This Year I’ve Mostly Been…2025

It’s been a busy year work wise and life wise. Lot’s of commissions with both old and new clients, we also squeezed in a relocation to beautiful Derbyshire…I was definitely ready for a sit down this Christmas! This month I decided to run down, in no particular order, my favourite books, movies/TV and albums from the last 12 months, some you may want to check out as well. There’s some affiliate links but mostly just links directing you to some awesome entertainment.

This year I’ve loved reading…

‘The Satsuma Complex’ Bob Mortimer

'Songs of Spiritual Experience’ Thupten Jinpa & Jas Elsner

'Chan’ Hannah Lowe

'Approaching Enlightenment: A Guidebook for Buddhist Ritual’ Bodhidasa

'The Sense of an Ending’ Julian Barnes

'Significant Wow’ Emily Cotterill

'The Day of the Triffids’ John Wyndham

'Mummified’ Dr Angela Stienne

'A Sunny Place for Shady People’ Mariana Enriquez

'Blue Horses’ Mary Oliver

I especially loved 'Significant Wow’, even if you don’t think you like poetry, you should give it a try.

This year I’ve loved watching…

'Ladies and Gentlemen: 50 Years of SNL Music’ (Now TV Entertainment)

'The Quilters’ (Netflix)

'Daughters’ (Netflix)

'Anora’ Blu-Ray

'Dune: Prophecy’ (Now TV Entertainment)

'Somebody, Somewhere’ S3 (Now TV Entertainment)

'Daddy Issues’ (BBC iPlayer)

'The Four Seasons’ (Netflix)

'Foundation’ Season 3 (Apple TV+)

'Stranger Things’ Season 5 (Netflix)

This year I’ve loved listening to…

'Rift’ Clara Mann

'A Requiem’ Penelope Trappes

'Sinister Grift’ Panda Bear

'Quilted Lament’ Claire Rousey/Gretchen Korsmo

'Dog Eared’ Billie Marten

'Private Music’ Deftones

'Refugees of the Symbolic Network’ Cerpintxt

‘A Danger to Ourselves’ by Lucrecia Dalt

‘D-R’ by Akhira Sanyo

‘Sametou Sawtan’ by SANAM

'Aura Reworks’ Hatis Noit

'Boone’ Fuckwolf

'Disquiet’ The Necks

'Unfolding’ Jessica Moss

'A Little Death’ Claire Rousey

'Swimming in the Early Hours’ Emergence Collective

'Collapse’ The Hyena Kill

Special mention to Billie Marten who we also saw live twice this year. The track 'Leap Year’ is my absolute favourite track of the year and it was wonderful to hear it played live.

The whole of my albums of the year playlist can be heard here…AOTY 2025

And also the albums I’ve been listening to during December are here…This Month I’ve Mostly Been Listening to (December 2025)

The keen eyed among you will have noticed a move away from Spotify to Tidal, this is for two reasons. Tidal pays artists more for streams and also their CEO isn’t putting their massive profits into funding AI weaponry. There’s clearly been too much war and destruction across the earth in 2025 and I don’t want to contribute to it.

Here’s to a peaceful 2026, may you be well and happy.

Dean

This Month I’ve Mostly Been…(November 2025)

Hello! Welcome to another run down of the books, films and music that entertained me over the last month. As always there are some affiliate links that will bring me a bit of money if you make a purchase.

This month I’ve been reading…

‘A Sunny Place for Shady People’ Mariana Enriquez A collection of some of the most surreal short stories I’ve ever read. I couldn’t put it down, largely for the reason I wanted to see what kind of craziness would be served up in the next story.

'I’m Not Scared’ Nicole Ammaniti I happened upon this in a charity shop and in truth only bought it due to the 'BBC Two Between the Covers’ recommendation on the cover. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by this great thriller, a genre I wouldn’t normally go for but very glad that I did in this instance.

'Blue Horses’ Mary Oliver On first reading a collection of seemingly very simple poetry but once you scratch the surface the more thought provoking they become. Definitely a book I’ll continue to return to.

This month I’ve been watching…

'Anora’ (Blu-Ray) (Sean Baker, 2024)

“In Anora, Ani is a 23-year-old stripper from Brooklyn who gets swept up in a whirlwind romance with Vanya, the reckless son of a wealthy Russian oligarch. After he pays her to be his girlfriend for a week, their party-fuelled fling leads to an impulsive wedding in Las Vegas, giving Ani a brief taste of a Cinderella-style fantasy.”

To tell the rest of the tale would probably give too much away but I didn’t expect the second act to play out the way it did, or indeed the ending. Well worth a watch and if you fancy it you can rent it for free on a 14 day trial at this website.

And finally this month I’ve been listening to a lot of…

'Unfolding’ by Jessica Moss

'A Little Death’ by Claire Rousey

'Swimming in the Early Hours’ by Emergence Collective

'Desaceleradas’ by Debit

Alongside the above new music I’ve been enjoying, here’s a playlist of everything I gave a listen to this month on Spotify 'This Month I’ve Mostly Been Listening to…November 2025’

Thanks as always for checking in, see you at the end of next month for an end of year special of all of the things I’ve enjoyed throughout 2025. Until then!

This Month I’ve Mostly Been…October 2025

October has been an absolutely bonkers month! Lots of photography commissions, workshop delivery and mentoring, plus a work trip to Germany (more reflections on that soon). All of this has meant that I didn’t get around to watching any TV or movies or finishing a whole book!!! I’m definitely not complaining though, it’s great to be busy although I’m sure things will calm down over the next couple of months!

All of this activity did mean that I did a fair bit of travelling and also editing sessions in the office so my month was heavily soundtracked…

This month I’ve been listening to a lot of…

‘Inland See’ by Bitchin Bajas

'Aura Reworks’ by Hatis Noit

'Clearwater’ by Maps and Diagrams

'Disquiet’ by The Necks

New for this month I decided to create a playlist of everything I gave a virtual spin (or spins) on Spotify, not just my highlights, and you can listen to the whole 15 hours here 'This Month I’ve Mostly Been Listening to…October 2025’ (Especially good if you have a lot of editing to do!)

Thanks as always for checking in, see you at the end of next month for another short list of more things that have piqued my interest. (Hopefully with a bit of literature and film thrown in as usual).

‘This Month I’ve Mostly Been…’ September 2025

This month has been busy! Kids back at school, plenty of commissions to keep me occupied, so not a lot of time for leisure, but I did manage to lend my eyes and ears to a few things worth shouting about.

As always there are some affiliate links that will bring me a bit of money if you make a purchase.

This month I’ve been reading…

“Mummified” by Angela Stienne

A very thorough, interesting and often controversial history of Egyptian mummies as they journey from the tombs of ancient Egypt to museum displays in France and Britain. Rather than simply detailing how mummies were made, the book sheds light on how these bodies were used for medicine, medical curiosities, status and even entertainment.

Stienne invites readers to question not only the scientific and historical curiosity around mummies but also the ethical implications of displaying human remains for public viewing. I came away from reading thinking more deeply about my connections to the thousands of displaced people now stored and cared for in museums across the world, what that says about our colonial past and also what it says about our present attitudes to the millions currently displaced across the globe, much like mummified bodies, through no fault of their own.

This month I’ve been watching…

‘Platonic’ (You can watch this on the excellent Apple TV+ streaming platform, free trial here if you click)

Starring Rose Byrne as Sylvia and Seth Rogen as Will “Platonic” is a comedy series about the non-romantic but deeply supportive friendship between Sylvia, a stay-at-home mum of three, and Will, a recently divorced beer brewer and bar owner. The show explores their reconnection at midlife crisis points, and presents us with a comedic look at the challenges of balancing family, work, and a personal life without any of the usual “will they, won’t they?” when characters of the opposite sex share a connection.

Above all of this though it is very, very funny!

Finally this month I’ve been listening to a lot of…

‘Hear as the Mirror Echoes’ by Herbal Tea

‘A Danger to Ourselves’ by Lucrecia Dalt

‘D-R’ by Akhira Sanyo

‘Sametou Sawtan’ by SANAM

Thanks as always for checking in, see you at the end of next month for another short list of more things that have piqued my interest.

Image Set: ‘Big Strong Man’ Creswell Derbyshire

What an awesome show to be asked to photograph. An amazing evening of powerful theatre courtesy of  The Growth House. 'Big Strong Man’ is excellent, thank you for the team for asking me to capture the performance.

Big shout out to Tyler Turner for recommending me!

Image Set: First Art ‘Out and About’ sessions, Clay Cross

A series of images from a recent shoot for First Art at their Clay Cross 'Out and About’ Sessions. I love working on these types of events, lots of activity to photograph and wonderful people to spend the day with.

This Month I’ve Mostly Been…(August 2025)

This month has mostly been about family holidays and time off, so plenty of down time to dip into various things I thought might be worth sharing.

As always there are some affiliate links that will bring me a bit of money if you make a purchase.

This month I’ve been reading…

‘Show Your Work’ Austin Kleon

This is a great book for creators, artists, and anyone looking to share their creative work with the world. “Rather than focusing on self-promotion, Kleon champions the idea of generosity over genius, encouraging readers to open up about their creative process, share something small every day, and let others learn from—and be inspired by—them.” This book is set out in bite sized chapters that are easy to refer back to and never feels preachy, just full of great ideas!

'Afonydd: Poems for Welsh Rivers’ Various

This is a really accessible book of poems that celebrates the rivers flowing through the heart of Wales. Fifty poets share their work in both Welsh and English, each poem capturing the magic and movement of Welsh rivers. Reading this book really made me feel like I wanted to be outside, exploring the landscape, experiencing the kinds of sights and sounds that are brought to life so vividly in this collection.

This month I’ve been watching…

'Daughters’ (2024)

Daughters is a 2024 American documentary directed by Natalie Rae and Angela Patton, following four young girls, Aubrey, Santana, Raziah, and Ja'Ana, as they prepare for a special Daddy Daughter Dance with their fathers in a Washington prison.

“The film offers an intimate look at the bonds between fathers and daughters strained by incarceration, focussing on the girls’ anticipation and emotional journeys leading up to the event. Over eight years, the documentary observes their lives before, during, and after the dance, providing extended insight into their relationships and the long-term impact of separation from their fathers. The documentary intentionally avoids focusing on the crimes of the fathers, instead choosing to humanize them and spotlight the effects of the prison system on family bonds, especially the emotional experiences and resilience of the daughters. It highlights the challenges families face in maintaining connections during incarceration, and the significance of moments of physical connection, forgiveness, and healing.”

You can watch this one over on Netflix

Finally this month I’ve been listening to a lot of…

'Private Music’ Deftones one of my all time favourite bands are back with a bang!

'The Clearing’ Wolf Alice Album highlight for me is the track 'Bloom Baby Bloom’.

'Refugees of the Symbolic Network’ Cerpintxt This album is an atmospheric phenomenon, I love it.

'Interior Live Oak’ Cass McCombs If you’ve never heard of Cass, I’d recommend working your way through the entire back catalogue before getting to this gem

'Murmuration and Stasis’ Fredrik Rasten Something from leftfield…excellent if you’re needing to focus but like some background “noise”

(August definitely felt like more of a “music month”!)

Thanks as always for checking in, see you at the end of next month for another short list of more things that have piqued my interest.

Image spread: The Squares Project

Some images from a recent shoot for Platform Thirty1 and the Greater Creative working party. The squares project has seen the local community make over 5000(!) crochet squares which will form part of displays across Blackwell Parish at the end of the year. It was certainly an impressive sight to see at the first sorting event.

‘Concept’ Northampton 2025 - Image Set

Last week was so much fun, I loved every minute of 'Concept’ at NMPAT delivering Arts Award for Pedestrian. The staff team worked with 8 young people to help them to write, record and produce their own original pieces of music whilst completing Arts Award Explore.

Here’s a selection of some of my favourite images from the sessions.

A family break and reflections

A much needed break with family took us to Wales. I completed my PGCE in South Wales and spent a lot of time between Newport and Cardiff but spending a week on the coast was something else. What a beautiful landscape to explore.

It’s also felt like a great opportunity to get out with the camera and just make images for the love of the craft, and whilst not working to a “brief” for a change, looking back at the images I’ve selected here I really get the sense I was almost notetaking and generating ideas for future projects. I can’t wait to get back to my desk and start working up some of the drafts I have in my head.