The PhotoBite Team
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Simon Skinner
Co-founder // Editor
Having spent many years working in various pockets of the music industry, and always with a camera in hand, Simon has worked with organisations such as Warner/Chappell, Food Records and ultimately, co-founding the innovative independent record label, Izumi Records before moving fully into the world of publishing in 2007.
Amongst numerous other projects in the last decade, he has been responsible for a number of specialist photo trade magazines and journals for the filmmaking and photography communities, along with a coffee table book entitled, “Great Britons of Photography’ which he produced with Peter Dench and Leica.
Now heading up PhotoBite, Simon and the team have set themselves a task of delivering informative and inspirational content for photographers of all levels, from the beginner, shooting with smartphones, to the seasoned photographer and filmmaker.
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Mike Bishop
Co-founder // Digital Development
Once a touring musician, Mike realised that sitting down was far more relaxing a past time than playing guitar and living off Ginster Pasties (although any sponsorship from Ginster is welcome), and started to plan how to sit down for a living. Enter web development.
After 16 years of sitting down, he’s tackled websites for the likes of Expedia, the BBC and Lonely Planet, as well as mismanaging one of the internet’s largest web design and development forums. Mike now takes that mismanagement over to photobite.uk
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Luke Gardner
Features Editor // Presenter
Luke lives and breaths photography.
With experience working freelance, in retail and also teaching photography; Luke has been exposed to a broad spectrum of knowledgeable people and has a real hunger to explore what others are up to in this incredibly creative world.
Starting from the age of 12 his fascination with photography as done nothing but fuel his ambition to create and explore all areas in the photographic world. Luke’s role at PhotoBite ranges from feature writing to testing equipment, with his natural teaching skills seeing him take his place as in-house presenter for camera hardware and accessories on the PhotoBite YouTube channel.
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J.R. Lewis
Digital Content // Presenter
Josh has been working as a filmmaker for a number of years, now, managing to convert his passion into a profession in 2015.
Used to working as a solo shooter, Josh has become accustomed to working with ‘run & gun’ set ups and has become an expert in filmmaking equipment through his experience of working on hundreds of projects in varying capacities.
This experience, coupled with Josh’s curious mind and ability to deliver casual-yet-knowledgeable opinion, makes him the perfect for his role within PhotoBite.
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Rob Raurdy
Rob has always been extremely technically inclined and has gained in-depth knowledge in computing and technology from his love of cutting edge and exciting tech, along with his many years of dismantling, modifying and repairing all kinds of computers, smartphones and old synthesisers.
Rob’s background stems from the music arena, where he’s simultaneously forged an in-depth knowledge in production and an enviable collection of synths, whilst thrashing the drums with various pop bands. Being the monumental tech/control freak that he is, Rob developed a passion for filmmaking when making music videos during his time studying music production at university. The two disciplines have kept him busy ever since and mark Rob as a perfect fit for the team at PhotoBite.
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Peter Dench
A photographer with over 20 years experience, Dench works primarily in the advertising, corporate, editorial and video fields of image making. A keen and astute observer of human nature and in particular some of the quirkier aspects of life, his distinctive style, predominantly in colour, has guaranteed regular commissions from a range or respected international clients including: FORD, CANON, LateRooms.com, Coca Cola, Weetabix, Barclays Wealth and Barclaycard.
Achievements include a World Press Photo Award in the People in the News Stories Category for the reportage, Drinking of England and participation in the World Press Joop Swart Masterclass. Football’s Hidden Story, a FIFA sponsored project comprising 26 stories across 20 different countries documenting the positive impact that football has had at grass root level on individuals and communities across the planet, received six global accolades.
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Tom Oldham
Tom is a London-based portrait photographer, shooting portraits of musicians, sports stars and all sorts of talented folk in locations across the nation and worldwide. Tom has recently been announced as a winner in the 2018 BJP Portrait of Britain with Son 2, seen on screens throughout the UK.
His latest project, The Last of The Crooners, was awarded the 2018 Sony World Photography Award for Portraits in the Professional Category A founder member of the House of St Barnabas, Tom splits his creative time between self-initiated and self-funded project work, and commercial projects.
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Emma Blau
Emma Blau is an award-winning British photographic artist, curator and commentator; her photography is held in the permanent collection of the National Portrait Gallery, London and has been exhibited both internationally and in the UK as well as featuring in leading publications including British Vogue, Wallpaper* and The Sunday Times Magazine.
Emma is one of the owners of the photographic agency and archive Camera Press, which was founded by her grandfather Tom Blau in London in 1947, and she was the director of the Tom Blau Gallery from 2002 until 2006.
She holds an MA in Image and Communication from Goldsmiths, University of London, for which she was awarded a distinction at the age of 23.
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Jake Cunningham
Jake Cunningham is first and foremost a Cinephile. He is also a Filmmaker, Photographer, Writer and the creator and host of the Curzon Cinemas Film Podcast.
In the last 12 months he has begun exploring and more video essay work, as well as creating a film talk show on YouTube, that produces a weekly discussion about cinema. He prefers a seat in the middle of the middle row, and never takes popcorn into the screen.
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Luke Curtis
Or resident lighting expert, Luke started his photo career in 2010 when he joined Sony UK’s training team. In 2013 he left Sony to freelance as a commercial photographer and being a huge music fan, Luke cut his photographic teeth shooting the dance floors of clubs and festivals such as Ministry of Sound, Studio 338, EGG, Sankeys, DC10, The Social Festival, Sundown and many more.
Luke regularly works on commissions for DJ Mag and has an exclusive contract with Relentless Energy, alongside this he regularly runs workshops for photographers and has supported at major UK events like The Photography Show, speaking for PhotoBite in 2017.
In 2016 Luke kicked off his own specialist music/photography agency, operating out of the norm, run by photographers, for photographers and pulling in talent that complements his creative approach. Mind Your Step now has ongoing projects with the likes of WE ARE FSTVL , D-Vine Sounds , The Social Festival , and ABODE.
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Phil Grabsky
Phil Grabsky is a filmmaker who has won numerous awards for his directing, writing, producing and cinematography.
He and his company Seventh Art Productions are behind cinema films such as Muhammad Ali – Through the Eyes of the World, In Search of Beethoven, In Search of Mozart and The Boy Mir – Ten Years in Afghanistan.
Among Seventh Art’s many other films are multiple singles for, among others, Channel 4 and the BBC as well as major series such as I Caesar – the Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire and Tim Marlow’s art series. Seventh Art has also made six enormously popular history films with Monty Python’s Terry Jones.
He is regularly involved as a judge for the Emmys, Bafta, Grierson and One World awards, and has won numerous personal awards himself including Royal Television Society awards for both ‘Best Director’ and ‘Services to Television’, and a Voice of the Listener and Viewer Award for ‘Services to Education.’
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Kevin Meredith [AKA Lomokev]
Even before the days of smart phones, affordable digital cameras and social media Kevin would always carry a camera with him every were he went so that he could document every thing around him.
Kevin first gained notoriety for his photography with the use of the Lomo LCA and Flickr in the mid 2000s. He has a passion for sharing his knowledge of photography, whether that’s though writing books, teaching workshops or occasional appearances on children’s TV.
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Chris Patmore
Chris is an internationally published author of books on filmmaking and the visual arts. As a journalist he has been a regular contributor to magazines such as Moviescope as well as serving as Editor of Film & Festivals Magazine.
He also works as editorial graphic designer for Wing Chun Illustrated Magazine, and previously for Moviescope and Film & Festivals.
As a long-time photographer, originally shooting surfing and music in Australia in the 1970s and ’80s, he recently returned to his first love of shooting live music. He had the first exhibition of his music photography in Hoxton in January 2015. He can mostly be found looking for light in front of the stages at many of London’s iconic music venues, as well as a few of the less salubrious ones.
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Victoria Dawe
Victoria’s passion is creating fine Art, which she exhibits in Paris, London and Switzerland. One of her galleries also travels with her art to various art fairs around the world.
It started for Victoria with a love of architecture. To think that something as immense as a skyscraper can come from the mind of a single individual, helps her to remember that we are all capable of greatness, and by working together we can accomplish amazing things.
You’ll find Victoria marvelling at architecture as she travels the world and soaks up different cultures. Back in London, she works mostly photographing celebrities, working for some incredible charities and brands as well as covering society events. These range from our much-loved Royal Family, to characters with their own intriguing story.
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Dr Patrick Wollner
Yes, we have an actual Doctor on the team!
Dr Patrick Wollner designs and researches human- machine interaction and is passionate about photography.
He previously worked as a researcher in the field of computer vision and engineering design. Patrick co-founded a non-profit organisation created by and for early-career researchers encouraging effective communication amongst researchers, scientists, engineers, industry and policymakers.
Alongside writing for PhotoBite, he writes a weekly column for an Austrian daily newspaper about emerging consumer technologies.