Facing up to trauma
'Facing up to trauma' is a brand new project borne from my appearance on The Great British Photography Challenge (TGBPC). In the final episode of this four part series from the BBC myself and the other five contributors are given a wildcard assignment which allows for us to choose any genre of photography. In my typical style I forego the chance to play to my strengths and go for wildlife photography, instead I opted to spend time with military veterans who have ptsd and try to capture what it is they endure using photography instead of words. The highlight of the show for me was when Rankin turned to look my final images on the exhibition wall and compare them to the work of Sir Donald McCullin - one of the world's most respected and experienced living war photographers, and whose work originally got me interested in photography. Following that episode airing I've received hundreds of messages from people around the world saying how much these shots had touched them in ways they'd not experienced with a photograph before. Spurred on by the many kind comments, requests to expand the project, and my own desire to shine more light on ptsd and how it affects so many of us I will be starting this project in early 2022.
If you or someone you know who would be interested in taking part in this project please pass on my details to them - although they/you need to be in a resilient space with a support network in place please.
