AMBASSADORS OF HOPE

An eye for the little things.

Through recent events I think that a great deal of compassion has been displayed by people, not only in the city of Manchester, but throughout the world. If we are to take even one thing away from these troubling times it would be the sense of compassion and empathy shown to each other during these troubling times. To help our neighbours and families through their tough times.

Marek – Manchester

I wish to be a Forensic Photographer for the Greater Manchester Police. I have reasoned that to help me with this, and give me the biggest chance of succeeding, I must act on my aspirations of becoming a photographer. Ever since my first photography lesson in secondary school and capturing that first image I’ve been fascinated by the world of photography, cameras, and capturing stills of the world around us like a professional. I was inspired by both my photography teacher and, coincidentally my PE teacher who also taught the second photography class. Both of them had professional qualifications as photographers and one of them even has his own brand and photography studio.

They had inspired me whilst I was a student to be a photographer and it had a long-lasting effect on me. This year during the strenuous lockdown I had a chance to reflect upon my whole life and my personal aspirations, and that’s when it clicked, why don’t I realise that urge to be a photographer – after all what’s the worst that can happen? Soon after, I had purchased my first camera, the Praktica MTL3. The camera I had purchased was a film camera, requiring 35mm film to capture images. I had given myself a challenge, as I had to learn how to operate and capture images on film, which unlike digital cameras, has to be developed to see the outcomes of your photos which costs additional money on top of the price of your film in the first place, and can’t be deleted. I think that purchasing that camera first made me appreciate and put a lot more effort into each shot I took, regardless of if it was with a film camera or a digital one, making me get just the right shot. After a couple of weeks of shooting sparingly with the camera, I had attracted the attention of my significant other’s father, who had a digital camera which he was willing to give me, on the ground that he was not using it and didn’t want to see it collect dust. That’s how I acquired my second camera, the Canon EOS 600D, and although it is a tricky one to learn at the start, once you get into it you can get some amazing photos.

After experimenting with both cameras and using them for several types of photography, I came to the conclusion that I should focus on macro photography – the production of photographs of small items larger than life size. This could have partially been influenced by the fact that, during my photography lessons, I tended to focus more on the surprising detail and obscurity of the miniscule world around us. During the half term I had decided that publishing my work for everyone to see was the next step for me, so I had launched my own photography account on Instagram where I challenge myself by posting everyday.

What I value most about my city of Manchester is the big sense of community it evokes into everyone who lives there. Most if not all of the interactions I’ve had with, even random strangers have been friendly and supportive. I remember having to pay for a parking ticket and only having a £5 note, when the machine only accepted coins, I asked a passerby if he could exchange the note for coins, but he outright just gave me the money needed for the ticket and went on his way. This, amongst other examples too numerous to list here, are the reason why I value my city and all that it stands for, it really is, without being cringey, one big family that supports and cares for each other.