I did it! I got out to the Garstang Museum of Archaeology again a couple of weeks ago and I’m so happy about it! I’m now one step closer to doing my first bit of artefact photography since June 2023. I’m still spending most of my days in the house, but I’m tentatively stepping out…
Sixty photos, three exposures, two images, and one cheeky Egyptian god. Join me as I share my journey of photographing a gorgeous wooden statuette of Bes.
Find out how I went about photographing a beautiful string of ancient Egyptian carnelian beads with a fly pendant. Also … why a fly …? Buzz, buzz!
Dealing with chronic illness is a long-term project.
Distilling 270 individual photos into two images of one, beautiful amulet.
New exhibition by the Garstang Museum of Archaeology explores the role animals played in the culture of ancient Egypt and Sudan
Sometimes, an opportunity presents itself that just can’t be ignored; when you have to just ditch whatever else you’re doing and just go do it.
That happened to me one January morning, when I woke up to find the day shrouded in an unusually heavy cloak of fog.
It’s not uncommon for people to find solace in creativity when dealing with difficult times in their lives. For me, photography was what helped me cope during a difficult period in my life. In 2015, I was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS), a disease which leaves me exhausted and unable to do many things I’d previously taken for granted.
I found relief through photography when I started to really explore this art form in the months following my diagnosis.
If I asked you to imagine a day at a city-centre cultural festival, what would pop into your mind? Music? Crowds? Food? Dancing? An all-round sensory hit of sight, sound, smells and taste?
Probably. I would.
But not, perhaps, a feeling of peace, of quiet, of meditation and of mindfulness.
When I photographed the 2016 Liverpool Arab Arts Festival, it was a feast for the senses. But, for all the colour and music and dancing and food, it was one of the quieter artists who stood out for me: Nazir Tanbouli.
I love photographing artefacts. I really do. Not only do I get to explore these beautiful, fascinating pieces from history, the whole process is creative, thoughtful, mindful and peaceful.
But, every so often, an artefact comes along that puts the willies right up me.
And no, I’m not talking about photographing mummies in a spooky, Halloween-y way; they’re amazing and awe-inspiring to photograph in their own way, but not scary.
No. What I’m talking about is having to handle and photograph artefacts that are looking for any excuse to start falling apart in your hands.