The night before jumping out of a plane to raise funds for Bowel Cancer UK, I was on book photography duty. Having met Jeremy Cunningham from The Levellers for the forthcoming bowel cancer fundraising book, The Record, a few months ago in Brighton, I went to band's recent gig at The Anvil in Basingstoke to complete my photography for the chapter in the book.
It was my first time at The Anvil, and the venue presented some interesting challenges for the photography, as basically there was no photo pit, and no gap between the front row of the audience and the stage. I also wanted to focus on Jeremy, and he was at the back of the stage. So I had to get creative. The band had very kindly sorted me out with a photo pass as well as a fantastic seat to watch the concert, so it was all good in the end as I got some great pictures.
The book is being written in memory of my mum who passed away from bowel cancer in 2016. Bowel cancer is the second highest cancer killer in the UK, claiming 16,000 people each year. However, if detected early it can be successfully treated in over 90% of cases. At the moment only 15% of those diagnosed with bowel cancer are caught at the early stage 1, so raising awareness is key as well as the fundraising.
