The Photographer...

I hope you will all forgive the self-indulgence of this post...but if I may have seemed a bit sparse and absent-minded in recent months here's why...

You've all known him as the Kayaker on here for almost twelve years now (was he really only twenty-two when I started writing this), middle one of our three, and still a kayaker sometimes, but now he's a photographer too, and for someone who has travelled and worked around the world since he left school it was quite a challenge for him to decide to stay put three years ago and complete a BA (Hons) degree in Commercial Photography at Plymouth College of Art as a mature student. Though he hasn't been living at home (he's been sharing a house with a fantastic group of PhD medical students) the Kayaker has been near enough to call in for sustenance and use of the tumble dryer as necessary. 

It's been a slightly disjointed course (now discontinued) split into two years for a Foundation Degree and then the final stand-alone year tagged on for the BA(Hons) awarded by the Open University. None of the previous slog or high marks have counted a jot towards this year so it's been like revving up from the off again and none of us can deny that it's been a challenge. That and the realisation that it would be very tough to make his emerging passion for humanitarian photography count in amongst the more elite world of fashion, glamour, PhotoShop re-touching and advertising that tended to be privileged and dare I say better understood on this course.

Eschewing studio work and the confines of college for the field, the Kayaker self-funded a project to work with SOUL Foundation in Uganda, an NGO that offers a hand up not a hand out to the people that live and work around the banks of the White Nile. It's a place that the Kayaker knew well and where he had a lot of friends in the local community, having led kayaking expeditions down this part of the river in the past, and it seemed like an invaluable project to revisit the community and the people with new and different eyes.

He lived with a local family (thank you for feeding him Mama Muganda) for five weeks through April, documenting many of the fantastic projects that the local people have implemented for themselves with back-up from SOUL and giving them the material that he produced for their website and advertising promotion.

I am reliably informed that there are many reasons why this is not a technically perfect picture but it's perfect enough to my eyes...just look at that baby at the back...

I can't tell you how proud we are of what he achieved in that time ...or how relieved we have all been to get to the final degree exhibition last Friday, and now, with some exciting projects to look forward to with SOUL in the future, he can get back on the journey. And huge thanks to all the friends (ours and his) who travelled from far and wide to be there and celebrate his grit, determination and success. He has established a trusted circle of influence beyond the confines of the institution; dependable, honest and knowledgeable people who know the Kayaker well and have provided invaluable support and encouragement when he needed it most during this last three years and will continue to do so. He already has invitations to be a guest lecturer elsewhere and is looking forward to being able to inspire and motivate other students, as well as an upcoming trip to New York to meet with SOUL directors and a return to Africa to work with the Foundation again soon.

Here's his video presentation that showed on a loop at his degree show which is open for the next two weeks if you are anywhere near Plymouth College of Art.

Among the things not to miss...

The composite thumbnail videos of the school photo shoot...look out for the little boy lower left..

The boy in the night school classroom sitting on his own...look out for the children peeking in lower left...

The pregnant woman stepping into the boat...

The two tiny dresses...I'll tell you more in a minute...

The amazing Dr Dan...

Tony the runner...more in a minute

Musa and the paint...

The joy in the orphanage over the toothbrushes (a project thought through very carefully beforehand)

And the laughter and exuberance of the village women and children...

 

This has been an incredible project for all of us and we have had some really fascinating debates about the role of the photographer in these situations, about not running in, stealing a shot and dashing away again (he gave everyone a printed copy of their picture) about what you can 'make' a picture say, what it may say to the person who sees it and why and so much more. There's nothing I don't know about the theory of photography now. Seriously, our dinner table conversation has stretched all our minds again, (no more watching Pointless for us this last few months) and, with Offspringette joining in from New Zealand, it has seemed like the olden days when they all lived at home and it was our best place to talk out our day. This final year has certainly underlined for the Kayaker one of his fundamentals in life, that of being true to yourself and your principles.

The project focuses much on the empowerment and health needs of women. I particularly loved the SOUL Tailoring Course which is making, amongst other things, washable, re-usable sanitary pads for the teenage girls who previously missed so much schooling because the only affordable alternative was banana fibres or cloth. Do we ever give a second thought here in the western world as to how women manage all this...

And the narrative project to document the lengthy journey that the women have to take to deliver their babies is another favourite. SOUL are raising funds to build a new birthing centre, so highlighting the need for this was a priority.

Congratulations to all his fellow students who have worked so hard to, it was good to talk to some of them and hear about their future plans.

There was a largely unnoticed but meaningful juxtaposition at the final show in Plymouth on Friday that really hit home with me. A cleverly crafted dress made from wallpaper and worn by a very glamorous model posing in a corner throughout the evening alongside a photo of same, and of course this has a recognised place in the world of commercial photography in the Western world, but hidden deep in that video you might have caught a shot of two little dresses made for the tailoring class in Uganda, one made from paper because the women often can't afford to buy the fabric...

It's a different world out there and the Kayaker is very much looking forward to getting back into it. His exhibition print was of Tony. As well as working as a safety kayaker on the Nile Tony is also a keen marathon runner whose dream was that the world might know about him, so how good it was that we were able to talk to Tony in Uganda via Skype while we were at the exhibition...

...and show him his picture here in Plymouth with everyone looking at it, and now you are all seeing it too. How many of you are out there... maybe we could help Tony with his dream, perhaps you could leave a comment for him saying where you hail from...I think he'd really love to know and you can see and read more about him here.

There is nothing like a trip to Africa and a project such as this to realign perspectives. 

You can read and see more about the Kayaker's journey here...

Download a few free books, the Nile Special here

...and Morocco here.

Regular pictures go on Instagram here too. He's always grateful for interested followers and comments. 

And if you are in London, he is thrilled to have had a picture from this project chosen by the AOP for their Student Awards Final to be exhibited at Mother London (10 Redchurch Street E2) throughout July...and of that we are all immensely proud too.

Sorry a proud family boasting post and I am now going to go and lie down and recover from the last three years...but this year in particular.

And please don't forget to leave a comment for Tony.