“You rebel scum!” This line was first uttered by an Imperial Officer in Return of the Jedi, as Han Solo and friends assaulted the shield generator station.
You Rebel Scum is my ongoing quest to document the lives of people who refuse to conform—those who live on the fringes, in the cracks between society’s expectations. From street photography to documentary work, I’ve moved away from the predictable and the pretty, gravitating instead towards the raw, unscripted beauty of those who stand out in this fast-moving, ever-changing world.
I’ve always been drawn to rebels in stories, which is why the Star Wars-inspired title felt fitting. In many ways, the individuals I photograph—the homeless, the street performers, the activists—are rebels too. Their lives may be different from my own, but what draws me to them is their resilience, their refusal to bend to societal norms. Over the past eight years, I’ve sought out these moments of defiance, these glimpses of lives lived against the grain, even if only for the briefest moment.
My camera has taken me to the streets of the UK, where I’ve shared meals with the homeless and heard their stories. I’ve spoken with graffiti artists and joined Welsh Elvis festivals. I’ve marched alongside both Anti-Brexit and Pro-Brexit supporters. I stood in the midst of tens of thousands of Anti-Trump protesters, wrapped in the Stars and Stripes in central London. I’ve captured the determined faces of children fighting for climate action and the masked figures of anarchists burning flags in Trafalgar Square. More recently, I’ve documented the emotional outpouring of Ukrainian war protesters and the voices raised against the violence in Israel and Palestine. I even found myself in the heart of Westminster, photographing far-right demonstrators clashing on Armistice Day.
But it’s not all conflict and protest. There’s beauty and light too—the liberating expression of self that shines through at World Naked Bike Rides and Pride marches, where bodies of all shapes, sizes, and identities boldly celebrate their freedom.
Through this book, and through my camera, my journey continues. It’s a journey to capture the rebels among us, those who challenge the norm and show us that there is more than one way to live, to express, and to exist. This book is (my second photography book).
You Rebel Scum! is a mixture of my color and black-and-white photography and the cameras used were the Fujifilm: XT20, XT3, XT5, X100V, X100VI.
