People are a constant source of inspiration for me, and as a result portraiture is an area of photography that greatly appeals to me. It provides me with the opportunity to document and explore the variety of different elements that constitute an individual’s personality.
I am drawn in particular to capturing what people bring to their local communities through, for example, their passion for their independent business or their involvement in necessary public services. I document these individuals as a celebration of the public’s role in maintaining their local communities and culture. The exhibition piece, titled ‘At the Depot’, is no exception and considers the important role each driver plays in maintaining an essential public transportation system.
Simultaneously, the piece addresses a more sensitive subject: stereotyping. Stereotypes are used to efficiently process the wealth of social information presented to us on a daily basis and thus impose order upon our “ chaotic social environment” (Pennington, 1986). However, stereotypes are often used in a derogative manner in order to justify people’s discriminative attitudes toward others.
‘At the Depot’ encourages viewers to draw upon their predetermined opinions of bus drivers as they consider the portraits on display. The piece then acts as both a ‘confirmatory bias’, corroborating the essential characteristics that make up the stereotypical bus driver, and also allows the crucial differences between each individual to be examined (Pennington, 1986).
