Photography: Workshop in Naples with Magnum photographer Chris Steel-Perkins and Gallery Director Laura Noble

Finally, I’ve been able to spend a few days with my husband away, abet doing a workshop in the heat of Naples in summer.

It is always good to spend time thinking about photography, and our 3 day workshop was really hard work, but full of sound advice. I have done workshops with both Chris and Laura before so when my husband found the workshop on Instagram I was thrilled to join him. I was a couple of days late to meet him in Naples so missed the reccie time, but he was pleased that I had made it at all, as I’ve missed the last 3 holidays because of work, so my track record has blotted my copy book.

Naples is a wonderful city, though I have to go back as we only really touched a bit in the old town, a labyrinth of narrow streets full of vibe and energy, and a place where master craftspeople, practice in small workshops straight off the street, and people live cheek-by-jowl behind enigmatic tall walls and gates. I seriously wished I could speak Italian as there are so many layers to Naples that were exciting, but it was like an unripe onion keeping its layers tightly in place.

I was struggling on a project to shoot as I felt overwhelmed by possibility, and what I would love to have shot was the kids going about their lives at night, there seemed a lot going on, and they oozed ‘streetwise’ and mystery, but this project was a far cry from a 3 day visit, no Italian skills, and a day packed full already. Something else simpler that struck me, was the amount of people keeping song birds in cages. In the old town many families live in one two roomed houses open to view on the ground floor, very much inside, outside, mostly behind tall gates but not always. Apart from the odd business owner I didn’t meet anyone who spoke any English, which threw up extra challenges. One day, I was walking down a street of high walls, high gates and heard bird song, whilst peeping through the gate crack trying to work out if it were wild birds or caged birds, a resident came up behind to get in. After using the international sign language, lots of arm waving, smiling and nodding, I was invited in to meet the owner of the birds, a man just awake from his siesta and proud owner of around 8 cages of birds. So, I decided for my project to shoot a feeling of Naples loosely with birds threading the project together, but also, I decided I was going to limit myself to 2 fixed lenses, a 50mm Canon lens and a 90mm Leica lens. Down one street I had the delight of meeting a lady who seemed as vulnerable as the song birds, she was immaculately turned out, but living in her own world, sat on a stool in the family home. Her family, friendly and hospitable, as I found all the people I met. I also met refugees in the park, and watched a busy city go about its business on foot, mopeds and small cars. Naples is a city that never seems to rest.