Up and Coming: Gemma Thorpe

I am a photographer fascinated by people and their stories, their determination and resilience. I am drawn to document social issues, and am particularly interested in highlighting hope rather than exposing tragedy. Much of my photography is based around themes of home and belonging, from an earthquake-affected village in China who's residents dream of opening it to eco-tourism, to the constraints and challenges of new-found freedom for Romanian youth who have grown up in state orphages.

I work on long term projects and I am eager to learn, listen and to develop myself and my understanding as much as my photography. I am concerned about photography's tendency to be self-serving and I am inspired by photographers who's work goes beyond the usual audiences.

Consequently I am hugely inspired by people I've met along the way, from 85 year old Miss Punny in small town Missouri, USA, to other photographers who's work and outlook I admire, such as Brad Rimmer (especially his Silence -The Australian wheatbelt series), and Simon Roberts, for whom research is integral to the output, and on an aesthetic level. I am enthralled by the work of Ian Teh, and more recently Andrea Gjestvang as well as that of Chinese photographers Wang Gang and Zhouhai.

Gemma Thorpe came to photography the long way round, gaining an interest in people, places and visual representation while studying Geography at Sheffield University. A stint at Leeds College of Art and then the opportunity to study an MA in International Photojournalism and Documentary Photography in China, where she lived for 2 years, fostered her passion for documentary photography and an ongoing attempt to master Mandarin Chinese. She has been based in Sheffield since summer 2009 and is working on long term projects.

All Images are copyright of © Gemma Thorpe

For more information on her work please visit www.gemmathorpe.com

Up & Coming: Phillip Reed

China: Phillip Reed

Chinese officials saw the Olympic Games in Beijing as more than just a sporting event, it was the platform for China to announce itself on the world stage as an emerging super power. The raw enthusiasm that greeted the Olympics in Beijing couldn’t have been more different from the cynicism encountered on my return to London ahead of the 2012 games.

I wanted to hint at the idea that China’s rapid transformation is a sort of Cultural Revolution of our time. I have incorporated elements of propaganda posters as a visual reference. I wanted to reflect a vision of a country looking to the future with nothing but pure enthusiasm and confidence.

All images are copyright of © Phillip Reed

My images focus on the youth of the nation and its rebirth as a country. In China everybody talks about the future. China now feels like a young nation, ironic if we consider its 5000 years of civilization and tradition.

Phillip Reed is a talented photographer with a sublime eye to capture the interaction of the city and its inhabitants. His work focuses on the effects of environment upon the experience of the individual.

His images offer a unique vision of life in big cities, in a perfect mixture between street and stage photography. His final-year project HOME, winner of the year’s Hotshoe LCC student award 2010 is the perfect example of this.

He is currently working on an ongoing project called In-between; a photographic collaboration between him, based in London, and with his identical twin brother Anthony, who lives and works in China.

http://www.phillipreed.co.uk/