Northern Joy: Celebrating the Toon

Interview with Maria Maza, Founder, Designer & Editor of Seen.By.Zine

SIDE: Can you introduce yourself and Seen.by and tell us a little bit about the project? 

MARIA MAZA: I am originally from Spain, but I have lived in Newcastle for over 30 years. I am a freelance photographer, with a special interest in documentary photography. In my work, I love capturing real moments and emotions, and I am very drawn to community celebrations and happy times. 

Being self-taught and developing outside established photography networks, I decided to publish Seen.By. in 2023. I wanted to create a zine that would provide me with links to other photographers in the region while at the same time giving those same individuals the opportunity to be published and their work to be seen and appreciated. 

SIDE: Issue #2 is dedicated to the Toon fans on NUFC’s Carabao Cup victory, what was most important to you in capturing that energy on the page? 

MARIA MAZA: The most important thing, as with everything with my photography in general, was to show real events, real people, real moments in all their intensity, and to tell a cohesive story that Toon fans would recognise as theirs. Having many different photographers featured in the zine helped present a really well rounded view of what fans experienced during March 2025. 

SIDE: With so many contributors, how did you go about weaving their work into something that feels like one loud, joyful chorus? 

MARIA MAZA: I tried to keep it simple. A clear idea (the fans’ experience, not the team’s), and a clear narrative, kept in chronological order. I had a three part structure in mind: match day (match viewing and spontaneous celebrations), parade day (Newcastle streets and Town Moor event), and the two weeks in between those, when signs of support and pride popped up everywhere and the atmosphere in town was joyous and electric. Once I received all the images, it was just a matter of allocating them to the appropriate section. 

SIDE: This isn’t just about football: it’s about place, people, belonging. How do you think Seen.by helps tell those stories in a way that feels true to Newcastle? 

MARIA MAZA: It is an honest view and reflection of the events that were shared by so many, in recognisable and relevant places. The images capture unguarded and exuberant moments, just as Newcastle people are. In addition, I was very honoured that Alex Niven, editor of Tribune magazine and author of The North Will Rise Again, wrote a really beautiful Foreword that encapsulates the history, the pain and the joy of being a NUFC fan and a citizen of a largely neglected part of the country. The joy of winning represents way more than the sporting victory. 

SIDE: There’s something powerful about a printed zine landing in people’s hands after all that digital noise during and after the event - why do you think print still matters, especially for a project like this? 

MARIA MAZA: Seeing photography in print is completely different to viewing it on a screen. It looks and feels different. There will have been millions of snaps taken during those days and weeks, most on mobile phones, but how many will be seen again after a short while? Creating a published record of the events means that it will endure (there is even a copy at the British Library), and copies of the zine may be treasured for a long time for what it represents. 

SIDE: How did it feel seeing the submitted images for the zine? Did you have to separate your response as an editor/publisher from personal feelings as someone who knows what this win meant to local people? 

MARIA MAZA: Receiving the images from other photographers was really exciting. For one, no one could have possibly covered everything that was taking place. Someone was at Wembley, someone at Covent Garden, many of us at St James’ Park, etc. Some could make the parade, some couldn’t. One had press credentials, so he got really close to the team. Between us all, we did cover a lot! 

The quality of the photographs received was consistently high. I met with fellow contributor Elias Mallo Tardiveau, whose judgement I trust, and we went through all the options. We agreed on a rough edit, and I took it from there. 

SIDE: The zine feels like something only people from here could’ve made and made right. What kind of reactions or moments of connection have stood out to you as you’ve started sharing it with the community? 

MARIA MAZA: Thank you, that’s a very satisfying thing to hear! The zine has only just come out, and it still needs to reach many people’s hands… but those who have seen it have loved it, they recognise themselves in it (sometimes literally!), and view it as the thing I intended it to be: a record of a historic time, a long awaited victory that hopefully turns the tide for NUFC and this town. 

We had a very informal launch event at Tyneside Irish Centre, who gracefully hosted us. Bill Corcoran, who happens to be in two images in the zine, holding the biggest Wor Flags flag on top of the TIC building, made sure that we had all we needed that evening. I, in turn, had the pleasure of introducing him to Mark Pinder, who had taken those photos, with Bill telling Mark how much those meant to him. It was also really great to see so many of the contributors together, talking to each other, forging connections, and enjoying themselves. 

SIDE: Will there be another Seen.by? Do you have ideas for the issue’s theme? How can people participate? 

MARIA MAZA: Yes! Having been jolted into action to produce Seen.By.Zine 002 in just about a month, I am quite fired up to do another issue sooner rather than later. I want Seen.By.Zine 003 to feature the work of female/non-binary documentary photographers. There has been an imbalance in the genders in the first two issues which I would love to begin to correct. Non-male folks should get in touch if they have previously unpublished documentary projects that they are proud of and happy to share. I should add as well that being from the north east is not essential, I am looking to publish great photography regardless of where it is from. 

Seen.By. is not a fixed thing. Future issues may follow the same compilation style format, or they may be monographs dedicated to a specific project, or photographer. I’m interested in the stories and the quality of the work. So if anyone has outstanding work that they would like to see published down the line, please get in touch! 

Behind the scenes with Seen.By.Zine 002's Photographers

Steve Crosthwaite

I was drawn to pick up my camera when I saw the sheer joy on the children’s faces — that moment, even five days after the victory, of shared pride and excitement was something I knew had to be captured and remembered. 

I wanted my work to be part of Seen.By because it captures and celebrates such a historic and emotional moment, both personally and for the city. I’m proud that my photos help tell the wider story from a child’s perspective, showing how football and a sense of community are woven into life from an early age and how deeply moments like this matter to the people of our city. The photos also made me reflect on my own experiences as a Newcastle United fan—I’ve supported the club since I was the same age as the children in the images, back in the 1980s—and it’s incredible to think how long it has taken to finally see them lift a trophy. 

Ian Taylor 

It was inevitable that the parade celebrations for the historic NUFC cup winning team would be a huge outpouring of happiness from the people of Newcastle and that the gathering crowd would be massive. I decided to make some images at the Gallowgate end of St James’s Park where the parade would start and was rewarded with a carnival atmosphere, providing lots of opportunity to capture scenes of the euphoric celebrating fans. 

I was very proud and grateful to have my images printed in the excellent, locally created Seen.By publication together with other passionate north east documentary photographers who captured the raw emotion of the NUFC fans on this historic occasion. 

Alan Forster 

This was a special event, something that had happened before in my lifetime, but so long ago I had no memory of it. I just knew I had to go and be part of it, and to photograph the people sharing the moment together. 

Maria has created a vehicle in Seen.By for local photographers to show what they have seen and what is important to them to capture in their photographs, Having your images included in a publication like Seen.By means that your work can be shared and it takes on a life of its own. 

Hazel Plater 

We live in hope. This was one of those times when we really wanted it all to come together. I've photographed match day at the pub before, as well as post-match partying in the Bigg Market and the madness outside of St James' Park. But actually, one of my favourites of my own photographs in the zine was made at Monument, where it was much quieter. A family portrait, with father and daughter out in the street and mum and baby joining their celebrations on a video call. It was an unexpected, fleeting moment, but I loved seeing them sharing the experience. 

We have a great little community of photographers here in Newcastle. It's fantastic to be part of this with them and have our viewpoints and interpretations tell the whole story together. This publication also means we reach a wider audience than we can working alone. I've recently started to gain commissions making street and documentary photography and I hope my work included here shows off what I can do. And I'm proud to have documented Newcastle United fans on this special night! I hope my photographs in the zine will be enjoyed for many years to come. A physical publication is so much more than a post online. I'm grateful to Maria for making this happen. 

Scott Smith 

I went to St James the night of the takeover of the club. My biggest regret was not taking my camera. That wasn’t happening this time. I knew the scenes would be crazy and I was right. The Parade I knew I wanted a certain shot on my Polaroid SX-70. Somewhere high above the bus showing the scale of crowd. 

To be included and give something back to the city means so much. Being alongside so many talented photographers showing the city is about the community of people.