About Jack
I'm a good photographer, not a great photographer. Let me explain.
Having been introduced to a one megapixel digital camera in 2001 whilst working towards my degree in sound design, I was instantly fascinated by the immediate visual feedback that this format delivered. It allowed me the ability to review and experiment whilst being in the moment. This felt like a world away from the 35mm point-and-shoot cameras from my childhood. Waiting for weeks, sometime months, to see the results of a few fleeting moments from what seemed like a lifetime ago. Digital photography is immediate, allowing to adjust settings on the camera, re-shoot and learn instantly. Which I did. I pressed every button and turned every dial over and over again. Im still doing it now. Having had no formal training in photography my results were always a mixed bag. Even now I see flaws in my photographs when I edit them. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy almost every photograph I take, but, for me to make a living from this, I needed to be able to produce images that people will pay money for. Images that are more than complete, more than perfectly framed, exposed, and captured forever. The images need to have a story, a backbone, to be able to stimulate excitement and wonder from the viewer. Thats a big ask.
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There were a few routes, I had noticed, in the world of professional photography, to be able to make a living from. I would categorise these as; Commercial Photography, Fine Art Photography, Portrait Photography and Architectural Photography. There are many more but these are the routes that I came across whilst developing my style in the early 2000s. Although I enjoyed learning to shoot in these styles myself, the reality of; a - the quality of the image, and; b - the reality of the day-to-day aspect of making a living using any of these routes didn't resonate with me and my fairly limited skillset. Maybe this wasn't for me.
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It was after a trip to Rome in 2004 that I turned a corner. I now had a 12 megapixel camera (a birthday present) with inbuilt optical zoom . Amazing! I spent many days after the trip reviewing and editing my shots from the trip. As anyone can contest that has walked the streets of Rome, it is very beautiful and photogenic place to explore. Every street, balcony, corner building, shop sign and weathered wall I encountered was duly captured onto the memory card of my Fujifil FinePix camera. I loved the atmosphere that I had captured in these shots, the textures and colours of the buildings and windows of these Roman streets. The neon bar signs that had been there for decades, expressing design cues from decades earlier, hanging from a building that had been standing proud for generations, all presented in their own story in the rectangle that I had framed them in with my camera. But still I had a problem, two problems really. Why would anyone pay me for this? How could I make my images better?
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The answer to the second problem quickly became the answer to the first problem.
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For me, my images each contained elements that excited me, that told stories through colour, texture, fonts, graphics and architecture. In my mind I could see all these elements in the same situation, as they had been when I walked the streets and collected these images. Through the, what felt like magic, of image editing software, I managed to press enough buttons to transpose a piece from one image onto another image. Mind blown. Not only could I bring together these separated, emotion inducing, elements into one creation, I could also cover and hide part of the image that I found distracting. As I mentioned above, I'm a good photographer but not great. Now I had a way of covering the distractions that a great photographer would have worked around in the moment of the shot itself. This was my first step into digital photographic collage and I loved it. Still do.
Looking back through some of my artwork from my teenage years and below, I can see now that I have always had a fascination for collage artwork, to be able to collect a set of differing visual materials and arrange them in way that pleases me. This, I now understand, is my discipline. Not photography alone, but the act of collecting things that emotionally stimulate me and to arrange them in a way that pleases me.
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I naively presented my collection of 'artworks' from that trip to Rome at an art show that two of my friends were hosting later that year. The feedback I received from that show has allowed me the energy, time and focus to be still collecting and arranging things twenty years later.​
About the gallery
​HOB Gallery opened its doors in 2011. Back then it was called The House Of Bystander Studio & Gallery. The name came from an idea I once had whilst creating and selling my photographic collages in the preceding years.
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As a budding photographer walking the streets and collecting my images, I had a sense that I was a bystander to the world around me. I'm very much an introvert at the best of times, especially with a camera in hand. My first trading name became Bystander Images.
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Although I enjoyed using a camera, I knew it was just one creative process in many that I enjoyed being active in. I naturally became interested in designing my business branding, flyers, leaflets and cards, leading to an interest in graphic design. Graphic design had already found its way into my collage work and now I could use it within a business setting too. I also enjoyed the printing process of my artwork and promotional materials, watching an idea created on a screen become reality in my living room studio.
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My attention then moved towards monetising my printed artwork which in turn lead me to learn how to frame my pictures. Fortunately, for the previous couple of years I had been working part-time as a frame maker to earn some money as I studied for my degree. This had given me the insight to some very basic skills and tools needed to make frames.
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Quite quickly, picture framing became the bread-and-butter business that kept the bills paid and food on the table as I developed my artwork and found ways to sell it. It was later that year that an opportunity to collaborate with other artists to open and run an art gallery in Manchester, Creative Recycling Gallery, presented itself. This was a major and very important step in the creation of HOB Gallery.
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The five years of being involved with the running, developing and maintaining of Creative Recycling Gallery alongside both Glennis, Fiona and associated artists gave me invaluable experience and information about the reality of running and financing a functional gallery space. I now started to dream about having an establishment of my own. One where I could do photography, collage work, graphic design, picture framing and any manner of commissions using these skills. I promised myself that if I ever did get a place of my own, I would name it The House Of Bystander. A theoretical department store of my creative output. Dream big, I told myself.
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In 2011 I opened The House Of Bystander Studio & Gallery. A mouthful of a name which has had many iterations and rebrands up to this day. The latest, and quickest to say when answering an incoming phone call, is HOB Gallery.
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About commissions
I now have over 200 digital collages in my portfolio for people to browse and purchase. They are all limited edition pieces that I print, sign and number myself.
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During my time in the gallery, I have built up a loyal base of art collectors and clients for my collage artworks. I am incredibly grateful to everyone that has ever bought a piece of my work, they are the reason I am able to still do what I do.
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On occasions, I get asked to create something new. To work on a piece of collage outside of my own portfolio. To create a one off. Something personal. A collage with personal pieces within it. To create a visual story and arrangement about someones life, the history of a family, a building, a clients business. a momentous event, It is something special to them and they want it celebrated, assembled and presented for their people to see.
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Do you have a story that I could assemble for you?
FABRICA: 2004
4 piece digital collage.
My first digital collage.
The House Of Bystander: 2011
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HOB Gallery: 2024
Featured Projects
Take a glimpse at some of the captivating projects that have been brought to life by Jack Lloyd. Each project is a testament to the dedication and artistry that Jack brings to every client's vision.
