Cirque de la Forêt - Photobook

When I picture a circus I picture an eclectic group of interesting people. I picture a vibrant mix of life, a group where each and every person has escaped to this alternate world with their beautiful talents, skills and tricks. A group who’ve come together under one big magical tent with huge dreams carried on their shoulders.

It’s a tent full of endless happenings that rings with stories from the many years that have gone by.

Quite the romantic view.

A beautiful thing when each of the colourful pieces slots together.

I didn’t run away with a circus myself, but last year I stumbled into one and was swept up.

I found a circus in the forest.

It was not choreographed, there was no plan, there were no bright lights or a huge audience watching on.

But we did have the eclectic group of people, we did have the vibrant mix of life, we had the dreams, the magic and each of the pieces were slotted together perfectly.

The canopy of trees was the tent that held us.

Brought together not by a performance but each and every one there had challenge, adventure, pain, struggle and fun just like I imagine a performer would.

This wasn’t any ordinary circus and nobody there knew they were part of it.

The circus formed itself. We all thought we were there simply to climb boulders in a beautiful forest. In reality, it was so much more.

My new book Cirque de la Forêt is out now. This book is a photographic exploration into what life in the forest of Fontainebleau looks like today.

Fontainebleau is where bouldering was born and is still regarded as the finest place in the world to practice the sport. I spent three months there last year amongst (as one of) the people who spends their time climbing there. It very much felt like I was part of some sort of circus. This book is who I met, what I experienced and what I felt.

You can get a copy on my website here, I hope you enjoy it.