Megan Taylor

The Evening Class Project

2012-01-27T04:48:00.000-08:00

Last October I spent a week photographing as many people as possible from about 40 Evening Classes at City Lit in Holborn. Myself and the journalist Ros Anderson, (who I did the project with) wanted to pick a broad range of subjects to represent City Lit's vast catalogue. Our final choices included Jazz Singing, British Sign Language, Assertiveness, Math GCSE and Cornish.

The idea came from flicking through a prospectus my boyfriend had brought home and wondering who studies Cornish? Who studies Stand up Comedy? Do the people in the classes have anything in common apart from their chosen subject? I'm not sure I've found the answer to that question but it was fun trying. Thanks to City Lit and Ros, Lauren, Meg and Adam for helping me cajole (beg) people to be photographed.

Cornwall

2012-01-16T04:56:00.000-08:00

Mary Berry

2011-11-09T01:35:00.001-08:00

This was taken for last Saturday's Telegraph Magazine. I was nervous about meeting Mary. Mainly because I've never made a cake and feared the conversation straying to my favourite recipe. I needn't of worried, cake was not discussed and she was great.

Oaklands

2011-08-25T08:42:00.000-07:00

I found these photos at the weekend stuffed into a box. They're taken about 6 years ago when to supplement my income as an assistant I worked in an old people's home in Birmingham. I was supposed to be the activity worker and as you can see I got people pretty pumped up.

Kentwell

2011-08-16T01:36:00.001-07:00

These were taken at Kentwell House in Suffolk at what their website calls a 'Re-Creation' weekend. After photographing this I can see the appeal of dressing up in a nice outfit and having no iphone, ipod, ipad i-anything for a weekend.

New York

2011-08-08T10:13:00.000-07:00

Jiggery Pokery

2011-07-14T10:49:00.001-07:00

I think there would be something fundamentally wrong with a person if they derived no pleasure from making and then modelling giant cardboard fruit/ lips. I'd kill for five minutes in the spotlight with an oversized melon.

This is the work of Anna and Lauren of Jiggery Pokery. Check out their website its brilliant.

Martha

2011-06-03T02:10:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the world Little M! Love the newly renamed Big M xx

Arise You Gallant Sweeneys

2011-05-03T02:09:00.000-07:00

Some of these photographs accompanied an article in the Guardian on Saturday. The article, Long Way Back was about the film, 'Arise You Gallant Sweeneys' a collaborative project between the men photographed and the artist, Ian Nesbitt. The film follows the group as they go home to Ireland for the first time since they were young men.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2011/apr/30/return-irish-exiles-film-jon-mcgregor

Wapping

2011-03-22T16:04:00.000-07:00

This was taken at the Wapping Project. I'd just disembarked a small row boat which takes you around a dark, flooded room with a Yohji Yamamoto dress hung up upside down in the middle. Sounds bonkers and it is really but its beautiful.

Alice

2011-01-02T10:45:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! This is my first portrait for the Sunday Times Style magazine. Instead of giving anything up last January Alice (pictured) decided to learn new skills, like how to butcher a lamb and make origami. Much more civilised than a detox!

Miss Macabre

2010-12-16T01:49:00.000-08:00

This is my last Assistant, the performance artist Miss Macabre. Rebecca was brilliant so thank you to her. Thanks also to Bill and his granddaughter Jayne who run the Rivoli Ballroom where we shot. The Rivoli is a perfectly preserved 1950's ballroom. If you haven't been it's definitely worth a visit.

Jessica Hynes

2010-10-21T00:51:00.000-07:00

Hello! This was my first shoot for Good Housekeeping magazine. I was really excited to hear I'd be photographing Jessica Hynes (previously Stephenson) and she was lovely. Jessica is in the November issue on sale now. You also get a free Superfood recipe book. What more do you want?!

Doing the Lambeth walk

2010-10-01T08:33:00.000-07:00

These photos were taken for the Capital Community Foundation, a brilliant charity based in Kennington who raise funds to help London's poorest communities. Thanks to Alex and Gabrielle who walked the streets of Lambeth with me trying to persuade people to have their photo taken. To find out more check out www.capitalcf.org.uk.

Wimpole Hall and Farm

2010-08-26T02:49:00.000-07:00

Last month the NT Photographic Manager Chris Lacey and I spent a very pleasant few days wandering around Wimpole Hall and Farm in Cambridgeshire. I forget the countryside exists living in a big city and it was lovely to be reminded. Wimpole is a huge estate with a working farm and is very popular with young families. My brief on the farm was to get shots of the kids interacting with the animals. Cue lots of "gently darling"!

Stylist

2010-07-23T03:28:00.000-07:00

My first piece in the Stylist, photographing a writer at a Masterchef for journos. I've never actually watched it but now I have I realise I would be bloody awful. Far too much pressure! So congratulations to Tash, (the Stylists entrant) who won by a mile!

Sandra

2010-06-24T10:00:00.000-07:00

Burke & Hare

2010-05-10T07:47:00.001-07:00

These shots were taken for the National Trust on the set of the new John Landis film Burke & Hare at Knole in Kent. I loved being there watching the crew and the extras milling about.

Sunny the Butcher

2010-04-06T14:26:00.001-07:00

I was getting a bit concerned about finding a decent background for my Assistant Butcher until someone pointed out there was a deer's head in the corner of the room. Not what you expect to find in a Halal Butchers in Southall but there you go. Thankyou to Zia, Sunny and not forgetting the poor old deer.

The Assistants

2010-03-25T11:09:00.000-07:00

So far. Nearly finished. Just a halal butcher's assistant away from a set.

Mr Spicer

2010-03-23T09:30:00.001-07:00

This is Ben, the latest Assistant in my project. Ben is the Assistant to Sam Taylor Wood. No pressure then!

The Amazing Josephine

2010-02-26T05:22:00.001-08:00

They weren't exaggerating about Josephine being amazing. Desiree was brilliant. Finding a room half full of pink balloons was also quite fortunate! Thanks very much to Christopher Howell, the magician and his glamorous Assistant Desiree x

New Zealand

2010-01-15T10:27:00.000-08:00

These are taken in Wanaka, a town on the South Island. I can't remember why we went there or indeed what we did when we were there but this campsite has always stuck in my mind. It was utterly in a time warp.

Assistants Continued

2010-01-14T03:40:00.000-08:00

Hello and Happy New Year. The Assistants project is coming on now. Below is Elizabeth, my cousin and a Teaching Assistant. There was no lazy nepotism though Elizabeth went through a gruelling selection process as you can imagine. Elizabeth was the perfect subject, relaxed and in no hurry.

Below is Graham an Artists Assistant. I had no idea how common it was for Artists to have Assistants. Graham was telling me that the high profile Artists can have 20 Assistants beavering away in the background.

Lastly for now are Katharine and Sarah, the PAs to Nicholas Coleridge, the Managing Director of Conde Nast. They were brilliant, I stayed for far too long but we made good use of Nicholas's lovely office. Thank you to all my Assistants!

Croatia

2009-11-03T09:45:00.001-08:00

I wasn't sure what to expect of Croatia but Dubrovnik especially, was unbelievably beautiful. The combination of such a beautiful, historically interesting town and a port brings cruise passengers with bum bags aplenty but its worth the scramble. The last photos are from Hvar which we happened to arrive on on national Hvar day. Hvar! This seemed to involve every bugger in Hvar doing a lap of the town square and then going to church. Cue miserable teenagers and what appeared to be 25 people dressed as the Pope.

Adam

2009-10-28T14:41:00.000-07:00

Mr Beer onboard a ferry in Croatia. I'm sure he'll hate this but there's plenty of drawings of me on his blog so fairs fair.

Assistants

2009-10-28T14:26:00.000-07:00

So I've started a new project about Assistants. The first is a friend of mine, the marvellous Trine Ronning Olsen. What a name! She tells me its the equivalent of Sarah Smith in Norwegian but we don't need to know that. Trine is a Stylists Assistant

Tourist

2009-08-27T09:35:00.000-07:00

India

2009-06-25T02:44:00.000-07:00

More Digbeth

2009-06-25T02:28:00.000-07:00

I promise this is the last of my slightly depressing landscapes of industrial Birmingham!

Ivy

2009-06-17T14:00:00.001-07:00

A.K.A Dot, my Nan in her gloriously floral living room.
We miss you little Nan.

Holga

2009-06-15T13:46:00.000-07:00

These are photos taken on a holga in Digbeth. I like Digbeth, it's a strange place very near Birmingham city centre. You hardly see another human which makes it feel a bit like a film set.

Murcia Murcia Me

2009-06-15T04:54:00.000-07:00

Well, I have a blog. Blimey. Better sort out some bits to put on it. These are my most recent snaps of a trip to Murcia with my sister. As you will notice she doesn't feature. This is firstly because they are all very silly photographs and secondly because whilst away we had a bet regarding New Kids on the Block. She said Marky Mark was in them. I said no. You can see where this is going. Basically she won't cough up the £20.