About

As I’m never really expecting many people to look at this site (as it’s mainly for personal documentation) there doesn’t seem like much use in writing a detailed intro, but for those that do land here, a paragraph or two on what to expect might help.

I put the ‘A Big Day in the North’ blog live quite some time ago now to document the nights I’d be Dj’ing, what the events were and what records I was spinning. Since The Beat Boutique radio show started on Reform Radio 4 years ago now, there then wasn’t much need for it as that type of content forms the basis of the show its self. So if your into that type of shit, check that out.

So instead, I started to use this digital space as a basis for the various things I’m intrigued by away from music…

My main love is photography and film, backed up by a passion for art history. I did Visual Arts at Salford Uni and since leaving I’ve had quite a few jobs, none of them really related (which I’m starting to think is a good thing). Since turning 30 (having a kid and staying in more) I wanted to truly reconnect with my love for the arts, so armed with a Nikon FM and a Nikon D3500 I set out on a one-man mission to make a visual document of all the things that engage and fascinate me about life. I’ve always considered myself quite the flâneur (even before I knew what one was), I’m constantly consumed by romanticism and that’s why I love photography and film! I never want to shoot for shooting sake, or simply try to create something that looks nice. I want the pictures I take or the videos I shoot to mean something, to tell a story, a story of something observed, mainly from the outside looking in (and sometimes from the inside looking out).

So that’s it, this site is a collection of things that inspire me and the art that it’s inspired me to do. I don’t consider myself a particularly great photographer, videographer, designer or writer (especially writer) but I believe that it’s never been so easy to create a portfolio of sorts and therefore I’m grabbing the bull by the horns and doing so, as wanky as that may all sound.

So for those that do stumble on here (probably referred directly by me), enjoy.

J. E. Mangas