In June this year I took part in the first Tin Roof Members Show, with two large-scale pinhole photographs.

I wanted to make some art that reflected what I do in my work with Art Angel and Hot Chocolate. I have been working with young people for 4 years now and feel that it’s important for me to include this aspect of myself in my artwork. These two photographs were taken with a huge paper loaded pinhole camera, which meant the exposure time was around 3 minutes per photograph. This meant that the subjects had to remain very still during the exposure. I wanted to make images of people that I work with sitting with me in an informal setup – I wanted to remove the power dynamic enforced by the position of the photographer behind the camera and instead wanted to participate in the photograph alongside the other subject. I like the way the poses are  necessarily settled and seem to reflect more than a snapshot or moment in time. This is important to me as I feel that the time I have to give is one of the most important aspects of working with people.

Lou and Jo Count to 200, Tommo and Jo Count to 200 16×20 inch Pinhole Photographs mounted on card

At a studio holders talk in Tin Roof

Photography by Emma Alexander