News / Bristol24/7
The story behind the new Bristol24/7 magazine’s cover
Photographer James Koch’s composite image of Gloucester Road and many of the characters who give it its vibrancy takes pride of place on the front of the latest Bristol24/7 quarterly magazine.
James has donated his fee from the cover commission to Caring At Bristol.
He took the multiple photos that make up the final image from the roof of Ezo, just a few doors up from the Gallimaufry which he co-owns.
is needed now More than ever
James Koch took the photographs that make up the cover of the new Bristol24/7 magazine
We commissioned James having long been fans of his work, especially another composite photo of his of Gloucester Road he made almost a decade ago., with further inspiration coming from a recent New York magazine cover taken by Pelle Cass.
For this work, James waited for a day with suitable light and then spent an hour one afternoon in mid-October on top of Ezo’s roof, returning once more to take a few more photos of the passers-by down below.
Only Jason, the gentleman waving in the bottom-right corner, is looking into the camera, after James shouted hello to him from the roof. This is also the ‘base’ photo onto which everyone else – including Snazzback drummer Chris Langton drumming in the middle of the road – was added.
The other people were all taken in the exact positions they appear on the cover and then digitally stitched together into the final image, with James getting help from a friend with Photoshop.
James Koch is also the co-owner of the Gallimaufry – photo: Martin Booth
“I really enjoyed the underatking,” said James, who initially scaled up a wall with anti-climb paint on before realising he could just ask permission for his vantage point on top of Ezo looking towards the Hobgoblin.
“If I see something, I’m pleased that I saw it as that’s where you’ve got to start. I’m always going to miss things but I like to focus not on the things that I miss but on the things that I capture.
“In the end, this was a process of taking characters out rather than adding characters in, giving it a bit of room and hopefully a bit of flow to not feel too busy but also consciously have it slightly pedestrianised and not have traffic in shot other than the one moped.”
Main photo: Martin Booth
Read next:
- First look inside Chance & Counters on Gloucester Road
- In photos: Bristol’s little libraries
- Nominations open for Bristol24/7’s Charity Advent 2023
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