Hi ,

Welcome to January's edition of my Friends' Catchup, and a big hello to those of you who've recently joined up 👋

In this month's newsletter:

• Update: first Tiny Egypt session at Manchester Museum
• Photo of the month: A portrait of an Anthony Gormley Another Place iron man statue
• A dose of inspiration: aow's On photographing where we live
• Wise words: Wise words, they are, coming from one of the greatest minds of all time

Tiny Egypt update

I had my first official Tiny Egypt session this week, at Manchester Museum. (Hooray!)

As you may already be aware, Manchester Museum has been having an extension built to house a new temporary exhibition space. Because the building work is being done close to where the Egypt and Sudan galleries are situated, they've had to be shut and emptied of most of their artefacts until the building work is completed.

That means I have an exciting opportunity to get my hands on artefacts that would usually be on display and difficult to remove for photography. So, I'll be focussing on these objects over the next few months.

Before Tuesday's session, I'd already picked out four amulets I wanted to photograph that day. So, Campbell took me to the stores where a number of smaller objects from the galleries were being held, and as soon as we pulled out the box containing the amulets (photo above), it was obvious it was going to be a treasure trove of objects for the project 😍

I photographed three of the four pieces I'd already chosen - they're the amulets of Hat-mehyt, Nehebkau and Thoth which you can see just below the perspex stand in the box. Each amulet, I've photographed from four or five angles, picking out details and playing with light in a way not usually seen with artefact photography.

There are so many beautiful and fascinating objects in just that box alone. I can't wait to get back and photograph more!

Manchester will have to wait a little longer, however, as I'm in the Garstang Museum on Wednesday and Bolton Libraries and Museums the following week, so I've plenty on my plate over the next couple of weeks!

Members of the Tiny Egypt Society will be the first to see new images from these sessions. I really can't keep the project going without their amazing support.

If you'd like to be one of those people who see my new photos before anyone else does, get behind-the-scenes news and help shape the project, you can do so by becoming a patron of the project by joining the Society from only £1.00 per month (first month half price). This month, members are also helping me choose what kind of artefacts I'll be photographing first at the Garstang on Wednesday.

• Join the Society via the Tiny Egypt project page

Photo of the month

This month's photo comes to you from Crosby beach in Liverpool, just down the road from me.

The stretch of beach running through Waterloo and Crosby in north Liverpool is home to Another Place, an art installation by Anthony Gormley (the artist who also created the iconic Angel of the North in northeast England). Another Place comprises 100 iron statues made from a cast of Gormley's (naked) body, and has become a real hotspot for visitors since its arrival in the early noughties.

You usually see the statues photographed against one of the stunning sunsets we're often treated to in Liverpool, or wearing Santa hats or discarded coats, or having visitors' arms draped around their shoulders as they pose for a shot.

Five years ago on a Sunday morning in January 2017, however, I woke to a thick blanket of fog, and jumped at the chance to make some images that were a little different, and this is the result.

One thing I was struck by, was how much the face of this statue reminded me of Egyptian mummies; the rust and wear resembling linen bandages, partially obscuring his features.

I loved this photo so much, I applied to have it featured in the Royal Photographic Society's biennial exhibition that year. And here it is:

I've just published a blog post about this photo, as well as others I took that day. It's not very 'Egypt-y' (except for the tenuous link I make about him looking like a mummy 😁), but it's a part of my new 'Exploring heritage' series I'm working on, which is there to share my photographic explorations of the heritage around us, and to try to encourage others to do the same. It's mindful, it's outdoors (something we've had to consider doing more of since 2020), it's accessible, and it's climate friendly.

I've included a few tips for those of you wanting to photograph public works of art like this, and a 'factfile' for Another Place, including accessibility info and recommendations for camera equipment. I'd love it if you'd have a look and let me know if you think it's useful information to include:

• An ethereal encounter with Anthony Gormley's Another Place

A dose of inspiration

Photo © aows, screenshotted from YouTube

This month's dose of inspiration is a video by photographer aows, On photographing where we live.

Tying in with the previous section of this newsletter about exploring locally with a camera, in this video, aows talks about finding beauty in our local area and photographing it. Whilst iconic landscapes and monuments are iconic for a reason, they're not always nearby, and they're photographed again and again, so it can be hard to find something new to do with it. But the places we live are often less photographed, and can be a treasure trove for those with a camera (and yes, that includes your mobile phone) and a bit of time to wander and really look for those details and moments.

The images he's been making of his home town - a place he himself calls 'unremarkable' - are just breathtakingly beautiful, and a real inspiration for any of us wishing to make more photos, but are unable or unwilling to travel right now.

Watch the five-minute video on YouTube here:

• On photographing where we live

Wise words

This month's wise words come straight from the mouth of the master himself, Yoda:

Do or do not. There is no try.

This famous quote comes from the scene in The Empire Strikes Back, where Yoda's trying to teach Luke to use the force to raise his X-wing from a bog. Luke's disheartened, saying it's bigger than anything he's ever tried before. So Yoda's encouraging Luke to not be held back by what he does or doesn't think he can do, but to be present in the moment and just do it.

So, in the spirit of not being held back by what you don't know, try getting out with your camera to explore your local area and heritage. Even if it's just 10 minutes with your phone in your local park.

You either explore or you don't. You make photos or you don't. You set up a dream photographic project and ask people to come along with you and support you, or you don't.

Sometimes it's scary (launching Tiny Egypt was the scariest thing I've done in quite some time), and not everything works out the way you want it to (for every great photo I show you, I have another 10 not-so-great ones).

And as someone with ADHD-related executive dysfunction, and a rather limited supply of energy and self-confidence, I know how tough it can be to get yourself going at times. But sometimes ... just sometimes ... you have to say 'f*** it', and just do it. You might fall at the first hurdle. But ... you might not. If you don't 'do', you'll never know what you can achieve.

Anyway, I think I've waffled enough for this month. Feel free to hit reply and let me know what you've been up to, or if you have any recommendations for the Dose of Inspiration and Wise Words section of the newsletter. Or share photos you've made of the heritage attractions and art installations you've explored. I'd love to hear from you!

Until next month,

Julia