Having loved this series I saw on Instagram by @joneillj that keeps growing in popularity, I wanted to share this with my audience. Finding out about the creator of People In Pompey, I wanted to know why the photographer set it up and what he hopes to get out of the series.
About The Photographer
When you have to do a lot of social media for your business, you find yourself scrolling through reels but when I encountered a photographer in the city that was approaching strangers and working on a street photography style, it made me stop in my tracks. I wanted to watch the reel right to the end to see the interaction with the stranger. To me, it was the most genuine reel I had seen in such a long time so I found myself on a mission to meet the photographer behind the lens.
Jamie O’Neill is 22 and loved photography all through school. He started out taking landscape photographs after college and when the pandemic hit, he wanted to look at street photography. Having decided to use candid style photography, Jamie felt this was a good path for him to take.
Candid photography captures people naturally where their expressions are genuine which is hard to reproduce in a studio or posed photo shoot. This style of photography is most often used to capture people in their natural state without them noticing the camera. Being an introvert, Jamie found that candid photography worked well for him and he loved doing this style as it meant he could snap away without approaching people in the street.
His Story
Jamie found himself suffering from social anxiety and it hit a real high during the pandemic. Focussing on street photography and having a purpose of capturing the lockdowns as they happened, helped him as he finds photography a great way to distract his anxiety and was at the time a soothing hobby. Speaking of that time, he said, “Some of my very best work came in the lockdowns because it had that narrative and documented a real-life thing that had never happened before. After the lockdowns died down, I found myself finding a new narrative.”
A couple of years went by and the creative was trying to find a purpose in his photos. He went travelling and found more confidence in talking to people. When the photographer came home, he then got more into street photography. There has been a real trend and growth in street photography across the UK and other countries.
His first video was of a local protester at Guildhall Square. On that day, he photographed a few people and gained more confidence. My favourite out of the whole series is PT26 where Jamie meets Rosie as I just feel he captures her beautifully.
About The Series
Chatting to Jamie about the series, he said, “I like having a conversation with the photo subject and finding out more about their story. I like adding depth to the story so it isn’t just a photograph. I started the mini-series in December and have been blown away by the response and the impact it has had.
I mainly photograph on Commercial Road as there is an energy there. There is always something happening. I always walk up and down Commercial Road and think the fountains always have interesting characters like buskers etc. I find on a Saturday in the Summer, there’s always so many cool interesting people to feature. I feel there is always a place like that in every city. Everyone gravitates around the area of Commercial Road whether it be someone wearing something vibrant or a musician or busker having fun attracting people’s attention.”
Jamie said that by chatting to strangers he has seen a real love of the city and how proud people are of Pompey and sees that as a real positive thing for the area. He said he wants to see more growth for young people in the creative fields and would like more help for young artists who are just starting out.
The Future
When Jamie started the series he didn’t intend it to be as big as it is now. He wanted to smash the idea that this is a rough place and wanted to show there is positivity here in the city. Achieving these goals of promoting hope and positive vibes has been high on the list but also he doesn’t want to become too repetitive. Looking at showcasing the environment of the city is something Jamie is interested in and he has ideas for exploring other projects.
Speaking of the future, Jamie said, “I want to do community stuff and work with galleries and other photographers in the city. My passion is to inspire the youth to do more with photography. In school, I found it hard to be creative as I was given a set brief and I felt I couldn’t express my creativity. I would like to help other younger photographers get through those struggles and see they can do their own creative thing away from a set brief.”
Jamie O’Neill is currently a freelance photographer and works on many projects in the city and further afield.
