From Hairdressing to Capturing Souls
Meet Denis, a creative soul who embarked on a remarkable journey into the world of photography as he approached his 50th birthday. As the sun began to set on his successful hairdressing career, Denis yearned for a new outlet and the challenge of mastering a fresh creative discipline.
What started as a hobby capturing street style, quickly blossomed into an all-consuming passion for the art of photography. While he took some online courses to accelerate his learning process, Denis firmly believes that true creativity lies beyond the boundaries of formal education. He honed his skills through relentless practice and self-teaching.
With years spent working alongside renowned photographers like Rankin, Matt Holyoak, and Sheila Rock during his hairdressing career, it was no surprise that Denis gravitated towards portrait photography as he gained experience. He also delved into studio photography, collaborating with Ruffians' talented team to create stunning hair collections featured in prestigious trade journals.
Driven by curiosity and inspired by product development work at Charles Worthington and Ruffians, Denis developed an interest in product photography. The boundless creativity within this genre became deeply satisfying for him.
In early 2020, Denis made the bold decision to step down from his role as Creative Director at Ruffians and split his time between hairdressing and photography. However, fate had other plans when the global pandemic struck shortly after.
During lockdowns, Denis finally had the opportunity he had longed for – time off to explore something beyond hairdressing. He immersed himself in daily tasks that included participating in #freeforall photo editing competitions on Instagram. This allowed him to discover various software capabilities while refining his editing skills.
Through YouTube tutorials on portrait and beauty retouching techniques stumbled upon Zoë Noble's online tutorial – a self-taught photographer and retoucher who became Denis' mentor virtually overnight. Days and weeks were dedicated to mastering these techniques and applying them to his unique style of photography.
As the UK emerged from its second major lockdown in spring 2021, Denis launched a project called Proud Portraits. This powerful endeavour aimed to showcase the diverse LGBTQ+ community, highlighting every strand of light within it. What was initially planned as a portrait series featuring 30-40 queer individuals turned into a three-month-long project with over 140 participants. The collection received widespread recognition, including a four-week takeover at Fiorucci in Soho during Pride Month.
Since then, Denis has collaborated with organisations focused on issues close to his heart within the LGBTQ+ community – combating racism, advocating for trans rights, and uplifting individuals living with HIV like himself.
His recent work includes shooting covers for Beau magazine by The Love Tank CIC – an empowering publication created by and for the HIV+ community. Additionally, Denis partnered with Impulse London on #everybodysexy in 2022 – a vibrant series celebrating queer men of all colours, shapes, sizes, and ages through colourful nudes or nearly-nude portraits. This project made its way to UK Black Pride where Denis set up a pop-up studio capturing portraits of 100 people over five hours.
Denis's journey is one of passion meeting purpose as he fearlessly captures souls through his lens while championing inclusivity and social change within the LGBTQ+ community.