Myself (left), Paul Hayward (center) and Alex Yallop (right)

It’s Friday night here in Beijing and rather than being out and about, I have just returned from another busy day since my return from the US last week. It always seems that being away from home for any period of time leads to a serious build up of work that needs to be caught up on upon return. As I was going through my archive tonight, I stumbled upon another photo taken from my time as an intern at Magnum Photos London office during 2004-2005. Readers of this blog in its earlier stages will know I have already posted one photo from my internship, here.

The above photo was more than likely taken on a Friday night, probably around 5 years ago now in what was the old Magnum London Office situated on Old Street in central London. Pictured above are myself (left), Paul Hayward (centre) and Alex Yallop (right) my fellow interns at the time, indulging in a beer in the office after what I am sure was a typically busy week.

Moments like this were a great part in the whole experience of being an intern at Magnum. Chances to stop and digest what we were experiencing, were fairly few and far between but the bonding experiences we felt as interns was something pretty special.

It’s also great to know that we are all still in touch and finding our own paths in photography. If you ever get the opportunity to intern at Magnum, or any other quality photo-agency for that matter, one of my biggest pieces of advise would be to grab every opportunity you are presented with. Paul Hayward (pictured center) for example, is now the head of the digital department at Magnum London after starting as an intern in the same department. Alex Yallop (pictured right) is now a professional freelancer, spending his time flitting between Europe and Asia. I, myself, have been freelancing in China since leaving Magnum and was lucky enough to be awarded Magnum photographer David Alan Harvey’s Emerging Photographer Award last year. Many other interns have gone on to be assistants of the photographers and previous intern Jonas Bendiksen is now even a member of the agency whose photographers he once made coffees for and whose phone calls he answered!

My point is, if you get an opportunity, a chance, a break etc….seize it. You never know where it may take you.

Diwali celebrations in Trafalgar Square, London. UK. 2004

A friend of mine reminded me this weekend that it was the Hindu festival of Diwali this week. In case you don’t know, Divali (or the Festival of Light as it is also called) is a celebration held over 5 days by Hindu communities throughout the world. Lights are lit, fireworks are set off and families come together for this important day.

Diwali celebrations in Trafalgar Square, London. UK. 2004

This week’s ‘Photo of the Week’ comes from Diwali celebrations, not in India, but in London. I took them in 2004, during my one year paid internship at Magnum Photo’s London office. I remember having only been at Magnum for a couple of months when this festival came about. Having been inspired day-in-day-out (as I was for most of the year) I headed out onto the streets to try and capture some of the colour and fervour that surrounded the festival on the streets of the UK’s capital. I’d like to share five of those images with you taken during celebrations in 2004.

Diwali celebrations in North London. UK. 2004

The festival of ‘light’ refers to the Hindu belief that darkness represents ignorance and light represents knowledge, therefore lights are lit in many ways to symbolize the defeat of negative forces (violence, lust, bigotry, envy etc.) through knowledge. That’s a pretty good message in my book!

Diwali celebrations in North London, UK. 2004

London is such an amazing and inspiring city sometimes. Having photographed events such as Diwali, Chinese New Year, the Thames Festival etc., I am proud to be British when I see the kaleidoscope of cultures and people who live in the city. There are only a few cities on earth which are like this and symbolise the multiculturalism that has become part of the country’s identity.

Diwali Celebrations in Trafalgar Square, London. UK. 2004

To find out more information about Diwali, head over to the DivaliFestival.org website.

Myself and Ileana Athanatos packaging Eve Arnold's Marilyn Monroe Prints during my internship at Magnum Photos. 2005

In 2004, I was lucky enough to to be selected for the prestigious 1-year paid internship at Magnum photos in their London office. This was  an incredibly important year for me and for the development of my knowledge about photography. It is an experience that I shall have to blog more about, as I receive regular emails from people asking me about my time at Magnum and seeking advice about applying for an internship.

The above photo is a brief snapshot from one of my days in Magnum’s London office, pictured alongside a print of Marilyn Monroe  by the legendary Eve Arnold, on its way to an exhibition at the Halcyon Gallery in early 2005. Pictured on the right is my friend and former colleague Ileana Athanatos.

I distinctly remember spending the best part of two days with Ileana, carefully rolling, wrapping and packaging all of these prints, readying them for transport. Dealing with such large prints, coupled with the fact they were rather expensive and important ones, led for a very slow process I can assure you. I remember being especially attentive as I didn’t want my internship prematurely ended as a result of putting a crease in one of the prints! Needless to say, I remember we managed to pack all the prints without incident and the exhibition was a success.

Having come from a background completely unrelated to photography, being selected for the Magnum internship program was one of the best things that could of happened to me. It offered me an insight into the world’s most prestigious photo agency, a chance to meet and talk with most of the photographers and an opportunity to see the vast amount of work that goes into the agency, behind the scenes, by the staff in the Magnum offices.

As mentioned above, I shall blog about my experiences at Magnum more, however for now I shall have to leave you with just this brief glimpse.