A couple of weeks ago i headed to the Hop farm in Kent for an event called War & Peace Revival, which is basically a five day vintage, and military festival aimed at showcasing life on the front, and back home during different periods in history, from the first and second World War’s, Vietnam, and more recent conflicts in the middle east. As well as trade stands, and entertainment, there is re-enactments, and living history displays which are perfect for photographic content, so you can understand why i went.
Like many young boys, when i was growing up i loved playing army, and with living on a farm its some-what mandatory to be raised shooting air rifles. A lot of my spare time would be spent target shooting, or watching classic war films, like The Bridge at Remagen, Kellies Hero’s, The Longest Day, not to mention Full Metal Jacket, Saving Private Ryan, or Band of Brothers, and with that i developed a very strong interest in the second world war! I grew up wanting to join the tank regiment because i loved big machines when i was little, tractors, trains, lorries, tanks etc, but when i was 17 i had a motorcycle accident at the fault of a Volvo, which made me unable to pass the medical, for the metal work in my ankle.
So for me, much like photography, military history is an interesting subject, and this is one of the few places that offers you the opportunity to photograph people in period clothing! Next year I’m going camp or something, as there is literally too much to see in one day!
All photographs are taken with my Hasselblad 500c/m using Kodak Portra & Tri-x 400, and Ilford Delta 100.