A Saturday In Brookside

With Luke, cameras, and a bit of unexpected energy

It was proper sunny on Saturday the 17th. One of those days where everything’s overexposed by 11am, but you don't mind because it’s rare. Me and Luke started off at Spoons — usual routine: breakfast, bad coffee, talking about the projects we're working on, then headed to Brookside in Telford to shoot for the day.

Neither of us had been there before. We picked it because it looked interesting on Google Maps — loads of tight paths, residential stuff, the kind of place that feels real, not curated.

Kit & Plan (Sort of)

I had my Canon EOS R with the 28-70 f2. It’s my go-to for portraits — that’s what I shoot mostly. Luke brought his Mamiya RB67, which looks like a tank with a lens, and a 35mm SLR. He shoots film, always has. He’s more patient than me.

No big plan — just walk, meet people, take photos.

Meeting Doug

First proper interaction was with a guy called Doug. We saw him working on a fence post and asked if we could shoot a few frames. He was sound — full sleeve of cat tattoos, told us all about his cats, living in the area, what Brookside’s like. You could tell he liked it there. Proud of where he’s from. I got a solid portrait of him mid-conversation, arm resting on the post, sun hitting just right.

Finding the Rap Video

Then we met Kerry, a local mum, who saw our cameras and stopped to chat. She told us there was a rap video being filmed a few streets over. We were curious, so we went to check it out.

Sure enough, a group of lads were filming a video for Gypsy General. It was proper grassroots — no crew, just phones, speakers, and bars. The energy was good. They were into it, all hyped up, and they didn’t mind us hanging around with cameras. It didn’t feel forced — just something they were passionate about.

Luke shot on film, proper taking his time, and I moved around trying to capture the vibe without getting in the way. Got a few decent shots of the lads mid-performance. One of them pointed at the lens, gave a nod. That kind of stuff sticks.

First Impressions of Brookside

Brookside’s not a place I’d normally end up in, but I’m glad we went. It's urban, yeah, but not in a rundown way — more tight-knit, lived-in. Loads of little paths between houses, like a maze. It feels like people know each other there. You could feel it in the way people stopped to chat.

Wrapping It Up

We finished up late afternoon, both of us tired but happy. It wasn’t about getting “the shot” — it was just a good day to be out with cameras, talking to people, finding stories you wouldn’t otherwise know about.

Me and Luke are definitely going back. There’s more to see there.