A regular at the Tea Amantes photo walks, David Simper was keen to see his colleague’s work. He caught the service 61 bus down to the town centre to view this exhibition.
One of the Street Souls street photography group and a ring leader of the Tea Amantes photo walks, Kenny is overdue his own exhibition at the cafe and gallery. His work does not disappoint. The pictures revolve around a street photography ethos, mixed with opportunities for more formal portraits. Colour interchanges with monochrome for a pleasantly varied effect.
I’m pretty sure I can remember watching Kenny take some of these, which is an added slight frisson.
An acute eye and excellent reflexes make for a fine set of well-composed images. Pictures like this quickly build into a valuable social record, the historical value of which is not to be underestimated. Back to composition, given that many of these are effectively ‘grab shots’, it is really remarkably good.
Kenny states that his work aims to capture fleeting moments and portraits that reveal the humour, warmth and resilience of northern life – the heartbeat of Manchester, Liverpool and Blackpool – hopeful, human and full of character.
I grabbed Kenny for a quick chat.
How many years do these pictures span?
“They span two years, so from 2024 to 2025.
Are they mainly taken in a group, or singly?
“It’s probably a 50/50 split, so on my own or whether I’ve been out with someone else as just a pair.”
Is it easier on your own, or in a group?
“It depends, it is easier on your own because there are less distractions, but in a group – I think if you’re in too big a group it’s harder to get the shots, but if there’s one or two of you it’s not too bad, especially if you are out a lot together. On your own can be better for getting a shot.”
There’s a mix of black and white and colour, is this black and white film?
“No, it’s all digital. What I actually do is have everything set up in black and white; I shoot intentionally in black and white, because I get a better idea of the light and the contrast. When I get home I tend to edit in colour. Some images will work better in the original black and white. It might be a weird way of doing it, but I find it works.”
What’s the future for your photography?
“To keep shooting basically. So, I want to expand on the ‘not so grim’ theme, and also the ‘street souls’. I’ve got ten images there, but I want to expand that. I have little comments from the subjects on the website, so I want to keep doing that. I got the inspiration for this from photographer, Brandon Stanton, who does pictures of New York. He does stories as well. One of my favourite books on street portraits. I like reading the stories, it gives you that bit more context.
The main reason I started the series in Blackpool and picked these shots was because they all had a little story; why they were in that particular spot?”
How do you deal with asking people to pose?
“There’s no one rule or trick that works; generally, if you spot a person that you like, you can use that as a bit of catch. It might be, I like your t-shirt; you bring that into the conversation: I’m a photographer, I’d love to take your photograph, try from that type of angle. It doesn’t work with everyone. I haven’t had any nasty ones, but people have just said no.”
The launch event was well attended and kept supplied with snacks and drinks by the ever attentive Tea Amantes team. Kenny made a short speech thanking everyone for attending and setting some context.
Thanks to Kenny for these insights into his work. His show is on until 3rd November 2025 at Tea Amantes, Albert Road, Blackpool.
Thanks so much for this lovely review, really encouraging to know the work resonates beyond my own head! You’ve picked up on so many of the things that mean a lot to me about these photos and about Blackpool itself.