Little Heroes Campaign

When I was initially offered the opportunity to work with Stafford County Council on a portrait session, I was not entirely sure what the job entailed…..I was under the impression that I was photographing school children, as the set up was at a local school. But, on speaking to campaigns officer, Danielle, I realised that it was a project that was very close to the type of work that I want to do.

I was not the first person to get offered the position, and I took the job on as more of a favour for those who were unable to commit. The location of the school was 10 minutes drive from my own, and I remembered the old mantra of ‘never turning down an opportunity in the early days’ and I figured I had nothing to lose. My own personal projects had looked at complex emotions and struggles with grief and loss. It was deeply personal for me and for those that took part and I came away feeling accomplished and with a feeling of pride that I had carried everyone’s stories carefully.

Speaking to Danielle, I realised that this job was more than just photographing a few headshots. It was about creating images which would go hand in hand with the campaign that they are building. Little Heroes is a designed to help keep children in school, helping them to learn and grow. The Little Heroes campaign explores the reasons for absences, welcoming conversation and supporting both student and parents. My job as a photographer was to work alongside the team and capture images over two days. On the first day I was asked to come along and capture headshots of both the student and teacher who would be starring in the campaign videos. Danielle offered an example of what they were looking for, a few weeks earlier, so I was able to bring my equipment and plan the outcome in advance.

Danielle and the team wanted images which would feel quite dramatic and which would be powerful to look at. I turned up on the day, hauled my equipment up to the allocated space, and worked alongside the film crew. I set up my dark backdrop and 2 static lights - I had a normal white light placed at an angle, at the right of Charlie (student) and then a red fill light was placed the opposite side, creating a dramatic look. I captured the images of both Charlie and teacher and had my iPad hooked up for the team to see what they looked like as I captured them. Hearing their praise instantly was amazing! I have and probably always will…..doubt my talent and the work that I do as a photographer….but in that moment my doubts slipped away.

This is one of the images that has been used in the campaign, which will be spread around Staffordshire in the coming weeks.

I went away feeling so proud of myself for what I had captured. It was an amazing experience. The next day I was asked to go in and work alongside the film crew again, capturing images of students in mock up set ups, in various classrooms. I learned as I watched the film crew do their work, I liaised with the students and teachers, and marvelled at how the children acted in their scenes, helping to create fundamental pieces for the campaign. Below is one of the images that I captured. I had so much fun on that day, helping to capture images which sang of positivity. Images which helped highlight how positive school life can be.

A few months went by, and then I was invited along to the premiere of Little Heroes 2 - the campaign was being shown to the school where the filming had taken place, creating a congratulatory experience for all those who had taken part and helped. There were a couple of videos that were shown to everyone in the hall, and my images were hung around the hall for all to see. As I walked in, I was introduced to so many people, all of them knowing me by name, shaking my hand and telling me how they admired my work. My images were on the walls, with moms of the school kids offering praise. Charlies mom came to me at the end of the evening and told me how much she loved the image of her son, and that it had made her cry. I felt elated, and so proud of the accomplishments that I had made. These images and videos will be used to promote this campaign further and I look forward to seeing my images shared around.

This campaign is amazing, and I am so so happy that I decided to take part in it. Not only have I come away with invaluable experience and connections, I have also come away with a real sense of pride for myself.