Peter Dench (born 23 April 1972) is a British photojournalist working primarily in advertising, editorial and portraiture. His work has been published in a number of books.

Biography

Dench was born and grew up in

Weymouth, Dorset Weymouth is a seaside town in Dorset, on the English Channel coast of England. Situated on a sheltered bay at the mouth of the River Wey, south of the county town of Dorchester, Weymouth had a population of 53,427 in 2021. It is the third ...

. He graduated from the

University of Derby , mottoeng = Experience is the best teacher , established = 1851 – Teacher Training College1992 – gained university status , type = Public , chancellor = William Cavendish, ...

with a degree in Photographic Studies in 1995 and has been working as a photojournalist since 1998. He currently lives in

Crouch End Crouch End is an area of North London, approximately from the City of London in the western half of the borough of Haringey. It is within the Hornsey postal district (N8). It has been described by the BBC as one of "a new breed of urban villa ...

, London. Dench spent a decade documenting England, which he split into the following themes: ''drinkUK'', ''ethnicUK'', ''rainUK'', ''loveUK'', ''royalUK'', ''summerUK'', ''fashionUK'', and ''Carry on England''. He was a member of the photo agency Independent Photographer's Group (IPG) from 2000 until the company's closure in 2005. In January 2012 he joined Reportage by

Getty Images Getty Images Holdings, Inc. is an American visual media company and is a supplier of stock images, editorial photography, video and music for business and consumers, with a library of over 477 million assets. It targets three markets— creati ...

as one of their Represented Photographers (later known as Getty Verbatim). Around 2007 Dench spent 15 months photographing ''Football's Hidden Story'' in 20 countries as a commission for FIFA, documenting "the way in which the sport thrives in the most improbable circumstances and in which enthusiasm for the game is being harnessed for the good of the community". ''A Day Off in the Lives of Europe'' is a project in which he photographed people around Europe commemorating events of national significance. Dench says of his work:

I’m always looking for humour in my pictures. Charlie Chaplin is a big influence and I often try to address serious subjects in a humorous way when appropriate. My aim is to make people laugh, make people think. Looking through the books of
Elliott Erwitt Elliott Erwitt (born Elio Romano Erwitt, July 26, 1928) is a French-born American advertising and documentary photographer known for his black and white candid photos of ironic and absurd situations within everyday settings. He has been a member ...
and
Martin Parr Martin Parr (born 23 May 1952) is a British documentary photographer, photojournalist and photobook collector. He is known for his photographic projects that take an intimate, satirical and anthropological look at aspects of modern life, in ...
is the reason I got into photography. If you can travel the world making people laugh and making them think, then to me that's a fine way to live.

The Visa pour l'image photojournalism festival in Perpignan, France, has screened Dench's work five times (including ''Carry On England'' in 2009) and exhibited it once. He was described in 2011 as a contributing editor of ''Hungry Eye'' magazine and creative director of

White Cloth Gallery White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. W ...

in Leeds, which he founded with co-creative director Sharon Price. He was a contributor to ''Professional Photographer'' magazine podcasts 1 to 13 in 2010/2011. His monthly Dench Diary appeared in ''Professional Photographer'' in 2010/11 and in ''Hungry Eye'' from 2011. Dench's advertising commissions have appeared on billboards and bus stop posters, in corporate brochures and in newspapers, including campaigns for Weetabix, Barclaycard, Barclays Wealth, Suzuki, the British Heart Foundation, Danish Bacon and ''Maxim'' magazine. He has made formal portraits of

Tom Jones Tom Jones may refer to: Arts and entertainment *Tom Jones (singer) (born 1940), Welsh singer * Tom Jones (writer) (1928–2023), American librettist and lyricist *''The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling'', a novel by Henry Fielding published in ...

Vinnie Jones Vincent Peter Jones (born 5 January 1965) is a British actor, presenter, and former professional footballer. Jones played professionally as a defensive midfielder from 1984 to 1999, notably for Wimbledon, Leeds United, Sheffield United, Ch ...

Heston Blumenthal Heston Marc Blumenthal (; born 27 May 1966) is a British celebrity chef, TV personality and food writer. Blumenthal is regarded as a pioneer of multi-sensory cooking, food pairing and flavour encapsulation. He came to public attention with un ...

Freddie Flintoff Andrew "Freddie" Flintoff (born 6 December 1977) is an English television and radio presenter and former international cricketer. Flintoff played all forms of the game and was one of the sport's leading all-rounders, a fast bowler, middle-orde ...

Alain Ducasse Alain Ducasse (; born 13 September 1956) is a French-born Monégasque chef. He operates a number of restaurants including Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester which holds three stars (the top rating) in the Michelin Guide. Early life and career ...

Jamie Oliver James Trevor Oliver MBE OSI (born 27 May 1975) is an English chef, restaurateur and cookbook author. He is known for his casual approach to cuisine, which has led him to front numerous television shows and open many restaurants. Oliver reac ...

Vijay Mallya Vijay Vittal Mallya (born 18 December 1955) is an Indian businessman, former politician and fugitive. He is the subject of an extradition effort by the Indian Government to return him from the UK to face charges of financial crimes in India. T ...

Zöe Lucker Zöe Elizabeth Lucker (born 11 April 1974) is an English actress. She is known for her roles as Sonya Leach in ''Coronation Street'' Tanya Turner in the ITV drama series, ''Footballers' Wives''; Vanessa Gold in the long-running BBC One soap ...

Tamsin Greig Tamsin Margaret Mary Greig (; born 12 July 1966) is an English actress, narrator and comedian. She played Fran Katzenjammer in the Channel 4 sitcom ''Black Books'', Dr Caroline Todd in the Channel 4 sitcom ''Green Wing'', Beverly Lincoln in B ...

Ahmet Ertegun Ahmet Ertegun (, Turkish spelling: Ahmet Ertegün; ; – December 14, 2006) was a Turkish-American businessman, songwriter, record executive and philanthropist. Ertegun was the co-founder and president of Atlantic Records. He discovered and ch ...

Alicia Silverstone Alicia Silverstone ( ; born October 4, 1976) is an American actress. She made her film debut in the thriller '' The Crush'' (1993), earning the 1994 MTV Movie Award for Best Breakthrough Performance, and gained further prominence at age 16 as a ...

and

Dermot Desmond Dermot Desmond (born 14 August 1950) is an Irish businessman and financier. He is estimated to be worth €2.04 billion and is ranked by the '' Sunday Independent'' as the ninth-richest person in Ireland. Early life and education Desmond was ...

. In February 2012 Dench successfully used the Emphas.is visual journalism crowd funding website to raise funds for his first book, ''England Uncensored'', published in May 2012. For 6 months in 2013 he collaborated with Reportage by Getty Images on the ''Future of Britain'' project, commissioned by OMD UK. Dench photographed the country to accompany OMD's research and statistics on the long-term economic downturn and changes to its population and demographics, published on a blog throughout the period. In 2015 he founded The Curators with co-founder Director Sharon Price, curating and touring photography exhibitions and Photo North Festival across the UK

Publications

Publications by Dench

*''England Uncensored''. Dublin: Emphas.is, 2012. . *''The Dench Diary: The Diary of a Sometimes Working Professional Photographer''. Eastbourne: United Nations of Photography, 2013. . Edition of 250 copies. *''A&E: Alcohol and England.'' Liverpool:

Bluecoat The bluecoat is a style of dress code, traditionally worn in Bluecoat schools ( English private schools deriving from charity schools). The main element of the bluecoat is a long (dark blue or black) coat, belted at the waist, with white nec ...

, 2014. . *''The British Abroad.'' Liverpool: Bluecoat, 2014.The publication date printed in the book is 2014 but the book was actually published in 2015. . With an introduction and afterword by Dench. *''Dench Does Dallas.'' Liverpool: Bluecoat, 2015. . With a foreword by Dench. *''The English Summer Season.'' Little Neston, UK: Fistful, 2019. Edition of 125 copies.

Zines by Dench

*''Suited and Booted''. Southport:

Café Royal A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café is an establishment that primarily serves coffee of various types, notably espresso, latte, and cappuccino. Some coffeehouses may serve cold drinks, such as iced coffee and iced tea, as well as other non-caf ...

, 2013. Edition of 150 copies.Its web page i
www.caferoyalbooks.com/index.php/shop/suited-and-booted
*''Trawlermen''. Southport: Café Royal, 2015. Edition of 150 copies.Its web page i
www.caferoyalbooks.com/index.php/shop/suited-and-booted
*''The English Summer Season.'' Fistful of Books, 2019. Edition of 100 copies. *''Football’s Hidden Story.'' Fistful of Books, 2019. Edition of 125 copies. *''Sun, Sea & Covid-19.'' Fistful of Books, 2020. Edition of 125 copies. *''Lockdown Fanatical Football Fans.'' Fistful of Books, 2020. Edition of 125 copies. *''The Tale of the Tape.'' Fistful of Books, 2020. Edition of 125 copies.

Publications edited or with contributions by Dench

*''Joop Swart Masterclass 10 Years.'' Amsterdam:

World Press Photo World Press Photo Foundation is an independent, non-profit organization based in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Founded in 1955, the organization is known for holding an annual press photography contest. Since 2011, World Press Photo has organized a ...

, 2004. . *''UK at Home – a celebration of where we live and love.'' Included ''Pics for pickers''. London: Duncan Baird, 2008. . *''Sony World Photography Awards 2010.'' Featured ''Someone's Had Their Weetabix''. Paris: Verlhac, 2010. . *''Professional Photography: The New Global Landscape Explained.'' Oxford: Focal, 2014. . By Grant Scott. With contributions from Dench as well as Alicia Bruce, Chris Floyd, Niall McDiarmid and Jim Mortram. *''Great Britons of Photography Vol.1: The Dench Dozen.'' Eastbourne, UK: Hungry Eye, 2016. . With photographs by and transcripts of interviews between Dench and Jocelyn Bain Hogg,

Marcus Bleasdale Marcus Terence Luke Bleasdale (born 1968) is a British photojournalist. His books include ''One Hundred Years of Darkness'' (2003), ''The Rape of a Nation'' (2009) and ''The Unravelling'' (2015). Bleasdale was appointed Companion of the Order o ...

Harry Borden Harry Borden (born 1965) is a British portrait photographer based in London. His subjects have included celebrities and politicians. Examples of Borden's work are held in the collections of the National Portrait Gallery, LondonJohn Bulmer John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

, Chris Floyd,

Brian Griffin H. Brian Griffinas shown in Brian Griffin's House of Payne is a fictional character from the American animated television series ''Family Guy''. An anthropomorphic white labrador retriever voiced by Seth MacFarlane, he is one of the show's mai ...

, Laura Pannack,

Martin Parr Martin Parr (born 23 May 1952) is a British documentary photographer, photojournalist and photobook collector. He is known for his photographic projects that take an intimate, satirical and anthropological look at aspects of modern life, in ...

, Tom Stoddart, Homer Sykes, and Anastasia Taylor-Lind. 160 pages. Edition of 500 copies.

Awards

*2nd place, Advertising category,

Sony World Photography Awards The World Photography Organisation is a global platform for photography initiatives and helps artists working in photography broaden the conversation around their work. Established in 2007 by CEO Scott Gray, in the United kingdom it involves peop ...

*''Roadside Diners, July 1998'' selected for National Portrait Gallery's John Kobal Photographic Portrait Award, London, 1999 *''George, Naturist, Palm Springs, October 2000'' selected for National Portrait Gallery, John Kobal Photographic Portrait Award, London, 2001 *1 of 12 photographers selected to take part in

Joop Swart Masterclass 2002 *3rd prize, People in the News category, World Press Photo Award, 2002 for ''Drinking of England'' *''Marquesa deVarela, social fixer for Hello! magazine, April 2003'' selected for National Portrait Gallery's Schweppes Photographic Portrait Prize, London, 2003 *1st place, Sport category, ''Football in Liberia,'' 3rd Annual Photography Masters Cup, International Color Awards, 2009

Exhibitions

Solo exhibitions

*''Finding Faith'', Ourhouse Gallery, Brighton, 2006 *''LoveUK'',

Third Floor Gallery Third Floor Gallery was an independent charitable photography gallery in Cardiff Bay, Wales. It opened in 2010 and predominantly featured documentary photography, often premiering new work with the direct involvement of the photographers. It clo ...

, Cardiff, 2010 *''England Uncensored'', Central European House of Photography (CEHP), Bratislava, Slovakia, 2013 *''Dench Does Dallas,''

Art Bermondsey Project Space Bermondsey Project Space is a not-for-profit art gallery in Bermondsey, South East London. It was founded in 2015 as Art Bermondsey Project Space and sponsored by Olympus in association with ''State/F22'' magazine. Located in a 3,000 sq ft conver ...

, London, 2015; The Gallery at Munro House, Leeds, 2016

Group exhibitions

*''Football's Hidden Story, Liberia'', The Foto8 Summershow, 2008 *2 images from ''loveUK'', The Foto8 Summershow, 2010 *''Letters from Europe'', Ernest Lluch Cultural Center, San Sebastián, Spain, 2011. One of six contributing photographers. Project co-financed by the European Commission's Daphne III programme. *''England Uncensored'',

, Leeds, UK, 2012

Exhibitions at festivals

*''Drinking of England'', GetxoPhoto photography festival, Getxo, Bilbao, Spain, 2010 *''England Uncensored – A Decade of Photographing the English'', Visa pour l'image festival of photojournalism, Perpignan, France, 2011 *Periscopio festival of photojournalism, Vitoria, Spain, 2011 *

Format International Photography Festival Format International Photography Festival (stylised as FORMAT) is a biennial photography festival held in Derby, UK. It takes place in March in various venues in Derby including Quad, University of Derby, Derby Museum and Art Gallery, Derwent Val ...

, Derby, UK, 2011. Video installation. *''The British Abroad'', The International Photoreporter Festival #2, Saint-Brieuc, France, 2013; POP Galleries, Hull International Photography Festival, Hull, UK, 2015 *''Alcohol & England,'' Hull International Photography Festival, Hull, UK, 2016.

Short films

*''Cosplay'' (2011) with Ben Turner * ''The War & Peace Show'' (2011) with Ben TurnerHere
at Vimeo.

Notes

References

External links

*
Peter Dench at Reportage by Getty Images

'Shoot and Move On: A Day in the Life of Street Photographers' by Sony Ericcsson on YouTube featuring Peter Dench
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dench, Peter Photographers from Dorset English photojournalists Street photographers Alumni of the University of Derby 21st-century British photographers 20th-century British photographers People from Weymouth, Dorset Living people 1972 births