The Gateman Photograph

Simon Foster is a street and social-documentary photographer based in Northumberland, UK. Influenced by masters such as Henri Cartier-Bresson and Robert Frank; Foster soon began to develop a love for street style, reportage photography. Staying close to his roots Foster took great influence from locally based photographers such as Sirkka-Liisa Konttinen. Konttinen's documentation of Byker seemed to mirror that of his own dilapidated hometown; Ashington. Another major influence would be Mik Critchlow. His documentation of Ashington during a time of rapid social change struck a chord that would bond well. Add an inspirational find of Paul Graham's "A1 - The Great North Road" and Foster would acquire vast inspiration from social-photo documentation. His rational being the exposure of a film could capture so much detail, passion, and social change. It is a document of history.