Ffoton Interviews / Cyfweliadau - ffoton

© Photograph Copyright Paul Reas

Paul Reas has a long career in UK photography during which he has worked as an editorial and advertising photographer before moving into education. Respected for his gritty documentation of the UK’s working class and consumerism, Paul’s colour work is considered part of the new movement in colour during the late 1980’s and early 90’s along with others such as Anna Fox and Paul Graham. Reas was one of the first photographers to be commissioned by Ffotogallery to contribute to The Valleys Project.

Paul has recently published Fables of Faubus, a 30-year retrospective photobook on his work and the title giving a hint to his love of music.

Currently course leader on the respected Documentary Photography course founded by David Hurn in Newport (now delivered at the University of South Wales course in Cardiff), Ffoton are delighted to bring the two friends together for an exclusive conversation on Paul’s work and career.

Contact sheet selection of the final image of the ‘Glowing Man’. © Paul Reas

Contact sheet selection of a considered image from same session with the ‘Glowing Man’. © Paul Reas

See below for a small selection of Paul's work, reproduced here on Ffoton with kind permission of the photographer.

Yma ar Ffoton trwy garedigrwydd y ffotograffydd fe welwch gasgliad bychan o'i waith isod.

Find out more about Paul’s new book on his website fablesoffaubus.format.com
Follow his current adventures on Instagram @paul.reas and Twitter @paulreas
Gallery images © Paul Reas and used with permission of the photographer.
Banner image © Brian Carroll

Please note: Comments or views made by interview participants are their own and are NOT necessarily the views of the Ffoton Wales team.
See our Terms page for more details.

Ffoton’s Emyr Young in conversation with Joanne Coates - a documentary photographer and founder of Lens Think - a new Social Enterprise based in the north of England promoting diversity in the creative arts. Lens Think organises socials and pop-up exhibitions in locations in and around Yorkshire and helps share artist opportunities.

As a working photographer, Joanne is interested in working life and class inequality - a topic she is passionate about in the profession of photography and evident in her varied portfolio of personal and commissioned work. Her work has been published by Vice, the BBC, The Telegraph and The Guardian.

See below for a small selection of Joanne's work, reproduced here on Ffoton with kind permission of the photographer.

Yma ar Ffoton trwy garedigrwydd y ffotograffydd fe welwch gasgliad bychan o'i waith isod.

Panorama Gallery

View more of Joanne's work on her website www.joannecoates.co.uk
Follow her current adventures on Instagram @joannercoates and Twitter @JoanneRCoates

Gallery images © Joanne Coates and used with permission of the photographer.
Banner image © Emyr Young

Please note: Comments or views made by interview participants are their own and are NOT necessarily the views of the Ffoton Wales team.
See our Terms page for more details.

Iris Love and Brooke Astor with Just Desserts and Dolly Astor at a Dachund party. Barbetta, Manhattan, February 1990.
© Photograph Copyright Dafydd Jones

Angelina Jolie arriving at Golden Globes. Beverley Hilton Hotel, Los Angeles 2000
© Photograph Copyright Dafydd Jones

Ffoton is delighted to present a conversation with the very talented and highly respected social and society photographer Dafydd Jones talking to our guest interviewer Martin Parr.

Having studied Fine Art before moving to photography, Dafydd’s professional career has spanned over forty years capturing exclusive behind the scenes images of the rich, famous and entitled in both British and New York societies working for Tatler Magazine and many newspapers. In this stimulating conversation on his career and work, Dafydd discusses his ongoing love of photography and why his extensive archive is now his focus in generating income.

Many thanks again to Martin and his team at The Martin Parr Foundation for their hospitality. Consider supporting the important work they’re doing in building a unique collection of British Documentary photography in Bristol - and attending the monthly talks and exhibitions - by becoming a member.

See below for a small selection of Dafydd's work, reproduced here on Ffoton with kind permission of the photographer.

Yma ar Ffoton trwy garedigrwydd y ffotograffydd fe welwch gasgliad bychan o'i waith isod.

Panorama Gallery

Zoe Wannamaker; Jerry Hall; waiter.
The Vagina Monologues first night at the New Ambassador Theatre and afterwards at the ivy. May 2001.

Photograph © Copyright Dafydd Jones

Amanda from Playtime Platter lying on the table. Andy & Patti Wong's Chinese New Year party to celebrate the year of the Rooster held at the Great Eastern Hotel, Liverpool Street, London.29th January 2005. The theme was a night of hedonism in 1920's Shanghai.

Photograph © Copyright Dafydd Jones

Saskia Boxford dancing, Tatler magazine Little Black Book party, Tramp. Jermyn St. 10 November 2004.

Photograph © Copyright Dafydd Jones

Lisa B. presenting a prize for one of the cars. Louis Vuitton Concours d’Elegance, Hurlingham. 8 June 2002.

Photograph © Copyright Dafydd Jones

Val Kilmer and Jade Jagger in the Selfridges storefront window. . PARTYPOKER.COM masterclass hosted by poker author Tony Holden. Ultra Lounge, Selfridges. 11 May 2005.

Photograph © Copyright Dafydd Jones

View more of Dafydd's work on his website www.dafjones.com
Follow his current adventures on Instagram @dafyddjonesphotographer

Gallery images © Dafydd Jones and used with permission of the photographer.
Banner image © Brian Carroll

Please note: Comments or views made by interview participants are their own and are NOT necessarily the views of the Ffoton Wales team.
See our Terms page for more details.

Ffoton talks with professional photographer Brian David Stevens about his career and many projects. Brian is based in London but his parents hail from the Welsh valleys where they still reside.

Covering many personal projects in his career, Brian spends long periods of time photographing people and places with an artistic eye and great sensitivity. His well known "They that are left..." : 'Remembrance' portraits of War Veterans’ was produced over a ten year period, and his more recent ‘Beachy Head’ beautifully explores a UK landscape well known for its iconic chalk cliffs but their height also making the area one of the world’s most notorious for suicide.

Brian's portrait of Wilko Johnson is held in the National Portrait Gallery and portrait of Jock Scot in the National Galleries of Scotland Collection.

See below for a small selection of Brian's work, reproduced here on Ffoton with kind permission of the photographer.

Yma ar Ffoton trwy garedigrwydd y ffotograffydd fe welwch gasgliad bychan o'i waith isod.

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning

We will remember them..."

from Laurence Binyon's 'The Fallen' (first published in The Times, 21st

September 1914)

"They that are left..." : 'Remembrance' portraits

© Brian David Stevens 2002-2012

View more of Brian's work on his website www.briandavidstevens.com
Follow him on Instagram @bds1970 and Twitter @driftingcamera

Gallery images © Brian David Stevens and used with permission of the photographer.
Banner image © Brian Carroll

Please note: Comments or views made by interview participants are their own and are NOT necessarily the views of the Ffoton Wales team.
See our Terms page for more details.

With a lifetime interest in photography, Homer Sykes made his professional start as a UK photojournalist in the 1970's.
But rather than be a Lemming chasing current new stories, Homer chose to leave photojournalism and document the traditional festivals, events and customs across England and the wider UK and continues to do so nearly 50 years on.

Ffoton had the pleasure of talking with Homer about his long career, his unique and extensive photographic archive and the various methods he exploits to promote and publish his work. In this final part of our discussion we focus on Homer's book publishing, his love of working with Café Royal Books, his use of Social Media and the competitive nature of professional photojournalism.
Part 2 of 2. Listen to part 1

One of Homer's oldest and most well known series of photographs is the 'Biddy Boys' - an ancient festival celebrating the Celtic Saint Brigid in Killorglin, Co Kerry in Southern Ireland. A special book was published of the series and is still available (at time of writing) on Café Royal Books via the link at the bottom of this page.

See below for a small selection of Homer's work, reproduced here on Ffoton with kind permission of the photographer.

Yma ar Ffoton trwy garedigrwydd y ffotograffydd fe welwch gasgliad bychan o'i waith isod.

View more of Homer's work on his extensive archive website homersykes.photoshelter.com
Follow him on Twitter @HomerSykes and on Instagram @homer.sykes

Gallery and banner images © Homer Sykes
Homepage portrait of Homer © Emma Drabble
Images used with permission of the photographers.

Further reading from this conversation:
"Photographers are Lemmings": Guardian interview
Dewi Lewis Publishing: Homer's unique book ONCE A YEAR: Some Traditional British Customs
Café Royal Books: www.caferoyalbooks.com
Ffoton conversation with David Hurn: Our Conversation
Ian Berry: Our news piece on Ian's visit to Cardiff in 2016

Please note: Comments or views made by interview participants are their own and are NOT necessarily the views of the Ffoton Wales team.
See our Terms page for more details.

With a lifetime interest in photography, Homer Sykes made his professional start as a UK photojournalist in the 1970's.
But rather than be a Lemming chasing current news stories, Homer chose to leave photojournalism and document the traditional festivals, events and customs across England and the wider UK and continues to do so nearly 50 years on.

Ffoton had the pleasure of talking with Homer about his long career, his unique and extensive photographic archive and the various methods he exploits to promote and publish his work. This first part of our talk explores his start in photography, learning from David Hurn before the original Newport course started, and the ability to use a camera as a Passport into people's homes and lives.
Part 1 of 2. Listen to part 2

See below for a small selection of Homer's work, reproduced here on Ffoton with kind permission of the photographer.

Yma ar Ffoton trwy garedigrwydd y ffotograffydd fe welwch gasgliad bychan o'i waith isod.

View more of Homer's work on his extensive archive website homersykes.photoshelter.com
Follow him on Twitter @HomerSykes and on Instagram @homer.sykes

Gallery and banner images © Homer Sykes
Homepage portrait of Homer © Emma Drabble
Images used with permission of the photographers.

Further reading from this conversation:
Ffoton conversation with David Hurn: Our Conversation
Ian Berry: Our news piece on Ian's visit to Cardiff in 2016
"Photographers are Lemmings": Guardian interview
Dewi Lewis Publishing: Homer's unique book ONCE A YEAR: Some Traditional British Customs

Please note: Comments or views made by interview participants are their own and are NOT necessarily the views of the Ffoton Wales team.
See our Terms page for more details.

Skin Phillips in Swansea. Image © Matthew Eynon

Skin Phillips talking with Ffoton & Dan Wood. Image © Brian Carroll

Hailing from Swansea and regarded as a legend in world skateboard photography, Skin Phillips has a career in the sport spanning over 30 years.

He’s worked as a photographer and had his images featured in some of the world's leading skate magazines, been editor-in-chief of Transworld magazine and the skate team manager at powerhouse brand Adidas.

Now spending less time in San Diego in California and coming back to his home town of Swansea, we grabbed the opportunity to talk with Skin along with fellow-skater and photographer Dan Wood.

Skin's work will be shown in the upcoming 'Against the Grain: Skate Culture & the Camera' exhibition in London from 7-22 July 2018. More info here: atg-exhibition.com

See below for a small selection of Skin's work, reproduced here on Ffoton with kind permission of the photographer.

Yma ar Ffoton trwy garedigrwydd y ffotograffydd fe welwch gasgliad bychan o'i waith isod.

View more of Skin's work and follow him on Instagram @skinphoto

Gallery images © Skin Phillips and used with permission of the photographer.
Banner and shades portrait © Brian Carroll
Street portrait © Matthew Eynon
Big thanks to Mike Scott and Indycube Swansea for hosting our conversation.

Further Skin Skate mojo:
Limited edition prints via paradeworld.com
Transworld Skateboarding: skateboarding.transworld.net
Exist Skatepark, Swansea: existskatepark.com
Tony Hawk Foundation: tonyhawkfoundation.org

DEVOTED - a must-watch documentary on skateboard magazines and media.
Used here with permission of film Director and top guy © Lucas Beaufort

Please note: Comments or views made by interview participants are their own and are NOT necessarily the views of the Ffoton Wales team.
See our Terms page for more details.

Alex Boyd. Portrait © Laurence Winram

Alex Boyd is a Scottish photographer with a deep passion for exploring Scottish identity in his raw but beautiful conceptual and figurative landscape photography.

Having admired Alex's for some time, Ffoton were pleased to sit down for a long and fascinating discussion on his photography career, landscape and wider work portfolio to date. This second part of our conversation explores the work in his new book: 'St Kilda: The Silent Islands' published in April 2018 and Alex's preparation for his next big project.

Second of 2 parts. Listen to Part 1

Y mae Alex Boyd yn ffotograffydd o'r Alban a'i fryd ar archwilio ei hunaniaeth ffotograffig Albanaidd trwy ei luniau cignoeth cysyniadol a ffigurol o'r tirlun.

Y mae ffoton wedi edmygu ei waith ers tipyn a da oedd cael cyfle i drafod ei yrfa ffotograffig cyn cyhoeddi ei lyfr newydd am ynys St. Kilda. Cyhoeddwyd y llyfr: The Silent Islands' yn Ebrill 2018. Y mae ail ran y sgwrs yn trafod y gwaith ar ei lyfr newydd: St Kilda: The Silent Islands' a gyhoeddwyd yn Ebrill 2018. Yr ydym hefyd yn trafod ei brosiect newydd a heriol.

Yr 2ail o ddau ran / Gwrandewch ar ran 1

See below for a small selection of Alex's work, reproduced here on Ffoton with kind permission of the photographer.

Yma ar Ffoton trwy garedigrwydd y ffotograffydd fe welwch gasgliad bychan o'i waith isod.

View more of Alex's work on his website www.alexboydphotography.com
Follow him on Twitter @AlexBoyd and on Instagram @mralexboyd

Gallery images © Alex Boyd and used with permission of the photographer.
Banner portrait © Pjotr Burlakov

Further reading from this conversation:
Takeshi Shikama: www.shikamaphoto.com
Jason Hicklin: www.jasonhicklin.com
Kyūya Fukada: 'One Hundred Mountains of Japan'

Please note: Comments or views made by interview participants are their own and are NOT necessarily the views of the Ffoton Wales team.
See our Terms page for more details.

Ffoton talks with Scottish photographer Alex Boyd.
Having admired Alex's stunning landscape for some time, Ffoton were pleased to sit down for a long and fascinating discussion on his career, landscape and wider work portfolio to date in advance of publication of his new book on St Kilda in April 2018.

Part 1 of 2

Ffoton had the pleasure of talking with Welsh photographer, educator and, from 2017 the Honorary Research Fellow at the National Museum of Wales in Cardiff, Paul Cabuts.

With a long career in photography education in Wales and having returned after two years as Director of the Institute of Photography at Falmouth University, Paul is a respected authority on the development of photography in Wales. We discuss the history and education of photography in Wales to the present day; Paul's book on the legacy of W. Eugene Smith's work in Wales in the 1950's; and his current research at Museum Wales which includes the work of David Hurn.

W. Eugene Smith's iconic image of 3 generations of miners captured in the south Wales valleys in the 1950's

Paul's in-depth and informative book on photography in Wales - available on Amazon

Cafodd Ffoton yr anrhydedd o sgwrsio gyda Paul Cabuts y ffotograffydd, addysgwr ac ers 2017 yn gymrawd ymchwil yn Amgueddfa Genedlaethol Cymru yng Nghaerdydd.

Y mae Paul wedi cael gyrfa hir ym myd addysg ac wedi dychwelyd i Gaerdydd o Brifysgol Falmouth lle'r oedd yn gyfarwyddwr y cwrs ffotograffig. Y mae'n awdurdod ar hanes datblygiad ffotograffiaeth yng Nghymru ac yn ein sgwrs yr ydym yn trafod addysg a hanes y gelfyddyd yng Nghymru a llyfr Paul ar waith W. Eugene Smith ymwelydd â Chymru yn y 50au. Y mae ei waith ymchwil ar hyn o bryd yn cynnwys gwaith David Hurn.

See below for a small selection of Paul's work, reproduced here on Ffoton with kind permission of the photographer.

Yma ar Ffoton trwy garedigrwydd y ffotograffydd fe welwch gasgliad bychan o'i waith isod.

View more of Paul's work and read through some of his essays on photography on his website www.paulcabuts.com

Gallery images © Paul Cabuts and used with permission of the photographer.

Please note: Comments or views made by interview participants are their own and are NOT necessarily the views of the Ffoton Wales team.
See our Terms page for more details.