite its rough and unfinished appearance, the space had a unique bohemian vibe that inspired creativity. I worked from there for a couple of years. I don’t miss the dampness or chaos of the building, but I look at the walls and the paint splattered concrete floor and I must confess a sense of nostalgia for its rawness and honesty.
Reflecting on my creative journey, I find myself acknowledging the impact of my environment on my process. Unconventional studio spaces have played a pivotal role in shaping my work. I question if I would have created the same impactful images in a more clinical setting.
I’m now on my fourth studio in six years. I’m hoping 2024 will afford me time to make a fair bit of work in my current studio and I’m curious to see how this latest space will influence my work. Yet, amidst the changes and evolution, the several studio moves, I do hold onto the memories and lessons learned from my time in each one, even that crazy back room in the old tattoo shop. It was a place where creativity flourished and where I developed.
Will my current space be my forever studio? Well, what I have also learned is that studio’s don’t always stay the same, things change and buildings evolve. So will I be posting about a studio move at some point in the future? I wouldn’t rule it out.
Karen is a stylist specialising in vintage clothing. You can view her website here
To chat with me about commissions or make general enquiries, suggest ideas on how we can work together, feel free to email me hello@kerrycurl.com . Follow me over on instagram
Last summer I shot on Finn Doherty’s music video and I cannot tell you how much I LOVED it. I took some stills from each scene but also some behind the scenes which really let my documentary loving heart fly free.
What I always loved about being backstage at fashion week was being able to observe, document and hopefully capture the energy of the moment - so transferring those skills to going behind the scenes on a music video honestly felt like ‘home’ to me really.
I’ve got so much to share from this project but to start off here’s some BW shots documenting some of the moments that might otherwise have gotten lost.
Please also check out Finn’s video, I’ll link further down and as I sit here on a Sunday night, planning, dreaming and hoping how I’d like my 2024 to look, I’d like to raise a glass to all of you and everyone who is also out there trying to make their creative thing a reality, because its hard work and I’m with you.
Finn’s video
Team credits
Directed by: Atkin and Finn Doherty
Produced by: Finn Doherty and Paolo Tuveri
Director of Photography: Samuel Robinson
Editing and Colour Grading: Elif Gonen
Gaffer: Ray Njoku
1st AC: Isaac Stanley
Hair & Makeup: Olivia Birch
Stills: Kerry Curl
‘Figure It Out’ written by: Finn Doherty
Produced by: Evin Durkin & Finn Doherty
Mixed and mastered by: Lavar Bullard
If you’re a creative and want your behind the scenes captured get in touch. hello@kerrycurl.com . Follow me over on instagram
I just stumbled across this one on my hard drive. Although I edited this as part of my Acid Landscapes series I didn’t include it in the finals. I’m not sure why. Although it’s sometimes so hard to know what to leave in and what to leave out. This is why I started this journal really as a way to show more work. There’s only so much you can have in your portfolio be it digital or physical and even though instagram acts as a way to document work - it’s gone in a scroll and it’s not even easy to get your followers to see your uploads these days anyway. So this journal acts as a place for the images to ‘be.’
I’ve now written up this project and added it to the ‘selected projects’ tab. I might revisit the wording, but you can read about here
I’ll be adding some of these for sale later in 2024.
To chat about commissions, make general enquiries or suggest ideas on how we can work together, feel free to email me hello@kerrycurl.com . Follow me over on instagram
Image of the week is Eden photographed for a Morwenna Farrell Collection.
I’ve photographed for Morwenna so many times now, she’s just a delight to work with and she really loves what she creates. I did a short interview with her a few years ago for Sans Pareil which you can read here - https://sanspareilonline.com/five-minutes-with-morwenna-farrell/
You can see a couple of shoots with Morwenna on the ‘commissions’ section of my website or you can click these links.
To chat with me about commissions or make general enquiries, suggest ideas on how we can work together, feel free to email me hello@kerrycurl.com . Follow me over on instagram
Image of the week showcases music artist Finn Doherty, captured during a photoshoot session held in December 2021. It’s hard to believe it’s that long ago since this session took place. Last summer I accompanied Finn on set for his music video. During this shoot, I captured some incredible stills and images, effectively documenting the day’s events and the various scenes. I’m hoping to be able to share these visuals soon, so stay tuned for updates.
To chat with me about commissions, make general enquiries or suggest ideas on how we can work together, feel free to email me hello@kerrycurl.com . Follow me over on instagram. If you’re a creative and want your behind the scenes captured get in touch.
Amy Ollett is beautifully captured in this photograph, taken as part of a commission for the Norwich Fringe 2021. The project, titled “The Disco: Room 2021,” aimed to encapsulate the essence of dance and motion but we also caught these moments of stillness within our simulated vibrant atmosphere of the disco scene (which was actually my studio).
In this particular image, amidst the pulsating energy of the disco room,
To chat with me about commissions or make general enquiries, suggest ideas on how we can work together, feel free to email me hello@kerrycurl.com . Follow me over on instagram
I worked with dancer and movement professional Chloe Rowlatt back in Oct 2022. I had some space to use at the Norwich Shoe factory for a little while and put a call out for dancers to meet me there and Chloe very kindly gave me her time. I originally made the work in black and white but over the last year, I’ve been revisiting this one particular image above, over and over again.
I’m a big believer that revisiting work is good, we change, we have new ideas, new inspirations.. Images don’t have to sit in a final state forever even if they’ve already been shared with the world.
So new work in 2023 from a visit back to 2022. An untitled micro series.
HUGETHANKS to Chloe for trusting that she could turn up and letting me take a holistic approach to what and how we’d shoot.
Thanks ALWAYS to the Shoe Factory for always being there for me and so many creatives in Norwich. It’s the most inspiring place to even just stand in never mind get to make work in.
To chat with me about commissions or make general enquiries, suggest ideas on how we can work together, feel free to email me hello@kerrycurl.com . Follow me over on instagram
New images of the amazing Laura of Norfolk Retro plus some shots of her beautiful shop in Norwich. If you have followed my work for a while, you’ll know I love love love secondhand items and what also inspires me about vintage and pre-loved stuff is how this area is full of women creating, and making careers through it, an area which would once previously have been dominated by men.
In fact I’ll be working on a project around women in vintage next year so please keep an eye for updates and news.
If you’re in Norwich you can find Norfolk Retro on St.Augustines Street. The Norfolk Retro instagram has all the info and Laura keeps it very update with the latest offerings which can also be posted if you’re not this way.
To chat with me about commissions or make general enquiries, suggest ideas on how we can work together, feel free to email me hello@kerrycurl.com . Follow me over on instagram
Earlier this month I found out this image of Eden had been shortlisted in the Shutter Hub YEARBOOK Awards 2023. Happy to have just received a highly commended award by Metro Imaging for this image. Thanks to Steve Macleod from Metro Imaging for choosing my work.
Thanks also to Eden. The work was made on a collaboration with Eden, who is exploring poetry. This specific poem which sparked this collab is POEMIN A SUEDESKIRT. I’ll be writing this up and sharing more for my ‘selected projects’ section so keep an eye out for more details.
As well as photographing several times, I’ve also photographed his work several times. He’s a painter who draws on inspiration from cult movies and pop culture. If you have followed my work for a while you may have seen photos of Simon before or even this one.
As always my ‘image of the week’ is a bit of a roulette with my hard drives. These regular posts aren’t heavily curated, I just see what I’m drawn to at the time I sit down to update the journal.
To chat with me about commissions or make general enquiries, suggest ideas on how we can work together, feel free to email me hello@kerrycurl.com . Follow me over on instagram
Image of the week is a 2022 re-edit of a 2015 image of Amy Woodman.
I was invited to be part of the Creative Lives ‘New Beginnings’ project last year. Designed to be a way for people to reflect on the recent times through submitting photographs to an open call, as well as giving an interview/workshop on Radio Norfolk, and artist talk at the exhibition opening night I also had to enter work myself.
So this was one of the images. It felt apt for me to enter something new yet old so I delved in to my archives and this image is from a series I’ve always loved looking back on. Partly because of the energy but also because I love making with Amy and we just laughed so much on this shoot, the sole purpose of which was just to get together and make work purely for shits and kicks. No commercial outcome, just catching up. Me, Amy and a camera.
Another reason I felt compelled to go through my archives when submitting was because this was something I spent a lot of time doing during the lockdowns…once I’d settled in to calmer headspace. To swap the rolling news which I’d become fixated on for losing myself in my hard drives whilst listening to music, saved me mentally in many ways. I remember in the summer of 2020 someone expressing regret that they hadn’t gone out and created a visual response at the time and now they’d missed their chance (not knowing that there was more to come…) but my response to this idea that the moment had been missed was that people would be responding to the world changing event for years to come…
To chat with me about commissions or make general enquiries, suggest ideas on how we can work together, feel free to email me hello@kerrycurl.com . Follow me over on instagram
Image of the week Fran with hair and makeup by Anna.
I love disco.
I’ve photographed this dress on at least three people. Rewear, reuse and repeat. That’s my way. Just a short post today but there’s lots of posts on this journal now so hang around and have a scroll if you fancy.
To chat with me about commissions or make general enquiries feel free to email me hello@kerrycurl.com . Follow me over on instagram
