“I have never been a hit-and-run type photographically, despite the appearance of many photographs being quickly snatched. With my way of seeing – it has been pretty consistent across the music work.. I do not separate life, friendships and photography because they have been one.. every weekend new faces n new places for more than 10 years – it became easy quite soon to tell the unusual from the commonplace, photographically….the longer the project and the more visits to a place, the more layers are peeled back.. it´s only over time that i´m aware of just how many layers there are, and the more rare photographs present themselves. i like rare photos.. uncommon exposures of common moments which all can relate to.. :ø)”

My very talented friend David Bowen had some of his photos featured on BURN magazine earlier this week and there’s a really interesting debate underneath – one of the more intelligent discussions I’ve seen on there for a while. I’m always interested in why people choose to photograph what they do and he writes as honestly and lucidly as he snaps – refreshing in an industry so full of egos and bullshit. David has spent the past 10+ years photographing cultural events, particularly the electronic music scene, on commission, both in the UK and abroad. These three photos are from Derry in Northern Ireland, where he and I worked together on three separate occasions when we were both still earning our crusts from the music press…he has been there many more times than that though. I can attest to the fact that there are few more welcoming places in the world…I too hold the people I’ve met there in very high esteem. Since I picked up a camera David has both encouraged me and challenged my thinking in a very positive way. I think his work – and words – deserve more recognition so if you have time, check them out.