Photography

Portraits of the People

Status:

Completed

Location:

Edinburgh, Scotland

Category:

Photography

Portraits of the People initially started as an experiment with street photography. It blended the impromptu nature of street photography with greater intention for human connection in order to capture a more authentic image of a person.

Commonly nowadays street portraits are met with scepticism and individuals will shade away from strangers taking photos. This project aimed to break down these walls through keeping the camera down until there had been a full 5-10 minute conversation with the subject. This ranged from conversations about life, people, families, music amongst other topics.

It was discovered that after a conversation, peoples eyes softened, and their faces become more relaxed - honest to the people they are, their internal barriers dropped. With each photo there is a story, a memory shared between. Whilst these stories aren’t physically documented in words, they are etched in the faces of each person and understood only by those who were there in the moment.

Portraits of the People was exhibited within the ‘Higher Vision’ Exhibition in the Scottish Parliament 2018-19