Nick Turpin (born 1969) is a British street photographer and advertising and design photographer. Turpin was born in London and is based there and near Lyon, France. He established the first international collective of street photographers, In-Public, in 2000. Turpin's work has been published in his own book, On The Night Bus (2016) and in various survey publications, as well as being included in a number of group exhibitions. He publishes through Nick Turpin Publishing, makes short films, and gives workshops on street photography Phil Coomes, writing for BBC News in 2009, considered Turpin "one of the best" street photographers.
Life and work
Turpin was born and raised in London in 1969. He studied an art and design foundation course at the University of Gloucestershire, specialising in photography; then a BA in photography, film and video at the University of Westminster. Whilst at university he showed his second year photojournalism stories to the picture editor at The Independent and in 1990, aged 20, quit his course to be a press photographer for the newspaper. He left The Independent in 1997 for a career in advertising and design photography that would finance his street photography (for example he photographed the cover of Bridget Jones's Diary (1995) by Helen Fielding).
Turpin established the first international collective of street photographers, In-Public, in 2000 with the intention of bringing together like minded photographers to hold exhibitions, produce books and conduct workshops. Colin Westerbeck, writing in Time in 2011, said Turpin was "notable for having been instrumental in a collaborative documentary project", namely In-Public.
In 2010 he established Nick Turpin Publishing which published the book 10 – 10 Years of In-Public (2010).
Turpin has given talks about and workshops on street photography.
He makes short films. In-Sight (2011), was commissioned for and premièred at the Format International Photography Festival in Derby in 2011.
On The Night Bus. Tales from the City Book 2. London: Hoxton Minipress, 2016. ISBN 978-1-910566-16-9. With a foreword by Will Self, "I Used to Take the Night Bus."
Publication #1. London: Nick Turpin Publishing, 2009. Essays by Hin Chua, David Gibson, Michael David Murphy and Turpin. Photographs by Narelle Autio, Martin Kollar, Joel Meyerowitz, Tod Papageorge, Trent Parke, Matt Stuart and Garry Winogrand. Edition of 2000 copies.
Street Photography Now. London: Thames & Hudson, 2010. ISBN 978-0-500-54393-1 (hardback). London: Thames & Hudson, 2011. ISBN 978-0-500-28907-5 (paperback). Edited by Sophie Howarth and Stephen McLaren.
10 – 10 Years of In-Public. London: Nick Turpin Publishing, 2010. ISBN 978-0-9563322-1-9. Includes an essay by Jonathan Glancey, "Outlandish Harmony"; a foreword by Turpin; and a chapter each by Turpin, David Gibson, Richard Bram, Matt Stuart, Andy Morley-Hall, Trent Parke, Narelle Autio, Jesse Marlow, Adrian Fisk, Nils Jorgensen, Melanie Einzig, Jeffrey Ladd, Amani Willett, Gus Powell, Christophe Agou, Otto Snoek, Blake Andrews, David Solomons, George Kelly and Paul Russell.
London Street Photography: 1860–2010. London: Museum of London; Stockport: Dewi Lewis, 2011. ISBN 978-1907893032. Selected from the Museum of London collection by Mike Seaborne and Anna Sparham. Includes work from Turpin, as well as In-Public members Richard Bram, Adrian Fisk, David Gibson, Nils Jorgensen, Paul Russell, David Solomons, Matt Stuart and others. Published to accompany an exhibition at the Museum of London.
In-Sight (2011). 38 minute documentary directed and edited by Turpin, commissioned by Format for the Format International Photography Festival, Derby, 2011. Includes interviews with Turpin, David Gibson, David Solomons, Richard Bram, Melanie Einzig, Gus Powell, Christophe Agou, Jesse Marlow and Otto Snoek, and shows them at work.
Crosswalks: Contemporary Street Photography, Oklahoma City Museum of Art, Oklahoma City, OK, 24 May – 8 October 2006. With work by Turpin and 13 other photographers.
Onto the Streets, Photofusion, London, 21 July – 16 September 2006, then toured with the British Council.
10 - 10 years of In-Public / In-Public @ 10, Photofusion Gallery, London. Included photographs by In-Public members Turpin, Matt Stuart, David Gibson, Richard Bram, Andy Morley-Hall, Trent Parke, Narelle Autio, Adrian Fisk, Nils Jorgensen, Jesse Marlow, Melanie Einzig, Jeffrey Ladd, Amani Willett, Gus Powell, Christophe Agou, Otto Snoek, Blake Andrews, David Solomons, George Kelly and Paul Russell.
Street Photography Now, Third Floor Gallery, Cardiff, 10 October – 14 November 2010. Photographs from the book Street Photography Now (2011).
Street Photography Now, shop windows throughout the Canal Saint-Martin area, part of Mois de la Photo-OFF, Paris, 5 – 28 November 2010. Gallery Lichtblick, Cologne, 2010; Uno Art Space, Stuttgart, 2 April – 25 June 2011. With work by Turpin as well as Narelle Autio, Maciej Dakowicz, Bruce Gilden, Thierry Girard, Markus Hartell, Nils Jorgensen, Martin Kollar, Jens Olof Lasthein, Frederic Lezmi, Jesse Marlow, Jeff Mermelstein, Trent Parke, Gus Powell, Otto Snoek, Matt Stuart, Alex Webb, Wolgang Zurborn.
Right Here, Right Now – Exposures From The Public Realm, Derby Museum and Art Gallery, Format 11 Photography Festival, Derby, England, 4 March – 3 April 2011. Exhibition of photographs by various In-Public members, and the film In-Sight (2011).
London Street Photography: 1860-2010, Museum of London, London, 18 February – 4 September 2011. Included work by Turpin as well as In-Public members Richard Bram, Adrian Fisk, David Gibson, Nils Jorgensen, Paul Russell, Matt Stuart, and others. Travelled to Museum of the City of New York, 27 July – 2 December 2012.
Entente Cordial, St Pancras International railway station, London, 1–31 July 2011, included Turpin's The French with work by Nils Jorgensen, part of The London Street Photography Festival.
10 - 10 years of In-Public / In-Public @ 10, with work by 20 photographers including Turpin; The French by Turpin; and In-Sight (2011), part of Les Ballades Photographiques festival, Seyssel, France, 12–23 July 2011.
From Distant Streets: Contemporary International Street Photography, Galerie Hertz, Louisville Photo Biennial, Louisville, KY, 2 October – 12 November 2011.
Contemporary London Street Photography, King's Cross Station, London Festival of Photography, London.
Turpin's work is held in the following collection:
Museum of London, London.
