ABOUT ME

Originally, i come from small town England - having grown up in Congleton, Cheshire, although i got a taste for the big city at an early age and proceeded to spend my teenage years growing up in Manchester. I fell head over heals for the city for a very long time, moving there when i was eighteen. At the age of twenty, i decided to study photography - the best decision i ever made. Since then it has controlled my life, turning from a hobby into a profession and then into an obsession. Photography is what lead me away from Manchester, the city i loved. It took me to London where i am now living and studying a Masters in Photojournalism & Documentary Photography.

I was very lucky to be picked up by Vice Magazine quite early into my career. Since then i've been in & photographed some incredibly odd situations. Working for them has also lead to work with many other great clients including Dazed & Confused, Converse, MAMAco, Google and others.

I throw myself at anything i do with a huge amount of enthusiasm - it's the only thing that has maintained my survival within the photography industry; which is famously difficult. I like to think that i'm an incredibly friendly and energetic person, i want to meet anyone and everyone as i love to learn people's stories.

CURRENT MISSION

I am currently planning the trip of my life. I'm going to America for a month and a half to photograph a personal project that i have been meaning to do for years & years. I finally gave myself the kick up the backside to do it, shooting it for my MA major project. I will be travelling with my girlfriend, Bekky Lonsdale who is also working on her own personal project there. If you're interested in reading about it, please read my project proposal on my blog. The link is below:

http://www.thismustbethe.place

Twitter

https://twitter.com

Instagram

https://instagram.com/cbethell_photo/

My website

http://www.christopherbethell.com

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

As of yet, i have not participated in the community. I have heard countless tales of amazing experiences from my friends who have, but there was always something holding me back from doing it. Since throwing myself into my America project however, my attitude has completely changed - who wants to alienate themselves in a standardised hotel room every night?

London has also given me even more energy for meeting new people. I'm really looking forward to hosting people when i return from the trip. I just hope that my couch is comfy enough!

Interests

As i've stated a million times already, photography is a huge part of my life. It's my profession, my hobby, and my love (as well as my girlfriend, haha). It's been pretty all consuming of my life over the past six years.

I used to be incredibly obsessed with music, and still am to a certain extent, although these years my taste has broadened and my desire to find obscure bands has lessened. My current love is pretty much anything with a female vocalist, a wailing guitar and surfer vibes.

• photography
• documentaries
• reading
• traveling
• blogging
• survival
• music
• guitar
• hunting

Music, Movies, and Books

FAVOURITE MUSIC

Best Coast
Tennis
Superfood
Skaters
Wolf Alice
Benjamin Booker

Although these change pretty much every month, so this may be out of date pretty quickly!

FAVOURITE MOVIES

Moonrise Kingdom
Apollo 13
The Terminal
Drive

FAVOURITE BOOKS

On The Road, Jack Kerouac
The Yes Man, Danny Wallace
The Psychopath Test, Jon Ronson
Them, Jon Ronson

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Last year i went on a trip with fellow photographer and friend Tina Remiz to teach a workshop on Documentary Storytelling within Photography in the tiny, rural town of Nerekhta, Russia.

We taught seven students (most of whom didn't speak English, haha and my Russian is almost non-existent. Thankfully Tina can speak Russian) about different methods of how to construct a visual narrative.

Whilst there, i spent my spare time photographing a body of work i call 'Four Hours East' based upon the distance i experienced from the people there due to the east/west divide.

Teach, Learn, Share

I would love to learn anything anyone has to teach me!

In terms of my offerings i could hopefully teach you a little bit of photography if you wanted to. If not, perhaps i could just offer a few insights on how to see the world from slightly different perspectives.

Countries I’ve Visited

Belgium, France, Gambia, Germany, Netherlands, Russian Federation, Spain, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

United Kingdom