Ellie Ramsden is a London-based photographer who specializes in portrait, music, and street photography. Her love for underground music and street culture has led her to document London’s contemporary music scene over the past five years.
Ellie self-published her first photo book ‘Too Many Man: Women of Grime’ in 2019, which documents women in the grime scene and questions the gender imbalance in the music genre. Ellie’s work aims to question stereotypes, stimulate discussion and give new perspectives, particularly within gender equality and youth culture.
Ellie has worked with the likes of Adidas, Nike, Facebook, and Samsung, and has been featured on BBC Newsbeat, Creative Review, Clash Magazine, and more. Her work has exhibited across the UK, and in Canada, Italy and Germany.
Too Many Man: Women of Grime
Too Many Man: Women of Grime documents women involved in the UK grime scene, showcasing those behind the mic and behind the scenes, from MCs and DJs to producers and journalists. Since the genre began in the early 2000s, grime has been hugely male-dominated. Like so many male-dominated spaces, women have a huge influence on the scene but often aren’t given a platform or recognition in the same way as their male counterparts. This project seeks to ask why and gives the women of grime a platform to share their thoughts and experiences.
The project title is named after the 2009 song ‘Too Many Man’ by Skepta, in which the grime MC expresses his frustration of the “lack of women in clubs”, this is re-conceptualized as a comment on not only the club scene but a wider observation on the genre itself.
First published as a photo book in 2019, a second edition was released in March 2021 and includes new and updated content. The project consists of portraits, interviews, handwritten lyrics, live music shots, and urban landscapes. The foreword is written by the editor and author, Mireille Harper.
To view more of Ellie Ramsden’s work please visit their website.