Love in translation with Jonjo Borill

This article contains image descriptions in the captions to help those with visual impairments.

ID: Woman wearing a face mask in front of a some bushes and a building.

After embarking on a new relationship with his girlfriend, Jonjo Borill picked up his camera to explore the feelings of early love. Focusing on the tiny moments which make up a relationship and exploring what this new relationship meant to him, we spoke with Jonjo about his approach to photography and how this work naturally grew into a personal testament to his affection and love.

What first drew you to wanting to communicate with a camera?

Having moved around and travelled a lot, I usually arrive at a place surrounded by strangers, just me, with a bag of clothes and a camera. In these times, photography feels like a social interaction to stay attached with the rest of the world. With my camera becoming like a confidant and companion, it carries the burden of becoming my outlet for my feelings. I have had difficulty understanding my emotions throughout my childhood and adult life and quickly lost control of them. With this being my first real relationship, there were feelings alien to me, and at times hard to comprehend; a clash of putting up boundaries and taking them down, and the learning to co-exist. It felt natural to use photography to lay everything out and piece everything back together. 

ID: (left image): Smoke and fireworks (Right image): Two hands holding on a train.

Photography plays an important part in your life, to the point you're documenting your new relationship. What were your initial gut feelings about wanting to preserve these moments?I am not really sentimental with materialistic objects, but photographs are my weakness. I can't help but want to cling on to time. There is a Korean word I love called 썸타다  (Sseom-ta-da). It is used for the ambiguous stage of dating. During that time, I remember feeling apprehensive and shy to take photos. Mirroring our behaviour, those early few weeks were just spent feeling everything out, what works and what doesn't, knowing when to act. Some early memories would have made incredible photos, but it was not the time. I think there are times photographers need to learn when not to take pictures and be in the moment. A later image taken in retrospect can say as much about a past event as one taken at the time would have. With photography being a key part of my identity, it was always going to naturally find its way into our life. A boyfriend's sincere action holding onto memories has somehow involved a body of work we want to share.

You live in Korea, is there a different dynamic to couples compared to a westernised version of what love and romance is? 
Definitely! I guess it is the same as anywhere, but when you adapt to a different culture, the norms change.
From speaking to my Korean friends, t sounds so much more complex and straining than what we know in England. With the importance on family, every relationship has pressure on it to be something long-term. A knock-on from this is couples are more afraid to be public about their relationship and hire 'private rooms' like motels and DVD rooms just so they can hang out.  I count myself lucky in one way that in Western culture, we have a much more 'throwaway society'. Nothing is built to, or rather expected to last, even relationships. Although that sounds negative, I think we're much more relaxed about dating back in England. There is more room for mistakes and realistic about the uncertainty of relationships.

On a lighter note, there are the cutesy aspects to, for instance, it is so common for couples to wear matching outfits, which goes for people of all ages. I couldn't imagine doing this in England without being ridiculed. The flipside of the previously mentioned secretive nature is that couples here have the freedom to be as silly and fun as they want even in public. The old British stiff-upper-lip feels a long way away.

Your work shows a sensitivity and sweet naivety when it comes to images of you and your partner. How do you go about almost forgetting about the camera and using it as a tool to convey young love?
I was pretty quick to ditch my DSLR. The photographs are meant to be raw and candid; whether Aeji or I take the photos, there is no room to get caught up in f/stops and shutter speeds. We mix between phones and point and shoot film cameras, which makes it feel less of a tool and more of an extension of our eyes.   I don't think it is only valid of Korean culture, but modern-day couples everywhere that cameras play a pivotal role in glueing them together. Social media has become a platform to make a statement of romance and love, let the world know you have someone. Photography has become so normalised in this way that it bears a similarity to a PDA. Nobody bats an eyelid when a couple kisses in the middle of the street or stops to take a selfie with their cheeks smushed together.

Of course, we have these kinds of photos, cuddled up and silly selfies pulling faces, but it is not the comment I want to add to the conversation about photographing love. I hope this work is much more than the facade we see on social media; the story and narrative of this work are about our time apart and together. Both a physical and metaphorical distance; a divide.

What does your girlfriend think about you and the third wheeling camera?
I count myself how lucky I am that she embraces me and my fixation to document everything. She is so supportive and understands what it does for me and how it enables the relationship. Because we live in separate cities and go weeks apart, the periods in between are filled with sending photos back and forth. The pictures serve as a mechanism to keep us together even when we cannot be physically side-by-side. I think it has really tied us together and helped us grow; the third wheel has allowed us to create artefacts, communicate, and make something together.

ID: Left image: A tree with pink blossoms. Right image: Train window shot from the inside of a train with a red curtain.

You can find more of Borrill's work here

Lives in Limbo / Sebastian Barros

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“How do you take a popular cliche and make it relevant and interesting?” Sebastian Barros creates a dynamic, intimate view of everyday people in lockdown. 

In a time we have all been physically distant, I think we can agree the experience has been shared and universal. The majority of us have been experiencing the same mundane, mentally challenging groundhog day for almost a year. What it can be harder to find and notice, are the fleeting moments of beauty. The fragments of the day that make each experience unique and, maybe, just maybe, not all bad. 

Taking up the challenge of documenting the pandemic from a fresh perspective is almost a risky feat. While it certainly is a new experience for us to work with, it is a new experience for everyone and is something continuously being captured and immortalised in photo stories across the world. Sebastian Barros cleverly, and successfully took on this concept, whilst adding another challenge and aesthetic to the mix, the use of disposable cameras. While a stunning aesthetic, taking us to simpler times pre-camera phone, it is a technique used an awful lot in projects. If not done exactly right and hit that sweet spot of parring concept and content, the project can fade into the noise of the disposable genre. This is something Barros was aware of, but noting that the task at hand actually needed the use of disposable cameras. “The world had slowed down; people suddenly found themselves confronted with a kind of intimacy and self-responsibility that hadn’t happened before - that set of circumstances meant that disposable cameras were the right medium”.  

He was right, the aesthetic and move from the instant digital image provides us with an intimate, almost filmic portrait of lockdown. Barros creates space for his participants to look at their everyday with a different perspective, and both literally and figuratively, a different lens. Each participant gives us a glimpse into the moments that make their experience unique while presenting some overarching themes that every one of us can on at least some basic level relate to. From Lana's depiction of at home yoga, to Tom's handmade happy birthday banner. These moments conjure up reflections of our own experience and bring us back to reality. To the personal and human experience of a global pandemic, away from the glaring gaze of the digital.

I caught up with Sebastian to find out more about what inspired him to create the very aptly titled Lives in Limbo, and why removing himself was such an important and cathartic element of the project. Read on to find out more and for some interesting musings on the digital world that both connects us to each other and distances us from ourselves. 

Priya, Lives in Limbo, by Sebastian Barros ID: A toddler stands on a dining room table holding four bananas. They are in a nappy. A jar of flowers is behind him as well as an open window with a garden view.

How did you find working on a project during an international crisis and lockdown compare to previous projects undertaken in “normal” times? 

Well, the most obvious change was the fact it was all virtual. Once we’d moved past that it was actually quite similar in terms of research and casting. I spent a lot of time on the phone with the subjects of the story before they started and gave them some coaching on how to make a photo story. This part for me was one of the most enjoyable, connecting with other people and sharing what was on our minds in the early days of the pandemic - I found a lot of comfort in that connection. There was a lot of anxiety around, but I also saw a lot of hope and optimism too - sentiments that were parallel with mine. The project inadvertently almost became a coping mechanism for me as I personally made sense of the world we now found ourselves in 

What were your personal expectations from this project? 

I think any creative person is interested in and influenced by the world around them, and I definitely felt an urge to contribute to the conversation of that time. What I found restrictive at first (not being able to shoot how I usually would) became an exploration into different forms of story-telling and my expectations were less about the final result and more about what I discovered along the way.

How comes you did not also include yourself in the project? 

I think my overwhelming feelings about this time were less about the individual and more about the community - we were seeing a kind of dismantling of world order and the kind of democratic creative collaboration that hadn’t happened before. I really wanted to explore real human stories without any kind of author bias and felt that would happen if I was in it myself. 

Lakawena, Lives in Limbo, by Sebastian Barros ID: A kid standing on top of a blue and white bucket wearing a white t shirt with NHS in blue and the Nike logo. Their hands are up as to offer the viewer a fight.

Using disposable cameras is a very popular topic, which if done wrong can fade into the noise of that sub-genre of photography. How did you go about ensuring your work would stand out in such a way?

See what you said just there is what I found the most interesting. You're right - disposable cameras are a very popular topic and one that can quickly become cliched. So how do you take a popular cliche and make it relevant and interesting? That was the overarching drive of the whole project for me - and it comes back to authenticity. The world had slowed down; people suddenly found themselves confronted with a kind of intimacy and self-responsibility that hadn’t happened before - that set of circumstances meant that disposable cameras were the right medium. In order for the project to stand out and remain reflective of the people documented, I kept in touch with them throughout. Although I wasn’t able to physically direct them in person, speaking to them and listening to their stories and encouraging them to explore these, really helped when it came out arranging the images, as I had a bit insight into them as a person and their story through the lockdown. 

How did it feel for you to hand over your project to the participants? Did you feel a loss of control or at peace with waiting and not having any direction? 

It was quite exciting, actually. The whole world was out of control - there was peace to be found in the acceptance of that on every level. 

What is your advice for artists wanting to do a similar project that requires the element of lost control? 

Allow your expectations to remain fluid and evolve with time. The beauty is in the unexpected - give in to any preconceived expectations and see what comes up. 

Nathan, Lives in Limbo, by Sebastian Barros ID: A ginger cat curled up on a bed. A hand is making a shadow puppet to the left of the image.

What participant, or images, struck you the most? 

They are all great, but some of my favourites -

Lana - the image of here lying down on the floor, perfectly invokes that feeling of isolation 

Nathan - The image of a cat with the shadow of his hands, I like how playful and mundane the images are.

Lakwena - shots of her kids are just incredible. 

All of your subjects were from London and the surrounding areas. How do you think the outcome would have differed if there were participants from further afield, and in the polar opposite, the countryside for example? 

I feel since the majority of these images were taken inside the home they have a commonality that goes beyond something geographical. 

How do you think the use of digital would have affected the project? For example, how the participants interacted with the project and created their response? 

I feel it would create a much cleaner, more choreographed feel, which is the opposite I wanted to achieve with this project and why I chose film. 

Joyce, Lives in Limbo, by Sebastian Barros ID: Two kids on a sofa, one is asleep the other next to an adult.

While this project is wholeheartedly raw and unfiltered, with you facilitating rather than directing, did you consider how choosing friends rather than a call for random participants, for example, was in itself a form of editing and steering direction? 

I actually did do a call for random participants, but the act of getting the message of the project out was limited to the social media platforms which inevitably have their own echo chamber - so there are participants included I didn’t know before - but the majority were friends or friends of friends. 

That’s an interesting angle to take for something in the future actually - in a digital/ social media-saturated world - are we ever able to make anything truly ‘random’? I’m not sure.

This project was born in the beginnings of lockdown, 2020. Now we are into our second year of lockdowns, and there is a cumulative noticeable downhill shift in wellbeing, emotions and attitude this time around, how do you think your approach and the outcome from participants would differ? 

I would maybe bring in a voice and video element to the project - asking participants to make a voice note diary talking about their hopes, fears for the present and future feels interesting. I think a build on this project would be that more multi-media approach - the story is textured and I don't think one media format could sum up this current moment. 

From an outside perspective, it would be great to see this project keep growing, either with more participants or revisiting the existing ones a year later. What are your plans for this? Or is it a closed chapter? 

I think that’s been my big learning - leave all expectations at the door and remain open to possibility. Right now, I am focusing on a different project, and this one evokes a time where life was uncertain and quite scary at times - those aren’t emotions I want to revisit immediately but who knows? I’m certainly open to the possibility. 

Tom, Lives in Limbo, by Sebastian Barros ID: A vase of daffodils with the sign saying happy birthday stuck to the wall.

How else have you been keeping yourself busy throughout the past year? 

I’m working on a long-form project with a grassroots football team called Grenfell Athletic, which was formed after the fire in 2017 as a way for the community to cope with the tragedy.. This has been another project that has greatly helped me personally - I’ve witnessed such strength and also, such joy, from this community - it’s had a profound effect on me. I’m excited to see this develop 

What can we expect to see from you in the future? 

I want to keep making work that is true to me and where I find myself in life at that point. I’m shooting a lot of editorials right now and working on my moving image portfolio. 

Katy Collage, Lives in Limbo, Sebastian Barros ID: A collage of images of people at home, outside and day to day home scenes.

You can see more of Sebastian’s work at http://www.sebbarros.com/ 

Words and Interview by Alice Sophie Turrell

Queering Spaces - In conversation with Tim Boddy

This article contains image descriptions in the captions to help those with visual impairments.

Anne Henriette Reinås Nilut is one of three openly gay members of Sami Parliament, elected for the Norwegian Samers Riksforbund from the West Sea constituency in 2017; she also runs Márkomeannu Festival. - Tim Boddy ID: A young woman standing in a beige and fur jacket. She has a big red scarf around her neck which covers her chin. Part of her blue and red dress can be seen from the bottom of the coat. Behind her is trees and mountains.

In conversation with Tim Boddy, we discuss queer history, culture and community through the experiences Boddy had whilst making Queering Sami and The Fabulous Ones. 

Hey Tim, thanks for taking time to talk. Just to kick things off, how did you come to taking pictures and photography being a route for you?

Hey, interesting questions. I know some people will have a snappy answer as to how they got into photography but I always struggle, as I feel like it's been a slow burner relationship. It’s not like from when I was 8 I was handed a camera and it took off from there. In my early 20’s I got a camera, I was a little lost and didn’t have something that brought me joy, I kinda had a rough time in my 20s with mental health, and this was when society wasn’t in an open place as we are now. I started taking photos which caught my attention in my local town, and I remember it giving me a sense of joy. I went to study photography on a whim, and it helped to solidify my connection with photography. I started my masters in 2018 and in the year leading up I got more into finding my identity as a photographer and I guess as a queer person in general where those things have linked in. 

Ole-Henrik is a gákti, near his home in Olso - Tim Boddy ID: A young man wearing traditional clothing in a snowy street. Blue, red and green colours adorn their clothes.

Did you find yourself the more you experimented with photography and exploring your own identity, was photography something which allowed you to explore the narratives on what you wanted to tell?

I’ve had my own unique experience of coming out and I guess everyone has. I was a little bit slow in that journey. It was only in my late 20’s where I was an openly gay man which I feel was reflected in my work. If I look back at photos I took in my mid 20s, I find that it didn’t have that much of an identity. Partly because I didn’t know myself very well and what it was that connected me to the world. There were some projects I did that I think have some merit but there was a level of objectiveness and emotional distance. However now I’ve taken a 180 my approach.

Your work on Queering Sami really csaught my attention, when I think of Scandnvian countries I don’t think of the stories you’ve told on discrimination. How did you discover these stories and the culture and history of Sami and queer lives?

I’ve had an interest in scandanvian culture for some time. Partly because of how people put it up a liberal utopia to an extent and is recognised of how progressive it is. And it is in many ways. I just happened to see a story three or four years ago, it was about one of the people involved in my project Runar Myrnes Balto. Balto has been President of the Norwegian Sámi Association since 2018. He's also a Sámi member of Parliament, elected in 2017, and the first openly gay member of Parliament. It was this queer story that was a perfect expression of the kind of stories that I am interest in. I did so much research for about 4 months to find out who these  queer members of the Sami community were. The more I kept delving into the subject matter and stripping the layers away and increasing my understanding of the issues involved, not only as a queer person but of Sami history and identity in Northern Scandinavia, the more interested I became. There's this idea of double violence present; not only of oppression from the government and individual Scandinavian states, but also oppression of being a queer person in a heteronormative society. I feel that a lot of marginalised people, wherever they are based, can relate to the stories

ID: A man standing in traditional clothing in front of some water (lake or river). Their outfit is mostly black with red and yellow trimmings and a large red bobble on top of their hat.

The story is very reflective of how many other news stories and examples of queer oppression and almost acts as a pocket example of it. When did you got to Sami, how did your months of research meet with your first impressions?

I guess my expectations were met by my lived experiences of what its like meeting members of the queer community in general, who can often be more open and accepting. I had open and in depth conversations with everyone I photographed and even though I wasn’t part of the Sam Community. I felt welcomed as part of the community. There was a catharsis to the entire experience, I look back on it as great fondness.

I spent hours chatting to the participants prior to taking photographs of them, and had really stimulating discussions on all matter of queer issues; be it Sami-related, family, other general queer topics or how things are in the UK with LGBTQ+ rights

Timimie Marak - Tim Boddy ID: A woman with prominent freckles and a tattoo under their eye. Wearing snow leopard print jacket and black hat which has a rainbow coloured moose on it.

I think your experience often comes down to the more you hear and know about queer experiences from people in the community, theres a level of a shared understanding between everyone on what its like living and being gay in society. Do you think by sharing your stories helped with making the work?

I think it there's a level of empathy and understanding queer people can easily share with one another. We all have our history and trauma growing up queer in a straight society. I think the openness and warmth I felt would have been the same if I was straight but we were able to connect on a different level. 

I think what stood our for me was seeing the people you met in Sami traditional clothing whilst being openly queer. I found those images to be really powerful as it's a prgressive connection between culture and their authentic selves. How did that approach of photographing them come along?

I didn’t ask anyone to dress up in traditional clothes, called Gakti. In these warm and in-depth conversation  the subjects came forward wanting to wear these outfits. It's almost a uniform as different outfits have colours and they all have different meanings. I feel it gives the image a direct look at the project being about Sami culture. 

Timimie Marak - Tim Boddy ID: A woman sit leaning against a bar.

One of the photographs is of Timimie Marak (they / them), an activist in Sami, tell me more about them…

They are a tour de force, they walked me around Stockholm and their home. They’ve been at the forefront of activism and really take no prisoners. They (Timimie) use art and lectures to highlight how the normative power silences and stupefies, and Timimie possesses a strong understanding of how environmental concerns are vital to the indigenous community. They are involved with the organising of Sápmi Pride amongst other things (fun fact: the first Sápmi Pride was held in the northern Swedish town of Kiruna in 2014).

When you made the work what was the level of discrimination and violence was happening?

I was there in 2019 and it would have been impossible to make  this body of work 5 years before that.. Its nothing short of remarkable how far its come; from a lot of shame within the queer Sami community, to people writing books about queer Sami people, and society hearing about their experiences and openly discussing all these issues. The difference between 2010 to 2020, where you now have people in higher levels of Sami politics who are openly gay people is incredible. This is a good news story and this idea is something I’m drawn towards, work that shows queer activism, postivity, well-being and mental health, and this work encompases those things.

That's not to say that everything is magically fixed, and every queer Sami person is able to live a life without prejudice - there's still work to be done. But the progress is heart-warming.

Akeil Onwukwe-adamson (he/him)
Queer Bruk - A space to celebrate dancehall and afrobeats for queer people of colour - Tim Boddy ID: A young man stands in a park with red bricked terrace buildings behind them. The colour of their shirt matches the red bricks.

It's really refreshing to see a project about people claiming their rights in society. It's done really subtly. After making Queering Sami you moved on to make Fabulous Ones. How did you come to making a project about reclaiming queer spaces?

I live in a world where queer spaces are a part of my life. Prior to lockdown 1 I was going to events, nights - but not just to these more established ‘bricks and mortar’ spaces, these iconic gay places. I do recognise however that going to these iconic places can be an important way of shaping your experience coming out for some people. 

58% of queer spaces disappearing between 2006 and 2016 is really culturally important but also not totally the lived experience I have had. They are an important part to some people when coming out and dipping your toes into lgbt community. However, there are more queer collectives and nights and events that are now taking a different approach. The way I experience gay life in London is moving away from the idea of a fixed place, be it a poetry night in a pub, or music, clubs, acting, drag, performance. They are perhaps operating more of a DIY night out, but I want to refrain from saying DIY as a lot of these people are at the top of their game. A lot of people are doing really creative, exciting, and most importantly inclusive things. This is a world I exist in and inhabit. I simply enjoy going to queer events and queer nights and feel part of the community.

Shay Shay Konno (they/them)
The Bitten Peach - a Pan-Asian performance collective - Tim Boddy ID: Person standing in a green cape amongst ferns. They are wearing make up and a large silver necklace upon a ruffed shirt.
MISERY Party
A mental health collective and sober club night centering healing and joy for queer, transgender, non-binary & intersex black people and people of colour - Tim Boddy ID: A group of individuals posting in a car park.

Why do you think Queer spaces are disappearing?

I think it's multi-faceted. London is a hard place to live, lots of gentrification.  A lot fo queer spaces are independently run so they are not like All Bar One, Wetherspoons. Rent is extortionate with capitalism eating itself basically. 

There's also points to be raised which I’ve had conversations with people in this project about who these spaces were for. A lot of them were and are important but catered more to a cis white crowd. It's a bit unfair to purely blame them for their own downfall, but that is an element of it, when you can't move with the times. For some places there was a lack of diversity, I'm thinking in terms of people being freely able to express their gender, and spaces truly accepting of people of colour and trans people. Some didn't evolve as the LGBTQ+ community evolved.

Queers Without Beers
An alcohol-free LGBTQI+ monthly social - Tim Boddy ID: Three men side on a sofa. We see the back of the sofa with them men turned around. We can only see their top halves. The sofa is red and the background walls are green.

What tactics are being used to keep queer spaces going?

Getting away from a bricks and mortar type of space. Making more queering of regular spaces. One thing which comes to mind is an event called Knickerbocker which is a queer club night run by two white cis males, but how they approach the night is very inclusive and progressive. They launched their event at a place called the Yard theatre which is a general non-LGBTQ+ cultural space that hosts various shows and events. For example, when Aaron and Alex started Knickerbocker they made sure all toilets were gender neutral, which was not The Yard Theatre's policy until then. However once Knickerbocker implemented this for their (originally one-off) night, The Yard Theatre now have all their toilets gender neutral by default for every event that they host. In affect, Knickerbocker successfully queered that space.l. They make an effort for their event to be inclusive of trans and gender fluid people. Door staff are trained in a certain way and they know how to make the space a welcoming one when you arrive. As you know the world gives you enough shit being different, so a welcoming and safe place is needed.

Sadie Sinner (she/her)
The Cocoa Butter Club - Showcasing and celebrating Performers of Colour within cabaret - Tim Boddy ID: A woman is standing on the steps that lead to a flat, the door is red and open. Plants climb up the metal hand railings. They have blue braided hair with multiple piercings.

I think it's really important you’re telling these stories now, especially in a time where homophobia and hate crime is on the rise and has been growing staggeringly since 2016. Queer stories and visibility need to be seen more than ever. With the world the way it is at the moment, is there a roadmap on the next set of stories you want to tell?

Since graduating and being in the Pandemic it hasn't been easy working on this but my intention to come back to the Fabulous Ones project. With LGBTQIA+ rights changing all the time all over the world, I want to tell stories despite it being so difficult to do so in a pandemic. When things open up I want to explore how new voices and talent shape queer culture in London as well as larger issues we face as a community. 

The queer community has always possessed a resilience in terms of how spaces are used and enjoyed, history has taught us this; and while there are enormous challenges ahead, I don't doubt that the community will continue to find ways to adapt and entertain us all.

You can find more of Tim's work here.

Looking in Lockdown: Conor Beary's new series Dog's

This article contains image descriptions in the captions to help those with visual impairments.

From the series Gypsies Courtesy of Conor Beary ID: Two young girls in traditional traveller clothing. One is biting into an ice cream in the foreground.

In a new series showcasing work made by photographers in lockdown*, we will be spending time with those who found ways to create new images against the backdrop of a pandemic. Editor Harry Rose spoke with photographer Conor Beary on zoom, to find out more about his latest body of work ‘Dogs’ and the people and places he prefers to photograph. 

*Dog’s was produced during the lifting of restrictions of the first national lockdown within the UK. Social distancing was in place throughout. 

Before we get into your latest work made in lockdown, I wanted to start with your project called Gypsies which has an interesting parallel to Dogs. There is a perception and stereotype of this community which has been put out there by tabloids and the media, what was your experience compared to a show that seemed exploitive like Big Fat Gypsy Wedding?

I grew up in an area where there are a lot of settled gypsies and travellers. I saw a lot of glamorised stories in the papers and media, which is nothing like what I’ve grown up around. I understand that there may well be negative parts of the community and traditions that the media love to talk about but there is also a lot more to a community and culture. I’m a strong believer there are positive and negative aspects to every community and culture, it's all in the eye of the beholder. 

How did you start making images with the travelling community?

What got me into photographing the Gypsy/ Traveller community was when one of the key members in my area of the traveller community died, there was a huge funeral in the village. I didn’t have my camera on me, but there were thousands of people there. I went to the grave the next day where they had wreaths placed.  In some Gypsy/Traveller communities it is tradition to have really personalized wreaths, so if the person who died loved Mars bars they would have one made. I took some photographs of them and took them to the widow, she really liked them, we had tea, some KFC and spoke about horse fairs.

From the series Gypsies Courtesy of Conor Beary ID:A slection of flower tributes.
From the series Gypsies Courtesy of Conor Beary ID: a young man is riding a horse through a river, he is in a white vest which is wet.

I guess it showed a level of humility and sympathising with her and the grieving community.. A camera is really intrusive, and I guess there's a higher level of trust needed by the people you went on to photograph.

Yeah, like you said with Big Fat Gypsy wedding, that did a lot of damage and there were a lot of people worried about coming into their space. Like if I turned up at a horse fair with a camera and nobody knew me, people would think either you’re a tabloid photographer or creating a negative documentary. A few years ago whilst shooting this project, a TV network got in touch. They wanted me to be a fixer for them to get access to the community. Their researchers got the numbers of all the top members of the traveller community on the phone, but there was a bit of a communication barrier so I was their translator for a week. I was really anxious about working with the network, as the week went on I could tell the documentary was going in a direction I wasn’t okay with. Asking questions which weren’t appropriate and situations like them really wanting to film bare knuckle fighting. There was a fight going to happen between two families and the network was so eager to get it on film. One of the families didn’t show up. So they were scrambling around to find a fight. A couple of kids approached the producers saying if they got paid they’d fight one another. The producer asked me, and I was shocked she was asking me if I thought it was okay to pay kids to fight. If they were genuinely fighting then film it, but going around paying kids to fight, it wasn’t great. It didn't happen in the end, I spoke to the boys' fathers and we agreed it should not go ahead. I think thats one of the important things about the trust given in a situation like that, the portrayal a filmmaker/ photographer has can have serious consequences. For a group like the Gypsy and Traveller community who are already vastly marginalised you have to tread very carefully, I feel anyway. 

The portraits you’ve made within this project have a really unique timeless quality to them. The ones of the two girls especially.

It’s probably just the camera! Thank you, I take a lot of inspiration from old classic photographers. I was always told when assisting to take note of what's come before when making images.

From the series Dogs, image courtesy of Conor Beary ID: Man holding onto a dog

You’re too modest, they really stood out.  I think your experience on documenting the travelling community where people's perceptions might not be as accurate as they think leads nicely into the work you made in lockdown. There was a lot of samey imagery during lockdown, photographs of masks on the floor, people shot through windows. When you got in touch with your project it really stood out. How did you go from being in total lockdown, to restrictions being lifted and making new work?

I was pulling my hair out from boredom. I hadn’t been shooting at all for some time. So whilst in lockdown I’d drive past this yard off the side of the motorway tucked behind a canal. I knew it was something to do with dogs, and it was always busy on my weekly drive to the supermarket. It was as simple as just turning up. I’m a big fan of turning up and talking to people rather than arranging something on email. I turned up with some of my pictures and spoke to a few guys there. Told them my intentions and what I wanted to create, eventually I would like to start taking photographs of other types of working dogs but for now Bullmastiffs will do.

Everyone I met was through Sati who owns the yard, so I can’t thank him enough, his company is 5K9 Security if you ever find yourself needing a dog 🙂 .  I decided to shoot it against a white backdrop to try and keep a uniformed feel to the work. Avendon was one of my inspirations to start taking pictures, if it works for him, it works for me!

From the series Dogs, image courtesy of Conor Beary ID: Man holding onto aggressive dog

A bit of a simple question, but why did the owners feel the need to have protection by training a dog up?

It did throw me a little bit. Some of them are working dogs like security dogs. Others were just very volatile pets. Unless you need nobody to ever be in your house, I’m not sure why you’d own one when they are trained to hurt. Personally I was weary because having an animal that can do that much damage is a little scary. There is a level of its a weapon and for some I think its showing off, saying I’m hard don’t mess with me I’ve got a big dog. But there is also an element where people feel like they genuinely need protection, for whatever reason. To be honest I probably haven’t met enough dog owners to get a strong hold of that question, so I’ll come back to you on that one when I do.

I had a few of the dogs go for me, one of them got me, luckily just a nip. I try to learn as much as I can about the people I photograph to empathise or understand. But I still can’t wrap my head around having one trained the way those dogs are, unless it's a professional security dog. But that's just my uneducated opinion.

Faron Paul, from the series Dogs, image courtesy of Conor Beary ID: Man holding onto dog

Were there any stand out stories from the people you met?

One of the guys, Faron Paul, he’s a well known knife crime activist. He has been in the news for running an anti knife crime initiative by getting people to trade in knives in exchange for vouchers. People get in touch with him via instagram and arrange a safe place to meet and get another knife off the streets, he then takes them to a knife amnesty centre. 

The portrayal is jarring from beware I’ve got a dog to actually I’m a really nice guy…

Yeah, he has a few dogs. A while ago a girl got abducted and since then I know he’s been out on patrol for the community. So he does use them for security reasons. I did find it a little bit funny that there's a guy who is anti violence but also with such a dangerous dog between his legs. But then again it's a professional dog, it's kept safe and won’t harm anyone (unless they’ve got it coming). Is there any more danger in people with tarantulas as pets?

From the series Dogs, image courtesy of Conor Beary ID: Man holding onto dog

Oh don’t I know someone who kept spiders and snakes and one night the python got out and into their bed, so scary.  Going over the photographs, it's interesting that some of the dogs are in full attack mode and others are sitting to attention by their owners' feet. Did you have the idea of having the dogs lunging and barking at the camera showing aggression or?

Not initially. Because the dogs scared me, it turns out these dogs didn’t like having their photos taken so they would lunge and bark at me. I said to the owners that as long as they are 100% sure they’ve got the lead I’d keep taking shots. There was one time, I didn’t include it in the project where a kid was with a dog. I was adamant that the mum should be holding the lead, she assured me the kid could hold it, I didn’t agree. So I opted out. 

One of the owners wasn’t interested in having a photo taken of his dog barking and being aggressive. He wanted to show his dog being perfectly obedient. I offered everyone the chance to choose what type of image they wanted, how they wanted to be depicted, almost everyone opted for their dog showing its teeth at you. I guess that's what they wanted people to see, an animal not to be messed with. 

From the series Dogs, image courtesy of Conor Beary ID: Woman holding onto a dog.

I think it's really fascinating the posture and compositions of the owners. The guy with the dog between his legs gives the impression his dog is so strong and the woman standing in her fluffy slippers.

Yeah, sadly Bradley’s dog died shortly after I took the photograph. It was something to do with its heart rate causing its stomach to turn. Apparently it's a really common thing. It’s a shame because it was a very well trained dog. Yeah that's Carrie in her slippers? Yeah I like that. You can picture her walking out of her front door, shouting across the road at her kids. 

You can find the full edit of Dogs and other projects by Conor here.

Perspectives: Womanhood and Mental Health in British Sport with Anastasia Orlando

This article contains image descriptions in the captions to help those with visual impairments.

ID: A woman with an afro looks down at the camera. The composition means we are looking up at her. She has blue feather like clothing below her neck with pink eye make up.

GB athlete Annie Tagoe speaks about mental health, the BLM movement and how lockdown has opened up a new modelling career,  in conversation with photographer Anastasia Orlando

What has been the biggest challenge for you in 2020/2021 and then what has been the highlight?

The biggest personal challenge has been being healthy and the fittest I’ve ever felt and not being able to compete. After having surgeries on both knees a few years ago and extensive rehab, I finally felt so good in 2020. I was fit again. I was healthy. I had energy. I was ready to run! And then almost all the competitions got cancelled. But out of all of this I’ve learnt how mentally strong I am. 

As for highlights, I’ve actually enjoyed lockdown! I got engaged! I don’t normally get to spend time with my family because I’m always travelling so this is the first year I’ve been here for a lot of their birthdays. Normally I’d be away training over Christmas, so it’s been nice to just be home with my family and really enjoy it.  

I’ve really enjoyed modelling, too. I’ve actually had time to meet new people and to engage with social media. We can't use our phones when we’re training so you are very present which is good, but I’ve enjoyed connecting on Instagram and seeing lot of creative’s work – everything that goes on outside of my world of training. My experience is different to my friends because I actually feel more connected in lockdown! I’ve had time to speak to friends, to just watch TV and enjoy Netflix. As crazy as it sounds I just couldn't do these things before!

ID: The same woman as before. She is laughing with her mouth open. Blue eye liner around her eyes and pink flowers at the bottom right of the image from her ear ring.

Have these tools been ongoing in helping you during the pandemic and what advice would you give anyone struggling with mental health during this time?

I’ve been lucky in finding the positives of lockdown. My mum is an NHS nurse so it helps put things in perspective. A lot of the doctors and nurses at her hospital are getting sick so the workload has really ramped up quite a lot for her. She inspires me because she is so positive. She doesn't really speak about the numbers and the things she is seeing at the hospital because she wants be in the present moment and enjoy relaxing with us when she’s home. Her hospital is really doing a good job at keeping things as safe as they can. They give all the staff a kit so we all get tested every week and then when she is at work there is very regular testing as well so she has peace of mind. 

It is so important that we pay attention to our mental health during this time. I know that I am mentally stronger because I went through the surgery in my early twenties and learnt a lot of tools with therapy but it’s still an ongoing process. I would say you always need to pay attention to your emotional wellbeing and we can help each other. If you feel low just reaching out to a friend helps and chances are, you’ll also be helping them. Staying feeling connected is so important. 

I would say for anyone struggling, journaling and bringing your attention to the great things and people that you have in your life are both really helpful tools. With so many hardships people are going through I have just really relished this newfound time with my family and speaking to friends on the phone. The gratitude I feel for this really helps keep my mind in a positive space and the frustration I feel at not being able to compete kind of diminishes. Take each day as it comes. I speak with my psychologist via zoom, speak to my coach on a regular basis and try to keep to my usual routine and do everything that I would normally do without covid restrictions, but from the safety of my home. Keeping a routine is my best advice . If you don’t have a therapist there are lots of options including free therapy through the NHS and other organisations so reach out!

ID: Same woman as in the previous photos. She is now wearing a swirling gold earrings and its in an blue lit glow.

Is racism something you have experienced in the world of sport?

Thankfully never! I think as a black person, and even as a black woman racism is sadly something you are going to come across in your life – but it’s not something that’s present in sport in my experience. I’m thankful that there is more awareness of the issue now – it’s just sad that it took what’s been happening in America for people to really see it. All of that going on in the media was tough for the black community. These things are not new. But let’s hope change is happening. 

How do you find being a woman in sport in 2021?

It’s definitely easier being a woman in sport now than back in the day. But we still need a lot of work to be done. The guys still get more promotion, they get more sponsors, higher pay, more exposure and fame than a lot of women do. In terms of getting into competitions and the appreciation and respect from fans is pretty much equal now. So I do think it is changing, slowly but surely.

Anastasia Orlando is a photographer and producer living and working in London.

Darwin Mentorship: Meet Rodrigo Oliveira

This article contains image descriptions in the captions to help those with visual impairments.

Image Courtesy of Rodrigo Oliveira ID: A young man side saddles a stool looking at us. His right knee is up to his face where his cheek is resting upon it. He is naked apart from a pair of brown pants.

Rodrigo Oliveira is a photographer we expect to see a lot more of. Coming to photography naturally through curiosity, Rodrigo's work embodies an open queerness that fills the frames of his personal work. . When we came across Rodrigo's work, its authenticity and seemingly effortless beauty stopped us in our tracks. Darwin Magazine is working with Rodrigo on our mentorship to help develop a new body of work around black queer lives in Brazil, we recently caught up with him to find out why photography, why queer stories.

Image Courtesy of Rodrigo Oliveira ID: A young man sits side on to us on the floor, wearing a white jock strap, white converse shoes and white socks. The floor is a yellow/ brown colour with a blue backdrop. Their arm is leaning across their leg.
Image Courtesy of Rodrigo Oliveira ID: A close up portrait of the man from the previous image. They are wearing orange ear rings with a painted red lip and brown eye liner. The background is blue. The subject is resting their chin against their knee.

Q: Your photography work really got my attention with its use of colour, composition and natural feel it seems to embody. How did you get into taking pictures?

I started out with the advance of mobile photography when I couldn’t afford to shoot on a professional camera. I made sure that the camera on my phone was the best I could use at the time and it really led to me making portraits and engaging with photography at a very natural and authentic level. I used to study tourism and later biology so I decided to buy a DSLR to start taking pictures like those I saw in National Geographic’s magazines. From there on I tried different things in photography and realised portraiture is what I do best.

Q: You live in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. How does the city influence the photographs you take?

I think that I’m heavily influenced by the ‘Carioca’ culture, the people from Rio. It’s the vibrancy of many clear sky days, the abuse of colour on people’s clothes, the several complexions of skin I find here... I could go on and on... the experiences of someone living in Rio is unique, it shapes you. Colour is something that is really important to me in my work, beautiful warm tones with colours illuminating somebody, that to me is how rio has found its way into my work.

Image Courtesy of Rodrigo Oliveira ID: A man is holding his knees close to their chest, looking down the camera at us. They are wearing a white ear ring. Behind is a golden textured wall.
Image Courtesy of Rodrigo Oliveira ID: A back shot of a party goer. They are wearing silver and gold clothes which show a lot of their skin. Wearing glasses and a silver choker, they look towards the floor in front of them.

Q: Within your photography, queer lives occupy the frames and spaces you document. What made you focus on this community and people in particular?

It was the rise of Jair Bolsonaro’s presidency. As I’m sure your readers are away, his policies are anti-LGBTQIA+ and have deeply impacted those around me. I wanted to use my camera to tell real stories of real queer people, its an important time here for our rights as people to live in freedom and happiness, somebody needs to document and work with the community to ensure our voices are heard.

Image Courtesy of Rodrigo Oliveira ID: A young person standing with an afro, leaning into the camera with their head upright. Wearing a dress and earrings that match their necklace.

Q: How do you approach creating new portraits?

I like my portraits to feel real so in order to do that I look for real moments, I like to wait and spend time with the person before I take a photograph of them. To me, that's how you get them to show parts of themselves which are less guarded. A lot of my portraits that people see are from events and taken on the queer scene from lounge bars to techni parties. I really wanted to capture all the extravaganza that was happening around me. I love to work that way, feel the music and the beat, the vibe of the environment putting you into the moment with the people as you take a photograph. It makes me feel I’m part of the moment, not just a bystander recording events. 

Image Courtesy of Rodrigo Oliveira ID: A red image from the night club lights. The person has gold painted across their eye brows and are wearing gold chains. They are looking away from the camera with a large nose peircing hanging above their mouth.

Q: The colours and tones within your work are stunning. What influences do you draw upon when creating your work?

There are so many! I think that I’m inspired by my own culture first of all, I love how Brazilians communicate through colours. And as for other artists I feel influenced by the works of Min HyunWoo, Gleeson Paulino, Kristin-Lee Moolman, Lelanie Foster... I could take all day haha

Q: What do you hope to get from the mentorship?
The opportunity to learn from someone who knows the industry, learning the skills I need to make a living as a photographer. And most importantly, how to make it into the market without compromising my values as an artist and my goals to bring visibility and respect for my community.

Q: Is there a project you're currently working on you'd like to share with us?
Yes! Although I can’t say much before we get some things ready. My partner and I are working on a documentary with and for the black trans community in Rio de Janeiro. We’re still on the planning phase but working it through as we wait for the crisis we’re living to end.

See more of Rodrigo's work here - https://cariocanegroequeer.myportfolio.com/carioca-negro-queer

Follow him on IG @rodyoli

Darwin Mentorship: Meet Karabo Mooki

This article contains image descriptions in the captions to help those with visual impairments.

Courtesy of Karabo Mooki ID: A man in a white cap, and black shirt with 3 's''s across their t shirt. A silver chain hangs from their neck. Their mouth is open and eyes are squinting down at us. Behind is blue skies and clouds.

For those who don't know you Karabo, tell me a little bit about yourself and how you came to taking pictures?

I am Karabo Mooki, also known as “Mooki Mooks”. I’m a photographer, visual artist and content director.  

I was born and raised in Johannesburg, South Africa. My passion for photography blossomed from my insatiable desire to discover and experience life through the inclusive worlds that celebrate counter culture. My heightened curiosity of the world led me to wanting to document the unconventional paths I would wander and inadvertently led me to capturing unforgettable moments I shared with all walks of life that I interact with. A tool to enter people's personal spaces, to learn more about unfamiliar cultures, photography became my passport to discovery.

You travel a lot and try not to be pinned down to one place, how do you think that influences your approach and style?

 Travelling has and always will be something I hold dear to me, and it allows me to keep my third eye open, persistently looking for intrinsic moments that are unfolding in environments I would only dream of finding myself in.

Through travelling and photography I've developed a need to seek and want more out of my experiences wherever I roam. I learn more and more as the journey goes and I'm always redefining my style and my approach through the lessons I've undergone on different travel experiences. For the most part travelling has allowed me to become fearless in my interactions and the destinations I've visited and it has made me realise the fragility of time and it's fleeting moments. One can always tell you about their personal favourite images captured, but I find I never forget the moments I wasn't able to capture.

Courtesy of Karabo Mooki ID: men dance in the street with onlookers behind them.
Courtesy of Karabo Mooki ID: Three young men dressed in blue clothing sit on an antique sofa. Skateboards and bottles of beer are around their feet.

One of your projects which focuses on the black punk scene is full of energy and life. How did you come across this scene and what did you want to show people by making it?

I came across the Black punk scene through the small skateboarding scene in Johannesburg, as a skate enthusiast and documentarian I had always documented my friends and the unbelievable talent they harness.

When I came across this band that came out of Soweto, South Africa, I knew I had to document a golden era that resonated deeply with me, as young Black man, who is attracted to facets of life that society deems as taboo, such as punk and the energy behind it, I felt that these individuals were singing the language of owning your own identity against the prejudices and judgements of society.

The emphasis on not fitting into peoples pigeon-holed perspective is something I wanted to celebrate and document.

For the first time in a long time, I didn't feel alone, or like a token Black kid at the punk shows, here were people I knew carving their own way and caring less about what others thought of them.

Courtesy of Karabo Mooki ID: Two men are sitting on a wall. One is standing on it to the left and in the middle a man is stood behind.

Your portraiture is what caught our teams eye going over submissions, what are your influences behind taking them?

There are a few factors that awaken the desire to photograph people. I am drawn to people's personalities, those who hold captivating stories of their own, the unconventional nature brewing inside of the people I work with and the nostalgic energy that resonates with me. I believe there is an energy we all possess and more often than not I can see the beauty beyond the physical. For me taking a portrait photo is an opportunity and an attempt to capture a side of people that they themselves cannot see.

Courtesy of Karabo Mooki ID: A young man wearing a floral womans dress with a flower behind their ear looking directly at us. Behind is a tree silhouetting their head

What do you hope to learn from the mentorship?

I want to push myself to places I haven't had the opportunity to explore.

There is a level of intimacy and trust that comes across within your work. How do you go about your process when it comes to collaborating with the people you photograph?

Authenticity is the key, creating a conversation and learning about the philosophies and experiences of people I work with, spending time with people and doing my own research is imperative before photographing anything. Building relationships and carving time to be with people for a day helps me become closer to the people I am working with.

Courtesy of Karabo Mooki ID: A man in a black suit with gold teeth is throwing pink flower petals towards the camera.

What can we be expecting from you photographically in the future?

Post-pandemic, I am invested in working on more personal stories, photo-documentary work and continuing to share stories that I believe need to be recognized, I am only a vessel sharing pertinent stories for those who aren't known publicly, it is my duty as a photographer to use this tool to share and showcase the stories of those who are underrepresented in the most authentic manner.

Darwin Mentorship: Meet Yassen Grigorov

This article contains image descriptions in the captions to help those with visual impairments.

“With time it’s looking more and more like I’m drawn towards work that I feel matters, and stories that I feel need to have a light shone on them”

Starting off with dreams of law school is not typically how you imagine someone’s path in the photography world starting. However this was exactly what happened to Bulgarian born, London based photographer Yassen Grigorov. Yassen is one the six photographers who we are delighted to be working with on the Darwin mentorship programme. 

Walking us through his process and love of shooting on analogue cameras, he shares with us his emotional pull to the medium and tactile process that comes along with film photography compared to digital. An example of his analogue approach is Exemplary Home. Exploring the North West of his native Bulgaria, he tells us how the narrative and context drew him in from his safe and objective distance, to creating a personal and emotive bond with the place and project. 

Below, Yassen shares with us his photographic processes, inspirations and what he hopes to get from the Darwin mentorship. Read on for a taste of what you can expect to see from Yassen over the coming months. 

How did you first get into photography and decide it was the path you wanted to follow? 

I started getting into photography about four/five years ago, when I was still in high school in Bulgaria. I sort of fell into it, just shooting on my phone and playing around with photo editing apps. Eventually I got so into it I saved up and got my first DSLR. From then on it really snowballed - I started shooting on manual, joined the photography society at my school and started seeking out the few accomplished professionals in Sofia. Eventually I came to the realisation that I could make a living doing photography, and whilst sharing my craft and vision with the world, so I dropped my plans of getting into law school in Sofia and went all in on an art degree in London instead. Three years later and a first-class BA in the bag, I haven’t looked back and have my sights set ever higher!

Wow, law to photography is a big change! Does the more law based academic part of you, (so to speak) influence your creative side?
I guess so. I didn’t really know what my path was within photography at the beginning, and with time it’s looking more and more like I’m drawn towards work that I feel matters, and stories that I feel need to have a light shone on them, particularly in a documentary framework. I’d imagine this drive towards betterment and meaning is similar to the one found in most legal environments. In practical terms, I suppose there’s also something to be said about my commitment to methodology and research stemming from a similar mindset.
From the series Exemplary Home, Yassen Grigorov ID: A woman sits at a shop kiosk. Surrounded by white bottles and packages as the sun casts shadows across the wooden store.

An integral element of your photographic practice is the use of analogue cameras. How did you get into using analogue and it become your favoured method? 

Getting into analog photography almost coincided with a major turning point in my practice. I bought my first film camera - a Zenit EM at the beginning of summer before moving to London. I had already been accepted into Westminster, and knew that analogue would be a big part of the curriculum, so I wanted to gain some insight into it and be a little proactive. I was instantly hooked, and found myself feeling much more attached to the images I made - some of the stuff from my very first roll of film I’d still happily stick up on my wall! A few months down the line, the beginning of winter in London, I bought my first “proper” SLR - a Canon AE-1 that became more or less the exclusive camera I used for the majority of my first year at uni. I also got to try out more or less every relevant film camera under the sun as a part of my degree, so by the time I had access to Hasselblad and Rolleiflex systems, there was no more going back to digital for me. I now own a Pentacon Six TL, which is steadily growing into one of my favourite cameras, and the one I shoot the most often.

As for why I shoot film over digital, it boils down to ontology. Digital images are automated translations of reality. They’re too surgical, too ethereal. I don’t particularly enjoy spending hours colour grading or retouching files, I’d much rather have the physical referent that is an image on emulsion. There’s still a long process in developing, scanning and post production, but at least I know what’s on the film itself is less adulterated than a digital image.

So would you say you have a more personal, emotional pull and connection to the film images and the process?
Absolutely! I feel so much more attached to each shot that I take on film than I do when I work digitally, and I generally feel that tends to be the case for most people that work in a more analogue context. Pressing the shutter and hearing that loud mechanical clunk of the mirror going up, seeing the image in the viewfinder go blank before advancing the lever and having the image return after the lens opens up and the mirror comes back down just leaves much more of a distinctive impression than firing off on burst with autofocus on. That, and the entire risk factor of being able to mess up and not seeing a “completed” image until after developing and scanning it in just makes me grow way more attached than I ever could be to the hundreds of digital files I wind up with after a shoot. When I only have 12 images to work with in a roll each one has to be somewhat special, otherwise I wouldn’t waste the frame - with digital there’s no penalty, and as a result, less value, at least in terms of my process.
From the series Exemplary Home, Yassen Grigorov ID: A young man stands on a suburban balcony in a built up area. He has brown flowing hair.
From the series Exemplary Home, Yassen Grigorov ID: A gravel track road winds off into the misty distance of a country road.

When starting a new project - whether personal or commercial - how do you approach it?

It does depend on the project itself, however I tend to break it down into a decently structured system. The initial stage is always pre-production. If all I have to go off of is an idea, I’ll brainstorm around it and essentially vomit up a bunch of words on a page and start identifying specific themes, narratives, tropes, etc. Once I have my goals for the project decently cleared up and identified, I start thinking about specific shots, different technical aspects, such as what I’m shooting it on and why, the best vessel for the finished work (be it an exhibition, phonebook, online gallery, augmented reality piece, or whatever else). I also begin researching the subject matter, which is a process that generally doesn’t stop until the project is completed, and by that point it usually develops into a field of interest that I keep in touch with on an ongoing basis long after I’ve concluded the work. At the next stage - production - I go and shoot, develop, scan, retouch, etc. Depending on the specific work I might go back and re-shoot. I often tend to arrive at an initial edit and find things that are missing or catch myself digressing and having to reel the work in. And then finally, once I have my finished series or image that I’m happy with, I go back and double check that I’ve achieved what I wanted to achieve, get as much feedback as possible from my peers and followers, and reflect. In reality the process isn’t so formulaic and there’s a lot of going back and forth and bouncing stuff off the walls, but generally speaking I’d say that’s a fair encapsulation of my process️!

Your project, Exemplary Home, perfectly marries a beautiful aesthetic and strong narrative really managing to pull the viewer in and open their eyes to exploring the north-west rural part of Bulgaria. It also seems like a very personal project, linking to your childhood and familial history in the wider context of the country's history. How did you find working with such personal topics? Did you find it hard distancing yourself as a photographer with there being such a strong familial connection?

Exemplary Home as a project was, in a sense, born out of the requirements of my course. It was the final major project for my degree, so when I initially conceptualised and grid-lined it, I didn’t yet know how personal it would become. At that very early stage, I foresaw it as more of a distanced, more objective and conventional documentary project that aimed to educate and inform more than to represent my own experience or indeed presence within that environment. Upon coming back from each shoot and looking at the images I had made, I started to realise that what I was intuitively shooting was in fact way more personal and intimate than that original brief I had given myself, and it actually took a little time to fully embrace that. To answer the question, I didn’t really need to distance myself - it had been almost ten years since I last visited those villages by the time I went back to shoot them. It had been three since I left Bulgaria to carry on my life in London - a decision that was largely influenced by my feelings towards the country and its people at the time. The distance was already there, and by taking on this project I was trying to challenge it. It certainly wasn’t the easiest thing in the world to put a work that wound up being so personal and intimate out there, especially as it involved sharing a lot of the turbulent, personal emotions that motivated what have been the most significant decisions in my life so far, but I believe art has to be honest, genuine and representative of the artist. I wouldn’t have been this happy with the work had the project been less personal.

From the series Exemplary Home, Yassen Grigorov ID: Two men stand side by side in front of a white wall.
From the series Exemplary Home, Yassen Grigorov ID: The inside of someones house, orange squares occupy the walls. A large window is to the left of the image. A desk to the right there is a doll sat at a table.
You say the distance was already there with Exemplary Home rather than needing to create it. Do you think by the end you actually grew closer to the subject, personally, in some ways?
Absolutely. By the time I was going back to shoot that work I was already super open to challenging and changing my view of Bulgaria, however it was the actual experiences I had and the people that I met whilst shooting that contributed so much to it actually working. It wouldn’t be too far to say I fell in love with that environment in a way. Of course, I still don’t want to make excuses for it and I’d still like for it to change, I don’t think its existence is in any ways justified, but I feel like I get it, and by extension the rest of my country, a little bit more now. I feel like I can accept the situation for what it is and focus more on what I can do through my work to help it; certainly the shame and negativity I felt about my roots is gone now.

What are you hoping to gain from the Darwin mentorship?

In my mind it’s another stepping stone on the path to success. Broadly speaking, I’d love to grow my photographic practice in a more industry-conscious context. The last three years have been about academia and finding my identity and style, whilst picking up an invaluable array of technical, soft and artistic skills along the way. I’m hoping this mentorship will help me achieve my goals not only artistically, but also commercially and help me sustainably grow my practice.

From the series Exemplary Home, Yassen Grigorov ID: A sports pitch with empty red painted wooden benches. A communications tower is to the left and trees behind a white building with red poles.

What can we be expecting to see from you in the future?

In the short to mid term, I’ve got a few exhibitions lined up - I’m participating in a show at the Centrala Space in Birmingham in April 2021, and Exemplary Home is having a solo show at the Ko-Op Gallery in Sofia over three weeks between February and March 2021. In a slightly longer term, I’m looking to keep expanding Exemplary Home as a project with the end goal being publishing a large-format photo book of the work.

Beyond that, you can expect more socially and politically conscious documentary work, more authentic analogue photography from the heart, and hopefully more exciting commercial commissions that help brands and fellow creatives visualise their stories and connect with those who matter to them the most!

To see more from Yassen during the mentorship, make sure you are following @darwinmagazine on Instagram To see more of Yassens work, visit www.ygreq.com

Darwin Mentorship: Meet Haydn Ward-Streeter

This article contains image descriptions in the captions to help those with visual impairments.

“The photographs become visual records; small snippets into the subjects world, capturing a sacred moment of vulnerability of the person you are photographing.”

From early beginnings of falling in love with photography in his grandfather's darkroom to cycling across the globe to raise awareness of the charity Help Refugees, photography has been a big and constant part of Haydn Ward-Streeter’s life. Now, looking to further his practice and immerse himself more in the professional world of photography, Haydn is one of six recipients of the inaugural Darwin Mentorship. 

Recounting the people that inspired his passion for working behind the camera and the people and projects he has encountered across the world, it is evident that human connection and unique nature of everyone's individual stories is a pulling force for him. Haydn’s images create a rounded snapshot of the subject, with the emotive, human pull shining through to the viewer. Marrying a beautiful colour palette with strong portraiture that tells a story about the individual. 

Read on to get a taste of Haydn’s work for yourself and start following him on his mentorship with us.

Where did your love of photography start?

Probably from my first visit to my grandad's darkroom, which he made in the loft of his house. Photography has been a passion in the paternal line of my family for generations. But I was also lucky to be the first in my year at school to pick Photography as a GCSE, along with the three other students that picked it. We had to get a taxi to another school twice a week, to have the lessons and have access to a darkroom. It was also at this school that I had a really inspiring teacher called Miss Faricey. But my first personal memory of love with photography came from an early feeling of curiosity with the medium and how it can encapsulate a sacred moment in time. This really struck a chord with me, having been diagnosed with dyslexia from the age of six, I have always processed the world in a visual way.

While taking photographs for your project Cycle for Love, what was your method like? Was it quite random and “seeing where it takes you”, or a more planned and scheduled approach?

The Cycle for Love project was a three year journey cycling from the UK to New Zealand to see the world and raise funds and awareness for the charity Help Refugees. The method of taking photos throughout was a mixture. I shot a planned project in Athens while I was there, which formed into Beyond Borders, a series of portraits and Q&A’s looking at some of the people at the forefront for change in the refugee climate, specifically in Athens, Greece. Other work shot on the road was more fluid and I mainly just began by taking photos of things that caught my attention. Then I started to piece things together along the way, like a series of highly decorated Nepali trucks that I began documenting. I would often look back at the work I had been making and then see in retrospect which narratives were arising. I also really found myself gravitating towards portraiture as so many people that we encountered along the way were fascinating characters and I really progressed my process of gaining the trust of a subject and taking their picture.

Tim, from the Beyond Borders series, Haydn Ward-Streeter ID: A man with a ginger beard and balding hair looks out of frame wearing a blue hoody.
From the series Headhunters, Haydn Ward-Streeter ID: Two men of different ages stand side by side in cultural attire. Green, red and black poncho's cover their bodies in a grassless field.

You mentioned shooting with both planned and unplanned methods of practice, what feels most comfortable and prefered for you? 

My preferred methodology would have to be planned, but from structured beginnings I am then very open to seeing where the work flows, without tight restrictions. I have an editorial style personal project coming up, and I will take a more fluid and experimental approach for this. On the other hand I have a plan for a portrait series, which will take a more planned approach. It definitely depends on the project in hand, but a certain amount of planning is always needed in my work to get it off the ground.   

Your images tell some great stories, really resonating with the old saying “a picture speaks a thousand words”. What are some of the moments behind the images that stick with you the most?

The series of images I'm working on at the moment is from a time that really stuck with me. We were cycling through the Nagaland region of North East India and we were invited off the road to join a tribal festival, which we found out only happens every five years. The different tribes were gathering from the neighbouring towns of Nagaland and are well known for a history of headhunting which was only abolished in the 60’s. During the festival, each tribe would stand in a circle and compete in a harmonious throat singing contest, singing faster and faster until reaching a crescendo where they would fire their guns into the sky. I was drawn to the younger generations that although appeared adorned in centuries old traditions, showed subtle signs of growing up in a more Western-influenced and globalised world.

 From the series Headhunters, Haydn Ward-Streeter ID: A man stands in traditional clothing with green an red patterns across him. He has a camera around his neck and large yellow beads.
Will from the Beyond Borders series, by Haydn Ward-Streeter ID: A young man sits on a bench in a beige long coat with a red and blue had. A skateboard is next to them. Trees are in the background.

Cycle for Love, and your photography practice seems intrinsically linked with human connection, how has the Covid pandemic altered your approach to photography?

Yes indeed, when you open yourself up to be so vulnerable on the road to strangers, staying in a tent, cycling on rough roads, getting lost, you start to rely on these strangers for help, you have to. This made me fall in love with documentary portraiture, as it was a way to capture and remember these sometimes fleeting moments we had on the road. The photographs become visual records; small snippets into the subjects world, capturing a sacred moment of vulnerability of the person you are photographing. During this process I learnt to cultivate a deep respect for this transaction. I feel lucky that I had the chance to do this expedition just in time before the virus started to spread. I have spent most of lockdown looking through and editing all the work shot on the trip. I have also been testing out a new Pentax 67 in a more domestic setting.

What artists inspire your work or capture your attention? 

Recently, I've discovered Joel Sternfeld's work, in particular Stranger Passing. The work in my eyes is some of the best documentary style portraits I have seen. He did this project while travelling across America with his large format camera back in the late 90's. His images initially come across as almost banal, but if you look a bit closer, you start to see wonderfully strange details that alter your initial perception.

Simone from the Beyond Border series, Haydn Ward-Streeter ID: A woman stands in a courtyard with colourful clothes on the washing line to the left of the image. To the right a yellow brick wall has the alphabet in various colours upon it.
 From the series Headhunters, Haydn Ward-Streeter ID: A man stands with his belly and part of his chest showing in traditional clothing. Colours of red, yellow, white and green are visible.

What are you hoping to gain from the Darwin mentorship?

I hope with some help and guidance I can take my personal projects to a progressed level of professionalism. I also hope to focus on my commercial and editorial practice as this is an area I’m lacking and want to build on. I hope the mentorship program can show me avenues within the photography world that I might not be aware of and that I can explore.

What can we be expecting to see from you in the future?

I would like to see myself taking on a lot more personal projects in the future that have strong narratives and progressive themes in the fight for change. I am in conversation with Good Chance Theatre (who produced The Jungle theatre production) to work with Handspring Puppet Company on a project where they are walking ‘Little Amel’ a 3-meter tall puppet of a young refugee child from the Syrian border to Manchester. This is an interesting project in the Pipeline.

It would be great if I could build on the crossover between commissions and personal projects in the future as I am also interested in developing a strong editorial portfolio.

To see more from Haydn during the mentorship, make sure you are following @darwinmagazine on Instagram 

To see more from Cycle for Love, visit http://www.cycleforlove.com/ 

Haunting Beauty of a life remembered with Will Harris.

This article contains image descriptions in the captions to help those with visual impairments.

You Can Call Me Nana  Image courtesy of Will Harris ID: Inside somebodes house, there are three large windows with a piece of brown paper stuck to each window. The ceiling is worn with paint crumbling and green walls surround the room. By the window sits small coffee tables and plants.

When photographer Will Harris’ much loved grandmother, Nana Evelyn developed dementia, he turned to photography as a mechanism for both understanding the current circumstance and allowing him to reconnect with the person who existed somewhere in time. 

You Can Call Me Nana explores the narrative of the sometimes present and sometimes vanished presence of Evelyn.  There is a hauntingly beautiful quality to images of facial features removed, aesthetically pleasing to the eye but its intent digging deep into our psyche and our own sense of self. Photographs from the family album are repurposed and manipulated to emulate the present. 

You Can Call Me Nana  Image courtesy of Will Harris ID: A double exposure of a young girl smiling against a blue back drop.
You Can Call Me Nana  Image courtesy of Will Harris ID: Two photobooth images where the older womans face has been obscured. Only their stop and part of their face is visible.
You Can Call Me Nana  Image courtesy of Will Harris ID: Archival family photos of a bride and groom standing on a staircase. Both of the heads have been digitally removed.

 In his work, Harris not only expresses his own feelings towards his nana’s condition but a tribute to her memory, who she was and the new relationship that had formed between Harris and Evelyn. No longer registering as her grandson, Harris took on the role of an old friend in Evelyn’s life, sharing what memories and history she still remembered for Harris to keep close and hold onto, her very own life archivist. 

Our memories by their very nature are deceiving, a healthy brain only remembers around 40% of true to life detail of our life experiences. With this in mind, the narrative of how one truly represents another's past to be an exact fact comes into question and also allows Harris to be selective, to celebrate his nana and her own history in a way that is true to the person she was but also the person she became whilst living with dementia. 

You Can Call Me Nana  Image courtesy of Will Harris ID: A family playing on a lawn alongside their mother.
You Can Call Me Nana  Image courtesy of Will Harris ID: A worn out portrait of a young girl standing on a lawn.

Photography has always been an incremental tool in reliving our pasts and understanding the history of others. A photograph in a way makes things real, a piece of evidence of a happening. With this in mind, the playful and sensitive nature in which Harris has navigated the circumstance he finds himself in and his nana’s legacy is both soulful and honest. The photographs linger with you, bringing a smile at seeing a young and healthy Evelyn and awakening a deep sadness at what dementia does to its hosts.

Harris describes the work as ‘painfully beautiful’. And he is right, You Can Call Me Nana is a series which pulls you in two directions from the sadness of  dementia to happy memories of Evelyn  that Harris carries with him. 

The photobook of You Can Call Me Nana is available for pre order here:

Words: Harry Rose