Amateur Photographer - UK (2019-06-07)

8 1 June 2019I http://www.amateurphotographer.co.ukI subscribe 0330 333 1113

Also out now

Thelatestandbestbooksandexhibitions

from the world of photography

Oliver ’sBirds

ForewordsbyIoloWilliamsandKenJenkins,

£17.99, 156 pages,ACCArtBooks,

hardback, ISBN978-

ATTHEageof 22,OliverHellowell

is wellonhiswaytobecominga

professionallandscapeandwildlife

photographer.Thisyoungmanhas

appearedonTheOneShow, has

over65,000followersonFacebook,andsellsprints

worldwide.Butwhatmakeshisachievements

remarkableis thathehasDown’sSyndrome.Oliver’s

loveof theoutdoorsbeganasa child,andwithhelp

fromhisstepfather,Mike,hedevelopedhisunique

photographystylein histeens.A keenbirdwatcher,he

hasa talentforcompositionandoftenadoptsunusual

anglestocaptureaspectsof birdbehaviour.Manyof

hisbeautifulstudiesof wrens,woodpeckersand

blackbirds– amongotherspecies– werecapturedin

hisbackgardenin Somerset.Thiscollectionof photos

is a delight,andfeaturesanintroductionbyhismum,

aswellasforewordsbyKenJenkinsandIoloWilliams.

Theskill,passionanddedicationOliverhasforhiswork

is evident on every page.★★★★★Tracy Calder

©

OL

VER

HELLOWELL

Some Kind of Truth

‘ChrisSteele-Perkins:SomeKindof Truth’runsat thePhotographers’Galleryin Londonuntil 30 June.Entryis £5and

free after 5pm daily. Under 19s and members also have free entry.Visit http://www.thephotographersgallery.org.uk.

I

t’sinterestingthatoneof the

earliestportionsof ChrisSteele-

Perkins’lifewasspentstudying

psychology.Lookingthroughthe

extensiveportfolioof thisMagnumPhotos

member,wecanseethatsomuchof his

photographyworksincehasbeenspent

penetratingandrecordingtheunderlying

mindsetof theUKbyvisitingareasand

communitiesthatarelargelyignoredand

underrepresentedin themajorityof

documentarywork.It is perhapsthrough

thesegroupsandlocations,ratherthanthe

mainstreamsettingthatsurroundsthem,

thatwegaininsightintothemost

importantfacetsof nationalidentity

andmake-up.

Thisis a notionthathasfoundSteele-

Perkinstravellingthecountry(andglobe)

capturing such subjects as Durham’s

closedcoalfields,urbanpovertyin British

cities,lifearoundNorthEastEnglandand,

mostfamously,hisimmersiverecords of

theTeddyBoysin the1970s.

Steele-Perkins’extensivework

culminatedwiththepublicationof

England,MyEnglandin 2009,a major

retrospectivethatsucceededin drawing

togethera dizzyingamountof work

(fourdecades’worth)intoonecohesive

littlehistoryof Englishculturesincethe

1970s.It’sbeen 10 yearssincethatbook

andtheimagescontainedwithinfeelall

themorecontemporaryin viewof our

• toputit lightly– currentpolitical
  predicament.Nowyoucanseea selection
  of theseimagesondisplayforyourself.
  ThePhotographers’Galleryhasalways
  beena finespaceforretrospectiveshows.
  Itsunfussyandmodestinteriorsare
  anidealbreathingspaceforthework
  of Steele-Perkins.Likethebest
  documentarywork,Steele-Perkins’
  images,whilenotnecessarilyapolitical,
  approachtheirsubjectswithanevenand
  non-judgementaleye.Theimagesrequire
  youtodothesame,notjustwiththe
  subjectsdepictedbutwiththepolitical
  andsocialclimatein whichtheyexisted.
  Steele-Perkinsimagesrequirea
  level-headeddialogue,somethingthat
  canoftenbelacking these days.
  Oliver Atwell

Olivergavea printofthis

shotofa wrentohis

friend,naturalistandTV

presenter Iolo Williams

BOOK

EXHIBITION

EXHIBITION

HereAmI byJimGrover

OxoGallery,OxoTowerWharf,Bargehouse

Street,SouthBank,LondonSE19PH

COMMISSIONEDbytheBishopof Southwark,Jim

Grover’slatestprojectcelebratesthe25thanniversary

of thefirstordinationsof womento thepriesthoodin the

Churchof England.It tellsthefascinatingstoriesof 12

womenpriestsin theSouthwarkDiocesetoday– their

backgroundsandroleswithintheDiocesearediverse

andtheyareat differentagesandstagesin theirpriestly

ministryandin a varietyof parishandchaplaincy

contexts,suchasprisonsandhospitals.

Youdon’tneedto bereligiousin anywayto enjoythis

exhibition,whichendsonSunday,2 June;entryis free.

JimGroveris a masterstorytellerwithhisbeautifulblack

& whitedocumentarywork.Hispreviousexhibitions

includelastyear’shighlyacclaimed‘Windrush:Portrait

of a Generation’,whichattracted13,000visitors.We

expect‘HereAmI’ to attractsimilarattention – it comes

highly recommended.Amy Davies

Chris Steele-Perkins

Groupofkidsin Divisflats,West Belfast,

Northern Ireland, 1978

© CHRIS STEELE-PERKINS

© CHRIS STEELE-PERKINS

AdamandEvepub,

Hackney, 1976