Paul M Smith Photography Project – Make My Night

Following the success of Artists Rifles, Paul re-joined the discourse with the masculine identity in Make My Night. Ostensibly a record of a very laddish night out, Paul used a similar technical method to that of the previous series combined with the use of multiple self-portraits. As before, he becomes the anonymous everyman but this time is more overtly the narrator as well as the protagonist of a frequently observed ritual – here

Governed by group approval and time honoured rites, a world of bravado and sexual tension vies with drunken frivolity and a certain vulnerability to occlude any notion of a new masculinity. From the preamble of high jinks and drinking games, to bar fights and stand offs through to its nauseous conclusion, each scene has been painstakingly researched and detailed – here

This style of photography caught my eye because of the ‘in the moment’ feel of them. They appear to be ‘professionally un-professional’ in the sense that some aspects are blurry, out of focus or over/under exposed. But these ‘un-professional’ aspects add a character to the photograph that makes it unique and captures the ‘vibe’ of the room at the time, hectic and busy.

About Paul M Smith

Paul M Smith was born in 1969 in England and is a British photographer and educator.

He studied fine art at Coventry University from 1991 to 1995. After completing his degree he completed a masters degree in photography at the Royal College of Art. Whilst studying he explored the meaning and construction of masculinity, focusing on the creation of various ‘alpha male’ identities.