Durham Miners’ Gala – In Black & White
This selection of black and white photographs was taken at the 2025 Durham Miners’ Gala, an event that continues to be a powerful expression of community, heritage, and solidarity.
Choosing to work in black and white for part of the day allowed me to focus on the structure and emotion of the moment—the faces, the gestures, the grit beneath the celebration. Stripped of colour, these images shift attention to the raw details: the sweat on a brow, the raised banners, the quiet moments between performances, the lines of marching feet echoing down narrow streets.
There’s a timeless quality to the Gala, and working in monochrome brought that to the forefront. These photographs could just as easily have been made decades ago—until you spot a mobile phone or a modern tattoo tucked into the frame. That tension between tradition and the present day is something I always try to capture in my documentary work.
What I love most about photographing events like this is the contrast—not just light and shadow, but between movement and stillness, public spectacle and private reflection. These black and white frames are about more than the performances; they’re about the people, the atmosphere, and the quiet power that runs through a day like this.
As ever, it was an honour to document a small piece of such a historic and deeply human event.
