Inspired by a trip to the Blists Hill Victorian Museum in 2012, documentary photographer Jonathan Cherry embarked on a visual journey through the Victorian era and began shooting his Blists Hill series off-the-back of this visit.
Jonathan’s interest in the subject was born out of the passion he felt radiated from everyone who worked at the Ironbridge-based site. He was especially fascinated by their enjoyment to educate through experience, and a strong passion for keeping the Victorian era alive.
“I found it such an interesting place, and really wanted to document it and its colourful characters” Jonathan explained.
He started shooting just before Christmas, when it was – as expected – an extremely popular and busy destination.
Jonathan found the most enjoyable part of the shoot was how people were very willing to have their photograph taken, and he went on to describe; “It just felt so easy to approach people and ask if I could photograph them.”
As an image-maker he was also more technically thankful for the weather on the first day of his shoot, in which he found the natural light made a huge difference.
Jonathan is set to continue his series and return to the Blists Hill Victorian Museum in February this year, when it will be much quieter and allow him to spend more time exploring the surroundings and the individuals who make the experience so memorable and indeed, accurate.
He comments; “Picking up the series in February may even give me a chance to photograph a little more behind the scenes stuff, too.”
Jonathan plans to revisit the site a few more times afterwards and really get into the rhythms of the staff, discovering how they prepare and get themselves into character.
What I find personally interesting is his intention to also capture what he describes as ‘the down times’, what his subjects get up to when there are fewer visitors during the day and how they then spend their time.
An enthusiastic character himself, Jonathan grew up in Stourbridge but he’s certainly no stranger when it comes to exploring. Having studied in Falmouth, Cornwall, Jonathan divided his time living and working between Stourbridge and Normandie, France from 2009 to 2013.
Incidentally for those who would love to know the sort of equipment Jonathan works with, he uses a Wista 5×4 camera and a Hasselblad 503 CWi with Kodak Portra film.
Aside from his own work, Jonathan interviews other photographers and curates the short, snappy, web-based responses on Mull It Over – a site he founded in 2009 and which boasts a community of more than 300,000 followers. He has interviewed a fantastic variety of nearly 800 photographers, ranging from emerging talent all the way through to the more established.
Jonathan explains; “I am really proud of Mull It Over and I’m excited to see where I can take it in 2014.”
I can’t wait either!
Throughout his career, Jonathan includes the likes of Jamie Hawkesworth, Brady Fontenot, Noah Rabinowitz and Whitten Sabbatini as his inspiration and influences.
You can discover more of Jonathan’s work on his website – and don’t forget to keep checking back for stunning updates on his Blists Hill series.