Labour of love
It was a simple idea. A brilliant idea. A book of 100 photographs by 100 photographers revealing the one single image that had the most impact on their career and the story behind it. The Shot That Made Me (TSTMM) would elevate my reputation as a curator. It would›be an instant classic. In 2016 I got to work inviting photographers to›contribute.
I’d not published a book before my 40th birthday, now aged 48, I’ve published six as well as various zines (not all of them about me). Books matter, they are a love and a legacy. Photography can be a selfish pursuit, often necessarily so as you compete to be the best. As my career has progressed (sometimes regressed), I’ve realised my competitors aren’t going to go away. I began to take more of an interest in what they did and the way they were doing it. The result was the publication of The Dench Dozen: Great Britons of Photography, Vol 1 (or TDDGBOFV1 for short). Described (by me) as, ‘A collection of intimate, acute and heroically revealing insights into the lives and work of some of British photography’s most colourful characters; often hilarious, sometimes crazy, always engaging.’
It felt good and ›was well received and the accompanying
