MPB Meets: Photographer and Drag Artist Dick Day

Ahead of Brighton & Hove Pride, we spoke to photographer and drag artist Dick Day, a leading performer in the Brighton and UK drag scene. In this interview, with photography by Fanny Beckman, Dick Day shares advice on how we can all be better LGBTQ+ allies. Also, check out Dick Day's photography, camera gear and advice for photography beginners. Let's hear from Dick Day.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots. It was the key event sparking pride parades. These were previously protests, rather than joyous parades of flamboyancy and color we have come to know. Back then, the people were protesting for their basic rights. Even the right to exist. Simply being a queer-bodied person was grounds for arrest. The Stonewall riots began in 1969 when the police violently raided a well-known gay venue. This time, people fought back.

Since then, we as a community have come a long way. In many countries, we have the right to marry. We’re less scared of being visibly queer. We have rights against being fired or discriminated against in the workplace. Globally, however, there are still big hurdles to overcome. It’ll take a lot of time and effort for the LGBTQ+ community to be fully accepted around the world.

In the UK, homophobic attacks have risen by almost 80% in recent years. And in the last few months, Brighton has seen a rise in homophobic attacks, especially in Kemptown, an area known for an abundance of queer venues. A poll published in The Independent found that 36% of LGBTQ+ identifying people don’t feel safe or comfortable holding their partner’s hand in public. Although this may sound like a small percentage to some, this kind of question shouldn’t even need to be asked.

Early summer is Pride season. If you’re attending a Pride march—thank you for your support!—here are a few things you can do to become a true ally of the LGBTQ+ community. 

Be Respectful

Pride is when queer-bodied people can feel most comfortable and confident walking the streets as their most authentic selves. Don’t stare, whisper about people you may not understand, comment negatively or, in more reserved cases, take photographs. 

Be Mindful

Remember why you’re out enjoying the weekend. It’s not just about partying, it’s to celebrate those of us who are still fighting for acceptance. It’s a middle finger to people who threaten and are violent towards our community. If you aren’t fully accepting of our community and find us uncomfortable in any circumstances, then you shouldn’t be at a Pride march.

Be Vigilant

Sadly, people do still take to the streets even on this day to spread hate speech and potentially commit violent crimes in the community. For example, last year’s Brighton and Hove Pride had the biggest turnout ever. But it also saw the largest amount of violent hate crimes and attacks, including knife threats. If you see or experience anyone being mistreated, assaulted or verbally or physically abused, then help them and stand up for them. Check if they are okay. Do your part to be the best ally to the community you can be. Not just for one day, but all year round.

Clean Up

Take your trash with you, and find a bin that isn’t overflowing. Yeah, we can all be guilty of being a bit lazy after a few drinks. But the mess left behind after the Pride weekend can give the celebration a bad name. People quickly forget what it’s meant to be about and blame the celebration—not the people there.

Have Fun

This is a celebration for the LGBTQ+ community. Be a part of it, talk to new people with different stories and experiences, immerse yourself and celebrate with us. Don’t exclude yourself.

My current photography setup is for two very different scenarios. For the first, I have my Canon EOS 760D body, which I use to shoot my personal creative drag projects from home—I self-shoot using the flip-out screen, with a Canon RC-6 self-timer remote. This makes it super easy for me to set up the shot and pose with the two-second delay on the timer.

My second setup is a Fujifilm X100F, which I purchased to inspire me to get out of the house more and take some pictures of what I'm getting up to day-to-day. Walks, landscapes and street photography. I also bought it so I could feel more confident with photography in general, using it as much as possible means I have more time to experiment when I'm out. I chose this model as I liked the compact aesthetic, and I’ve found Fujifilm really easy to understand and work with for this quick shooting style of photography. It’s great for experimenting—even when you need to be a bit speedy to get a shot.

Read our Fujifilm X100-series compact camera guide.

When I finally purchased a proper camera setup to take portraits and film videos, I noticed a massive improvement in the visuals I was producing for my social media feeds and the drag content I was able to post.

I studied Broadcast Media at university, so I’ve always enjoyed making creative content and using great equipment to produce nice images and videos. Having a slight background in this has really helped in my knowledge when shooting on both my Canon and Fujifilm setups.

I’m super influenced by fashion photography. I really love fashion photoshoots and portraits, where they show a subject in some really cool scenes that include some great aesthetics and movement. I can scroll through Pinterest for hours, looking at a variety of fashion and photography that I find inspiring. The idea of creative portrait and fashion photography is something I would personally love to explore more in my personal shoots.

If I have any tips for people starting out, it’s to use your camera as much as possible. Play around with the settings and different ways to use the camera. Some images won’t be the best, but it’s really all worthwhile when you do have one image you’re super happy with. I’d also recommend investing in some sort of editing software. I use Adobe Lightroom, it’s super affordable and easy to use. The usage of Lightroom can really improve an image, and you can play and experiment further with your shooting. Make it fun!

See our tips for photographing LGBTQIA+ weddings. Or, for more tips and techniques, expert interviews and camera gear guides, check out the MPB Content Hub.