About

Peter Mitchell is a British documentary photographer, known for documenting Leeds and the surrounding area for more than 40 years. Mitchell’s photographs have been published in three monographs of his own.

A selection of Peter Mitchell’s most inconic photographs, some of which had been sat unseen for over 30 years, are now available as A2 poster prints, printed on 200gsm paper.

These photographs can be seen in his publications, Early Sunday Morning, Memento Mori and Strangely Familiar. Hundred-year-old terraces and cobbled streets sit flanked by concrete flats, with newly cleared ground to either side are presented with Mitchell’s, typical graphic framing.

“It is as if Peter Mitchell has taken the atmosphere and mood of Edward Hopper’s famous painting and established it as a matter of documentary fact in the north of England at a moment when collapse can lead to further desolation or possible renewal. So these beautiful pictures are drily drenched in history – social, economic and photographic.” – Geoff Dyer

Photos

Colour Photography

Peter’s striking images were an essential part of the colour documentary scene in the seventies and eighties and often featured shopkeepers and factory workers outside their places of work. I was interested in talking to Peter about his days back then, and how he came to photograph the changing face of the city, he now calls home.

Story Work

Many of Peters work portrays a story for example,

Rave On

The argument among some is that the term ‘Rave On’ didn’t originate until the acid house and rave explosion in the late 80s. I did my best to explain that it was popularised during the rock and roll and jazz eras of the 1950s. When I caught up with Peter, he found this hilarious. “I’m a Buddy Holly fan, that’s why I took it. The single ‘Rave On’ was released in 1958, and it’s one of my favorite Buddy Holly tracks!”

Image Analysis

Mitchell’s photography tells a story, he uses visual imagery to portray meaning, he knows what aesthetic he wants and how to achieve it. He does this by how and when he chooses to shoot his photos, for example the photo above has been taken on what looks like a cloudy maybe even rainy day, which creates an atmosphere surrounding the image, and pulls on people’s emotions. Mitchell knows what he is doing here. He has photographed a group of bikers, who already have a reputation of bringing trouble wherever they go, and Mitchell has added to this by photographing them under vandalism and a grey sky. He has used over exposure to create a lighter sky and make the blacks darker. This image has been shot with a wide lense, which shows a whole entire view of the situation, to ensure the whole story is being told.