Thicker Than A Whale Omelette!
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Thicker Than A Whale Omelette!
I have decided to write the ’ Weekly Stalker .’ You see I photograph most days and never have to go far to find something to photograph, the shops, hairdressers anywhere and everywhere.
People are just amazingly interesting to me. The smallest detail of their body language, the expressions, the eyes, smile, their happiness, sadness etc. I am thrilled when I watch people behaving like humans, not posing, or acting or fretting about pulling their bellies in or brushing their hair.
We are conditioned to be unreal, and it all starts at an early age when schools hire dubious photographers called Roy who spit on their hands to smooth down kids hair and tell them to say cheese!
This is not me, I will photograph you and your family, friends and clients as uniquely as you see them.
Last month I was asked to photograph the annual wine tasting at the Guild of Guardians at the Lord Majors Mansion House in Clifton Bristol. Now that was photography heaven. Most of the people knew each other extremely well. I was apprehensive at first, and kept my distance with my zoom lens ( a stalker always has to have a zoom). I felt rather intimidated by the grown up-ness of the event and I was transported to age 10 with my kodak photographing my grandmothers bridge evening.
The most obvious person to photograph was the Lord Major in his chains, but I was quickly drawn firstly to a very confident chap called John Harvey ( see photo below ) John was hugely popular with all the guests and extremely knowledgeable about wine. Making an utter fool of myself I asked him what interested you so much about wine? He looked at me like I was thicker than a whale omelette!
He was of course John Harvey of the hugely famous and popular sherry Harvey’s Bristol Cream. I muttered something about my grandmother loving that sherry and hid behind my lens. It turns out he lives in the same village as Lord Waldegrave who is the provost Eton College, where I had just photographed my cousin ( jazz pianist genius ) Charlie who is a Kings scholar their, last month! Small world?
As the evening got under way and wine started to be drank, spat out and gargled I relaxed, I could not have scripted the scenes that followed. The unique way people show their appreciation and dislike for things amazes me every time. I am the harshest critic of actors because rarely can anyone pull off reality, they all try too hard. Here I had a room full of people being themselves with all their idiosyncrasies and habits. I was in delighted and couldn’t stop grinning. I was like a loon with a camera.
Although there was a lot of pomp and ceremony throughout, there was a sense of calmness. All these people in the room were affluent, extremely in many cases. So there was no pretentious clap trap or aspiring individuals. Everybody there was successful, they had nothing to prove. It was like having 50 Alan sugars in one room. So it was relaxed and friendly and they soon forgot I was there. Kindness and curiosity were what every single person showed me
At the end of tasting the wine, some of which was 14% we ( I was invited to eat too, result! ) We had a wonderful buffet of salmon and coronation chicken.
I talked to the members about their families, and how they started their business and about Bristol. This is when I get the essence of the person and what makes them tick. I capture the human not the actor.
Above are some photographs of the members enjoying the night and voting on particular wines. There also was a rather sexy chamber orchestra for dessert!
Let me photograph an event for you and your clients. Let me show you how I see your family, friends, work or home anything. Let me immortalise your life!
Jo Stowell
P/S. A lot of people tell me that they hate having their photograph taken. I always respond the same, our minds talk crap and are toxic to how we perceive who we are. We are a reflection of how much rubbish we absorb through our daily lives, too fat, too thin, too old, too ugly, hate my nose, etc. Give yourself a break. Let me show you how I and everyone else sees you, give your mind a rest!
www.yourpaparazzi.co.uk
07843314897 /01275395346
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