Emma 2016.
This feels very 2020 somehow….
I hope everyone is staying well and safe in these very strange times. I am back shooting again but it certainly feels different. I’m currently sharing my secondhand fashion work over on instagram as part of Oxfam’s Secondhand September campaign. Swing by if you fancy a look - visit my instagram
Emma’s instagram
A few portraits from my first studio shoot since lockdown measures eased.
Kiri mentioned they were going through a goth phase in their personal style so we worked this in to the work we made.
There’s more images to come from this session including some video portraits which you can see some WIP of over in my instagram (links below)
https://www.instagram.com/p/CEDDj7FD2X0/
https://www.instagram.com/p/CEHD7mwji5W/
https://www.instagram.com/p/CEKTK1tDbID/
https://www.instagram.com/p/CEKoD_Aj93H/
Kiri is a music artist and we’ll be collaborating on creating some moving image from this session accompanied by some of Kiri’s music. So check back for further developments.
Something different from portraits and fashion. Lockdown was a good opportunity to go back and organise old files. So here’s a landscape from 2013 taken during my City & Guilds Level 3 Photography course. I used to enjoy these days out. We explored coastal areas, the countryside, the city of Norwich and many of Norfolk’s villages and towns. It was good to look back on these whilst locked down in Norfolk. Sometimes we need be reminded of the beautiful things that already surround us.
The first socially distanced shoot. It’s been really challenging and it looks like going forward things are going to change at least for a while. Photographers are very limited about what work we can take on and what we can do is quite often having to be stripped back, teams kept to a minimum. Extra time for cleaning. I’m following the guidance by the Association of Photographers (AOP) with regards to working. They have been hugely helpful as a resource for these times and I’ll be continuing to follow their advice on working safely and when considering which projects can go ahead and which can’t. Right now commercial projects are ‘work’ so can go ahead with covid measures in place. Again I’d advise any photographers to take a look at the AOP website for the latest advice.
Pieces from Morwenna Farrell’s latest collection shot with Dion.
To discuss commissions or general enquires feel free to email me - hello@kerrycurl.com
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Earlier in the summer I wrote a blog post for PhotoGrad in response to a call out for photographers to share how they were responding to lockdown.
I’ll add some screen shots of the piece to this journal entry but please do head over to the article on the photograd website where you can read the piece along with seeing some of my images which accompany the writing and also you’ll be able to read the thoughts of other photographers too. I’ll link to the article at the end of this journal entry.
Read the article over on the Photograd website
To discuss commissions or general enquires feel free to email me - hello@kerrycurl.com
Say hi on instagram
Documenting London Fashion Week
Malan Breton SS18 Fashion Scout. Photographed for The Glass Pineapple.
The existence of Covid-19 and the changes to our lives does make me wonder if I’ll get to make this kind of work again?…
Image of the week is a portrait of artist Simon Pritchard taken in 2015. We’ve been trying to do another session for a while but juggling availability and then throwing a pandemic in to the mix means it’s something that is still on hold. Hopefully we will be able to make it happen in 2020 but we will see…
I think online exhibitions are here to stay. Physical spaces are slowly opening up but I like the way digital exhibitions can be viewed from anywhere and by anyone. So I’m delighted to find out I have an image in an online group show organised by ShutterHub.
The selected image is from my work with artist Amy Ollett. It’s a big show, over 200 photographers from around the world so lots to browse over from the comfort of your home, or maybe a distraction from the way a bus journey feels right now, a scroll in the hairdressers whilst we’re taking our own reading material…
Digital exhibitions, you get to choose when you visit, what the opening hours are and of course they are truly inclusive - everyone is invited. See the exhibition.
If you’d like to take a look at a portfolio of work I have on the Shutterhub platform you can see this here
See more of my work over on instagram if you’d like to chat about commissioning my to make work, feel free to get in touch. I have also recently launched a print shop if you’d like a browse click here
‘It’s only a game show’ Amy 2016
This is one of many times I’ve worked with Amy Woodman. I met Amy on a photoshoot in 2014 where I was doing hair/makeup and some behind the scenes photography. We bonded over a love for vintage faux fur and became firm friends so the work I make with Amy is as much a display of our friendship as it is about the relationship between muse and photographer.
Although we made this is 2016, I’ve revisited it in 2020 during the coronavirus days. This was part of my final uni project which explored what a ‘fashion image’ is and questioned the idea that second hand garments are fashion… sounds obvious in 2020 right? But even just a few years ago there wasn’t this media mainstream love for the second hand clothing market, on the street maybe, but in the magazines? Very little…
If you’re a brand, creative, a stylist or a magazine editor etc looking to make/commission work using second hand fashion please get in touch, because I really want to work with you to make this type of work!
See more work over on instagram
This is a WIP image (I think) I’m not sure where I’m going with it or if this is its final state?
This was taken at the end of 2019 in a session which was just to make some new work for me, Ramzan (pictured) and two other models Matt & India. There were a few ideas and a bit of styling using my vintage & second hand rail and ultimately when I looked back through the images it was like we’d rolled 4 or 5 different shoots in to one session, so it’s taken me a while to collate them and decide on what goes where. Like a lot of people lockdown has been a period where I’m really thinking about my direction and creative practice and the three threads which continue to run through a lot of my work and the work I’m interested in making is fashion history, music and movement.
Next week I will be returning to work from my studio. As the space is small I’m not expecting to work with other people inside for a little while, so I’ll be focusing on turning it into a research space, using the walls as an area to start collecting ideas and using mind mapping as a way to try and organise my thoughts.
I’m personally finding the world quite noisy right now, so I’m hoping letting some ideas flow, will be as useful as it is productive…
See more work over on instagram
“CREATIVITY IN CONFINEMENT” with Kerry Curl on the podcast Queer and The City
Strange times…
I sat down with Fashion Writer Jordan Wake, creator of the podcast Queer and The City to discuss life at the moment as we work our way through lockdown in the UK. In this podcast we chat about creative life, making work, the last London Fashion Week before lockdown, how we met, the value of creativity in cities beyond London, pondering about how the pandemic will impact creative life, does confinement produce creativity? my hybrid approach to making work, going to uni later in life, who would I invite to a dinner party and so much more…
If you’d like a listen please do hit the link below. Would really love to hear your thoughts so feel free to get in touch if you’d like to.
To discuss commissions or general enquires feel free to email me - hello@kerrycurl.com
Say hi on instagram
The image is one of a series which documents the dress rehearsal of the 2019 fashion performance of MILK by movement and fashion artist Amy Ollett.
I’ve worked with this artist several times to document her creative practice, we connect artistically with a shared interest in the exploration of movement.
Amy’s statement about the concept of MILK “I am lost in my physical anxiety, pressured as a woman to society. Suffocating in your version of my milk’s expiry.”
To join the work at such an intimate stage of its development thus being invited in to the creative process is a privilege. Whilst these images form a photo essay documenting the preparation of the performance, they also become part of our collaborative library of visual data for research and reflection purposes.
I met Amy in 2017. Amy had seen my work at my BA degree show and I’d seen her work at her MA show. Although we’d never met in person it turned out that we’d made a connection to the others work. An email from Amy led to a coffee and that that meet up sparked a creative relationship, one which means we can really develop and push our own boundaries through exploring each other’s creative practice. Since documenting MILK, I’ve continued to work with Amy as she develops her practice through returning to the exploration of movement using her own body.
See more work over on my instagram
I’ve decided to share some work on instagram in the form of a photo essay. You’re all invited to follow MILK by Amy Ollett, build over 21-25 June.
I’ve worked with the artist Amy Ollett several times to document her creative practice. We connect artistically with a shared interest in the exploration of movement. These images document the dress rehearsal of the 2019 fashion performance of MILK.
Amy’s statement about the concept of MILK “I am lost in my physical anxiety, pressured as a woman to society. Suffocating in your version of my milk’s expiry.”
To join the work at such an intimate stage of its development thus being invited in to the creative process is a privilege. Whilst these images form a photo essay documenting the preparation of the performance, they also become part of our collaborative library of visual data for research and reflection purposes. .
I met Amy in 2017. Amy had seen my work at my BA degree show and I’d seen her work at her MA show. Although we’d never met in person it turned out that we’d made a connection to the others exhibition pieces.
An email from Amy led to a coffee and that that meet up sparked a creative relationship, one which means we can really develop and push our own boundaries through exploring each other’s creative practice. Since documenting MILK, I’ve since worked with Amy as she develops her practice through returning to the exploration of movement using her own body.
Head over to my instagram
Today’s image is a portrait of Matt Hales.
We made a series of portraits on a photo walk in 2018, strolling around parks in London.
The lockdown is now lifting and I recently met with a friend in a park for a socially distanced chat. It was good to feel the grass underneath us and perhaps we’ll appreciate such simple sensations more from this point on. However the feeling of walking around without a care in the world still feels a distant memory. For now.
To chat about work, ideas or just say hi feel free to email me hello@kerrycurl.com
See more work over on my instagram
This weeks image is of Eto.
This is a previously unpublished image from work made for Disorder Magazine in 2018. (Which you can see here) Styled by Alex Hill, the editorial demonstrated that ‘fashion’ editorials can work perfectly well when there’s secondhand and vintage fashions in the mix.
During lockdown I’ve been revisiting work I’ve already made and it’s been really good to work slow and to return to look at work with fresh eyes. Making new work from the old. This image has also just been successfully accepted in to my Photo Vogue portfolio which you can see here
To chat about work, ideas or just say hi feel free to email me hello@kerrycurl.com
The final person I photographed before lockdown. The very last one. At least my final day working in my studio was both busy and full of human interaction. Having worked my way through two portrait sessions that day, Louis from Crumb Agency was my third and final one of the day. It did feel like something was imminent, but lockdown was something still happening in other countries, it wasn’t ‘real’ in the UK yet.
During this shoot Louis and I were chatting about the future, we’d both been researching universities, Louis for his BA and me for a MA. Such a recent conversation yet it seems so long ago now. I took my time editing these, choosing the final selections was no easy task but there was also a part of me that didn’t want that last little piece of ‘normal’ to leave me. However as discussed in our uni chat Louis must fly the nest and so here is a selection of portraits of Louis.
To chat about work, ideas or just say hi feel free to email me hello@kerrycurl.com
See more work over on my instagram
Visit Louis’s portfolio on Crumb
In March before we all went in to lockdown I had a day of portrait sessions with some amazing humans from Crumb Agency. My studio is small, tucked behind what was a gallery in Norwich. Years ago it would have been a shop and I suspect the space I occupy was a store room and/or at some point possibly living quarters? I should really do some investigating but it’s never really occurred to me until recent days. A case of absence makes the heart grow fonder maybe.
It’s very much an art studio as opposed to a clinical photographic studio. It’s my space to make work, to meet up with people, drink tea, and listen to music. At some point I will head back in to work from there (and hopefully make work from there) but for now here is a selection of portraits of Joel, made from my last day in my space before we were all told to stay at home.
To chat about work, ideas or just say hi feel free to email me hello@kerrycurl.com
See more work over on my instagram
Visit Joel’s portfolio on Crumb
India. 2017.
Styling Alex Hill.
With thanks to Wake Up Little Susie Vintage for the loan of the blouse. The true seventies trousers I sourced on ebay and they remain in my vintage collection. Amazingly they’d been owned by the sellers mother who had them from new.
As I write this post I am sat in the same room, next to the piano in the image and it really doesn’t feel like three years ago we made this work. How strange time is.
28 May 2020
In March before we all went in to lockdown I had a day of portrait sessions with some amazing humans from Crumb Agency. Welcome to the last day in my studio. I wonder when I will be back in there making work?
Visit Camran’s profile on Crumb
See more work over on my instagram
Documenting the rehearsal of MILK. A fashion performance by artist Amy Ollett, featuring dancers Federica and Danielle.
Taken in 2019 , I’ve looked back at these images during lockdown and wondered when touch like this will be allowed again…
Amy did a really fabulous interview with Verse Magazine about this collection which you can read here
See more of my work over on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/kerrycurl/
Weds 20 May 2020.
Sleep to dream.
It’s lockdown. Like many people I’ve been wondering how to the way the world has changed will effect how we work. How I work. I saw someone describe these current times as like being in a snow globe. As the shaking stops or at least begins to feel less vicious, I’m feeling ready to think about what could be next.
Of course we don’t know…
I’m looking back at all the work I have been lucky enough to make so far. As an ex blogger (before everyone blogged and in 2010 hardly anyone knew what a blog was and when you told them, the idea of throwing words out in to the internet which might be read by no-one was an odd concept. How times have changed. How lots has changed.
So ten years on I may now use the the word ‘journal’ instead of ‘blog’ but either way a new regular post (feature?) will be the Image of the week, possibly new work, possibly work that’s been made a while. We will see how it develops.
Image - portrait of Jordan Wake. 2019.
I’m really excited to be have been interviewed by Aileen Yu for a series about working in fashion on the FashionUnited platform.
Work in fashion: A day in the life of a freelance fashion photographer
As someone who has read this fashion industry online bible for years it’s a real honour to be able to talk about my work in a feature.
See the interview on FashionUnited. HUGE thanks to Aileen for this opportunity.
To discuss commissions or general enquires feel free to email me - hello@kerrycurl.com
Say hi on instagram
The British Journal of Photography Presents Portrait of Britain 2019.
I’m delighted to have my portrait of Norwich Blogger and stylist Karen James Welton (aka The Fabulous Miss K) selected to be part of the British Journal of Photography’s Portrait of Britain 2019. Selected as a winning image from thousands of entries, Karens portrait joins an exhibition of 100 Portraits which is now live on public screens across the country until the end of September. Portrait of Britain is described as the UK’s biggest exhibition of portraiture.
The work is being exhibited across JCDecaux’s nationwide screens, appearing in public places throughout the UK including highstreets, bus stops, rail stations, shopping centres and airports. The 100 winning images join a further 100 shortlisted images to create a Portrait of Britain Vol 2 photobook, published by Hoxton Mini Press and is available direct form the publisher or via Amazon.
You can read a few thoughts behind this image and some of the other winning/short listed images over on The Shutterhub Blog If you do see this image on the screens I’d love it if you could take a picture and send it to me. The full exhibition is also online if you’d like a look through all the winning and shortlisted entries.
I also had work selected to be in Portrait of Britain 2017, which you can take a look at here.
Thanks to Karen for this portrait session. I was testing out some ideas for what I hope will lead to a new project. More images from this photoshoot to come. Karen is represented by Crumb Agency.
For commissions or general enquires feel free to email me - hello@kerrycurl.com
Visit my website - kerrycurl.com
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I have an image of Eto Badu being exhibited at The Print Space London, organised by Photographers United. I was delighted to have work selected and big thank you to the organisers for the brilliant opening night. The image is part of my ‘This is Not Nostalgia?’ project which uses secondhand and vintage fashion to create ‘fashion’ imagery without the usual buy buy buy all the new things consumption element. Along with photography and art direction I also styled this shoot myself using secondhand and vintage fashion. This is something which is very important to me and something I’ve been using within my work for several years now.
Head over to my instagram to see more images from the opening night, it runs until 15/1 if you can make a visit.
The Print Space 74 Kingsland Road, London E2 8DL
9 JAN - 15 JAN 2019
To discuss commissions, ask about prints or general enquires feel free to email me hello@kerrycurl.com
Follow me over on instagram
Designers Vin + Omi sprinkle their runway shows with interesting looking models and celebrities - which adds a real diversity to the status quo of what a model look stereotypically is. Delighted to get to photograph Debbie Harry at this show.
I’ve shot a fair bit of runway but I’ve realised that telling the story from a more documentary and observational way is where it’s at for me.
If you’re a creative interested in booking me to document your show from backstage, discuss commissions or have general enquires feel free to email me - hello@kerrycurl.com
Say hi on instagram