Something different today. I continue to work, albeit to a lesser degree than last year as my photography business expands to take up most of my time, teaching photography to young adults with complex barriers to learning. This term I worked with students from Lapwing on the Media Project run by Aldeburgh Education at Snape Maltings in Suffolk and on an individual basis with photography student Matt Lucas.

Matt and I and are working towards an exhibition with a difference incorporating both his and my work and I’ll post more details about this soon and what the exhibition will be trying to do. And we now have photographer Sam Mellish an expert in putting on exhibitions to help and guide us so how fortunate is that! This term Sam and Simon Green, digital post production expert from Digital Playdays in Ipswich, have helped Matt to further his work in a more vocational capacity and Matt now has his own blog where you can see some of the his landscapes.

In the meantime here are just a few of the hightlights that the students from Lapwing produced this term. I always learn so much from working with them. They add a whole new dimension to the experience of taking and working on photographs:

Over the past half a dozen or so wednesdays I have been supporting and helping some students from Lapwing to shoot some pictures. Lapwing helps young people, aged between 16-25 with complex barriers to learning (mental and physical), to move further towards realising their potential and ambitions. Since it was founded it has steadily worked to develop partnerships with local businesses, colleges and training providers to create bespoke courses for students, offering them the chance to progress their interests and skills and move further towards what they want to do in life.

Our workshops took place in and around the buildings and landscape of Snape Maltings - an inspiring location photographically and loaded with atmosphere whatever the weather. As well as photography, the students were able to try their hand at Dj-ing, sound recording, film and music.

I was blown away with what the students came up with and I got so much out of my time with them myself. Most had not held a camera before, least of all a professional SLR, and their ability to find subjects, compose pictures, and make original and imaginative decisions in post production was inspiring. Many of them make instinctive documentary photographers. I’m so much looking forward to continuing this work with them into next year.

Here are some of their images and a few snaps I took of them as they worked: