A night at The Scottish National Portrait Gallery

We are still buzzing after such an interesting, creative and energetic evening at The Scottish National Portrait Gallery last night for Document Scotland’s 1st ever portrait event “Face To Face: The Portrait in Photography Today”.

Crowds gathering before the Document Scotland photography event "Face To Face: The Portrait in Photography Today" at The Scottish National Portrait Gallery on May 14th 2014.
Crowds gathering before the event “Face To Face: The Portrait in Photography Today” at The Scottish National Portrait Gallery on May 14th 2014
image © Sophie Gerrard/Document Scotland 2014 all rights reserved

Thank you to the photographers which Document Scotland invited to take part along side us, Ben Roberts, Arpita Shah, Emily Macinnes and Graham MacIndoe. Thank you to Annie Lyden, the International Curator of Photography at The Scottish National Portrait Gallery, and her brilliant team for chairing and organising the event with us. Thank you to you the audience for coming along, for sending us your support from a distance if you were unable to make it, for following the events on Twitter, for being there, for helping to spread the word, for making it such a success and for your support of Document Scotland on our (relatively short but eventful) journey so far.

Here’s some images from the night, if any of you have any others which you’d like to share with us please do send them in – we’d love to see them.

Everyone takes their seats and we're ready to get started.  © Carly Shearer, SNPG 2014 all rights reserved
Everyone takes their seats and we’re ready to get started.
© Carly Shearer, SNPG 2014 all rights reserved
Sophie Gerrard shows her new on-going project, "Homecoming" at the Document Scotland photography event "Face To Face: The Portrait in Photography Today" at The Scottish National Portrait Gallery on May 14th 2014 Copyright © Jeremy Sutton-Hibbert/Document Scotland 2014 all rights reserved
Sophie Gerrard shows her new on-going project, “Homecoming”
© Jeremy Sutton-Hibbert/Document Scotland 2014 all rights reserved

The evening started off with Document Scotland’s Sophie Gerrard who showed new work, made over the last 18 months during Sophie’s return to Scotland. Sophie talked about re-aquainting herself with Scotland through portraiture – and spoke of the collaboration between sitter and photographer when making a portrait.

Sophie Gerrard showing "Homecoming"  © Emily Macinnes 2014 all rights reserved
Sophie Gerrard talks about portraits from the series “Homecoming”
© Emily Macinnes 2014 all rights reserved

Then we heard from Jeremy who talked us through his Roma portraits, his experiences of living and visiting the camps and later houses of those featured in the project, some individuals he met and re-photographed almost 10 years later. Jeremy also showed a short piece of film footage of him in the camp making his portraits.

Jeremy Sutton-Hibbert introducing the crowd to his Roma project © Colin MacPherson/Document Scotland 2014 all rights reserved
Jeremy Sutton-Hibbert introducing the crowd to his “Roma of Sinesti” work
© Colin McPherson/Document Scotland 2014 all rights reserved
Jeremy Sutton-Hibbert talks through portraits from his "Roma of Sintesti"   © Emily Macinnes 2014 all rights reserved
Jeremy Sutton-Hibbert talks through portraits from his “Roma of Sintesti” project
© Emily Macinnes 2014 all rights reserved

Next up was Ben Roberts, who started by talking about some his influences, Chris Killip & Laura Pannack and then showed us images from the series ‘Higher Lands’, which Document Scotland featured as a portfolio on the website last year. He talked about his photographic process and approach to making the portraits and also about why they have remained such a popular body of work, raising the question that perhaps we all see a little of ourselves in these portraits.

Ben Roberts shows work from his project "Higher Lands" © Sophie Gerrard/Document Scotland 2014 all rights reserved
Ben Roberts shows work from his project “Higher Lands”
© Sophie Gerrard/Document Scotland 2014 all rights reserved
Ben Roberts shows work from his project "Higher Lands" © Sophie Gerrard/Document Scotland 2014 all rights reserved
Ben Roberts shows work from his project “Higher Lands”
© Sophie Gerrard/Document Scotland 2014 all rights reserved

After Ben we watched a moving piece of multimedia by Graham MacIndoe documenting his journey through heroin and crack cocaine addiction. Graham’s images have been featured in The Guardian and other press lately and his decision to release such a personal body of work was something he talked about in the multimedia presentation he made for the evening.

Jeremy introducing Graham MacIndoe's work. © Colin McPherson/Document Scotland 2014 all rights reserved
Jeremy introducing Graham MacIndoe’s work.
© Colin McPherson/Document Scotland 2014 all rights reserved
Graham MacIndoe wasn't here on the night but we watched a moving multimedia presentation of "My Addiction, through My Eyes" © Sophie Gerrard/Document Scotland 2014 all rights reserved
Graham MacIndoe wasn’t here on the night but we watched a moving multimedia presentation of “My Addiction, Through My Eyes”
© Sophie Gerrard/Document Scotland 2014 all rights reserved
The audience - a sold out show at the Document Scotland photography event "Face To Face: The Portrait in Photography Today" at The Scottish National Portrait Gallery on May 14th 2014 © Jeremy Sutton-Hibbert/Document Scotland 2014 all rights reserved
The audience – a sold out show at the Document Scotland photography event “Face To Face: The Portrait in Photography Today” at The Scottish National Portrait Gallery on May 14th 2014
© Jeremy Sutton-Hibbert/Document Scotland 2014 all rights reserved

After the break first up was Colin McPherson with a lighter hearted look at his portraiture taken mostly from his 1 year journey along the border of Scotland with England. His presentation showed people he’d encountered along the way and those who had become part of the journey but who, in his words, remained strangers. He titled the collection “In the Company of Strangers”

Colin McPherson shows his work, "In The Company of Strangers"  © Jeremy Sutton-Hibbert/Document Scotland 2014 all rights reserved
Colin McPherson shows his work, “In The Company of Strangers”
© Jeremy Sutton-Hibbert/Document Scotland 2014 all rights reserved

Then we heard from Arpita Shah who took us through a several bodies of her work, and talked about the relationship between mythology and portraiture and how she uses it to explore the experience of Diaspora for Asians living in Scotland.

Arpita Shah talks about her work  © Emily Macinnes 2014 all rights reserved
Arpita Shah talks about her work
© Emily Macinnes 2014 all rights reserved
Arpita Shah talks about her work  © Sophie Gerrard 2014 all rights reserved
Arpita Shah talks about her work
© Sophie Gerrard 2014 all rights reserved

Then it was Emily Macinnes who showed, for the 1st time her project “Paradise Lost: Testimonies of Abuse”, a powerful presentation of images and text documenting the thoughts and experiences of men who have suffered sexual abuse. A powerful and moving piece.

Emily Macinnes talks to the audience and shows her work "Paradise Lost: Testimonies of Abuse"  © Sophie Gerrard/Document Scotland 2014 all rights reserved
Emily Macinnes talks to the audience and shows her work “Paradise Lost: Testimonies of Abuse”
© Sophie Gerrard/Document Scotland 2014 all rights reserved
Emily Macinnes talks to the audience and shows her work "Paradise Lost: Testimonies of Abuse"  © Sophie Gerrard/Document Scotland 2014 all rights reserved
Emily Macinnes talks to the audience and shows her work “Paradise Lost: Testimonies of Abuse”
© Sophie Gerrard/Document Scotland 2014 all rights reserved

Last, to finish the night was  Stephen McLaren’s work who’s series of portraits of Americans in California was introduced by Annie Lyden and left us all with the sound of bagpipes in our ears – and a smile on our faces.

Stephen McLaren's photographs from "American Always, Scottish Forever"  © Sophie Gerrard/Document Scotland 2014 all rights reserved
Stephen McLaren’s photographs from “American Always, Scottish Forever”
© Sophie Gerrard/Document Scotland 2014 all rights reserved
All the photographers on stage for the Q&A with Anne Lyden, International Photography Curator at The Scottish National Portrait Gallery (l-r) Anne Lyden, Emily Macinnes, Arpita Shah, Ben Roberts, Jeremy Sutton-Hibbert, Sophie Gerrard & Colin McPherson © Document Scotland 2014 all rights reserved
All the photographers on stage for the Q&A with Anne Lyden, International Photography Curator at The Scottish National Portrait Gallery (l-r) Anne Lyden, Emily Macinnes, Arpita Shah, Ben Roberts, Jeremy Sutton-Hibbert, Sophie Gerrard & Colin McPherson
© Document Scotland 2014 all rights reserved

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