Tonight, we were delighted to welcome Alex Bamford, who took us on a fascinating journey through his career in photography, beginning with his experiences in advertising photography before moving on to the very different world of his personal projects.

Alex began by sharing his professional history and giving us an insight into the world of commercial and advertising photography. His experiences offered an interesting look behind the scenes at how photographs are planned, created and delivered for clients, and how much thought and preparation can go into producing a successful image.

From there, Alex moved on to some of his more personal work, where the creative process becomes much more open and allows ideas to develop in completely different directions.

One of the projects he discussed focused on waste found on beaches. What might normally be overlooked became the subject of his photography, encouraging us to look differently at our surroundings and consider the stories that everyday objects can tell.

Alex also talked about his project photographing neighbours in his local area. By turning his camera towards the people around him, he created a fascinating body of work that explored community, personalities and the people who make up a neighbourhood.

Perhaps one of the most memorable projects of the evening was his pyjama set photographed in moonlight. The project demonstrated how a simple and familiar subject can be transformed through creative thinking, lighting and experimentation. It was a great example of how personal photography doesn’t necessarily require an exotic location or unusual subject — sometimes the idea is right in front of you.

Throughout the evening, Alex’s work demonstrated the contrast between photography created for a client and photography created for yourself. While advertising photography often has to meet a specific brief, personal projects can provide the freedom to explore ideas, experiment and photograph subjects simply because they interest you.

It was an enjoyable and thought-provoking evening, giving us plenty to consider not only about photography itself, but also about how we approach our own personal projects.

A big thank you to Alex Bamford for sharing his experiences, his work and the stories behind the photographs with us tonight.