Don’t look down! Lightbulb-changers on Clifton Suspension Bridge: Beezer’s finest {photograph} | Photography

At the age of 12 I used to be working for the Clash, handing out flyers. I seemed older than I used to be and bought to see all of the punk bands earlier than entering into reggae sound methods. Multicultural Bristol was an incredible place to develop up, and by the point I used to be 14 or 15 I’d be going out late most nights and coming dwelling mid-morning.

Having failed the doorway examination to be a gasoline fitter, I enrolled on an audio-visual course – one in every of Thatcher’s new National Training Initiatives. I specialised in pictures and began documenting all these nights out – my associates and the scenes I used to be already a part of – providing an insider’s perspective. Photography additionally gave me a chance to discover new environments. If there’s one thing you’re unsure about, a digicam is an effective manner to take a look at it, be a part of it, after which be taught from it.

After school, I bought work as a stringer for NME, and likewise for a Bristol journal referred to as Venue. This image was taken for a Venue editorial referred to as Life on the Bridge. I went to get some pictures of the Clifton Suspension Bridge and the toll keeper and so forth, and on the day I used to be there a gang of upkeep guys occurred to be on web site to vary the lightbulbs on high of the towers. They mentioned: “Do you want to come up and take a shot of us?” Of course I mentioned: “Yeah!”

I needed to climb up a ladder along with the bridge to the center of one of many towers, then change to a different ladder. At the highest, I wanted to do some bounce throughout to the 150-year-old picket ground contained in the turret of the tower. The hole was solely about half a metre, however under me the vehicles driving throughout the bridge seemed like matchboxes and the folks seemed like pinheads. I used to be like: “Fucking hell!”

One of the fellows got here up with me in case I had any issues, the remainder began from the center of the bridge and walked up the chain that held up the suspension cables. This was simply earlier than their lunch break, in order that they didn’t waste any time. I used to be nonetheless interested by the truth that I’d overcome my vertigo to rise up there and was attempting to keep away from trying down when immediately there they had been on the chain in entrance of me. I’ve outtakes of all of them nonetheless standing up – there’s no security tools they usually’re not hanging on to something. Perhaps if the mayor or somebody had been visiting they’d have worn harnesses, I don’t know. They simply mentioned: “Is this all right? Hurry up, Beez!”

It’s 40 years since I took the image, however it feels prefer it’s gone in a flash. Actually, I heard that a kind of guys solely retired final 12 months. If somebody requested me to go and shoot the identical factor, in the identical circumstances, I’d most likely do it however what with well being and security, a shot like that wouldn’t occur at present. I don’t know in the event that they even had any exhausting hats, nobody was sporting one, and I don’t know if the image prompted them any bother afterwards. But the belief who personal the bridge have purchased copies of it and I used to see it spherical Bristol, in eating places and so forth – it’s actually one in every of my hottest pictures.

I’ve been described as a photographer and a historian, which is humorous – the work ages, however I’m nonetheless round. I’m glad to have left my mark, however the volumes I’ve simply introduced out are referred to as Until Now: A Life in Photographs as a result of I’m nonetheless doing it, and hope to hold on for a very long time but. Still, I look by these older pictures and there are such a lot of folks in them that aren’t right here any extra. People don’t final for ever, however pictures of them do.

Beezer’s CV

Born: Bristol, 1965
High level: “Having 93 simultaneous exhibitions at Adidas stores across Japan when they were the main sponsors of my Wild Dayz book in 2004. And, holding and seeing the Until Now Alpha and Beta editions for the first time was like holding newborn twins.”
Top ideas: “1) Try to get that one image that sums it all up. Let the picture say everything without text. 2) Use your camera or images to get deep within your scene. If you’re part of it then you’re halfway there. 3) Being freelance is great when you’re working, crap when you’re not. 4) Print a picture instead of sending data. Look at a photobook instead of images on a monitor.”