Visual Culture: The Photographs of Pogus Caesar

Words and Interview by Jesse Serwer, Photos by Pogus Caesar—

St. Kitts-born Pogus Caesar has captured the heartbeat of the Caribbean community in the U.K.—and particularly in his hometown of Birmingham, England’s “second city”— for over three decades. While his work as a television producer (for the BBC and Channel 4, among others), documentary filmmaker and photographer has brought him around the world to cover a wide range of topics, of particular note are his many photographs of artists and entertainers in unguarded moments. Many of these photos were collected in a gallery show, Muzik Kinda Sweet, since shown at London’s 02 and adapted into a book of the same name. A subsequent gallery show, Reggae Kinda Sweet, has honed in on his images of reggae acts and musicians from Dennis Brown to the Mighty Diamonds..

LargeUp spoke with Caesar about his city and his many subjects, from Lee “Scratch” Perry to Stevie Wonder to Guyana-born British actress Carmen Munroe and a bus-riding glue sniffer in Birmingham. Click here to go to Page 2 and read our interview with Pogus, then here to start scrolling through a gallery of his photos, with commentary from the photographer.

Photo: © DMJ Images

LargeUp: You come from Birmingham by way of St. Kitts. How did being Caribbean steer your direction as a photographer working in the UK?

Pogus Caesar: It has always been important to document the world as I see it. Being in situations and having my camera at hand has been a blessing. The UK provides a rich seam of images, so I always shoot whatever interests me. Sometimes it takes years before I develop a photograph. Also with each photograph I take, I realise that I’m still learning my craft.

LU: What can you tell us about the West Indian community in Birmingham at the time?

PC: The West Indian community was very diverse, with most of the islands represented. Coming from St Kitts, the majority of people I interacted with were from Jamaica, Barbados and Nevis. The majority of jobs were either in factories, public transport and health. The community was proud and aspirational, never asking for more than a fair share from the motherland. However as the years passed by, an element of disappointment crept in. Even today it still remains.

LU: Were reggae performers visiting the city regularly?

PC: In the 1970s, Birmingham had a wealth of venues that would put on live music. Reggae performers were a weekly event. I remember the likes of John Holt, The Pioneers and Nicky Thomas all dressed up in tuxedos and bowties. The Wailers’ first gig in Birmingham was at Top Rank supporting Johnny Nash. Of course we were all aware of Nash, [but] when The Wailers came on, there was no dancing, no flash suits, just conscious lyrics. It was very different from what we were used to. So many Jamaican artists played in Birmingham, from Burning Spear, I-Roy, U-Roy, Leroy Smart, Jackie Mittoo, Peter Tosh… the list is endless.

LU: Tell us about your TV work and how you went from photography to TV/films?

PC: The production work started in the early 1980’s, working on multicultural programmes for British television. Firstly as a stringer for LWT , then a presenter for Central TV, progressing on to Director/Series Producer for Carlton TV. I left and joined the BBC in Manchester as a Senior Producer/Director, a few years later I returned to Carlton as a Series Editor. The series I was responsible for varied from politics, race, sport and entertainment and multicultural. I don’t see a dividing line between the still and moving image. I had always taken photographs. The situations I found myself in, it was important to document and archive. I have always used the same Canon film camera, bought in the 1980s—the grain in 35mm is what works best for me, so I’ll continue to use it.

LU: Your work has taken you to some interesting locations. Which was the most memorable?

PC: Each location has its merits. I have worked in some interesting places. I think Albania had it’s challenges. I found it difficult to take images. South America was really interesting. All of the countries hold memories, some of them captured on film.

LU: Your Muzik Kinda Sweet exhibition of music photographs became a book. Are there plans to turn your Reggae Kinda Sweet show into one as well?

PC: I have been asked on a number of occasions, when is Reggae Kinda Sweet going to be published? I would love to collaborate with a great writer and find a publisher who is sympathetic to those legendary reggae artists I had the pleasure to meet and photograph. There are hundreds of negatives in the OOM Gallery Archive, so [there is] a wealth of material to choose from.

LU: Do you only shoot black and white? Why?

PC: I would say 98% of the time I shoot in black and white, usually Ilford HP5 at 400asa. I just love the gain it produces, I also find it slightly unstable under certain conditions—sometimes it produces a washed out quality much like a painting. Of course, the Canon being a film camera, I have 36 frames, so selective shooting is important. There is no screen to view what I have taken, so it could be months before I see the results. I’m sure I’ll move to digital at some point. For the time being, I am fine with the basic equipment.

LU: What are your future plans?

PC: To keep documenting and learning more about my craft, a very important element. I am also presently collaborating on two books about my photographs, one set in Johannesburg and the other in Birmingham. We are exhibiting a small selection of photographs from Reggae Kinda Sweet at The Drum, Birmingham, UK from 3rd July-31 Aug 2013. It will be great to bring these images back home again.

Start scrolling through the gallery here.

Burning Spear


I had just started working as a presenter for Here & Now, a cultural programme that was broadcast throughout the Midlands, England, in 1985. It was the very first interview I was conducting for TV, so it had to be a landmark… a friend who knew a promoter said Burning Spear was in England and connected me up. Spear came to Birmingham, we filmed the interview. Usually we’d spend a bit of time talking with interviewees—I asked if I could take his photo, and he agreed.

Glue Sniffer:

I caught the bus to the [Birmingham] city centre in 1985, climbed the stairs and the pungent aroma of glue hit my nostrils. There was a young man sitting on the back seat with a plastic bag over his nose and mouth—breathing in and out. I started a conversation with him about everyday things. A few stops before city centre, I asked if he would like to be photographed. He happily obliged. As the years passed, I often wonder what happened to him.

Handsworth Riots:

The riots of 1985 was really terrible to witness, a community broken and brought to its knees. As usual, the media were intent on pushing a particular view to the public. Having been around Handsworth for a long time, it was important to show what was happening at a grassroots level. The rioters had overturned the car, opened the petrol tank and set it alight. They followed a similar pattern by setting up cars like upturned dominoes to prevent the police from gaining an advantage.

Soundsystem – Celebrating Caribbean Focus 86:

The event was Caribbean Focus 1986, a celebration of West Indian culture throughout Britain. A disused section of [Birmingham’s] Moor Street Train Station was used as venue, a local soundsystem was throwing down some reggae classics. It was a great atmosphere and something I knew would be unlikely to happen again.

Junior Reid:

In 1986, Junior Reid was lead vocalist of Black Uhuru. They had performed at The Tower Ballroom in Birmingham, alongside The Wailers and Paul Blake and The Bloodfire Posse. I knew people who were involved with the management, they gave me access to photograph Reid—both at Tower Ballroom and the band’s hotel.

Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry:

A good friend who knew Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry well asked if I’d like to meet him and also accompany them to Island Records’ 25th Anniversary at Pinewood Studios, UK, 1987. Perry was staying in Highbury, London at the time. So I went to London and spent time in his company at home, and also Notting Hill and Pinewood. A really interesting man—I have always admired his music production. He was really easygoing and allowed me to take some great images. It was really interesting going to Pinewood with ‘Scratch’ as he shook hands with everyone from members of The Police to Eric Clapton.

Sly Dunbar:

He was supporting reggae singer Delroy Wilson at The Hummingbird, a concert venue in Birmingham in 1987. I knew the manager who operated the venue, he gave me access and introduced me to Sly and Delroy Wilson. They were going through the soundcheck, I asked if I could take photos of him playing drums, he agreed and said come up on stage. We had a conversation as well and I remember asking him how he achieved the drum pattern on The Viceroys’ “Heart Made Of Stone.”

Dennis Brown:

I had previously interviewed him for Here & Now on Central Television. So when we met up again at Reggae Sunsplash in London 1987, it was all welcome, a big handshake and a great smile for the camera. Dennis Brown— one of the nicest and humblest musicians I have ever met.

Ijahman Levi:

Wandering around backstage at Reggae Sunsplash, London, 1987, I managed to photograph Ijahman, a humble and inspirational musician.

Rita Marley:

In 1987, I attended an event at The Commonwealth Institute, London. Rita Marley came in, for a few seconds there was a quiet hush. Later on Rita was talking with someone and started laughing, so I captured the moment.

Phillip ‘Fatis’ Burrell / Maxi Priest / Sly Dunbar:

The 1987 Sunsplash event was great, lots of artists, producers, etc. To have Phillip ‘Fatis’ Burrell, Maxi Priest and Sly Dunbar in the same frame, it’s really important to document, as sadly Fatis is no longer with us.

Carmen Munroe:

A great actress who has done so much on British television. During 1988, they had just starting shooting the first series of Desmonds for Channel 4. Carmen came from Birmingham, I had interviewed her for TV, and later on took a few photographs.

Stevie Wonder:

He was in Birmingham in 1989, undertaking a national tour. Stevie Wonder was also set to record a duet with one of Musical Youth. I was enlisted to direct the studio inserts. Stevie was staying at the Holiday Inn so, over a few evenings, usually late at night, he and a small entourage would come to Central Studios and record. As well as my directing duties, I was given the opportunity to take a number of photographs of a living legend. We spoke about music—he was really into reggae—and he asked me to copy some Studio One numbers onto a cassette.

Three Men & One Hearse:

On a trip to Jamaica [in] 2008 to shoot the series Ice Cold Stripe, I traveled by car from one side of the island to the other. As usual, I would document anything of interest. I came upon a hearse which was supposed to be at a funeral. It had broken down, and the three men were trying to fix the engine. There was so much swear words, the whole situation became comical. I tried to capture the event the best I could.

Grace Jones:

This photo was taken during the opening night of Grace Jones’ Hurricane Tour, 2009. Jones had come down into the audience astride a man’s shoulders—she looked straight into the camera lens and I pressed the button.

Rico Rodriguez:

The event was Reggae Brittania at The Barbican, London 2011. I was backstage taking photographs of Big Youth, Ken Boothe, etc. A friend of mine, Neville Staple of ska band The Specials, introduced me to Rico—a quiet and unassuming man with a wealth of history.

Pogus Caesar is a photographer who has worked in countries including Spain, India, South America, Sweden, South Africa, UK, Albania and Jamaica. His photographs are in private and public collections such as the Victoria & Albert Museum, London; City Gallery, Leicester; Mappin Art Gallery, Sheffield; Wolverhampton Art Gallery and Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery. 

See more of his photos at the website of his OOM Gallery: www.oomgallery.co.uk

Images copyright the artist © Pogus Caesar/OOM Gallery Archive. All Rights Reserved.