The faces of Mumbai

There’s one thing certain about shooting portrait content in Mumbai, you’ll never be short of it. Wherever you look, wherever you turn, there’s another face you’ll notice and yet another one you’ll spot out of the corner of your eye, or perhaps they might even be one staring at you. After all, as a white European, we’re somewhat of a novelty.

Remember this though, don’t assume that everyone likes the idea of have a camera raised and pointed at them. You need to connect with your subject first. I was fortunate enough to have some language skills to help me along the way as well as a local fixer gifted in the art of explaining in detail to the subjects who I was and what I’m was doing in Mumbai.
A freelance documentary film photographer working alongside UK & European media outlets. On this occasion, searching for print based media content to share with us all.

Please note: All of these shots were taken with the subjects consent

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what's new for 2025 then

With the induction of a new year, Im sure I will continue to add more “lives” content to the “a day in the life of a” project as I’m not finished on that front. This is become one of those projects that never really has an end date in mind when I first conceived it.
As long as I keep finding lives to document, I’ll keep working on it.

Writing
Ive a few articles to write for those on line photographic platforms that I submitted content for and Im glad they’ve come back to me for more documentative related copy and imaging. Ive also a first for me on a podcast front. Neale James of Photowalk got in touch and asked If he could interview me regarding the “a day in the life” project. Im not sure how this will go but I thought why not give it a go. Ive never been a lover of hearing my own voice so Im not sure If I will play it back at all. Ive never listened to a podcast before, maybe this is the time to do so - im old school me…..

Travel
With 28% of the planet already covered, I certainly will be travelling more and combining that with work assignments too. Im current in Finland, then in a few weeks later I’ll be in India on a jolly but capturing content for an article for hugo at Grain. See my previous article here if your interested. Its a great on line publication as well as a hard copy read

Commissions
These days I only take on work that Im interested in and thats a great place to be. Im only interested in work that challenges me rather than the easier work routes that some other photographers prefer. Im lucky I guess to be in a position that I only need to can pick and choose what floats my boat. Once again on the commissions front, no pixels here, I only shoot film and I certainly won’t compromise on that front.

Any new kit/purchases?
Nope, Ive got my killer rigs and a fridge fully stocked with film. I love shooting expired E6 stocks the most. There is that phrase through isn’t there, “never say never” but I’ve spent too many years buying and selling kit to find the right set up for me. Now I have that perfect camera/s set up that covers all film formats. RD

fishing - an integral part of Cornish life

If you live by the Cornish coast, then you’ll know how fishing forms an integral part of our Cornish lives. From the commercial crab fisherman lifting their catch 10 miles off shore, to the sardine ring net fisherman circling Mounts Bay. Thens there the one or two crewed independent small boat fishermen who line catch Bass and Mackerel. Don’t forget those shoreside support guys too.
The skilled net makers. Sadly this has become a dying skill but there are still a few of them out there. You’ll also find a whole team of guys and girls who support are fishermen once on shore. They too form an integral part of the industry.

Ive been fortunate enough to of been allowed aboard these commercial vessels and the captains and crew have aloud me to capture all that I see. This is a dangerous industry but the fishermen that work these waters are well trained in order to help them along the way. Commercial fishing is a super tough industry to work in and only tough men and women need apply. Below are just a few of the shots Ive taken overtime. All on film and all real. A big thank you once again to all of those who allowed me to capture them

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he came from nowhere

There are times, just like in street photography that a shots just comes to you. What I mean by that is that a shot can just randomly present itself when perhaps you least expect it. A classic case of that is the shot below. I was out early one morning shooting street content in downtown Vancouver when I walked past this pile of pallets. As I walked past it I heard this rustling of heavy duty plastic sheeting and then this head popped up. It took me by surprise and the guy also by surprise to see me there looking at him.

My first thought was to say hello and to ask what he was doing there. his reply sadly was “I live here”. Clearly he was homeless. Now Im a believer of chatting to the homeless element of this world and listen to their stories. Of course I offered him and hot drink and something to eat, just common sense for me to do that.

We chatted for a while and I explained to him that I was a documentary film photographer with a love of portrait. You can see where this was leading. I had to ask him the question “may I take your photo” The reply was short and sweet, “yep”. I didnt ask him to pose and dress the shot, just to relax and I kept cahting to him until the shutter finally closed. I never got his name but I enjoyed our chat. Choice of camera and film that day? My Hassy 500CM and a roll of Ektar. A great portrait combo. RD

all muscle....

Id be the first to confess that Im somewhat of a petrolhead. I love many cars that I would class as real car. Classic’s that is, none of that modern day rubbish thats being pumped out that the moment. My main interest I guess has always been British and European models but from time to time, the unexpected muscle car pop’s up that really turns my head. In this case, it was Barry’s 1964 Thunderbird

This car has some great history to it. Before it came to the UK in 1987 it was a Illinois state troopers police car. Uprated for Police use with a tuned block and improved gearing. After that, it become the local Governor wife’s car before being sold on a few years later. So in 87, it was shipped to the UK. It sat here for a while before Barry purchased in 2015 as a rolling shell with everything in boxes

Such a good looking car both inside and out. So after Barry got hold of it, 95% original I might add, he completely rebuilt it himself apart form the paint and electric’s that is. Now if you’re going to shoot a classic, then shoot it how it was done all those years ago, on film. Personally, I believe film gives you a real period look to it, something digi simply cant offer. Other opinions are available but they’re wrong!

Black cars generally are a bugger to shoot unless you get the right light and on this occasion, early morning Cornish light worked a treat. I did roll of a few frames in black and white but they just didnt work. Portra 400 was my film stock of choice and for me the balance of colour and light worked out nicely

Thanks again for you time Barry and finally allowing me to shoot your Thunderbird. RD

5 frames, one theme - Auschwitz

Auschwitz is one of those trips I’ve being saying I’ll get round to one day and last month I finally got there. I arrived with an open view on what I wanted to shoot, or should I say what I was allowed to shoot. There are some parts of Auschwitz you simply cannot take images of and we all have to respect that. My vision was simple, 5 documented frames that for me summed up what Auschwitz was all about.

Black and white film for me was the right choice. Kodak’s Double X was perfect for the brief as its a high contrast stock and has a classic period documentary aspect to it, grainy.

Image 1: One of the remaining train wagons from that period that were used to transport the jews to Auschwitz.

Image 2: Clearly there was no escape as electric fences and watch towers surrounded the camp

Image 3: The most basic and impersonal spaces resembling cattle sheds. I leave to judge what they were used for

Image 4: Photographed, documented, the lucky ones were put to work but mainly all of them were put to death

Image 5: The twin fenced walk way that lead you to Dr Josef Mengele’s experimental buildings. Your fate unsure other than the final outcome

My article is not meant in any way to shock you, but more so to remind us all of that terrible Holocaust during WW2. I urge you all to visit the site and experience what I did alongside others. It beggars belief that human life can be regarded as so worthless.

shooting Expired with the odd colour shift - but it works..... →

Ive been shooting expired film for years and I get some great results from them. In fact at one stage, I was shooting 80% of my work on expired stocks. Why you might ask? Well, I l just love too and more so with E6 stocks. Now there are a number of you out there that are nervous about shooting expired and maybe more so E6. Expired slide film is so much more stable than c41 stocks so dont be nervous on that front.
The latest slide roll Ive just shot some content on is a roll of EliteChrome 100. I did a little review on it some time back and I love it so I shot another roll. As with the first roll, I did experience some colour shifts but I reckon that was down to poor storage in its earlier life before I bought it. As I said before, E6 is so stable

So, here’s the first shot for you. Whilst it might appear that the colours look real, and they do, there Cornish, there are further elements of blues tones. Take a look at the second shot and you’ll see what I mean in more detail. The sand is now blue but the colours of the flag in the reflection remain the same.

Ive placed the next set of images in a small gallery so you can compare the tones and the shifts in colour and blue here seems to be the primary one. Now there’s this photography rule I’d really like to quash or should I say Id like EM from Emulsive to tell you more. the One stop rule! its rubbish - here a link to his article - https://emulsive.org/articles/rants/how-to-shoot-expired-film-or-no-you-do-not-need-to-add-one-stop-per-decade

Personally, I dont do it with slide, there is no need. However, with C41 I have done it a few times with rubbish results. Hence why I don’t do it now. Shoot your stocks at box and see what you get. I like the results here and that colour shift for me works. RD

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Shooting the shoot

A couple of seasons ago, I was lucky enough to get a formal invite to a local sporting shoot which I simply could not turn down. This was a shoot like no other. It was so far removed for the general publics perception of Range Rovers, Purdy’s (very expensive shotguns) and people drinking whisky out of lead crystal glasses. This shoot was far from it. Not a single Range Rover in site but plenty of harris tweeds and well dresser shooters ( the guys with the guns). This was and is a budget end local family run shoot. Open to all and invites to all, providing you have some experience of course.

The shoot was headed up by Dan (centre stage in the image below), a local farmers son which has access to woodlands, hidden valleys and acres and open farm land that is so well suited to shoots of this kind. For Dan, putting this shoot together was and is all about budget end shooting. A level where all can afford rather than the high end “Purdy” end of the market. Dan’s shoot is different, the beaters are the shooters and the shooters are the beaters. All of the members takes a turn. The high end shooters just arrive to shoot and leave the beating to others. They see themselves as being beyond that brief sadly…

An integral part of any shoot are the dogs. “Trained to the gun” as they are often referred to. Endless hours of training by their owners to get to a level where they can send them on to hunt out and retrieve the birds. Amazing to watch and their reward is nothing other than working.

The shoot as a rule takes a day and the “peg” selection comes first thing. The “peg” is a ground marker that you will stand at during the shoot. Each member has their own peg. Selection sometimes can be the luck of the draw. In some cases it appears to be pain full - see below

I follow Dan and his members throughout the shoot and captured all that I saw. This kind of “sporting” activity is closely monitored and managed and rightly so. There will always be a high element of danger when the likes of guns/firearms are being used but it was very clear to me from the off that professionalism here was key and everyone understood what was expected of them.

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Its rare to be invited to these type of shoots as a photographer, but with my connections I was invited in. I was made to feel very welcome and to some degress put of the shoot myself. Lunch with the shoot was epic by the way. A farmers wife cooking is second to none. Thank you Dan and a thank you to all your members that made me feel welcome that day. RD

what 50p got me on the camera front

Im still amazed at what turns up at car boots these days on the photographic front. From old slides to box brownies and even the occasional real find like a Leica. However, on this occasion my latest find was this cracking little Kodak Pocket Instamatic 100. In its original box plus a set of flashes at a price of 50p, yes, 50p - a steal!!

So, given the fact that the camera didn’t come with a film, I went on line to that well known auction site and purchased a 110 cartridge of Kodacolor II at a cost of £9.00. The film arrived in the most amazing condition inside and out bearing in mind it expired back in 1974. It looked as if it had just come off the shelves.

At this stage, Im now into £9.50 for the camera and film, and yes I did check before hand as regards getting a 110 film developed and here in the UK too. Give the fact that this film of C41 is nearly 50 years old, I don’t expect that the film will be stable on the colour front and I’d expect some colour shifts, but that expired film for you. i might be lucky though.

The film is 12 exposures with an ASA of 80. With that in mind I’ll be shooting in bright sunshine with a little luck. With regards to the subject matter Ive chosen for this, it will be Sicily, somewhere Ive not shot before…… I’ll keep you posted

St Ives - through my eyes

St Ives - One would say quintessentially Cornish, picture postcard views and one of the singular most popular seaside towns in the UK. Its colourful, great out of season and very photogenic. But as photographer like most, often see what others don’t. Tourists will continue to take those typical St ives seaside shots we all see and love, but personally, I prefer to see a different side to it whilst at the same time, seeing different views.
Enclosed are just a few of what I see……

I tend to search out colours, use different film formats and a selection of film stocks to mix it all up.

A cliff top view here overlooking Porthmeor beach before the crowds arrive and the emptiness disappears. i often find that the morning light delivers the best light, thats always providing the clouds stay away

At low tide, St Ives offers free food for all. I refer to Cornish muscles if your a seafood lover. Remember though, go safe and be careful of the rocks and watch the tides etc. Im certainly not going to tell you where I harvest mine from, but wherever it is, I get the biggest muscles time after time.
There is a saying that you should never harvest muscles in the months with an “r” in them. Ive never found that an issue

They’ll always be somewhere to point your camera in St Ives and there’s always a different view, if you look for it. Colour will always stand out here, even in the off seasons. St Ives will always remain popular with tourist and locals alike. I’ll continue to look for more ways to shoot more content here - but always at first light and when the place is empty

Camera & film stocks used :
Pentax 6x7, Hassy 500 cm & Konica Hexar. Portra 400vc expired, expired ultramax 400 & Kodak Gold 120

I came back - Automotive

After shooting automotive content over a number of years for several automotive publications and media outlets, I gave it all up. It just became too easy and I got fed up with the mags cropping my imaging, paying me when they wanted too and some of the owners of that automotive content telling me how good their rides were.

However, more recently Ive become re interested in that area of photography due to the premium quality and varied volume of content I now find myself shooting again. This time it’s different, no more of that digital rubbish as I now only shoot film.

Sadly, print based media only takes digital content as they are after that pin sharp pixel crap that we as a nation have been programmed to believe it’s best. Here’s the thing though and this is directed to those blinkered magazine editors of the world, medium format film can be super sharp too and being film, it brings something that digi never will, a real texture and organic quality and lovely grain. Stick that in your digital pipe and smoke it.

Please note: All of the images contained within this post and other posts, and on my site are free from Photoshop, Lightroom and presets. All my imaging is real

Shooting Kodak Vision 250 3 D

For those of you who are uncertain as to what Kodak Vision 3 is, its a 35mm colour negative film originally made for motion pictures. The film's standard development process is ECN2 and Im told it can also be processed using the C-41 process. Double check that. I chose to go down the ECN2 route which is more costly one and you’ll need to search out someone in the UK who does specialist processing. I used Nik & Trick ( www.ntphotoworks.com), excellent service I might add. You’ll need to wait a little longer than the standard 2/3 days turn around time on this stock though. Factor in say 2/3 weeks to get your shots back.

So, the first set of images here are from the first roll I shot. I had no real subject matter in mind at the time other than to just roll off the film at whatever

Camera: Konica Hexar

Roll 2
On this occasion, i looked for more variety and colour to further test this stock and I found subjects that it suits, and perhaps others that it doesn’t. For me, the portrait shot below is fine in its composition but I can see yellow and slight green ish tones to it.
Given I know the subject well, the skin tones and studio walls colours, are not correct.

Further evidence of those yellow and green ish tones are highlighted here when I shot this image in low light conditions. The film was shot at stock and the light reading was fine, its just Vision3 that gives it these tones especially in low light

So, is it a stock Id shoot again? Hell yes! I like the fact that Vision3 for me seems to offer colours and tones that other stocks don’t as such. It’s never going to be one of my top 5 stocks but I will continue to shoot it

Please note: All of the images contained within this post and other posts, and on my site are free from Photoshop, Lightroom and presets. All my imaging is real