Supporting Information

This page presents examples of my portraiture, socially engaged practice and public presentation. Together, these works demonstrate my experience, artistic development and readiness to undertake the proposed R&D project, Portraiture as Practice.

Artist Statement

My practice is rooted in socially engaged photography. For over 20 years I have worked in community development and creative engagement, specialising in participatory approaches such as Photovoice, where people use photography to represent their own experiences and perspectives.

Alongside this I have worked professionally as a photographer for over a decade, producing portraits, events and commissioned projects.

In 2021 I founded Our Creative Connection, a social enterprise using photography to explore identity, wellbeing and belonging.

My practice is grounded in the belief that photography is relational. Conversation, environment and trust shape the image as much as technical decisions.

I am now developing an independent strand of artist-led portraiture, exploring how analogue process and slower ways of working influence authorship, presence and artistic voice.

Through medium and large format film, I am investigating how portraiture can move beyond documentation to become a more intentional and reflective artistic practice.

This enquiry builds on my socially engaged values while allowing space to originate work driven by my own artistic questions.

Our Creative Connection https://www.ourcreativeconnection.org

Artist-Led Portraiture

The majority of these images were made using medium and large format film, reflecting my long-standing interest in analogue process and slower, more deliberate ways of working.

While this work demonstrates my technical capability and commitment to analogue portraiture, it represents an early stage in the development of my independent artistic practice. Much of the work has been driven by intuition rather than sustained artistic enquiry.

Analogue Process and Darkroom Practice

I have access to a dedicated darkroom where I develop and print my own work. This allows me to work slowly and materially, engaging directly with the photographic process as part of my artistic enquiry and provides a valuable resource to support the R&D project.

I have experience working with large format cameras and 4×5 film, including making portrait studies using analogue process. This technical foundation allows me to undertake the proposed R&D with confidence, focusing on artistic enquiry rather than learning basic camera operation.

https://www.chrischinnockphotography.com/blog/studio-portraits-lomograflock-instant-film

Socially Engaged and Participatory Photography

For the last five years I have worked as a socially engaged Photographer, collaborating with individuals and communities to explore identity, belonging and lived experience through photography. This work has involved facilitating participatory projects, creating portraits, and supporting people to represent themselves and their experiences through images.

Through this practice, I have developed strong technical skills and a deep understanding of photography as a relational process. Working closely with participants has shaped my approach to portraiture, emphasising trust, collaboration and attentiveness.

This experience provides the foundation for my current artistic enquiry, as I investigate how these values translate into artist-led portrait work on large format film.

More examples:

Portrait of a Community: WE ARE HERE https://www.ourcreativeconnection.org/blog/portrait-of-a-community.

Humans of ES - Celebrating a decade of impact through Portraits https://www.ourcreativeconnection.org/blog/celebrating-impact-through-photography.

Commercial Portrait Commissions

These commissioned portraits demonstrate my technical experience and long-standing engagement with digital portrait photography. While created within a commercial context, they reflect my interest in working closely with subjects and creating images grounded in presence and attentiveness. This technical and relational experience provides a foundation for my current artistic enquiry into portraiture as an independent practice.

Exhibitions and Public Presentation

My portrait work has primarily been shared within socially engaged project contexts, including informal sharing and celebration events. These experiences introduced me to presenting photographic work publicly, but my practice has not yet focused on exhibiting portraiture as an independent artistic body of work.

Developing the confidence, clarity and understanding needed to present portrait work within artistic and exhibition contexts is an important part of my current development. The proposed R&D will allow me to explore how my portrait practice can evolve beyond socially engaged settings and begin to function within artist-led and exhibition environments.

My work is regularly shared through my website, blog and podcast, providing an established platform for public engagement. Website analytics shown here demonstrate an annual reach of over 30,000 visitors, showing sustained audience engagement with my photographic work and creative practice.

Examples of my work published in Silvergrain Classics, an international analogue photography magazine, are also included. This demonstrates my ability to share work through recognised photography publications and reach international audiences.

Ruth Ellen Brown is a photographer with over twenty years’ experience working across editorial, commercial and independent photographic practice. Website: https://recreative.format.com