photographing people’m really interested in photographing people, but in ways that capture something a little more of their personality, their interests and questions: I rarely take posed photographs - and when I do it’s a deliberately set-up more playful situation - such as a photo-booth (see images opposite).
The ethics of photographing people are really important to me and I think you need to be sensitive to the person you are photographing. I don’t like to take any images without consent from the person(s) involved; neither would I publish (on line or in print) any images without consent. For many years I’ve been using photography to document work that takes place in projects – and this has increasingly become a significant part of my work. Images I’ve taken can be found in several publications and on various websites such as Dunkirk Primary School – where we see photography as a vital tool in advocating for children’s learning. Images are also used in the book Creative Approaches to Improving Participation. I’m fascinated with watching how people engage with the natural world and finding ways to record this: figures in the landscape, hands discovering textures in bark, people running along a beach... I also love images that are a little bit playful and involve a gentle sense of fun and have set up several Photo Booths at weddings and parties: examples of which are shown in the images on this page. It’s possible to get some really lovely shots when children and adults dress up and play around with costumes and props! I’ve teamed up with Katy Doncaster on this several times as part of our work through Some Curious Finds, where we love to set up environments for people to explore. Please get in touch via my contacts page if you are interested in finding out more about booking either a Photo Booth type environment at an event or a photo-shoot. I have a set of backdrops, props, hats, masks, fabrics etc that I can bring with me. Photography has changed so much in a short space of time - in these days of digital photography almost everyone can take a photo instantly. It’s changed the nature of photography in many ways and also our relationship with it. I think the ethics and uses of photography are changing and being questioned rapidly... Its an interesting time to be taking photos… |
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