THE IDLE HANDS SOCIETY

Dan Higginson & Paul Bence
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Welcome to The Idle Hands Society, a community for creatives. Join us for regular chats with people across all disciplines, loosely focused on creativity.

  1. MAY 8

    S2 E7: The Magician

    PEOPLE Mentioned Ed Thompson William Eggleston Henri Cartier-Bresson Ansel Adams Diane Arbus Dina Litovsky Tim Hetherington Peter Knapp Sergei Chilikov Gueorgui Pinkhassov Chuck Close Austin Osman Spare Daido Moriyama Sam Battle (Look Mum No Computer) Lewis Hine Esther Teichmann Mr. Motivator Tom Anderson (Tom from Myspace) Idle Hands Society Books & Films Discussed The Genius of Photography — BBC television series referenced in relation to William Eggleston shooting in France. In the Garden of England by Ed Thompson — Ed's published photobook (Note: The book was actually published under the title In-A-Gadda-Da-England!), referenced when discussing images that recur across projects. The Photographer's Playbook — An example of an unlikely photography book that found its audience. Anarcho-Dandies — Ed's forthcoming photobook drawn from his 2009 medium-format project. (Since the book is forthcoming, I linked to the 2009 slide-show video of the project!) Ed Thompson's unpublished occult photography manuscript — Seven years in the making, 50,000 words, untitled. (As it is unpublished, I linked back to Ed's official website). Louis Theroux: The Misogyny Disruptors — Cited as an analogy for the online course-selling culture in photography communities. (Note: The actual title of this 2026 Netflix documentary is Louis Theroux: Inside the Manosphere). Reach out to us @idlehandssociety. Your hosts today are @danshigginson, @paulbenceuk, and @mark_sugden on Instagram. You can support the Podcast by contributing to The Idle Hands Tip Jar. www.idlehandssociety.com

    1h 17m

  2. APR 24

    S2 E6: The White Mercedes

    Artists & People Mentioned Tom Collins Daniel Arnold John Putney Barry Lewis Tess Morris Matt Lawrence The Idle Hands Society Instagram Books & Films Discussed The Islanders by Dan Wood The Valley by John Putney Daniel Arnold by Loose Joints Pickpocket by Daniel Arnold Man Up Directed by Ben Palmer and Written by Tess Morris Only Murders in the Building Timestamps & Key Moments [03:00] Paul shares a harrowing and humorous account of falling ill while travelling through Tanzania, serving as an unconventional "icebreaker" that sets the authentic and grounded tone for the new season. [08:33] The group reflects on the practicalities of maintaining a creative community, discussing how a dedicated studio space removes the barriers to production that previously hindered their momentum. [13:58] A discussion on the influence of personal history in photography, focusing on how a photographer's background and unique upbringing prevent their work from becoming a mere imitation of their peers. [42:58] Mark provides a detailed look at the construction of his Slate Islands mquette, explaining the process of using accordion folds and binding tape to transform digital files into a physical film strip of memories. [01:05:01] The conversation turns to the aesthetic choices in landscape photography, debating whether the inclusion of a human figure adds a necessary narrative scale or if it functions as an overused visual cliché. [01:12:44] The trio performs a critical reading of Doug Dubois’s work, questioning the integrity of documentary practice when the photographer chooses to style, dress, and pose their subjects to fit a specific vision. Reach out to us @idlehandssociety. Your hosts today are @danshigginson, @paulbenceuk, and @mark_sugden on Instagram. You can support the Podcast by contributing to The Idle Hands Tip Jar. www.idlehandssociety.com

    1h 24m

  3. APR 16

    S2 E5: There’s an app for that

    Artists & People Mentioned Tom Collins Daniel Arnold John Putney Barry Lewis Tess Morris Matt Lawrence The Idle Hands Society Instagram Books & Films Discussed The Islanders by Dan Wood The Valley by John Putney Daniel Arnold by Loose Joints Pickpocket by Daniel Arnold Man Up Directed by Ben Palmer and Written by Tess Morris Only Murders in the Building Reach out to us @idlehandssociety. Your hosts today are @danshigginson, @paulbenceuk on Instagram. You can support the Podcast by contributing to The Idle Hands Tip Jar. www.idlehandssociety.com

    1h 29m

  4. APR 9

    S2 E4: From Bunsen Burners to the Berlin Wall

    Artists & People Mentioned Barry Lewis (Instagram) Antony Gormley David Toop Elaine Mitchener Dam Van Huynh Ryuichi Sakamoto Idle Hands Society Instagram Books & Films Discussed Miami Beach 1988-1995 Blackpool 1984-1989 Vaguely Lost in Shangri-La: Glastonbury in Photographs Butlin's Holiday Camp 1982 Positive Lives Pond (Film) Reach out to us @idlehandssociety. Your hosts today are @danshigginson, @paulbenceuk on Instagram. You can support the Podcast by contributing to The Idle Hands Tip Jar. www.idlehandssociety.com

    2h 13m

  5. APR 2

    S2 E3: Old Photos

    People Mentioned Ryan McDonagh Brian Carroll Alice Tomlinson Nico Froehlich Paul Bence Dan Higginson Idle Hands Society Instagram Books & Films Discussed Offline Journal Reach out to us @idlehandssociety. Your hosts today are @danshigginson, @paulbenceuk on Instagram. You can support the Podcast by contributing to The Idle Hands Tip Jar. www.idlehandssociety.com

    1h 44m

  6. MAR 27

    S2 E2: Stop Posing, Start Breathing

    PEOPLE Mentioned Matthew Lawrence George Hurrell Paul Bence Dan Higginson Idle Hands Society Instagram Books & Films Discussed The Photography Workshop Series: Dawoud Bey on Photographing People and Communities Batman (1989) Reach out to us @idlehandssociety. Your hosts today are @danshigginson, @paulbenceuk on Instagram. You can support the Podcast by contributing to The Idle Hands Tip Jar. www.idlehandssociety.com

    1h 46m

  7. MAR 20

    S2 E1: The Return and the Ritual

    PEOPLE MENTIONED Mitch Epstein: mitchepstein.net Trent Parke: magnumphotos.com/photographer/trent-parke Matt Lawrence: matthewlawrencephotography.co.uk Hashem McAdam: pushingfilm.com Kai Wong: youtube.com/@kaimanwong Idle Hands Society Instagram: instagram.com/idlehands BOOKS & FILMS American Power by Mitch Epstein: steidl.de/Books/American-Power-0518214654.html Minutes to Midnight by Trent Parke: magnumphotos.com/shop/collections/books/minutes-to-midnight-trent-parke Reach out to us @idlehandssociety. Your hosts today are @danshigginson, @paulbenceuk on Instagram. You can support the Podcast by contributing to The Idle Hands Tip Jar. www.idlehandssociety.com

    59 min

  8. 11/07/2024

    056: Alys Tomlinson

    Reach out to us @idlehandssociety. Your hosts today are @danshigginson, @paulbenceuk on Instagram. You can support the Podcast by contributing to The Idle Hands Tip Jar. www.idlehandssociety.com

    1h 7m
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About

Welcome to The Idle Hands Society, a community for creatives. Join us for regular chats with people across all disciplines, loosely focused on creativity.

Information

  • Creator
    Dan Higginson & Paul Bence
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    63
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © All Rights Reserved
  • Show Website
    THE IDLE HANDS SOCIETY

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