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Blog Post Featured Image

Jesse Hill Gunmakers. Photography ByBrett.

One of the photo projects I discussed with Brett, many months ago now, when he was teaching me to use the Leica M system and had asked me to suggest locations I would enjoy photographing, was a visit to this workshop owned by Haydn Hill in Birmingham. It was a project we never managed to fulfil together. This is a workshop that is 'totally normal' to Haydn himself and totally historic to all of us involved in gunmaking, it is a museum.

Jesse Hill Gunmakers. The Explora. (1 of 33)

Jesse Hill Gunmakers. The Explora. (28 of 33)

So it was actually with great reluctance that I commissioned Brett last week to go and do the job for me, an excellent decision I feel as the resulting images are worthy of the location rather than it having been a students playground.

To add the story to these images I am sincerely grateful to both Vic Venters and Ralph Stuart of Shooting Sportsman Magazine for allowing me to publish Vic's article which appeared in the magazine which you will find in the preceding post.

Jesse Hill Gunmakers. The Explora. (8 of 33)

Jesse Hill Gunmakers. The Explora. (4 of 33)

Jesse Hill Gunmakers. The Explora. (5 of 33)

Jesse Hill Gunmakers. The Explora. (26 of 33)

Jesse Hill Gunmakers. The Explora. (13 of 33)

Jesse Hill Gumakers. The Explora (7 of 8)

Jesse Hill Gumakers. The Explora (5 of 8)

Jesse Hill Gumakers. The Explora (3 of 8)

Jesse Hill Gumakers. The Explora (2 of 8)

Jesse Hill Gunmakers. The Explora. (23 of 33)

Jesse Hill Gunmakers. The Explora. (22 of 33)

Jesse Hill Gunmakers. The Explora. (21 of 33)

Jesse Hill Gunmakers. The Explora. (32 of 33)

Jesse Hill Gumakers. The Explora (8 of 8)

Jesse Hill Gunmakers. The Explora. (33 of 33)

Jesse Hill Gunmakers. The Explora. (31 of 33)

Jesse Hill Gunmakers. The Explora. (29 of 33)

About Brett, the photographer.

At the tender age of six, a plastic camera and darkroom kit started Brett's lifelong passion for photography. After leaving school he got the break that put him on the path to a fulfilling career as a photographer, when he was offered an apprenticeship at the Birmingham Post, England. Brett graduated to open his own portrait studio and was awarded Kodak Photographer of the Year at the age of 25.

His love of art and architecture led him to further hone his craft in the field of commercial & industrial photography using large format cameras. His motivation to capture everyday scenes within a special day and to find the extra in the ordinary led him to tell the story of weddings with his camera of choice, the Leica M.

Brett went on to consult for Leica Camera coaching enthusiast and professional photographers at Leica Akademie, Mayfair and in workshops worldwide.

He also undertakes bespoke commissions and personal projects. His signature look is the synergy between street photography, documentary and lifestyle imagery.

ByBrett.com

 

3 Comments

  • Neill on November 9, 2016 at 7:57 am

    These are great photos of a classic workshop. I was not aware such a place existed in the modern post-industrial UK. I'm pleased to see it does, and thanks for sharing the pictures.

  • mccabe on November 14, 2016 at 7:48 am

    Good Morning Simon! Thank you very much for this and the preceding article. Wonderful! Patrick

  • Richard Moore. on August 16, 2020 at 6:17 am

    What wonderful photographs, reminding me of when I went to Birmingham in the 1960s, when there were still a few wonderful men working around the price street area,, I knew that Haydn hill was one of the best, and these photographs bring back memories. Sadly the workers, we're never paid enough in those days. I have made a living for 55 years selling these wonderful guns, produced by craftsmen, but they are not appreciated by shooters in this country, thank heavens they are overseas, Richard Moore, Salisbury, 2020

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