It's been six months since I last posted any updates about my main project, Bristol Trans Portraits, and things have really moved on since then! Back in July, I was just coming out of a Pride Month exhibition at St George's Bristol and my most recent portraits were of Alex Garden - taken all the way back in May! Since then I've photographed four new participants, and changed the name and scope of the project to be much bigger!
For anyone new to my work, Bristol Trans Portraits is a community photo project which uses portrait photography to bring visibility and representation to the transgender community. Run on an entirely voluntary basis, I hold free photo days for trans and non-binary people based in Bristol. The project aims to reach out and start a conversation with those who have perhaps never met a transgender person before, while providing an empowering experience for all who take part.
Or at least, that's what I've been doing over the past two years. But now, the project is changing massively!
As of October, Bristol Trans Portraits has become Trans Portraits UK! I'm going to be slowly expanding outside of Bristol throughout 2023 - starting with areas that I can get to on a limited budget, such as Bath and Cardiff. As the budget expands, I hope to be able to reach areas that are further away (or more remote!) and take on new photographers from different parts of the country.
Funding the project has been my major challenge so far, and this challenge will only become more pronounced as I move to a national level, and face higher costs as a result. So for this reason, I've also decided to pivot the project towards an annual magazine. Not only does this give me a goal to work towards every year, but it also gives me a more viable option for running a successful Patreon account!
I couldn't be more excited about how this year's magazine has turned out! I've never made one before - it's rare that I invest money in physical products, as I haven't ever really had the money to afford it - so I had no real idea how it would look, or if my designs would be any good. But I'm genuinely so happy with it, and I can't wait to make more in the future!
If you would like to buy one, you can do so here: https://www.transportraitsuk.org/product-page/magazine-issue-1-bristol-trans-portraits
I'm really looking forward to seeing where the next year will take me! I'll be doing my first official TPUK portraits in January - some in Bristol, some in Bath - and I absolutely can't wait for them! In the meantime, be sure to keep an eye on the project on instagram, and check out the new website www.transportraitsuk.org