Photography
A group of young people worked with professional photographer Bob Griffin for three months to produce photographs which got under the skin of their care experiences. They wanted to show the positives and negatives of their lives in care. Through their training with Bob they learned to take photographs which were not only honest and to the point, but also creative.
The sessions covered training in photography techniques and the young people were then given cameras to take home to practice with. They were taken on a trip to the Tate Modern art gallery to see the Exposed photography exhibition. At the end of the course, the group had a day of editing the pictures they had taken.
By the time they finished, eight young people had enough pictures to include in an exhibition to launch the project.
One of the group, Rachel, said: “We took some pictures to represent our experiences of care, as in did we feel discriminated against, did we feel that care was positive? Our pictures show what it means to us to be in care, how we’d like it to be and how we want people to see us
Here are a selection of the young people's photographs:
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| "I took this image in my area. This represents care because sometimes you feel in care that you’re just another name in the system." (Larry) | "I took this picture to represent some of the meetings with social workers. We meet for coffee but in that meeting we have to also get lots done. We often talk about money and I bring receipts for things I have had to buy. It’s a different relationship to a parent." (Rachel) |
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| "I was trying to show here that where I live is a nice area. I was trying to show people that my life in care is kinda nice. I think because before my life wasn’t so good so now I really like the quiet nice area, not a ghetto area where the expect people in care to live." (Julian) | "You can interpret this photo in different ways. Situations, like people, can be interpreted in different ways. To one person this might look like I’m just reading a cook book in a kitchen when actually I’m reading a very frustrating bill from the housing department of the council, despite the fact I’m only 18 and living with a foster family." (Rachel) |
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| "I took this picture near leaving care centre in Lewisham where there was going to be an event for children in care. I wanted to show the positive about being in care. In my language green means ‘good thing’ and I thought about life in care being like grass, growing faster in some places than others." (Ellia) | "Life in care is not always private. My own problems the school know about it. It’s kind of good sometimes because the teachers can help me. Really my own room is my only private place." (Julian) |
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| "This picture shows feeling being alone in care. I took this because I did a questionnaire in Lewisham which asked ‘Do you feel alone in this world’ and 74% of young people said yes. This photos shows that being in care can be really lonely." (Ellia) | "I took this picture to represent the loneliness of being in care. Some people think that kids in care are rude or angry people but they are just as likely to feel sad about living without their parents. I don’t know if people in the public understand this." (Chris) |
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| "This picture represents care because I think it looks like hope, up to the sky. But the bumps could show that being in care is not always easy, because you haven’t got parents to guide you on your way it can make life a bit difficult." (Julian) | "I took this photo after the first session. I’d been talking about the problems I was having getting my washing machine fixed. I live independently so I have to sort out lots of things by myself. Being in care is sometimes difficult like that." (Samantha) |
This is just a small selection of the photographs that our young volunteers took as part of the 'Don't write us off' campaign. Visit our Facebook page for more images.
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