A recent piece on my work for Cabana Magazine
An online discussion and work shop with myself, Tim Clinch and Joanna Maclennan.
So tomorrow I will be doing an online discussion and workshop with my two friends Tim Clinch and Joanna Maclennan. We all photograph interiors but in different ways. I will be talking about my work in historic places, how to get access , tips on photography and technique and also showing some images, both old and new. If you want to join us you can sign up here. https://www.two-photographers.com/book-now
On Thursday 22nd April at 17.00 CET (Paris) time the Two Photographers become the Three Amigos when we are joined by our great friend Mark Luscombe-Whyte for a special two hour ‘In Depth’ special on Interiors Photography. Each of us will be dealing with a different element of interiors... Mark will be discussing shooting in historical and public places, Joanna will cover shooting in private homes and Tim will be explaining the ins and outs of Hotel & Restaurant photography. We will each present our work for 30 minutes, during which we will share our knowledge about interiors photography, and then open up the floor for questions and discussion. The price for the session is a mere €30.00! Book online at our new website www.two-photographers.com or email us two.photographers2020@gmail.com for details... All pictures on this post are by @markluscombewhyte#interiorsphotography#twophotographers2020#photographyworkshops
A Jolly Jail, Karzer at Heidelberg Univeristy shot for Cabana issue14
As you mount the stairs to Heidelberg University’s Karzer jail, or students’ prison, you enter a long lost world. The Karzer represents an era of duels, shadowy fraternities and students who spent most of their time dressing up in outlandish uniforms, haunting taverns and raising riot in the streets.
Students were sent to the Karzer for a range of misdemeanours, many of which seemed to have involved drinking extreme amounts of alcohol, as beer played an important role in the induction process for the various university fraternities. Students were usually sentenced to stays of between three days and a month, but they were allowed to continue with their studies and, while the conditions were Spartan, they could bring their own bedding into the cells. The incarcerated students could even send out for food and wine and visitors were allowed to come and go as they wished.
Duelling and fencing were also an important right of passage for some of these fraternities, as only those who had fought the required number of matches could become fully fledged members. Regulations published in 1810 stated that anyone convicted of fencing should be confined for a period of 14 days at the Karzer and any spectators should be detained for three days. If you look at the old doors at the Karzer you will find numerous ‘carte de visite’ of former prisoners, many with heavy scarring on their faces from a time when the scars were worn as a badge of honour.
Whilst tales of student misdemeanours are fascinating, it is how the inmates spent their time in the Karzer that draws us here. In his book, A Tramp Abroad, Mark Twain devotes a lengthy appendix to “ The College Prison ”. Twain points out that “the ceiling was completely covered in names, dates and monograms done with candle smoke. The walls were thickly covered with pictures and portraits, some done with ink , some with soot, some with a pencil and some with red, blue and green chalks; and wherever an inch or two of space remained between the pictures, the captives had written plaintive verses, or names and dates.”
As Twain suggests, every single surface at the Karzer has been embellished in one way or another and the result is a single work of art made by countless hands over many years. The ceilings are covered in soot paintings, every inch of the walls is filled with portraits of members of the various fraternities, each one marked by their different coloured caps. The chairs, beds and desks are all covered in carvings and even some of the windows panes have been engraved. Although the Karzer closed its doors for the last time in February 1914, just before the First World War, these images still stand as a testament to those long departed inmates.
“Genius is a crime these days, here in this world of slavish ways,” said one inmate “Who causes the truth to flash and glint is packed off to jail to do a stint. ”
Hyderabad for Cabana Issue 14
I have just added a new article to my website, a 40 page feature on Hyderabad shot this time last year for Cabana magazine and now out in Issue 14. To have a look go to Editorial , click on the article and open View which will take you to the new piece.
It was a great piece to shoot and we shot it over 7 days as we delved deep into the history of Hyderabad and we given permission to shoot in places that are rarely seen .
A new piece on the furniture maker Joseph Walsh for House and Garden
I have just published a new article for House and Garden on the Irish furniture maker Joseph Walsh and his wonderful furniture . You can find the full article in the Clients section here or head to https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk https://www.josephwalshstudio.com
An article on my work published by The Miaja Group in Singapore.
View Click here to view.
The Way of St James. An online exhibition running for 31 days.
So back in 2009 the financial markets had crashed , work had dried up and it was mid winter. One Thursday afternoon I found myself sitting on my sofa feeling sorry for myself and worried about the future when I remembered a conversation I had with a friend about The Way of St James, the ancient pilgrimage route that runs throughout Europe with all paths leading to Santiago de Compostela. I spent the afternoon doing some research and on the spur of the moment I decided that I would do the walk . On the Friday I went to Montpellier , bought clothes and the few things I would need and on Saturday I went for a walk which was the sum total of my training and on the Monday I left by train to Saint-Jean-de-Port which is the beginning of The Camino Frances, an 800km route running over the Pyrenees and then through northern Spain to Santiago de Compostela.
The world has once again gone crazy and for now the only travel is in our minds so I have decided to do a virtual exhibition which will run for 31 days which was the time it took me to do the Camino .
Today I will pull out my old journal and my Compostela which has a stamp from every refuge I stayed in and once a day I will post an image and try and give a description of where I was and how I felt at the time.
On the Tuesday I woke at 6 am , pulled on my new clothes , adjusted my rucksack and headed off for a brief breakfast and stepped onto the Camino for the first time. I had no idea of what I was about to embark on but I had two things in my mind , to walk and reflect on my life and to get to Santiago De Compostela on foot with no cheating . The picture here is the first I took after about an hours walk up the mountain heading toward Napoleon’s Route which is a high pass which takes you to the great monastery of Roncesvalles .
You can follow the exhibition here on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/markluscombewhyte/
India.
So in one week I am off to India for a month. My journey will begin in Hyderabad where I will be shooting an amazing project which will be published next year. From there I head to Cochin to do a small shoot, search for some fine Malabar pepper and spend a few days relaxing before heading to Chennai , Pondicherry and then Bombay. My last week is unplanned and I would like to shoot a story . At the moment I am thinking of doing a piece on Varanasi but I thought I might do a post here as I know people from India follow my occasional posts . So if you have any ideas I would love to hear from you. You will find my email address in the contacts section on my website and if by chance any of you live near the cities I am visiting then I would love to meet up. Either way I will try and add a few posts whilst I am on the road. I will be in India from the 21 November to the 21st December.
The Topkapi Palace , Istanbul . Cabana Issue 12
I have just posted a new story in the clients section on The Topkapi Palace in Istanbul. It is a beautiful 28 page feature that I shot with Christoph Radl who is the co founder of Cabana. We shot the story back in May and Christoph has produced a beautiful layout . I rarely say that I am totally happy with something but I am thrilled with this and off on another Cabana adventure soon so watch this space. To see the full article go to the Clients section here, click on View and it should open.
Read MoreGalerie du Bout du Monde.
Some of my recent photographs from my trip to Argentina and Chile will be shown in a group show at Galerie du Bout du Monde between August 2nd and September 7th. I have chosen six images that I shot of a series of volcanic landscapes, all at altitudes between 4500m and 5000m. If you are close by it would be great to see you. The gallery is very close to my home so if you are going then drop me a line and I will pop by.
Galerie Huit, Arles. British Journal of Photography Home and Away Exhibition.
I am happy to have a couple of photographs in a group show at Galerie Huit in Arles which was organized by the BJP. If you are in Arles, the show is up until the end of July and the address is 8 Rue de la Calade which is right in the centre. And obviously Les Rencontres des Arles is in full swing so another great reason to visit.
Umberto Pasti's Exquisite Home in Tangier
I have just added a new story on the beautiful home of Umberto Pasti, the horticulturalist and writer to the Clients section of my website. Click on View to open the full story.
A feature on my work by Ali Hilu, a social media expert in Jordan,
Barcleona Exhibition 13 to the 21st June
Collodion Pop Ups. Spring - Summer 2018
It has been a while since I have shot any Collodion, a combination of low UV and having to prioritize commercial work over the last 6 months. Spring is still a vague thought but the UV levels will start rising shortly so I am about to start clearing and cleaning the darkroom and servicing all the cameras and lenses and I should start shooting in February.
From about March I will start doing some pop up days and individual days with my friend Joanna Maclennan who is another great photographer. We will start off around St Remy de Provence and Montpellier and then hopefully a bit further afield , possibly Barcelona and Italy would also be nice as they are both close to us. If anyone has any ideas or locations then let me know and also if you fancy coming along for a portrait session, either a quick sitting or an individual day. I will post more information about dates and locations over the next month of so and you can either email me or leave a message here.
Architectural Digest Middle East.
I am very pleased to have another feature on my work published in Architectural Digest Middle East, again focusing on my work in the region. The editor Manuel Arnaut has been a great supporter of my work and some of my favorite pictures have been for him including the recent shoot with the Tigers in Dubai and the images of the White Mosque in Abu Dhabi. The opening image is also the work of another friend Christopher Hall an is another of my favorite images. There are also some of my early interiors work and portraits from the region. Click on View above to read the full article. http://christopherhalldesign.com/
One Coast Magazine.
Black and White Photography Magazine
Having given me the cover back in October the wonderful team at B+W Photography magazine have very kindly done a larger spread on my work which has given me added motivation to go out and create a larger body of work based around a narrative. I hope to start this shortly but in the mean time have a look at the full article by clicking on View below.
Hunting with a Sloughi in the Sahara Desert.
So my exhibition in Abu Dhabi was hung last night and opens today. If any of you are close by then pop over to The Galleria on Al Maryah Island. The exhibition is split into two parts with the main body in the Great Room whilst the rest, and some of my favorites are near Almaz by Momos.
Here is a shot I took for the Momo's Cookbook of a man who was hunting in the Sahara Desert with a Sloughi, a sighthound found mainly in North Africa and originally from Ethiopia .
The exhibition is up until December the 6th and prints can be ordered by emailing me via the Contact page on my website.
A cover shoot with Tigers in Dubai. →
A few weeks ago I arrived in Dubai late at at night and found myself at dawn the next morning on a beach next to the Burj Al Arab with six fully grown Tigers. They belong to Sheikha Latifa, the sister of Dubai's ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and we were there to photograph them for a front cover of Architectural Digest which will come out early next year. It was quite a surreal experience being on a beach at dawn with six of these beautiful animals and as I took this shot I could not help but wonder where the other four were. The tigers were raised in captivity and are 'tame' but in your heart you always know that you can never quite tame a wild animal. It was an extraordinary experience being so close them and interacting with them after they had finished their morning fun and games which seem to consist of hunting one and other and then a nice leisurely swim and a stroll down the beach. We shot with an amazing team who care full time for the animals and I also managed to get some shots of some of the Sheikha's collection of horses and birds of prey that I hope will be published in the feature. All it all it was a great shoot and my thanks go out the Sheikha Latifa and her team for all of their help in making this happen.
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