First Magazine was started in Kingston, Jamaica in December 2004 by a group of partners from various areas of expertise who were interested in creating a new Jamaican publication that was of a high standard.
Thanks to the the vision and assistance of Lithographic Printers in Kingston, First published four issues and 40,000 copies of the 7×7 inch magazine. The magazine was critically acclaimed and impossible to duplicate since it was structure-less; dependent on the unique and unpredictable nature of daily life as opposed to themes or subjects aimed at target groups.
After publishing the fourth issue in late 2005, First went on hiatus and the partners returned to their respective careers, until late 2007 when it was decided that First should make a return.
With a shift towards a web-driven model accompanied by an annual print issue, the new First remains true to its original intent while providing a powerful new platform for new contributors drawn from around the world–but all leading back to the foundation in Kingston.
As before, the magazine will reflect upon modern life in Jamaica, and like Jamaicans themselves, it will continually look outward – observing, absorbing and reinventing the world surrounding it.
One of the founding people behind First Magazine is Peter Dean Rickards (aka The Affflicted Yard – Interview with him here).
Make sure to have a look at the new online version of the magazine, it’s well worth it!

Kingston`s photographer Peter Dean Rickards aka The Afflicted Yard captures the Jamaican culture in all its roughness since 1999: violence, sex, drugs, music.
His picture world is relentlessly authentic without provoking for provocation`s sake. His palette of themes range from bloody slaughtering scenes at a country meat market to gun waving ganglords and Jamaican celebrities like Lee Scratch Perry, Ninjaman,Bounty Killer, Sizzla, Buju Banton, Monty Alexander and Sean Paul. Magazines like I-D, Lodown, Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair, Complex, Vibe, NEON and XLR8R already published images from Peter Dean Rickards. His photoseries “Drunk in Miami” recently created a great hype on various fashion and photography blogs.
We sat down with Peter Dean Rickards to talk about his life, his views and his upcoming solo show at MILIEU Galerie / Artspace in Bern, Switzerland.
Read the Feature here…