HARVEYASPELL

One of my earliest photography jobs was taking pictures for a council’s image archives. I was sent out with a map (an actual paper map) to capture images of very specific bollards and grit bins. It was mind-numbing, but I took any opportunity to handle a camera. Over a decade and many weird and wonderful photography assignments and several courses at Central Saint Martin’s later, I found myself being offered a cup of tea by the delightful Joanna Lumley in her house before taking her picture.

Grit bins, celebrities, or stage doors, I take a lot of pride in my photography work. Ultimately, I like to take photographs that are powerful in their simplicity to tell a story. I also love that photography can take you anywhere, nowhere is the same, and you get to meet so many new people, it’s a constant adventure.

I’ve taken photographs in community centres, theatres, arenas and stadiums, at parties, gigs, exhibitions and marathons, not forgetting in my home studio. I also have some ongoing creative projects in Smoke Break and Stage Door, which have found some acclaim, respectively.