The magazine of the photo-essay
April/May 2019 back issue
“A free, really high quality photo-essay magazine. Fabulous!”
Stephen Fry. British actor, writer and film maker
Damian Bird
To commission him or to request prints of his work: damianbirdphotography.com
Damian Bird (born London, 1972) is a photographer, photojournalist and lecturer
with many years of experience, working in war zones and trouble spots around the
globe.
He was educated in Photography at the Surrey College of Art and Design and at the
London College of Communication where he studied for a post graduate degree in
Photojournalism.
In 2011 he founded Life Force magazine with his business partner and wife of 16
years, Alice. As well as Editing Life Force magazine, he is currently engaged in
photographing a series of photo-essays on English culture and has recently returned
to Afghanistan.His first book Seabird was released in November 2017.
Stanley Kubrick
“Nobody could craft a movie better than Stanley Kubrick. He is an inspiration to us
all. Stanley was a chameleon with the astonishing ability to reinvent himself with
each new story he told. I defy anyone who just happens upon a Kubrick film while
channel surging to try with all your might to change the station – I have found this to
be impossible.”
Steven Spielberg
He continues to have his work published in national and international newspapers and magazines including The Times,
the Telegraph, the Express, the Observer, GQ, Esquire, Daily Mail, Dazed & Confused,The Face, Country Life, Coast and
Geographical magazine. He lives in Devon, England with his wife, four children and his dachshunds, Jessie and Wilhelmina.
Nat Finkelstein
www.natfinkelstein.com
In the 1950s, Nat Finkelstein interned for legendary Harper’s Bazaar Art Director, Alexey Brodovitch, before moving on to
supply photography for publications such as ‘LIFE’ magazine and ‘Sports Illustrated’. A commission from ‘Pagaent’ magazine in
1962 with a request to photograph the Pop Art scene, allowed Nat Finkelstein to meet Andy Warhol – and, stunned by the
apparent decadence of life at the Factory, Finkelstein resolved to capture this environment teeming with the underground
bourgeoisie. His fascination with the countercultures of the era led him to stay on as photographer at the Factory for three
years, resulting in a collection that has the glamour, energy and edge of a 1960s film set. Upon falling out with Warhol and
his turbulent circle, Finkelstein left the Factory in order to pursue a more politically engaged lifestyle.
In 1969, he fled the United States due to a federal drug charge. The allegations were ultimately dropped and Finkelstein
returned to the U.S. a decade later to continue documenting artists, musicians, and subcultures including the international
rave scene of the 1990s. Following his death in 2009, Nat Finkelstein’s wife Elizabeth established the Estate of Nat
Finkelstein to continue the work he left behind and preserve his creative legacy. Images have since featured on licensed
merchandise from companies including NARS cosmetics, Pepe Jeans and Uniqlo, in collaboration with the Andy Warhol
Foundation. Furthermore, his photographs are included in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art,
New York; V&A Museum, London; Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh, PA; and the National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian
Institute, Washington, DC.
Rajib Singha
To commission him or to request prints of his work: email
Rajib Singha is a self-taught photographer and a teacher by profession who lives in
West Bengal, India. Rajib has contributed to multiple citizen journalism sites such as
Reuters Your View, Yahoo News, BBC Your View and others, along with national
news dailies. As well, Rajib has won multiple photography competitions nationally
and internationally.
Helen Levitt
Born and raised in New York, Helen Levitt (1913-2009) has made most of her photographs in the city's streets. Her interest
in photography began in 1931; she learned darkroom technique while working for a portrait photographer, and by age
sixteen had decided to become a professional photographer. She was especially inspired by the photographs of Walker
Evans and Henri CartierBresson, both of whom became friends. Levitt’s first major museum exhibition was at the Museum
of Modern Art in 1943, and a second solo show, of color work only, was held there in 1974. Major retrospectives of her
work have been held at several museums: at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the Metropolitan Museum of
Art in New York; at the International Center for Photography in New York; at the Centre National la Photographie in Paris,
among others.
Laurent Chéhère
To commission him or to request prints of his work: www.laurentchehere.com
Laurent Chéhère’s works have been widely exhibited, e. g. at Paris Photo, The Fence, New York, the Lumiere Brothers
Center, Moscow, the Mucem, Marseille. He lives and works in Paris.
Hakan Strand
To commission him or to request prints of his work: www.hakanstrand.com
Håkan Strand is an award winning fine art Photographer based in Stockholm, Sweden. He brings his Scandinavian
influences into his photography to create a style which is characterized by sophisticated simplicity of form, beauty, and
lines. It pays tribute to the traditions of the old masters as well as to contemporary photographers such as Kirsten Klein
and Michael Kenna. By making use of low light environments, between dusk and dawn, bad weather and gray cloudy skies,
the artist creates his elegant and atmospheric black-andwhite photographs. Silent Moments is about turning away from
the hectic pace of modern life, putting time aside for moments of stillness and timelessness. With his use of light and
shade, rhythm and form, Strand reconnects us with nature in a special way.
Iain McKell
To commission him or to request prints of his work: www.iainmckell.com
Born in Dorset England, McKell studied graphic design at Exeter College of Art
1974-79 before moving to London in 1980 where he now works in fashion,
advertising and social documentary. During the 80s, McKell photographed a
completely unknown Madonna for her first magazine cover. She went to number one
in the British charts the following week.He spent four years 1995-8 directing
commercials and winning awards but returned to photography in 1999 to
concentrate on personal work. During this time he made a short film documentary
about the underground Rave scene called Quest and directed pop videos. For the
last 6 years, McKell has run Photo Salons from his studio in west London co-hosted
by photographer Alice Hawkins and curator Flora Fairbairn and at the same time,
Salons at the Whitechapel Gallery and the Serpentine gallery.McKell published his
first book in 2004 entitled Fashion Forever, documenting British and American youth
movements from Hip Hop to Trance Jungle parties. He has most recently shot a fashion story with Kate Moss, and horse-
drawn travellers in Somerset England for V magazine.Contributions to: Italian Vogue, luomo Vogue, Cassa Vogue, English
Vogue, French Vogue, Dutch fashion magazine Zoo, Tank, Italian Flair, New York V magazine, The Face, i-D, Vice, The
Observer, Sunday Times, Independent, New York WSJ, The Telegraph, British GQ, and 125 magazine.
Features on Books Saturday Times, The Sunday Times, The New York Times Hot Shoe, BJP, Professional Photo and many
more. Commissions: Levis, Wranglers, JigSaw, Max&co, Red Stripe, Vladivar, Tia Maria, Mercedes Heineken, Kit Kat,
Carlsburg.McKell lives in London with his daughter.
Ada Bligaard Søby
To commission her or to request prints of her work: www.adabligaardsoby.com
Ada Bligaard Søby(b. 1975) is a Danish documentary filmmaker and director. Ada was born in Denmark and grew up in a
community of historians in a 16th century renaissance castle north of Copenhagen. Educated at the School of Visual Arts,
New York and Fatamorgana, the Danish School of Art Photography. Later she assisted fashion photographer Terry
Richardson around the time when he was making the Terryworld book and made motorcycle trips around the US with her
camera and boyfriend. After four years in New York City she moved back to Denmark and became a member of the
Copenhagen based filmmaker collective Super 16. She has shot documentaries for Nordic and International broadcasters
in the US, China, Russia, Singapore, Finland and England.
Chris Dade
To commission him or to request prints of his work: www.chrisjdade.com
Chris studied photography at degree level in The University for the Creative Arts,
Farnham, with a focus on children and human rights. As he became more
passionate about this work, he naturally evolved into doing direct work within NGOs
in advocacy and empowerment. He continues to work as both a photographer and a
rights worker.His photography focuses on human rights, using the camera as a tool
for empowerment to promote positive change and to challenge stereotypes.
Currently, he is developing a platform for "Peace Photographers" to balance out the
media focus on stories of war and social deprivation by instead depicting stories of
resolution, forgiveness and possibility. He states: "These media images become
narratives of our lives, both for the photographer and the viewer. By also focusing
onthe positive, this gives us a new narrative of hope and possibility for a more
evolved humanity." He works globally for NGOs and as a freelance photographer.
