Month: January 2019

Four years of my life, in the company of the UK’s Hells Angels Motorcycle Club, resulted in a book, a few exhibitions, and an amazing experience. Here are just a handful of the images from my time documenting the parties, club events, a World Run, two UK Runs, at home, at play, a wedding and a few funerals.

Rockabilly isn’t just a kind of music, it’s a way of life. A raw fusion of rhythm and blues with country and western, rockabilly heralded the start of teenage rebellion in America in the early 1950’s. The stripped down sound witnessed a revival in the 1970’s and has continued until today, with rockabillies embracing not only the music but the clothes, cars and lifestyle of 1950’s youth counterculture. Rockin’ is my book of the contemporary rockabilly scene. Given exclusive access at events on both sides of the Atlantic, I wanted to capture the raw energy of the music and the commitment of the rockabilly community to authenticity. Below are a few images from the book.

I have been photographing circus performers for many years. I generally just approach a circus when it arrives at a town and ask if I can photograph the performers, and I try to use the area outside the big top as a backdrop. There is something resolutely rugged and everyday about those areas, in contrast to what happens inside the Big Top.

This is an ongoing project without any deadline. I find artists and ask them to suggest a location that has done or still does inspire them and then I use that as the location for the portrait.

The Dorkinians came about as a result of a conversation with a friend of mine who was starting a new business in Dorking and wanted an artwork/photograph for his new offices. Specifically he wanted an image that said something about the community. I had already been thinking for some time about creating a portfolio of portraits of the people of Dorking, so this presented some impetus and an opportunity to start that journey. Between the two of us it appeared that there was a common desire to try to establish what life in Dorking was like, who lived there and who visited the town. There is some debate about the population of the town, dependent largely on borders (and who you talk to) but approximately 20,000 is what was settled on. No doubt there will be people who disagree on this number, but I wanted a figure that I could aim at. I wanted to collect enough portraits that would be a fair, diverse and honest representation of people who either lived, worked, visited, went to school or had some reason to be involved in Dorking. I settled on a montage of 119 portraits. And because a few of the portraits contained groups, within the 119 portraits would be 200 people, and therefore approximately 1% of the population of Dorking.

So, it was then a question of finding people who were willing to sit (or stand) for me. I’ve lived in Dorking for 20 years, and so I know quite a few people in the town. I wanted to try and illustrate the diverse nature of a town that might fairly be considered Middle England, and so I wanted to try and surprise and be surprised by the make up of the community. In the end I photographed a few that I already knew, but I also approached people on the street or asked people if they could think or suggest anyone they thought suitable. In the end I was surprised. I met many people who had lived here as long as I, and found it inconceivable that we had not met before. I photographed some who had lived in the town all their life, I photographed a two day old baby boy, and I photographed a clown who was visiting Dorking for a few days with the circus. I also thought it important to represent the pillars of the community, places where community resides. To this end I approached churches, supermarkets, scout groups and public places and institutions. I should take this opportunity to thank all those who took part in the project, as well as those who helped direct me to many of the people photographed here.

Andrew Shaylor