A busy few months!!!

Well its been hectic to say the least!!
 Seriously if you had told me a couple of years ago that things would be as they are now i would have said you were crazy.A real rollercoaster of a journey so far , so much so that the blogs have been very thin on the ground (4 months since the last!) to what i had planned and now i have far too much to put down here without if looking like a novel :), so i feel a brief run down and highlighting the main things of the past few months is called for  and i will try and update much more frequently in the future.

The main thing i have to tell is that i was given a wonderful opportunity by the amazing people and friends at Studio 3 arts to mount my second exhibition in less than a year at their stunning gallery in Boundary road Barking IG11 7RJ
 If you have looked around on this website you would have seen the images from my ongoing project "HOME" which documents the brighter side of the residents that live in a local care home, with most of the residents suffering from various stages of dementia it can be challenging at times but very rewarding.To see the exceptional care and personal treatment they receive from the staff is heart warming and emotional
 I have been documenting the home for over a year and have been witness to some beautiful moments of humanity,love and emotions that often left me close to tears, to then be asked to mount an exhibition at studio 3 Arts by Rosie Ross & Liza Valence really was beyond what i could of hoped for,their support and professional approach through the whole process was a real eye opener and i cant wait to work with them again in the future.
The Exhibition opening had such a good attendance but the icing on the cake for me was when my friend for many years (carer & now manger of the home for 25 years) Maggie strong  came along do to a talk and brought with her some other carers and some residents !, to watch the people i had taken images of and documented over such a long period look at my work i had made, was very emotional and my planned speech went straight out of the window due to the lump in my throat.
 Later that week more residents came along with the great team of carers,this made it so worthwhile and i also got to hear some truly amazing stories.The project is far from over as i wish to take it a lot further,the images i made are now taking pride of place at the home and i will hopefully continue make many more to decorate the hallways there.
Huge thanks to Maggie and George Brooker House for making me so welcome every single visit & to let me witness what special people it takes to work in such a tough Environment.
 Also massive thanks to Rosie Ross for the late nights!, dealing with the gallery refurb!!!!making tea,ordering prints,repainting  the walls ...basically everything except take the photos !! thank you so much !
 Big shout to studio 3 arts for 100% support from beginning to end and beyond
Thank you to all that helped mount ,curate and came along
I cant put into words how much i appreciate all the encouragement and support you continue to give me thanks so much.

 So what else has been happening.....aint nobody got time for dat!!
briefly ...

 Got to shoot a wedding basically how i wanted by a very trusting couple! 
2 amazing people that i can now call friends ,was a spectacular day with amazing fun loving people....this is work !? and most of all they were very pleased with the results.

Was shortlisted to last 10 from 3000 entrants by London Live in their photography competition

I was honoured to be asked to record my second podcast with my friend and very talented photographer Valerie Jardin which airs today 20/7/17 http://valeriejardinphotography.com/podcast/2017/7/3/hit-the-streets-44-turning-a-negative-into-a-positive-with-jimmy-lee
 
Was privileged to be asked to document the Srebrenica memorial day at my local town hall and discuss future work.
 
Very lucky to be asked to cover all the great events and festivals by LBBD and the summer of festivals team Julia & Sarah these guys seriously work non stop 10 months of the year to put on some large,quality free events in my borough ,never realised the hours per day it takes.
Having a great time working with other councils thanks to my friend Hazel(i owe you a cocktail or 3)
 Really pleased i have been commissioned by Barking Riverside to document future works and the power station where my dad worked ...really excited about this !!

Was recommended by David Bailey for a commission and i am also Judging a London photographic competition with him this year!!

Interview by Barking Enterprise Centre (these guys have been a rock to me and my business)

I have probably missed out so much as its been a very chaotic time but also so rewarding at times

 So thank you for reading and sorry if i have missed you out as i said a crazy few months so hard to keep track of it all!!

until the next one...(not in 4 months i hope!!)

First Exhibition

Well its finally done and dusted ....my first exhibition has come to an end and what a journey !!
If you had told me a year a go i would be mounting my first immersive street photography exhibition i would of said f..... well you know what i would of said if you know me ;)
 I now have some understanding of what it takes to mount a pretty large installation of your own work,it has made me aware of a lot of pitfalls involved ....

  • Get the work ready and curated as soon as possible.
  • You will never be fully prepared.
  • Do not make decisions at 5am after doing 15 hour days. 
  • If it can go wrong it will.....& a bit more. 
  • Set out clear plans in writing & agree with all parties from the outset.
  • Be flexible....see above :).
  • Do not make 5am decisions. 
  • The work takes priority over everything....Exhibition ...clues in the title.
  • Get outside help if possible(i never would have stood a chance without this ) & be open to constructive criticism of your work.
  • 20 hours doing something you love = 1hour doing something you don't.
  • Give it everything and treat it as your last chance.
  • Blood ,sweat & tears are normal......literally.
  • Promote your arse off,its down to you to get your network to see your hard work,be available whenever possible,moments like this are not standard in photography.
  • Expect the printers to get something wrong,mine did and it added an extra week to the process!!
  • don't make 5am decisions ....ever...!
  • You need a very understanding partner who is also your voice of reason ...helps if they are also s... hot with painting,artistic & remind you to eat x!!!
  • The local coffee hangout is your best friend to escape to,breathe & helps if they are your friends :).
  • double espresso flat whites are your fuel.
  • Pick a few hours while it is mounted to sit and walk the exhibition alone ,take in what you have done and feel proud.
  • Enjoy!!



 There are probably a 100 more things to add to the above list,I've always been able to put in a shift,a good days graft,so was ok with all the long hours and running around but when you put on top of this,curating just over 30 images from thousands i have,editing them,finding printers,getting test prints,editing more for printer profiles,painting the space,trying to light the space all on a really tight budget(i went over).Measuring the space & making various mounting plans for images,curating images on your own is an impossible task,have someone who you can trust to be honest,knows their stuff & have a neutral opinion ( i did and it made a huge difference)
 All in all i enjoyed everything about it,even the dodgy bits because they wasn't bad bits just lessons learn't. The feedback i have received has been so positive and beyond my imagination.
From showing my family around and seeing their reactions,to all the people who came to support & help,old friends i hadn't seen for over 20 years,to new friends & friends who i have only spoke to online in the past,David Bailey & family twice and some amazing kids from the school. 
 As i have said before far to many people help make this happen to mention them all but you guys know who you are,all the hands on help,advice,messages and encouragement kept me focused and made it possible .....Thank you :)
 My next exhibition talks are in the early stages but it will be a documentary type Exhibition so not street..... keep your ears and eyes open around late April early May 2017

Please add any comments below, i would love to here all the feedback and what you thought if you visited. 

Below are some of the before and after images and comments from various visitors to the exhibition
one memory....

"who did that" David Bailey
"i did" Me.
"clever so & so aint ya" David Bailey




 

SOME EXHIBITION COMMENTS FROM VISITORS

"Fab exhibition. Would like to see more"

"The exhibition was one of the best experiences I have had. It made me see image in a new way. It was nostalgic, romantic, morally provoking, inspiring for my creativity and made me feel part of the world I sometimes missed in the daily grind. A huge thank you to Jimmy for helping me to 'see' again."

"Excellent exhibition by Jim, carefully crafted, curated and captured. Nice work! The best 'first' exhibition I've seen"

"Considering this is Jimmy Lee's first exhibition I think he is definitely a photographer to watch out for."

"Fantastic exhibition and really interesting discussion with Jimmy who was at the Boathouse. He conveyed his passion and pride in his work while being very modest and down to earth at the same time. Recommend the exhibition warmly to others and hope to see more of Jimmy's work in further exhibitions. Excellent!!"

"Stumbled upon the boathouse cafe which is great for the local area, then saw the exhibition, some great street art, like a British Vivian Maier"

"Enjoyed the exhibition. Some amazing photos."

"Loved Jimmy's use of shadow, light and interesting layers and structures. He really "caught the moment"! Also liked the use of the space. Excellent!"

"Great place. Loved Jimmy’s work – didn’t know this place was here until now."

"Am I glad and proud to have been to your exhibition Jimmy and what’s great too is that I met the master of street photography, and that for me was quite a big deal! "

"I’m so glad I got to see it yesterday, not only is your work amazing, but all the work you put in and how far you have come in such a short time is inspiring."

"It was a beautiful exhibition. So wonderful to see the talents of a local artist"

"Chill afternoon at Jimmy's exhibition, seeing someone's hardwork and commitment starting to pay off in a short space of time is inspiring! Big up!"

"An excellent exhibition in a great space."

Fantastic afternoon looking at and discussing the superb imagery of the #j_walking exhibition at The Boathouse Creative Studios in the Icehouse Quarter, Barking. Jimmy Lee is a most talented photographer. The display stirred a variety of emotions, opinions, views of the world and society, skills needed to master picture taking, equipment and most of all the passion and patience to click 'The Moment'. 
Jimmy has inspired our youngest by giving Gascoigne Primary School children a personal tour of the exhibition. Thank you to Carole Pluckrose for giving this opportunity."

"Absolutely wonderful photographs. Children responded to Jimmy – very informative, down to earth. We are going to look at starting a photography competition – asked Jimmy to judge for future. Keep in touch with future projects please. Thank you for this afternoon."

"Be very proud of what you have achieved! "

"Lovely exhibit, Jimmy was very affable and answered all the children’s questions . Thought provoking pictures – would highly recommend. "
Gascoigne Primary School – Year Five comments 

"I think that this exhibition is extremely interesting. Also the detail in the photos is incredible. The messages that the photos give is great – and the different angles used to give a different effect is very good. This exhibition really makes people take more notice of the things happening around us. The exhibition encouraged me to take more photographs and take more notice of different things."    Year 5 kid nailed it !!!!


"I really like the theme and the way they related it to pictures. This exhibition was really good."

"I like the homeless pictures because it inspires me to help the homeless more."

"I found the exhibition good and the photographer interesting."

"I love the pictures – I am inspired by Mr Jimmy."

"Yes about homelessness in school – really important to put. Really pleasured pictures."

"I thought that the exhibition was amazing because the pictures were really insightful."

"I like the part of the homeless people because it tells me I need to start helping homeless people."

"It was very fun because it really persuaded us to help the homeless even more."

"I loved how you put pictures of homeless people."

"It was very interesting – the layout the most."

"It was amazing – they were amazing pictures"

"Made it into a better place"

"I really liked the exhibition. The part I liked best is when there were pictures of the homeless people."
 

 

"You could have got more pictures from other countries."
Anyone want to pay for a holiday in Nepal for a month or 2 ? :)

 

THANK YOU ALL....SEE YOU AT MY NEXT ONE SOON ;)

Coming soon..................

                                                            COMING SOON
In these days of ever rapidly advancing technology it has made me wonder how we will view our images/photos in the future? will our digital images we take on our phones now,look awful on systems of the future ? will they even be compatible ?,lose our phone,i pad,hard drive fails etc so many things that are quite often out of our control can destroy those moments you  will never catch again.
I thought i was a bit biased in that i like to have physical copies of my favourite images but since mounting my ongoing exhibition (until 20/2/17 at http://icehousequarter.co.uk ) i have been amazed at the interest in purchasing my images and the amount of people that have commented that they would much prefer to have real printed images in their homes or workplace so that they can study them properly the way they should be  instead of just getting bogged down looking at images online where we all end up just scrolling through the thousands posted each day.
 So......


A various selection of my images will soon be available to buy/License from this website and maybe another online shop  .

 I have not rushed into this because i want my work to be available as great quality prints but also at reasonable prices, so i have been getting images printed from a wide range of suppliers over the last 6 months and have now narrowed it down to around 4.

 All Black and white images will be printed by the same company that specialise in this style of printing process to get it as perfect as i can, keeping prices down &  also consistency.
 
For Colour images ,i am just waiting on some more samples so i can compare quality and what finishes.

 I will be supplying prints only (framing will be available on Limited editions)as most people like to purchase their own frames and mount to suit where they are going to display the image/s, i will be putting  a brief guide in the future as to what i think is the best way to display my work.

Also i will be doing some images as limited editions, in a run of 50-150  which will all be numbered & supplied with certificates.As well as these i will be doing one off images printed on different materials that may suit companies that would like something unique to display in their space's .
 

All prices will be conformed once everything is in place.
There maybe discounts on large orders and for regular clients in the future


Thank you for reading and please feel free to comment below