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Darren Lewey
Darren Lewey
Darren Lewey

Darren Lewey

Country: British
Birth: 1968

Darren Lewey (b. 1968 in Hertfordshire, UK) is a photographer based in Morocco. Photography became his passion at school after which he graduated with a BA in Photographic Studies from Derby College in 1992. Drawn to Morocco as a student, he made careers in teaching and television directing before finally settling there in 2010.

Working in projects, his photographs of landscapes and people show a readiness to look for shapes and structures in the former and a quietness of character through his portraits. Focusing on the less spectacular locations, closer to where he lives, Darren is intrigued by offering another photographic vision of the country. One that runs counter to the exotic imagery more usually associated with Morocco.

He has been avidly developing personal projects since 2016 alongside running workshops for clients through his teaching site: Creative Camera.

His first completed project, Salinity, takes a 'topographic' look at the landscapes of small scale salt production. It's due to be published in late 2021.
 

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More Great Photographers To Discover

Karl Taylor
United Kingdom
Karl Taylor is a professional photographer with over 25 years experience and he is commissioned by leading global companies for his precise attention to detail and his exquisite control of light. Recognised as an expert in the industry Karl is a global ambassador for Hasselblad Camera Company and Broncolor Lighting. Karl’s work covers advertising, beauty and fashion photography for commercial clients. Having started his career in photojournalism he is also comfortable and actively enjoys shooting across a range of other genres. Karl’s ethos is that ‘variety is the spice of life’ and that 'the visual philosophies for creating effective images are universal'. Twelve years ago Karl co-founded what is now VisualEducation.com where he became known for his ability to explain complex subjects extremely clearly. His unique way of teaching and clear instruction has led him to work as a consultant and presenter for, Hasselblad Camera Company, Broncolor Lighting and Adobe as well as appearances on the BBC. His training is also used by top universities and education providers around the world and VisualEducation.com has become one of world’s leading media and visual arts education platforms. Karl regularly travels around the globe, as a photographer, ambassador and educator for leading players in the industry. When not taking pictures, Karl spends much of his time underwater, enjoying his other passion – wreck diving and documenting them in video. This passion has also led Karl to work in underwater video from short films to documentaries & commercials. In 2019 Karl’s anti marine pollution campaign images were nominated for the Prix Pictet award and he has also recently completed filming, directing and producing a documentary film that details a four year search for a lost German submarine and a secret Royal Navy Q-ship. The film was first aired on the BBC in October 2024 and is available on iplayer, Amazon Prime and Apple TV. For more information visit www.TheHuntForTheGermanSubmarine.com Using specialist low light video cameras, Karl is able to reveal the hidden world of shipwrecks in great clarity at depths of up to 75m (250ft), the limit of useful natural light levels. Having been a diver since 1990 and progressing to PADI Divemaster he then qualified with TDI as a Technical Trimix Diver and Advanced Gas Blender. Karl also has extensive experience with DPVs and general boat handling, including successfully completing his RYA Yachtmaster Offshore theory.
Fan Ho
China
1931 | † 2016
Fan Ho’s (born in Shanghai in 1931) photographic career started at the early age of 14 when given his first Kodak Brownie from his father. Within the first year he won his first award in 1949 in Shanghai. At the age of 18, he acquired his twin lens Rolleiflex with which he captured all his famous work after he moved to Hong Kong with his parents and continued to purse his love for photography. Dubbed the “Cartier-Bresson of the East”, Fan Ho patiently waited for ‘the decisive moment’; very often a collision of the unexpected, framed against a very clever composed background of geometrical construction, patterns and texture. He often created drama and atmosphere with backlit effects or through the combination of smoke and light. His favorite locations were the streets, alleys and markets around dusk or life on the sea. What made his work so intensely human is his love for the common Hong Kong people: Coolies, vendors, hawkers selling fruits and vegetables, kids playing in the street or doing their homework, people crossing the street… He never intended to create a historic record of the city’s buildings and monuments; rather he aimed to capture the soul of Hong Kong, the hardship and resilience of its citizens. Fan Ho was most prolific in his teens and 20s and created his biggest body of work before he reached the tender age of 28. His work did not go by unnoticed at his time. He won close to 300 local and international awards and titles in his day through competing in the salons. His talent was also spotted by the film industry where he started out as an actor before moving to film directing until retiring at 65. Fan Ho is a Fellow of the Photographic Society and the Royal Society of Arts in England, and an Honorary Member of the Photographic societies of Singapore, Argentina, Brazil, Germany, France, Italy and Belgium. He most recently won a "Life-time Achievement Award, the 2nd Global Chinese International Photography Award, China, 2015" by the Chinese Photographic Society (Guangzhou). During his long career he has taught photography and film making at a dozen universities worldwide. His work is in many private and public collection of which most notable are: M+ Museum, Hong Kong, Heritage Museum, Hong Kong, Bibliothèque National de France, Paris, France, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, USA, Santa Barbara Museum of Art, USA and many more. Source: fanho-forgetmenot.com
Nazanin Alipour Jeddi
Iran/United States
Nazanin Alipour Jeddi, known as Sitaaj, is a self-taught freelance photographer and translator born in Tehran, Iran, and currently residing in the United States. She specializes in capturing the nuanced experiences of women, exploring themes of gender, identity, and cultural dynamics. Sitaaj's photography has been exhibited internationally and recognized with multiple awards. Her work highlights the profound interplay between women's experiences and the cultural systems surrounding them, fostering dialogue and understanding through her art. In addition to her photography, Sitaaj is an accomplished translator. Her fifth translated book, Howto Be an Artist, was recently published in Tehran. Through her creative work and translations, Sitaaj seeks to inspire and empower individuals to pursue their passions, regardless of their backgrounds or circumstances. Photography remains her true passion, providing a medium to tell compelling and meaningful stories. Lingering Shadows The photography series "Lingering Shadows" is an attempt to capture the simple yet complex and hidden moments that women experience in their everyday lives. These images use the color blue to emphasize the often invisible fatigue—an endless cycle of tasks that, despite their importance, sometimes feel futile and unproductive. The dominant presence of blue conveys a deep sense of coldness and isolation. The goal of this series is to invite viewers to rethink the aspects of women's lives that often go unnoticed. Simple moments, such as drinking tea, preparing food, or a brief pause amid the daily chaos, take on new meaning in these images, representing the emptiness, futility, and underlying complexities in these seemingly ordinary experiences. These photos are not only a personal narrative but also a reflection of the collective experience of women around the world.
Billy & Hells
Billy and Hells are two photographers: Anke Linz, Billy (Nürnberg, 1965) and Andreas Oettinger, Hells (Munich, 1963). They met in 1986, found a shared interest in photography and became partners in life and work. Inspired by the photographs of Irving Penn and Helmut Newton, Billy und Hells started to work in the field of fashion photography. Accidentally, they came across a technique that would define their future works. By forgetting to take a black and white negative out of a Wühltisch developer, they developed a beautiful Baryt picture. This process is now known as a Lithprint. Later on they discovered that combining a black and white slidefrom a colour negative with a colour picture, a beautiful photograph emerged with fantastic effects. Because of this technique, the colours are reduced but give an intense effect. This technique reduces the colours but results simultaneously in an intensity, which they were unable to reach with regular photography. The results were unexpected but very satisfying. In 1999 they started working professionally for adverting campaigns and magazines. However, this branch of photography did not provide them for the artistic freedom they were looking for. In 2000 they settled in Berlin and started a studio there. This is also the year that they started to work with digital cameras, taking advantage of all the benefits these provide. Amongst others they exhibited in Tokyo and Berlin. One of their photographs, Nabil, was used in a fashion exhibition on the Ideal Man in the Gemeentemuseum in The Hague. Another work, Sophia, featured in the National Portrait Gallery’s advertisement campaign for the exhibition of the Photographic Portrait Prize 2007. Source: Morren Galleries Billy & Hells’ photographs exist in a world of in-betweens. Their deceptively simple, straightforward portraits convey a certain complexity. The archetypal characters depicted in their photographs—mothers, soldiers, cowboys, nurses, and teachers— possess an underlying sense of mystery, hinting at the duality of the sitter as well as the fictional world they inhabit. Although Billy & Hells’ images call upon historical and art historical references, their portraits are not burdened by the stipulations of historical recreations. Instead, seamlessly blending past and present, reality and fantasy, their photographs become a nostalgic diary, purposefully left open for interpretation. The duo discovered what has become their signature visual style via a typical lab-accident story— by forgetting to take a black and white negative out of the developer, they inadvertently produced an intense image with colors that appear simultaneously rich and muted. Their portraits combine elaborate, hand-painted backgrounds and draw inspiration from countless samples of fabrics, color compositions, and clothing that generate the distinct mood for each portrait. In a special issue on Young German Photography, Deutsch magazine described the experience of viewing a Billy & Hells photograph as the following, “Inevitably, without warning, you enter a unique world of images. Each scene becomes a kind of pseudo-dwelling for the person contemplating it. The situations seem to be familiar, but you are never absolutely sure just what is happening in front of you, who the characters are, where to place the individual scenes. The commonplace is bristling with exceptions, the direction of narrative changes continually and leads you astray. Trivial things are combined with the bizarre. The mixture deriving from this casts a spell on us.” (Deutsch, “Young German Photography”, 2000 Published by Kruse Verlag, Hamburg) Billy & Hells were nominated in 2007 for The National Portrait Gallery’s Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait. The series Blue Moon was recently featured in the photographic quarterly Eyemazing. Their work has been exhibited and collected internationally. Anke Linz and Andreas Oettinger live and work in Berlin.Source: Fahey/Klein Gallery
Don Hong-Oai
China
1929 | † 2004
Don Hong-Oai was born in Canton, China in 1929 as the youngest son to a business family, and was raised and educated in Saigon, Vietnam. At age thirteen, he began an apprenticeship at a Chinese photo and portrait shop. In 1979, he immigrated to the United States and settled in San Francisco's Chinatown. Don began making a living by selling his landscape photographs in front of Macy’s and began to receive recognition for his craftsmanship. His style was heavily influenced by the legendary photographer Long Chin-San’s technique of layering negatives. By taking three negatives, foreground, middle ground, and background, and selecting a subject from each negative, thus forming one composite image of a serene landscape. All the various scenes in an image existed in reality, but each uniquely handcrafted photograph is a concoction of the artist's imagination. Each photograph was assembled only by the artist himself, never having an assistant or master printer aid him. His work has won scores of international awards and has been collected worldwide. Source: www.peterfetterman.com Don Hong-Oai (1929-2004) was born in Canton, China, and spent most of his life in Vietnam. At the age of 13, he began an apprenticeship at a photo and portrait shop. When he was not at the studio, he traveled and took photographs of the landscape. He stayed in Vietnam through the war, but fled by boat to California in 1979. He lived in San Francisco’s Chinatown where he had a small darkroom to create his photographs. While living in the US, he returned to China every few years to make new negatives. Hong-Oai’s style was heavily influenced by the legendary photographer Long Chin-San’s technique of layering negatives. By taking three negatives, foreground, middle ground, and far ground, and selecting a subject from each negative, Don would construct a serene landscape. Each of his uniquely handcrafted photographs in its entirety is a concoction of the artist's imagination. He assembled and printed the photographs by himself, never having an assistant or master printer aid him. Don’s work has won scores of international awards and has been collected worldwide. Source: www.gallery71.com
Maxime Du Camp
France
1822 | † 1894
Maxime Du Camp was born on February 8, 1822, in Paris, France, into a prosperous family. His father, a successful surgeon, ensured that young Maxime received a thorough education, which was typical for children of the bourgeoisie. Du Camp's early years were marked by a strong inclination towards literature and the arts. He studied at the Collège Bourbon (now Lycée Condorcet), where he developed a keen interest in literature, history, and languages. His education extended beyond formal schooling; he was an avid reader, absorbing a wide array of subjects that later influenced his literary and journalistic career. In the early 1840s, Maxime Du Camp embarked on extensive travels that profoundly shaped his worldview and literary work. His first significant journey was to the Near East in 1844, where he visited Greece, Turkey, and Egypt. Traveling with a sense of adventure and a desire to document the cultures and landscapes he encountered, Du Camp honed his skills in photography, an emerging technology at the time, and became one of its early pioneers as a documentary tool. This journey had a substantial influence on Du Camp. The cultures, histories, and landscapes of the Near East provided rich material for his later writings. He published his travel experiences in "Souvenirs et paysages d'Orient" (1848), which combined vivid descriptions with keen observations of the places he visited. This work marked the beginning of his career as a travel writer and established his reputation in literary circles. One of the most significant relationships in Du Camp's life was his friendship with the famous French novelist Gustave Flaubert. The two met in 1843 and quickly formed a strong bond based on their mutual interests in literature and travel. In 1849, they embarked on a journey to the Middle East, which took them to Egypt, Palestine, Syria, and Turkey. This expedition was particularly important for Du Camp as it allowed him to combine his passion for travel with his budding interest in photography. During this trip, Du Camp took numerous photographs of ancient monuments, landscapes, and people. These images were later published in "Egypte, Nubie, Palestine and Syrie" (1852), one of the earliest photographic travel books. The collaboration with Flaubert during this journey also had a lasting impact on both men's work. Du Camp's photographs provided valuable visual documentation for Flaubert's future literary works, while Flaubert's meticulous approach to writing influenced Du Camp's style. Du Camp's literary career was diverse, encompassing travel writing, novels, poetry, and journalism. His early works, such as "Souvenirs et paysages d'Orient" and "Egypte, Nubie, Palestine et Syrie," were primarily travelogues that showcased his ability to capture the essence of distant lands through both words and images. In the 1850s, Du Camp turned his attention to fiction. His first novel, "Mémoires d'un suicidé" (1853), was a reflection on the social and moral issues of his time. Although not as commercially successful as his travel writings, this novel demonstrated his versatility as a writer and his willingness to explore different genres. Du Camp also made significant contributions to poetry. He published several collections, including "Les Chants modernes" (1855) and "Convictions" (1858), which were characterized by their reflection on contemporary society and politics. His poetic style was influenced by the Romantic movement, but he also incorporated elements of realism, a reflection of his broader literary interests. In addition to his literary pursuits, Du Camp was an active journalist. He contributed to various newspapers and magazines, including "La Revue des Deux Mondes" and "Le Constitutionnel." His journalistic work covered a wide range of topics, from politics to culture, showcasing his ability to engage with contemporary issues. Du Camp was also known for his critiques of French society, often addressing the tensions and contradictions of his time. Maxime Du Camp was not only a man of letters but also an engaged citizen. He was a staunch supporter of the Second French Empire under Napoleon III and was involved in the political discourse of his time. In 1851, he joined the ranks of the Saint-Simonians, a socialist group that advocated for social reform and the improvement of the working class's conditions. His political views were reflected in his writings, where he often addressed social justice and the need for societal progress. Du Camp's political engagement extended to his role as an editor. In 1862, he co-founded the influential literary magazine "Revue des Deux Mondes" with Charles Buloz. This publication became a significant platform for intellectual and literary debate in France, featuring contributions from leading writers and thinkers of the time. Despite his busy career, Du Camp continued to travel extensively throughout his life. His later travels took him to North Africa and Europe, where he continued to document his experiences through writing and photography. His later works, such as "Le Nil: Égypte et Nubie" (1877), reflected his ongoing fascination with the places he visited and his desire to share these experiences with a wider audience. Maxime Du Camp's contributions to literature, photography, and journalism have left a lasting legacy. His pioneering use of photography in travel writing helped establish the medium as a legitimate form of documentation and artistic expression. His travel books remain valuable records of the places and cultures he encountered, providing insights into the 19th-century world. Du Camp's literary works, though not as widely known today as those of his contemporaries like Flaubert, offer a rich exploration of the social and political issues of his time. His ability to blend personal reflection with broader societal commentary makes his writings relevant to contemporary readers. As a journalist, Du Camp's contributions to French intellectual life were significant. His engagement with political and cultural debates helped shape public discourse in 19th-century France. The "Revue des Deux Mondes," under his editorial guidance, became a cornerstone of French literary and cultural life. Maxime Du Camp passed away on February 8, 1894, on his 72nd birthday, leaving behind a diverse body of work that continues to be appreciated for its depth and breadth. His life was marked by a relentless curiosity and a desire to explore and understand the world, qualities reflected in his writings and photographs. Du Camp's legacy is that of a true Renaissance man, whose contributions spanned multiple fields and left an indelible mark on the cultural landscape of his time.
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