Reviews

I Cast My Vote for Patmore

Apr 06, 2017 2507 views No Comments

A pebbly beach. A cool, jacket-necessitating, Brighton afternoon. A small, intimate circle of photo-muso-arty aficionados. And a photo-guru or two. Enter the first Q&A/masterclass thingummyjiggumy with photo president elect, Charlotte “Vote for” Patmore, able vice president, Poppy Marriott, and Queen of all Queen Bees (Izzy Bee of Black Honey).

This is laid back, make-it-up-as-you go-along gold. Spontaneous. Informal. Lounging at the feet of the mistresses of rock journalism. A bit cultish, Jesus and disciplish. Gleaning. Asking. Watching. The tension of waiting to peak inside that well travelled camera bag.

Charlotte and Poppy share their personal journeys. What is abundantly clear is that there is no right or wrong way to become a music photographer/videographer. Everyone must find their own path. How did two young women, one from Wigan and one from Norwich, with common loves and goals, converge on a beach on April 3^rd 2017 to share their expertise? Well, despite their different origins, there are some common denominators, such as hard work, lack of sleep, determination, a willingness to be a little on the wrong side of hard-faced to go out and ask for those opportunities you crave.

Photo by Gavin Woollard www.reportagephotography.com

Charlotte, 25, has exchanged Wigan Pier for Brighton Pier, a pretty fair exchange if you ask me. Working with teenagers close to there, I know that Wigan grime ain’t like Stormzy and Kano’s grime. Pies, rugby, lower division football and Kym Marsh. For some this is bliss, but Charlotte’s eyes have alighted on greener pastures, beyond the Northern industrial heartland.

The interesting thing about her story is how she has honed and adapted her career as she has gone along her way. If you follow her social media you notice that she currently leads a terrible existence, jetting off to glamorous locations, touring with Charlie XCX and Black Honey and others. So how did she end up where she is today? Moving to London in 2011 to study fashion, she reluctantly did a music project, but loved it so much that she decided to veer off in that direction. She volunteered, worked or “broke into” (her words) every festival going, to develop a portfolio. LA hip hop collective, Odd Future, asked her to hang out with them at Reading and Leeds. NME got hold of her pictures. She did an internship. Got a job there. So basically, if you break into festivals you just might get a job with NME! Caveat: remember, children, that Charlotte’s story is Charlotte’s story, not yours! Beware too that in her story there are both peaks and troughs: NME goes free. You have no job. You are run over and break your leg. Disaster: you have to put your stage-invading career on temporary hold! Never fear: all good things come back to those who wait. Next you meet Izzy and Black Honey. You go to Dubai. You go to the US of A. You get see the world through your expert lens. You get to put on a blonde wig and red beret and invade stages once more.

Poppy,20, is a fellow stage invader! Her story has an element of coincidence too, and an element of changing your course as you go. The most important thing is to be doing something, to move forwards. You can’t steer a car with its handbrake on after all. It’s also crucial to turn the negative into positive. She shares what happened to her at one gig, one minute assaulted, the next meeting the editor of DIY magazine, and then going on to produce Exist zine. She speaks of her change of course from writing about bands to photographing them; about today’s extortionate uni fees; about degrees not necessarily being the right choice for everyone.

Poppy and Charlotte both speak of the challenges of moving on to make music videos, but wanting to get it right, so they are like short films. They discuss the fusion of art forms: film, photography, art and music. They talk of influences, the same way a musician would. Aided by Izzy, they debate the necessity of not being “fucked over” by bands and the music industry in general. They argue the case for film over digital. Of standing out from the crowd by having a physical portfolio with film prints. The disciples listen attentively all the while.

Photo by Gavin Woollard www.reportagephotography.com

The key themes running through both these young women’s stories are these: do something; be prepared to change and adapt as you go; expect hardship; expect hard work; expect the male dominated industry to be an extra hurdle for women trying to break through; be prepared to be pushy; do what you love doing; photograph the bands you love; and crucially, make sure your photography bag contains a selection of Vote for Patmore badges and something to help you get through those times that the males on tour will never understand.

Photo by Gavin Woollard www.reportagephotography.com

This Q&A really should go out on tour. I see it drawing in crowds at Tim Peaks Diner. Every gig will be different. Every audience will have unique questions. No amps. No setting up. Just find a nice place to chill out, like a beach, a park or a Costa, soak up the passion, be inspired and learn from those at the forefront. There might even be a moshpit, and a stage-dive or stage-invasion or two if it really takes off, with our two intrepid ladies taking selfies amongst the debris.

Come on musico-photo-arty people: Vote for Patmore. Vote for Marriott. And vote for all those that they continue to inspire from now on.

Words: by Si ©cre8ivation

Photos: Charlotte Patmore and Gavin Woollard

Charlotte Patmore

Twitter/Instagram: @voteforpatmore

www.voteforpatmore.com

Poppy Marriott

Twitter/Instagram:@poppymarriott_

www.poppymarriott.co.uk

For articles relating to Black Honey:

“Black Honey Live: I’m Jerry. I’m An Indie Celebrity. Get Me Out Of Here! http://www.cre8ivation.com/?p=5607

Festevol 2016: The Arrival of Hurricane Rockchicks http://www.cre8ivation.com/?p=5593