Douglas Kurn, photographer

Douglas Kurn is a location photographer who tells stories through the use of environmental portraiture and reportage photography.

[dougkurn]

Well, I guess if global warming is here to stay, then you might as well teach learners to drive through floods and frozen ice! This local car park often floods after heavy rain, but this is the first time I've seen it frozen as well. I'm not sure the instructor realised how deep it was. #globalwarming #climatechange #environmentalphotography https://www.instagram.com/p/CnjMBDMNHu_/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[dougkurn]

Campanologists that’s who! The sound of church bells ringing out is a part and parcel of town and village life in England, but how many people have seen inside a bell ringing chamber? My latest project involved creating portraits of bell ringers in their ringing chambers, which seemed like a good idea until I saw the steps I’d need to climb to gain access (and yes that’s my foot on the top step – and no I don’t have big feet!):

Once I had climbed the steps though I found that each space was very different, but they were unified by always being small, which presented some photographic challenges! The spaces were unique and quite fascinating, which is something I tried to capture in my environmental portraits.

Peals, methods, bobs and Sallys were all words that I thought meant something else until I started meeting bell ringers, but it turns out that they are all part of ringing life. Bell ringing has always been a significant part of Remembrance Day, dating back to when Armistice was declared on November 11th 1918, when they rang freely for the first time since the start of the first World War. With 2018 being the 100th year since the end of World War 1 there is a campaign called Ringing Remembers that is attempting to recruit 1400 new bell ringers this year to commemorate the 1400 bell ringers who lost their lives in WW1.

It is common for the bells to be rung half muffled on the morning of November 11th, which means putting one of these on one side of the clapper:

…like this:

It produces a more muted sound and is considered to be more fitting for the sombre mood of Remembrance Day.

To take these photos of the bells I had to go right up the tower to where the bells are housed, and if I’m going to go that far then I might as well go on the roof to see views like this:

St Peter’s Church in Chertsey, where I live, has a dumb bell for beginners to practice on, and when I visited them I was allowed to have a go on it. It’s called a dumb bell because it makes no sound, and the residents of Chertsey don’t know how lucky they were when I had a go! I think bell ringing is best left to the professionals like these:

Who Tolls The Bell? Campanologists that's who! The sound of church bells ringing out is a part and parcel of town and village life in England, but how many people have seen inside a bell ringing chamber?

[dougkurn]

Life In A Dark Shed

I’ve often wandered past a tin shed behind some gates, and wondered what was inside. One day I went inside and met Trevor, who has worked there since the age of 14. His Father worked there too, up until 4 weeks before he passed away at the age of 94. With all the welding, drilling and cutting that goes on there is a lot of dust everywhere but Trevor says he is tidying it up. Whilst I was there we…

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Or more accurately a knife’s edge on a river’s edge. Meet Tim who hand makes knives from reclaimed steel in his workshop on Lots Ait on the river Thames in Brentford. Tim’s a trained chef, and like all chefs he has a fascination with knives, but he’s taken it a step further and decided to make them himself.

What could be more fun than making your own high temperature oven out of an old gas cylinder, heating bits of steel up to over 1000 degrees C inside it, and then bashing the steel repeatedly with a big hammer until you have a knife? Okay there’s a lot more to it than that, including the amount of time spent making it razor sharp. Tim also hand makes the handles which he traditionally made from wood but has started making recycled plastic handles from plastic found in the Thames. All this in a 12′ x 12′ workshop in an old boatyard – to create these pictures we had to take the window out!

Check out Tim’s videos of him slicing an onion with one of his knives on his Instagram page. Remarkably Tim still has all his fingers!

:DK

On A Knife’s Edge Or more accurately a knife's edge on a river's edge. Meet Tim who hand makes knives from reclaimed steel in his workshop on…

[dougkurn]

Guess what I did over the summer? Yep I shot 175 Portraits in two days – mad but true. It was Chertsey Agricultural Association’s 175th Annual Show so they asked me to shoot 175 portraits of people at this years show, one for each year. Obviously wandering around a field asking a load of strangers if I could photograph them was right up my street (or field may be a better word)!

To emphasise the history of the show we gave the show images an aged treatment and you can see all the characters here (okay there are some of kids cuddling dogs but come on I had to shoot a portrait every 4 minutes!)

Some of them were too good to not to take a second look at in colour, so I’ve selected some of my personal favourites and uploaded them here – just click them to see the gallery images..

With it being an agricultural show, when I had completed my 175th portrait I obviously had to enjoy a pint of cider…

  Pacy Portraits Guess what I did over the summer? Yep I shot 175 Portraits in two days - mad but true.

[dougkurn]

Having a wheelie good time. A shot from the 175th Annual Chertsey Show #candid, #streetphotography, #agriculture, #chertsey, #surrey, #blackandwhite #wheel

[dougkurn]

Just hanging around at the 175th Annual Chertsey Show #candid, #streetphotography, #agriculture, #chertsey, #surrey, #blackandwhite #hanging #rope

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Where's the dog show? A shot from the 175th Annual Chertsey Show #candid, #streetphotography, #agriculture, #chertsey, #surrey, #blackandwhite #dog

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Each tomato is this big... A shot from the Horticulture Tent at the 175th Annual Chertsey Show #candid, #streetphotography, #agriculture, #chertsey, #surrey, #blackandwhite

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Legs be having you. A shot from the 175th Annual Chertsey Show #candid, #streetphotography, #agriculture, #chertsey, #surrey, #blackandwhite

[dougkurn]

Keeping my hard drive cool in the heat. #gtech #icepack #harddrive #cool #heat #hot #ice

[dougkurn]

And Trump thought he met the Queen.... #queenelizabeth #queen #trump #potus #hrh #donaldtrump #royalwedding #royals

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Hello! at the #royalwedding #windsor #streetphotography #reportage #windsorcastle #hello! #hat #harryandmeghan

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Trying to hide at the #royalwedding #unionjack #windsor #streetphotography #reportage #windsorcastle #brolly #hat

[dougkurn]

When Harry met Meghan #royalwedding #unionjack #windsor #streetphotography #reportage #windsorcastle #tutu #harryandmeghan

[dougkurn]

A canine royal supporter on the Long Walk in Windsor. #royalwedding #dog #unionjack #windsor #streetphotography #reportage #scarf #windsorcastle

[dougkurn]

When the client wants ¾ length body shots in a really small room with a table that can’t be moved. #bts #corporatephotography #corporate #portrait #ingenuity