Seven young Roma from Govanhill in Glasgow have been learning how to take photographs, exploring their homes and streets through the lens of their cameras.
Govanhill, an area in the south of the city is among the most socially deprived in Scotland, and home to one of the largest concentrations of Roma people in the UK.
People get the wrong idea about Govanhill. There’s beauty here
Since November 2017 the young Roma have been learning both documentary photography to explore their environment, and studio portrait photography to create images of themselves and each other, at creative workshops run by photographer Robin Mitchell of the Glasgow-based social enterprise media co-op. He spoke of how much he enjoyed running the project:
“This project has been enormous fun for me, a professional photographer. While I’ve taught the young Roma technical and artistic skills about composition, light, and focus – I have learned from them about their lives and opinions, and seen their talents bloom.”
The Young Roma Photography project, PhotoMessage, is supported by Community Renewal in Govanhill and Friends of Romano Lav, funded by the People’s Health Trust and the New Economics Foundation.
The exhibition runs until March 11 at Glasgow’s Tramway.