Working on location I create environmental portraits of people in their home or workplace, both indoors and outdoors. These photographic portraits give the people a sense of place and help to tell their unique story, and I often light them to highlight key aspects of their life or environment. 

My subjects include artisans, craftsmen and craftswomen, artists who hand make all sorts of things including fashion items, paintings, ceramics, crafts, ironmongery and even beautiful wooden boats. 

Many of the people I photograph are hugely interesting characters who have often lived full, varied and fascinating lives - there’s a hat maker who also plays the Ngoni (a stringed instrument) in a band that had recently released an album; a bellringer who was called to inspect Big Ben after a suspected IRA bombing; a chef turned knife maker who makes handles for his knives from plastic collected from the River Thames; and another bell ringer who had been a prisoner of war at Dresden in the Second World War, whose guards thought he was a spy as they found some paper with bell ringing peels written on them, who escaped as the RAF were bombing Dresden, and who returned to bell ringing, was awarded the British Empire Medal, and finally packed up driving at the age of 100 years old!

As an environmental portrait photographer personal work is extremely important to me, and I spend a great deal of time in searching my local area uncovering all sorts of characters who have appeared in my projects such as The 28 Days Of February, where I photographed a different local person every day through the month; Portraits Of Runnymede photographs of residents of Runnymede for an exhibition at Chertsey Museum, and capturing 175 portraits over two days at the Chertsey Agricultural show for their 175th anniversary. I sometimes use just daylight to light my portraits and other times I use a mix of daylight and flash, although I try to blend the flash in so that it enhances the photograph rather than takes over it.

I am often asked why I am interested in photographing people going about their day to day lives, and my answer is always the same:

“Today is tomorrow’s history.”

Stay In Touch
Loading…
Environmental portrait of artist Mr Mr Pearce in his studio.
Environmental location portrait of a Brooklands volunteer in a Wellington Bomber, by Douglas Kurn.
Location portrait of an artisan who hand makes hats in his riverside studio, by Douglas Kurn.
The Original Cockney Museum 2022
Environmental portrait of a Morris Dancer, greeting the sun on May day morning.
Environmental portrait of a Morris Dancer, greeting the sun on May day morning.
Environmental portrait of a Morris Dancer
Environmental location portrait of sportsman Paul Abel a former British Karate champion. photographed in Surrey
Environmental portrait of Team GB triathlete Thalia Hessey at Buckland Park Lake in Betchworh, Surrey. Photo by Douglas Kurn
Environmental portrait of Clay the tree surgeon at his home in Surrey, UK
Environmental portrait of an artisan who hand makes knives in his riverside studio, by Douglas Kurn, photographer.
Environmental portrait of an artisan who hand makes hats in his riverside studio, by Douglas Kurn.
Environmental location portrait of a bespoke shoe maker, by Douglas Kurn.
Environmental Portrait Of A Rower
An environmental portrait of a bell ringer
Environmental Portrait of a bell ringer in his ringing chamber
Environmental Portrait of a rugby player after practice at night.
Environmental portrait of an actor with a gun at night.
Environmental portrait of a river boat dweller
Environmental portrait of a youth with a Kingfisher mural by the canal
Portrait of a tree surgeon in his workshop
Environmental location portrait of a chef at Somerset House in London, by Douglas Kurn.
Environmental black and white portrait of Dennis Brock, centurion and bell ringer.
Environmental portrait of Clay the tree surgeon at his home in Surrey, UK
Addlestone One Construction Site Workers
Environmental location portrait of a young man with a snooker cue in a social club, by Douglas Kurn.
Environmental location portrait of a coach driver outside a former dairy, by Douglas Kurn.
Environmental location portrait of a wooden boat maker in his boathouse by Douglas Kurn.
Environmental location portrait of a woman bell ringer and tower captain, by Douglas Kurn.
Environmental location portrait of a craft beer brewer in his brewery in the river Thames, by Douglas Kurn.
Environmental location portrait of a girl sitting by a boat in a boatyard, by Douglas Kurn.
Environmental location portrait of a blacksmith inside his workshop by Douglas Kurn.
Environmental location portrait of a man with a grey beard at home, by Douglas Kurn.
Environmental location portrait of a boart builder outside his boat house, by Douglas Kurn.
Environmental location portrait of a female boatbuilder insode the boathouse, by Douglas Kurn.
Environmental location portrait of a kebab seller in his van, by Douglas Kurn.
Environmental location portrait of a taxi driver next to his taxi rank, by Douglas Kurn.
Environmental location portrait of a man wearing trousers made from beer mats, by Douglas Kurn.
Environmental location portrait of a punk chef outside the pub where he works, by Douglas Kurn.
Environmental location portrait of a craft beer brewer next to his beer kettles, by Douglas Kurn.
Environmental location portrait of a chef in his kitchen, by Douglas Kurn.
Environmental location portrait of a journalist leaning on his wheelchair, by Douglas Kurn.
Environmental location portrait of a youth leaning on a wall, by Douglas Kurn.
Environmental location portrait of an elderly lady at a bus stop, by Douglas Kurn.
Environmental location portrait of a youth leaning on a wall, by Douglas Kurn.
Environmental location portrait of a female sea swimmer coming out of the water, by Douglas Kurn.
Environmental portrait of a rower by the Thames at Molesey Boat Club in Surrey. Photo by Douglas Kurn
Environmental portrait of a game keeper with his gods on his estate in Wales, Photo by Douglas Kurn