BA (Hons) Photography Graduates & Tutors
UNIVERSITY CENTRE ST HELENS


Amy Robinson
Module Leader
BA (Hons) Photography
ENJOY & CONNECT.

Abi Evans – Motherhood
The theme for my current body of work is motherhood. It is about my personal struggles as a single mother but also the joy that it brings. My work is autobiographical with an element of self-portraiture. It is all about me and my son, Tyler. Through my project I have shown how the injury I had when I was 14 years old affects my parenting and the internal scars it has left. The trauma to my body makes being a parent very difficult but make it so much more rewarding. My main influences through this project have been Elinor Carucci and Sally Mann.
Motherhood is a very lonely journey. Especially being a single mother. Throughout my project, I have learnt that although it may feel very lonely, those feelings are universal. As mothers, we all feel the same things just at different moments in our lives. My work attempts to show other mothers that they are not alone. Every individual has a story to tell. This is my story.
Caitlin Cafferky – Loss and Grief
My current body of work explores how my own grief manifests through the medium of photography. Inspired by the 18th century historical theme of ‘Memento Mori’, which is a Latin saying for ‘Remember you must die’. This subject matter hits close to home because of my own personal life experiences after losing my mother. I started this project during my second year of my BA (Hons) Photography degree that has led me on a journey, to acknowledge my grief and allow myself to release my feelings into my creative practice.
For years now, grief has been viewed as a difficult subject to talk about especially here in the UK. My aim for this project was to open up grief as a topic of discussion, bringing more awareness of the effects that it has on our lives and how it is incredibly unique to each one of us. This series of work visualises how I see my grief. My hope for the people that view this body of work is that it brings some comfort in knowing that they are not the only ones feeling this way.
Chloe Middleton – Night Skies
My current work explores the night sky in St Helens and the Liverpool area and the effect of light pollution. My interest initially peaked in night sky photography when I had the opportunity to view the Milky Way at a dark sky site and realised how much light pollution has taken over our lives. It became clear how many stars are in our night sky and how I have become familiar with the stars (or rather lack of) in our local area.
Whilst out in the field, I am captivated by the night sky and the calmness that comes with the darkness. In my photographs, I captured how light pollution produces a yellow/white glow over where we live, and how this ‘bubble’ stops us from seeing the night sky for all its beauty. I wanted to capture the planets we are capable of seeing too if it is a very clear night, in each of my images you can see Jupiter and it just makes you think: ‘how many planets and stars are we missing out on?’ due to the light pollution and the continuing growth of our community.
Emma Ingham – Body Confidence
The exploration of body confidence has been a central theme throughout my work since undertaking the BA (Hons) Photography nearly three years ago. Confidence means believing “in your own ability to do things and be successful” (“Confidence,” n.d.)
The research behind the project has consistently led me to feel better within my body and as you can see, it has given me the confidence to stand in front of the camera with no clothes on. Every single person has their own journey in life, taking self-portraits is allowing me to progress on my journey.
Throughout my work, I explore body confidence, using influences such as Jenny Saville, Jesy Nelsons BBC documentary and many others. There are so many campaigns now trying to encourage women, especially to love their body.
‘“I think it’s so important for girls to love themselves and to treat their bodies respectfully.” – Ariana Grande’ (Nagi, 2017)
I hope, if my work can teach you anything, I pray it teaches you to love yourself!
Graham Smillie – Shrines
My project has been to highlight the profusion of roadside shrines that we see around our towns and cities. I became fascinated in them through observing those I saw on my way to and from University. One was unloved and unsightly the other brightly coloured, vibrant and full of love and remembrance. I wondered if this was a national or a local phenomenon and went looking to photograph as many as I could. My travels took me around Scotland, North Wales and Merseyside. My journey opened a history of people and their burial practices going back centuries.
I have concentrated on documentary photography this year and have combined this with my love of film photography and processes to produce this collection, which I hope, highlights the fragile beauty and the loss involved. I have been influenced by the work of August Sander, Walker Evans, Graciela Iturbide and Alys Tomlinson.
Robyn Morgan – Still Films
My biggest influence is the world of cinema, inspiring me to create dramatic and often surreal scenes that tell a variety of narratives. Exploring thoughts, dreams, fears and feelings that one experiences throughout life.
Cindy Sherman’s Untitled Film Stills (1977-1980) inspired the development of my self-portraits. My photographs act as a bridge in communication where words often fail. Not only are these self-portraits a form of self-expression, but self-exploration; A form of therapy, helping me to better understand myself as well as explain to others.
The use of theatrics and disguises helps to relieve that inner whisper, telling you to colour outside the lines and be more creative.
I have experimented with photo manipulation, much like modern filmmakers use CGI, as well as the use of props and lighting on location. The use of dramatic lighting and photo editing techniques has allowed me to push the boundaries between what is real and what is not.
I want the viewer to feel drawn to my work on a personal level, to feel connected, yet to make them think, wonder, and ask questions. In the words of Dorothy Lange;
“I create Still Films, not Film Stills”.
Phillip Bennett Owen – Greenwood Close
Urban Decay will pose as the canvas of my Final Show work, focusing on the abandonment of homes in the once elderly community of Greenwood Close, Prescot. In this body of work, I look to create a narrative for viewers to piece together the remnants of a community now gone, and imagine the stories and lives of the people once there. Specifically, I aim to juxtapose the beauty that can be found in the abandonment – found in shattered details of the forgotten. It aims to question our modern attitude of disposability and act as a time capsule before this area is removed from society, to pave the way for something deemed more modern. Once a community, now vacant; this series of colour images act as a memoir and reflect the harsh reality for some inhabitants of people in Liverpool. The images look to highlight the increasing number of homes that are being rejected from societies new modern ideal, with large spaces not being utilized during a difficult time politically in this country. My hometown, Prescot continues to be an important part of my life, this time providing a series of images relating to the, now, empty community I used to walk through to get to school. A community that has now been covered in sheets of stainless steel, forgotten and left behind.
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