An Exhibition of Photography

Eliza Smart (she/her)

Eliza Smart is a photographer from Essex, currently studying photography at Nottingham Trent University. She uses cyanotypes to investigate slow looking and negative space. The work displayed captures symmetrical scenes of seemingly uneventful spaces that are often overlooked. Inspired by the New Topographic movement of appreciating the banal, Smart’s prints explore the same ideals. Viewing the mundane through this alternative printing method reminds us of the unseen beauty unrecognized in the everyday. The cyanotype process elevates this concept, adding to the tranquility that can be brought around by the act of slow looking. Audiences are immersed in the ethereal medium and therefore immersed in the mundane. The photographer’s encouragement for her audience to partake in the experience of slowing down visual digestions is further mirrored in the production of the images, the artists composes her images in a squared format, reminiscent of a window to further assert the concept of seeing.

Aaron Badkin (he/him)

My images are from an ongoing project as part of my final submission at University. My street images are taken in Nottingham and Leeds. They explore finding beauty in everyday life and unexpected moments in the streets I photographed these cities especially because they have lively atmospheres, fantastic architecture, and sometimes I photographed strange encounters and uncanny moments.

I work in this genre because I enjoy photographing the unexpected moments, everyday life, and the uncanny events I come across in the streets. I want to showcase these to other people who generally do not see it. I want people to feel nostalgic, connected with the person in the images and the feeling of happiness. In my pictures, you can see there is a lot of luck in finding the magical moment, such as facial expressions, reflections, uncanny moments, and the architecture surrounding the people in the photographs I have been heavily influenced by several photographers, including Saul Leiter, Lee Friedlander and Matt Stuart.

Mason Haworth (she/her)

Hello I am Mason! As someone who goes to a lot of gigs and loves music, I know how fun the atmosphere can be. I have always been fascinated by gig photography the thought of capturing someone doing what they love is such a beautiful experience. I am inspired by Dean Sherwood; I love how his images are so immersive that you can feel the energy of the concerts in the photographs. This is something that I want my audience to feel when looking at my work. I am very thankful to TRY2SMILE for giving me the opportunity to photograph his gig as well as Dana Luna for letting me take her photo too!

Olivia-Rose Barns (she/her)

‘Dear Mum’ is a tribute to the maternal figures in my life, both of whom have impacted me deeply. The loss of my biological mother in June 2021 was a profound grief that I sought to process through photography. My motherin-law has been a source of comfort and support during this difficult time, and to honour her and our bond, I created a series of woven images that symbolise the love and care she has shown me. The physical act of weaving has been therapeutic in my grieving process, allowing me to connect with my late mother as well as my mother-in-law through archived photographs. This project also holds cultural significance, as the weaving technique I employed is reminiscent of the traditional Indian clothing worn by my partner’s Sikh, Punjabi family. As a third-year student, this project continues to evolve and be refined.

Rosie Baird (she/her)

Hi, I’m Rosie & my project is exploring the essence of ‘Camp’ through fashion photography. Camp thrives off enjoyment, playfulness & exaggeration. I hope to depict this in my images.

Leah Horsfall (she/her)

Hey! My name is Leah, my work is all about exploring a unique medium of food photography. My work consists of vibrant and experimental concepts. I am hoping to overstep the boundaries of every day food marketing through my style and technique, and to depict seemingly natural food items in an interesting manor. This body of work is focusing around the orange.

Hi , my name is Harriet. My photographic work is currently based on the representation of amputees in the fashion industry - I often aim to work with people, enjoy working within fashion shoots.

Harriet (she/her)

Joel Scott (he/him)

Starter of many things and finisher of very few, I find myself particularly attracted to tangible, considered mediums in an increasingly virtual age, whether that be darkroom printing, publication design or printmaking. My photographic eye which is admittedly quite lazy is particularly drawn to the authenticity of Chris Killip, drama of Jean Gaumy and stillness of Robert Adams, none of which you ’ re likely to see me reproduce anytime soon

Rosie Allen (she/her)

Hi, I’m Rosie! ‘Shadow Lands’ encapsulates the feeling of a timeless yet ancient landscape, based on the idea of creating a landscape that is not of this time. My works purpose is finding a place between todays landscape and sharing the qualities of a landscape from another time and world, creating a “out of this time” quality. It has been a journey of creative discovery, starting out with initially a very different idea looking into abstraction and then bringing in the landscape, and working my way through my own ideas through research, photographing and experimentation.

Lee Oliver '

Astrada'

These images are from a series of documentary style photographs I shot in Spain last year I have always felt connected to Spanish culture after learning the language at school, and have been lucky enough to visit different parts of Spain in my life. It is a special place to me. The title of this project is Astrada, or Overdue in english, referring to the fact I had gone on my first holiday with just me and my mum, who is a huge part of my life. We have had our ups and downs in our relationship but this long overdue trip really brought us closer than I ever knew we could get, and so I am hoping that my feelings of sentimentality and tenderness about this trip and this country are really conveyed in the way I went about these images. I also wanted to show people that Spain, more importantly coastal towns like Salou, are beautiful beyond the average view of them. People seem to have an attitude that some only go to Spain for cheap drinks and bad decisions, but it is one of the most culturally rich and beautiful places I have had the pleasure of visiting. Documentary photography is a semi-recent interest of mine. I started out doing street-style portraits of people, this then progressed into my style as you see it today My work currently is based on changing societal attitudes around certain subjects.