Celebrity photographer Derrick Santini is returning to his Scarborough roots for a new exhibition

"They may not have been born here but they have managed to become successful here no matter what their background.”

Self Made also refers to Santini’s own story of how he has shaped a professional career as a celebrated photographer and showcases the unique and inspiring individuals who have contributed significantly to British culture and made their mark in, and on, Britain in portraits taken over the last 30 years.

“It’s work I have done over a number of years and it had its first exhibition in London in November before bringing it to Scarborough in May. It's all about people who have made their name in England, and Scarborough have used it to refer to my story as well.

"There is something unique about England and the type of people it fosters. I feel fortunate to have been born here and Yorkshire in particular. My dad’s Italian and my mum is Swiss but I was born in England. From my experience of meeting all these people I am impressed by this idea of individuality. All these people are self made individuals no matter what their background is - but I am also saying something about England.

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“As a humanist photographer, it is the people, in all their wondrous guises, that inform and inspire my work and worldview,” he explains. “I celebrate the individual; their spirit, vigour and vision that make them uniquely talented. I feel England nourishes and fosters this spirit.”

“I have been very fortunate to collaborate with so many amazingly talented and incredible people, and really connect in a profound and spiritual way in the exchange of me taking their portrait. Portraiture is at the very heart of all my work, I see everything I shoot as a portrait, my life’s work is the study of people and the human condition through the lens of a camera. Now is the time to communicate all these experiences and connect the years of practice with the theory.”

He says the person he has photographed who most epitomises that is fashion designer Alexander McQueen.

"I knew him as a friend – we met through our dogs – we both has bull terriers who related through an extended family. I shot Lee numerous times over the years. He was an incredibly private individual whose drive and creativity was breathtaking.”

A portrait of Yorkshire-born Judi Dench shot on the stage of the West End theatre she was working at. “The Ivy was across the road, so she ordered in for us and we all sat around the dining table, the centre piece of the stage set, Judi of course at the head in her very regal chair.”

It a continuing body of work there are people he hasn’t shot that he’s connecting with to be involved.

He said he had been wanting to do a show in Scarborough for a while and approached the museum and they went for it. "It’s been a long time coming. I have wanted to do something for a few years and now seems a really good time for me. It’s brilliant. I am at the stage in my career where I want to give something back.

He will also be running workshops with students from a local school. The students will curate an exhibition of their own work that will be displayed alongside Santini’s portraits.

“I loved being a kid in Scarborough, it had it all: all the fun of the fair, some might say. The summers were sun and fun – we lived in the South Bay pool through the summer. On some days it was so packed you could barely find a spot to roost. Equally I loved the black and white winters, the contrasts of light and dark, and above all I love the sea."

Santini was born in Scarborough in 1965 and attended St Martin’s CE Primary School and Graham School before moving to Harrogate where he studied a BTEC in Photography at Harrogate College.

"I was about 13 or 14 when I started using my mum’s camera in a way it just grew I didn’t have to think about it. By 15 or 16 it was a hobby. I did an engineering apprenticeship when I left school but a year into that I thought photography could be my way out – it went from a hobby into a calling – it just took over me. But I do think my mum is the big reason I got into it.”

He then moved to London to a BA Hons in Photography and Communication from the London College of Printing (now LCC). When he left he got an agent and started working professionally. A lot of his early work is reportage – observing street life and capturing moments in time. “People are what inspires me. I people-watched for years. I collect and record memories.” Then when he started getting commission and working commercially it was more about engagement with his subjects.

"It evolved quickly. After completing my BA Hons in Photography and Communication my professional career began. I was soon shooting a host of musical artists, for press and artwork. I love music so it felt natural to be working with musicians: lots of portraits for a diverse array of publications, from Vice to Vogue, agencies and companies in the UK, Europe and America .It went from the music industry, to fashion and advertising it just great – but people is what I love.”

Santini says the key to a good portrait is the engagement with the sitter and being ‘real’. “As soon as anyone thinks you are starting to play them they shut down – whoever they are,” he says. “It a very real engagement.”

His portraits have been acquired by the National Portrait Gallery and he has exhibited in the UK and internationally. His innovative approach and techniques have seen him lead masterclass workshops, most notably in Lenticular photography, which he is a great exponent of. "It is a way of getting movement into a photograph. It is very technical.”

His work has been featured in many prestigious publications including Vice and Vogue, and he continues to work commercially and editorially, as well as publishing numerous articles on photography.

“As a photographer I have spent my life searching out something to photograph, hunting elusive moments, and channeling desired ones. These decisive moments, split seconds in time, create a photograph, which in itself is the very essence of the art of photography. Amazing, incredible timeless moments, seen, cajoled, spirited, ultimately captured in that moment and thus born to the world.”

Derrick Santini will be holding a photograph workshop at the Limes Art School in Weeton on May 9/10/11 https://thelimes.online/tc-events/derrick-santini-3-day-photography-workshop/

Self Made can be seen at the gallery from Saturday 18 May to Sunday 1 September 2024.Scarborough Art Gallery is open from 10am to 5pm every day except Monday (plus Bank Holidays).