People Who Show Up is an ongoing body of documentary work about people coming together to stand up for something they believe in, and their freedom to express it.
I'm not affiliated with any of the political parties, organisations or campaigns I photograph. I'm there because I'm interested in the people who come out and show up — what brings them there, the atmosphere around them, and the moments that happen when people gather together.
I'm not there to tell people what to think, or to speak on their behalf. I'm simply interested in being there, looking, and photographing what I see.
Some of the causes will be familiar to me, some I may know very little about, and I won't necessarily agree with everything being said or represented. That's not really the point for me. What interests me is the fact that people are willing to come out, stand together and make their voices heard.
The work has grown from my own increasing interest in documentary photography and in paying more attention to the world around me. Each demonstration becomes its own collection of photographs, and where the work develops far enough, I bring it together as a publication.
It's an ongoing project, and one that I expect will continue to grow as I keep showing up.
I'm currently based in the UK, but I'd like to take the project further afield. I'm interested in photographing demonstrations and gatherings in other countries, meeting people and experiencing how people come together to express what matters to them.