Noora from the series Seeing Changes © 2020 JC Candanedo
I am thrilled to announce that an image from my project “Seeing Changes” has been selected alongside the images of other 279 photographers as shortlisted for the Royal Photographic Society’s International Photography Exhibition 163. The Royal Photographic Society is an international charitable organisation based in Bristol, UK, dedicated to increasing the knowledge, understanding and enjoyment of photography. Founded in 1853, the RPS is one of the world’s oldest photographic societies.
The International Photography Exhibition has been held almost every year since 1854 and is the longest running exhibition of its kind in the world. In the early years, the exhibition included work from some of the world's most eminent photographers including Julia Margaret Cameron, Roger Fenton, Edward Steichen and Paul Strand.
“Seeing Changes” is a photography project in which I explore how a supportive environment can change a young person's life forever. The series includes portraits of students and staff from the Waltham Forest College in London who took part in a personal development programme run by the Prince’s Trust.
The Prince’s Trust supports young people who often come from difficult backgrounds or are at risk of exclusion. Some of the students have dealt with trauma, have had problems with the law or have experienced mental health issues that have affected their self-confidence and their outlooks for their future.
The Waltham Forest College is located in Walthamstow, an area of East London with a rich industrial heritage. After the Industrial Revolution, it was famed for its manufacturing companies that included manufacturers of transport, arms and photographic equipment. However, post-war and up until the 2012 Olympic Games the area faced many challenges such as high levels of crime, poverty and deprivation.
Since the 2012 Summer Olympics, this part of London has become increasingly gentrified and property prices have skyrocketed which has contributed to a change in the local economy and demographics. Still, Walthamstow remains one of the most ethnically diverse areas in London.
The college was built in 1938 in response to a demand for qualified labour for the industries in the area. One of the most notorious manufacturing companies of the time was Barnet Ensign, LTD, one of Britain's most successful camera-makers.
Barnet Ensign were the makers of the Ensign cameras, one of the most popular cameras of its time in the UK. The building where these cameras were produced stood three blocks from the College up until the 60’s when the factory was closed. The company never recovered after the building was bombarded during the Blitz in WWII.
All the portraits of this project were taken using an Ensign Ranger camera produced a decade after the college was built. This creates a direct link between the importance of Walthamstow in the history of photography, the place that the Waltham Forest College holds in the industrial heritage of the area and the work that the Prince’s Trust is doing in shaping the future of today’s youth.
Once the film was developed, I wanted to give a voice to all the participants so I asked them to write directly on the negatives and tell me their experiences of taking part in the programme. Due to the sensitive nature of some of their personal stories, I assigned the negatives at random so that no one wrote on their own portrait. This way, their personal experiences were kept anonymous.
While working on this project, I also led some of the workshops and offered mentorship to the students. I can honestly say that seeing their lives change from when they started in the programme to when they finished, knowing that we’ve contributed to the look of accomplishment in their faces, has been one of the most enriching experiences of my life.
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