Pink Sauce

Last night, The news that Instagram has decided to assume ownership of the content generated by its users with the view of possibly selling it on and make money from it spread through Facebook and Twitter like wild fire. The change to the terms of use of the popular instant photography app took place very discreetly (if one excepts the online backlash already brewing). As a user I wasn't even aware that any change had occurred. And there is no option to opt out other than by deleting your account . We have kindly been given a month's notice to decide. Instagram, which is now owned by Facebook, implementing a strategy familiar to its new parent company, is, it seems, already backpedaling, telling the BBC that "the updated policy will not change how it handles photo ownership or who is able to see a user's pictures". It's apparently all to do with better Facebook integration. As far as I am concerned the damage is done, though, and I have decided to leave ...

During the summer I stumbled on a photographic exhibition installed over the 21 floors of an empty office block in Vauxhall. I have to admit I didn't pay much attention to the exhibition so focused was I on the fabulous views of London I had been given access to. I was lucky to have my camera with me, and of course I took loads of pictures . Having visited the website of the exhibition's organisers, I had discovered that they would be back with a different set of images in December and so, thinking this was too good an opportunity to miss, and despite not knowing if the set up would be similar, I decided to take the chance and bring a model with me for a spot of guerrilla photography. Ross had never modelled before and was introduced to me by Mark , one of my previous victims, but he took to it like a fish to water. He's even asked for more, so watch this space. We did get access to the top floor and the views, and it was a beautiful, light day out there, but we cou...

This afternoon, thanks to a friend's generosity, I went to see the William Klein + Daido Moriyama exhibition currently being shown at Tate Modern. As the photographer I am striving to become, I found what I saw very thought provoking.  I was totally ignorant of either artist before entering the rooms of the exhibition and I only recognised one image of all those that where on display, yet I didn't find myself in totally unfamiliar territory. Perhaps due to the influence that those two photographers have had on our modern visual landscape, I found myself pointing out the Instagram-like qualities of several decade-old pictures. I was also pleasantly surprised to look at images, the sisters of which, by virtue of their subjects and compositions, adorn my flickr photostream . I am currently at a point where, trying to take a more serious approach to photography, I am strongly questioning the quality of my output. A few of my pictures are reasonably good but I feel that ...

Firmly blaming the Gay Photographers Network (GPN), I recently took the step of buying a lighting kit to be able to do my own studio work at home. The kit includes three lights and ancillary paraphernalia (softboxes, barn doors, umbrellas, trigger, gels). I'll probably have to spend more money on some sort of background. The white sheet I am currently using is not ideal. This week, after doing a few test on myself and other similarly boring objects, I had my first session with a live model. Bruno is a fellow photographer I met at the last GPN meeting. During that meeting, I was intrigued by the way the light had been playing with his features, in a way similar to the picture above, so when he mentioned that he'd be willing to let me shoot him, I jump at the opportunity. Aside from the image above I had another concept in mind for him: wrapping part of my background around his head. I am not totally happy with the result but Bruno's lovely smile makes up for the othe...

Below is a non-edited version of my first comment piece for Gay Star News. Just like in the UK, marriage equality features high up on the news agenda in France. And like in the UK, the most vocal voices against equality come from the right and usually with a religious flavoring. From the fringes of the main conservative party, Sarkozy's UMP, there have been various mentions of paedophilia, incest or zoophilia as possible consequences of a change in the law. Brigitte Barèges, Christian Vanneste and François Lebel are the main culprits here. A handful of Mayors have warned that they would disobey the law if it passes, and refuse to perform same-sex ceremonies. Christine Boutin, who had already distinguished herself by the virulence of her homophobia during the parliamentary debates on PACS in 1999, has called for a referendum on the subject. So far so sadly familiar. Religious leaders have, of course, also made themselves heard, none more vocally than the Catholic Archbish...

UPDATE : Since I wrote and published this, I have been made aware of the fact that things may not be quite as they have been reported in the press (and I saw several reports before taking to my keyboard). It's seems that Carey didn't quite say what everyone says he did . Of course much of what I argue below is still relevant but some of it is now also wrong. An amended version of the post reflecting the above has been published in PinkNews . Yesterday during a fringe meeting of the Conservative Party Conference, a 1000 or so Tory militants gathered to hear speakers vituperate against marriage equality, thus showing the world that, ten years on, Teresa May's Nasty Party is alive and well. Aside from David Burrowes, the backbench MP for Enfield Southgate, and former MP Ann Widdecombe, Lord Carey was at hand to share his views on the subject. And the former Archbishop of Canterbury, the once leader of the established Church of this country, could not resist getting on his...

On Saturday I found myself trying to make my way to Brighton and the studio of Manel Ortega for a photoshoot with my friend Steven. As last time , the trip was not the most straight forward but I finally made it more or less on time, even after missing my train. It took me longer to get to the station by bus than it would have walking there! Once we got started, things went very well indeed and Steven seem to enjoy himself a lot after the usual period of nerves. I got a good crop of very decent shots. However, for some reason due solely to my incompetence, lots of the shots turned out grainy. They look fine viewed in small sizes but not so good when you start blowing them up. I'll have to figure out what I did wrong there. On the whole, I am happy though. I think the images have moved a step or two further than those of previous shoots in terms of quality. I need to find more victims to sit for me now... The images can be viewed on Flickr, here .

The following piece appeared in PinkNews.co.uk and was later picked up by i . The Daily Mail, there’s a surprise, is leading the charge against Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg about the supposed “fury” at the use of the word “bigots” in a draft speech to describe opponents of marriage equality. The offending word has now been replaced by “some people”. The new version of the speech was delivered last night at a celebrity-studded event marking the end of the consultation on proposals to extend civil marriage to same-sex couples. Lord Carey, former Archbishop of Canterbury, is quoted in the Mail as saying that “many Christians and non-Christians […] will be highly offended to be called bigots” adding that they “should not be treated in such a way”. While he stops short of making his usual deluded claim that Christians are persecuted in the UK, this is clearly the subtext here. He also has the gall to claim that he is “totally for equality” while in the same breath saying that sam...

On Saturday I had decided to spend some time wandering around Vauxhall with a friend. After meeting at the RVT, we walked across the Pleasure Gardens, having recently seen an exhibition on the former attracts that used to stand on the site. After a quick look at the animals of the Vauxhall City Farm and a cup of tea in a local greasy spoon, we moved back towards the river. As we were passing an anonymous office block, I noticed a couple of sign on the pavement advertising an exhibition of photographic portraits. After some hesitation we decided that the images must be on display inside that office block which looked abandoned. We walked in and were informed that the exhibition of 200 images was indeed using the 21 floors of the empty building. The exhibition is organised by The Photographic Angle , a charity that "holds free exhibitions that travel across the UK transforming otherwise empty spaces into temporary galleries". We took the lift directly to the top floor o...

I have been asked by one of my contacts, who is a journalist, to answer a few questions as a French gay in London for an idea he wants to pitch to an editor. Some of these I found difficult to answer, as will be obvious by the brevity of my answers. I have no idea if and where it's going to be used, so I thought I would share it here anyway, in case anyone is interested. Update: A version of this interview has now been published on Têtu's blog . 1) How was growing up in Dijon? Although I was born and later I went to uni there, I didn't actually grow up in Dijon but in a big village some 50km away. My childhood was fairly uneventful if somewhat untypical for a country kid. Fairly early it became apparent that I was different and although the other kids weren't nasty about it they weren't all that welcoming either.  Soon as I learnt to read, I took refuge in books, reading more or less any novel that came my way. I only really looked up when I got to Uni, over...

Following my shoot in Brighton in June, Mark , the model, introduced me to one of his friends, the lovely Richard, to have a similar treatment inflicted on him. Last Saturday, we finally met for a few hours of fun. Without access to an practical enclosed space, the shoot was in the urban wilds of Waterloo. I had made a quick reconnaissance the week before for what was my first proper shoot alone with a model. Just us, the clothes (some), the light (whatever Mother Nature would give us) and the location... Oh and my camera! While not being outstanding, the results were quite satisfactory. After the initial stiffness, we soon relaxed enough to create a varied set of images of decent quality. The feedback I got from fellow photographers and friends was quite encouraging. The added fun to the day was to get a straight guy to take his top off, put on eyeliner and eye shadow, and wear pearls. And kudos to him for letting himself be queered with such good grace. The images can be view...

The Gay Photographers Network was having its monthly meeting on Wednesday night. For the second time this year, the event was dedicated to "meeting the models" (you can see my pictures of last time here ). This time rather then the free-for-all we had last time, slots had to be booked in advance to be able to shoot one of the models on offers. Feeling that I would be too self-conscious with people around, I had not booked but on the night some slots had become available and I decided to give a go. I was paired with lovely young black man with a very impressive physique indeed. Daniel has very lean, define muscles and a lovely silky skin which reflects the light beautifully. Despite my worries, I quickly got engrossed in the job at end and, while there was little opportunity for being really creative, and this being only my third foray into studio work, I think I managed to produce a fairly decent set of images in the 20 min or so that I was with Daniel. The images ca...

As the Catholic Church produces yet another letter try and bolster support among its flock for its opposition marriage equality, the BBC (Radio 4 in any case) is giving the "news", once again, much prominence in its news bulletin. This has prompted me to make the following complaint. I am very disappointed by the way the marriage equality debate is covered across the BBC news channels. It seems that the subject only makes it to your headlines when a religious body (usually the Catholic Church) somehow acts to oppose the proposals. Certainly no similar coverage, if at all, is given to positive news from supporters of the proposition. I am not simply talking here of having someone criticising the actions of said religious body when the news is reported. In any case, the propositions only concern civil marriage, the views of religious bodies are therefore not directly relevant to the whole debate and should certainly not be given such prominence as you deem fit to give them...

I spent most of Saturday taking pictures of Pride London - World Pride, having been commisstioned to do so by VisitBritain. They had arranged a press pass for me, which gave me access to the press pit at the front of the crowds on Trafalgar Square, just next to the main stage. At first all was going pretty well, though I had to fight with the light that was forever changing, but when the turn of Boy George to get on stage arrived, we (the assembled togs) were asked to sit down by a member of the security team. This was in my view unjustified and unpractical. This also meant we had to shoot the artists at difficult angles. After spending many hours sorting out the results of my day of shooting and editing a selection of the 1000 or so images I had taken, I posted some on flickr as I usually do and tweeted some of them. One of my tweets was about the pictures of Boy George I had taken and included his tweeter name. Not long after, I received a response from him. And not a posit...

This post appeared in Pink News under the title " In defence of Pride ". In PinkNews today, Topher Gen writes to explain how he believes that modern Pride parades perpetuate an image of gay people as 'hedonistic, sex-crazed deviants', and that drunkenness and drag don't make the bold statement some might think. I think Mr Gen is quite mistakenly focusing on the wrong elements of Pride. It even seems reading his words that his only experience of such event comes from mainstream media coverage which does seem to linger on the more colourful and exotic aspects of the parades. Little, if at all, do we see the hundreds of "normal" people who do take part in the marches. The families, the pensioners, the volunteers with various charities. For them it's not an occasion to get pissed (that usually happens after the parades anyway) or drag up, it is a moment of affirmation and empowerement. For a few hours it's an opportunity to take the streets over...

Like the gates of an earthly paradise, an Eden made flesh, ajar, carelessly,  one night,  he tempted me into a bewitching dance.  For a few undeserved hours the luscious fruits of his body were mine to feast upon,  our limbs writhing together, our breaths melded into one. Hopes awakened. But soon the cruel dawn sundered and cast us apart. The pearly gates slammed shut. Ever since, fallen, I lie bereft, more alone than before; an errant ghost, an empty shell. Hopes fatally awakened to be more thoroughly crushed. Returned to a new banality, I long and pine for what wasn't; what could have been; will never be.

In a few day, the 3rd annual exhition organised by the Gay Photographers Network will open its doors at the Strand Gallery in London. This will be the second exhibition I will be taking part in this year (and ever). This time I will only have one image on display but with the work of almost 60 other artists on display, everyone should fine something to look at. So here are the details: The Strand Gallery 32 John Adam Street London WC2N 6BP 26th June to 8th July Open hours: 11am to 7pm Mon to Sat / 11am to 6pm Sun. Early close on Sun 8th July. (I will be manning the gallery on the 2 and 6 July - 11 to 3) Website: www.f20-12.com Facebook page: www.facebook.com/gayphotographersnetwork Facebook event: www.facebook.com/events/383529118364952

This morning's Monday blues comes with added misery. The realisation that my social ineptitude is taking roots ever more deeply. Since last night, Facebook has been awash with pictures, videos and comments about the Chorus's retreat which as taking place this week-end. This is awakening ugly feelings of envy and fear in me. I didn't go the retreat partly because of the presence of The Young Man I mentioned in this post , but mostly because of my experience during the trip to Belfast with the Chorus (a lonely affair for me) and my general dismal track record with groups of people who know each other. Judging by Facebook, everybody seemed to have a great time. Although I guess, only those who did have a great time would be posting. Thinking a bit more about this and examining my feeling further, I am as I said envious. Envious that those people can actually find themselves into a group of other people they variously know, if at all, and look forward to it. Envious tha...

Some months ago, I joined the Gay Photographers Network . This has allowed me to look at photography and my practice of it a little more seriously. To the point in fact that in February I took part in my first exhibition (showing two pictures and selling one!). I will be taking part in a second exhibition, f20-12 , later this month (only one image this time). Last February, at one of the Network's monthly meetings, I had a taster of studio work with models and I was keen to further the experience. So when one of my Twitter contacts mentioned that he needed to pictures of himself, I offered my services and a date was set. To help me with this, one of the members of the Network, Manel Ortega , who seems to have taken an interest in me both as a photographer and a model, had offered access to his studio in Brighton. The results of my side of the shoot (Manel took pictures too) is now online on Flickr and can be viewed here . Some of Manel's pictures of me which he allo...

At the end of January this year, I had a one night stand. It happened, quite publicly at a party organised by the choir I am a member of. There were several remarkable and highly unusual elements about this, but perhaps nothing more so than the fact that it happened at all. The other party, a young(er) and most comely member of the contingent of "fresh flesh" just delivered by that season's new intake of chorines, did all the chasing, thus popping my 10-year-old Chorus cherry. In the morning we parted on amicable terms and electronic correspondence ensued in the following days. However, it very quickly transpired that, to use and paraphrase images of the song that gave part of its title to this post, his pulse didn't quicken like mine, his wishes were not the same as mine and that I was clearly alone in this. "This", being a desire to explore the connection further and see where it could lead us. Since then, due to circumstances, there has been scant ...

  Last night, the Gay Photographers Network, which I joined a few month ago, was holding one of it monthly events. In addition to being a social occasion, there is also a more didactic element to the meetings.  Last night's event offered me the opportunity to take part in my first studio shoot with models. Accomplished members of the group had been invited to bring and introduce models they work with. Also most seem to be content to simply mingle, we managed to coerce four brave souls to pose for those interested.  The lighting had been set up for us and it pretty much stayed the same all the time. This was very much a free for all with half a dozen people shooting at the same time. Not ideal for optimal results but a good taster for me nontheless and a fun evening, indeed.  The results of my efforts can be seen in this set on my flickr account. Enjoy!  (model: Jonathan Hall)