Photographer Newport - Newport Photographer!

$SCRIPT_NAME (string) = /index.php
$app_name (string) = callable
$sitename (string) = Webber Photo
$content_obj (object of type: Content) = {}
$content_id (string) = 20
$page_id (string) = newport-photography
$page_alias (string) = newport-photography
$lang (string) = en_US
$encoding (string) = utf-8
$lang_extra (string) = 
$lang_parent (string) = en
$lang_locale (string) = en_US
$lang_dir (string) = ltr
$mle_separator (string) = 
$langs (object of type: stdClass) = {
   ->0 (array) = [
      .id (string) = 1
      .name (string) = English
      .locale (string) = en_US
      .flag (string) = 
      .alias (string) = newport-photography
   ]
   ->1 (array) = [
      .id (string) = 2
      .name (string) = Cymraeg
      .locale (string) = en_CY
      .flag (string) = 
      .alias (string) = ffotograffydd-o-gasnewydd
   ]
}
$langs_count (integer) = 2
$actionid (string) = m86747
$actionparams (array) = [
   .category (string) = newport
   .module (string) = CGBlog
   .action (string) = default
]
$returnid (string) = 20
$actionmodule (string) = CGBlog
$mod (object of type: CGBlog) = {
   ._actionid (string) = m86747
   ._actionname (string) = default
   ._image_directories (NULL) = 
   ._current_action (NULL) = 
   ._errormsg (NULL) = 
   ._returnid (NULL) = 
}
$actionname (string) = default
$CGBlog (object of type: CGBlog) = {
   ._actionid (string) = m86747
   ._actionname (string) = default
   ._image_directories (NULL) = 
   ._current_action (NULL) = 
   ._errormsg (NULL) = 
   ._returnid (NULL) = 
}
$module (string) = CGBlog
$prevpage (string) = <
$firstpage (string) = <<
$nextpage (string) = >
$lastpage (string) = >>
$pagenumber (integer) = 1
$pagecount (integer) = 1
$oftext (string) = of
$pagetext (string) = Page
$itemcount (integer) = 4
$items (array) = [
   [0] (object of type: stdClass) = {
      .author (string) = admin
      .id (string) = 13
      .title (string) = Festival Faces
      .content (string) = 
The Maindee Festival is Newport's biggest annual festival and (almost) always the sun shines on the shiny happy people of the 'Port.
After a few years taking photographs on the festival field, and parade route, I decided to push myself a bit out of my comfort zone and set up a temporary studio in one of the festival marquees. I invited anyone who was interested to come in and have their photo taken… and people responded. Over about 4 hours I photographed almost 200 festival goers, hardly having time to breathe between one sitter or group leaving, and another stepping in front of the camera.
This experience really helped me to be able to think fast, and more importantly, to engage with a diverse range of people of all ages and backgrounds really quickly in order to get them relaxed for their photos.
This shoot was ultimately responsible for me changing tack a bit as a photographer, and focusing my personal photography work on portraiture of the people of Newport, and lead to my Newportraits and Welsh from Everywhere projects. 
{Gallery dir='People-Photography/Festival-Faces-1'}

      .summary (string) = 
I set up a free-for-all portraiture studio at Maindee Festival and got some great photos.

      .postdate (string) = 2021-11-03 16:14:00
      .url (string) = festival-faces
      .startdate (string) = 2021-11-03 16:14:00
      .enddate (NULL) = 
      .create_date (string) = 2021-11-03 16:24:49
      .modified_date (string) = 2021-11-03 16:24:49
      .file_location (string) = https://www.webber-photo.com/uploads/cgblog/id13
      ->categories (array) = [
         [0] (array) = [
            .id (string) = 1
            .name (string) = General
         ]
         [1] (array) = [
            .id (string) = 2
            .name (string) = newport
         ]
      ]
      ->categorylist (array) = [
         .0 (string) = 1
         .1 (string) = 2
      ]
      ->fields (array) = [
         .thumbnail (object of type: stdClass) = {
            .name (string) = thumbnail
            .type (string) = image
            .value (string) = tn-blog-festivalfaces.jpg
         }
      ]
      ->fieldsbyname (array) = [
         .thumbnail (object of type: stdClass) = {
            .name (string) = thumbnail
            .type (string) = image
            .value (string) = tn-blog-festivalfaces.jpg
         }
      ]
      .detail_url (string) = https://www.webber-photo.com/festival-faces
   }
   [1] (object of type: stdClass) = {
      .author (string) = admin
      .id (string) = 12
      .title (string) = Newportraits
      .content (string) = 
Not long after I moved back to Newport from London I finally started shooting photographic portraits seriously. Before that I shot portraits commercially when paid to, but my personal work was almost always of things — street art, buildings, landscapes — but not people. These 'things' didn't move, didn't get uncomfortable in front of the lens, didn't ask 'can you photoshop me?' In short, they were easy for me - getting photographs where the only person in the equation was me.
Soon after moving back to Newport I was commissioned to shoot some photos for the Maindee festival. This annual event is always a big, colourful, joyful day where the multi-cultural people of the port come out to enjoy a day in the sun (ok, so sometimes it rains, but hey, it's Wales!). I started out by just prowling, like a documentary photographer shooting people at a distance, but quickly realised that I'd prefer to engage with the people I was shooting. I started approaching people and asking to take their photos, got some great shots and that's where my passion for photographic portraiture began.
Since then I've shot hundreds of the good (and bad!) people of Newport at many events around the city. One of these projects was Newportraits, and here are some of my favourite shots from the sessions.
 

      .summary (string) = 
Newport-portraits… Newportraits (see what I did there!).  A collection of portraits taken over a couple of days at the Big Splash event in the Riverfront, almost 10 years ago.

      .postdate (string) = 2021-11-03 15:50:00
      .url (string) = newportraits
      .extra (string) = Newport photography, newportraits
      .startdate (string) = 2021-11-03 15:50:00
      .enddate (NULL) = 
      .create_date (string) = 2021-11-03 16:07:14
      .modified_date (string) = 2021-11-03 16:22:54
      .file_location (string) = https://www.webber-photo.com/uploads/cgblog/id12
      ->categories (array) = [
         [0] (array) = [
            .id (string) = 2
            .name (string) = newport
         ]
      ]
      ->categorylist (array) = [
         .0 (string) = 2
      ]
      ->fields (array) = [
         .thumbnail (object of type: stdClass) = {
            .name (string) = thumbnail
            .type (string) = image
            .value (string) = blog-newportrait-tn.jpg
         }
         .gallery (object of type: stdClass) = {
            .name (string) = gallery
            .type (string) = textarea
            .value (string) = 
{Gallery dir='People-Photography/Newportraits-1'}

         }
      ]
      ->fieldsbyname (array) = [
         .thumbnail (object of type: stdClass) = {
            .name (string) = thumbnail
            .type (string) = image
            .value (string) = blog-newportrait-tn.jpg
         }
         .gallery (object of type: stdClass) = {
            .name (string) = gallery
            .type (string) = textarea
            .value (string) = 
{Gallery dir='People-Photography/Newportraits-1'}

         }
      ]
      .detail_url (string) = https://www.webber-photo.com/newportraits
   }
   [2] (object of type: stdClass) = {
      .author (string) = admin
      .id (string) = 11
      .title (string) = Welsh From Everywhere Ffotogallery Commission
      .content (string) = 
Ffotogallery had already asked me to show some of my Welsh From Everywhere/Cymru o Bob Man project at this year's Diffusion 2021 Wales International Festival of Photography, but then also asked if I'd be interested in setting up a pop-up studio at the Phyllis Maud theatre in Pillgwenlly, Newport… and of course I was. Many of the portraits in the project so far came from the Maindee area of the city, but I'd never shot in Pillgwennly (Pill) before. Like Maindee, the Pill area is massively multicultural and has a rich history of welcoming newcomers to the city as the (once busiest in the world!) Newport docks are there which received ships from all corners of the globe.
The day started slowly, with little footfall in the area of the theatre. I had to approach quite a few people who politely declined before the local Imam volunteered to have his portrait taken first. Following the Imam's lead, the rest of the day brought a fairly steady stream of sitters who were happy to have their photos taken for the project.
I prefer not to hide behind the lens when I shoot these portraits — as the camera becomes a barrier to me connecting with the sitter. I'm not looking for poses! Instead I setup the camera on a tripod, position the sitter then just start chatting to them — asking questions and getting to hear their stories of the area. All the while I have the shutter release in my hand to take the photos in a non-intrusive way, while the sitters are (often) in full flow of a story; recollecting a fond memory, remembering a difficult time or just getting lost in the details of a story, which I'm really happy to listen to.
Over the course of the half day I took portraits of about 20 people, learned lots about the history of Pill, listened to loads of personal stories, and added even more countries to the growing list or 'Welsh From Everywhere' including Egypt, Pakistan, Korea and Romania.
The photos from this session are going on display in Barnabas Arts House in Pill on October 17, 2021, whilst my main 'Welsh From Everywhere / Cymry o Bob Man' exhibition is in the site of the old Tiger store at Friars Walk throughout October 2021. 
There's one shot of each of my sitters from the session, plus a bonus 4 shots of 82 year old Mike - born and bred in Pill. His face was just so expressive as he recounted tales of his younger days in the area that I couldn't just choose one.
 

      .summary (string) = 
In August 2021 I was commissioned by Ffotogallery to set up a pop-up portraiture studio at the Phyllis Maud Theatre in Pillgwenlly, Newport.

      .postdate (string) = 2021-10-04 11:02:00
      .url (string) = welsh-from-everywhere-ffotogallery-commission
      .startdate (string) = 2021-10-04 11:02:00
      .enddate (NULL) = 
      .create_date (string) = 2021-10-04 11:25:36
      .modified_date (string) = 2021-11-03 16:13:28
      .file_location (string) = https://www.webber-photo.com/uploads/cgblog/id11
      ->categories (array) = [
         [0] (array) = [
            .id (string) = 1
            .name (string) = General
         ]
         [1] (array) = [
            .id (string) = 2
            .name (string) = newport
         ]
      ]
      ->categorylist (array) = [
         .0 (string) = 1
         .1 (string) = 2
      ]
      ->fields (array) = [
         .thumbnail (object of type: stdClass) = {
            .name (string) = thumbnail
            .type (string) = image
            .value (string) = DiffusionTn.png
         }
         .gallery (object of type: stdClass) = {
            .name (string) = gallery
            .type (string) = textarea
            .value (string) = 
{Gallery dir='People-Photography/Diffusion-Portraits'}

         }
      ]
      ->fieldsbyname (array) = [
         .thumbnail (object of type: stdClass) = {
            .name (string) = thumbnail
            .type (string) = image
            .value (string) = DiffusionTn.png
         }
         .gallery (object of type: stdClass) = {
            .name (string) = gallery
            .type (string) = textarea
            .value (string) = 
{Gallery dir='People-Photography/Diffusion-Portraits'}

         }
      ]
      .detail_url (string) = https://www.webber-photo.com/welsh-from-everywhere-ffotogallery-commission
   }
   [3] (object of type: stdClass) = {
      .author (string) = admin
      .id (string) = 3
      .title (string) = Cymry o Bob Man / Welsh From Everywhere
      .content (string) = 
The Maindee area of Newport is incredibly ethnically diverse - and richer because of it. Children at the amazing Maindee Primary School have parents from around 30 different countries with almost as many languages spoken in their houses. 
Maindee's Community House is at the heart of this diverse area, and I've been working for and with them since I was knee high to a grasshopper, so what better place to set up my portable photographic studio and invite the locals to have their portraits taken. This is not the first time I've shot portraits at Community House, and it surely won't be the last either.
Welsh From Everywhere
The title for my project comes from Susan Lewis' poem 'I Love Maindee'. Sue is a trustee at Community House, and wrote the poem as part of the Epic Award Winning Maindee Stories project (from Marion Webber). 
These portraits were taken in autumn 2019, but there's more to come as soon as Coronavirus restrictions allow.
Jessica Morden, MP for Newport East (and who had her photo taken for the project) said:
"Rhys's wonderful portraits draw attention to the strength of Newport as a city - by emphasizing how welcoming our community is, and how much richer our culture is as a result. This is especially true of Maindee, where I live, and in Community House, Eton Road, where these portraits were taken. Here we welcome and celebrate the cultures of people from all backgrounds, making Wales a home for all"

      .summary (string) = 
In 2019 I started a new project called 'Cymry o Bob Man / Welsh from Everywhere', a photographic investigation into the ethnic diversity of Newport.

      .postdate (string) = 2021-06-23 15:14:00
      .url (string) = cymry-o-bob-man-welsh-from-everywhere
      .extra (string) = portraits, black and white photography, portrait photos
      .startdate (string) = 2021-06-23 15:14:00
      .enddate (NULL) = 
      .create_date (string) = 2021-06-23 16:00:02
      .modified_date (string) = 2021-11-03 15:47:15
      .file_location (string) = https://www.webber-photo.com/uploads/cgblog/id3
      ->categories (array) = [
         [0] (array) = [
            .id (string) = 1
            .name (string) = General
         ]
         [1] (array) = [
            .id (string) = 2
            .name (string) = newport
         ]
      ]
      ->categorylist (array) = [
         .0 (string) = 1
         .1 (string) = 2
      ]
      ->fields (array) = [
         .thumbnail (object of type: stdClass) = {
            .name (string) = thumbnail
            .type (string) = image
            .value (string) = tn-welshfromEverywhere.jpg
         }
         .gallery (object of type: stdClass) = {
            .name (string) = gallery
            .type (string) = textarea
            .value (string) = 
{Gallery dir='People-Photography/Welsh-From-Everywhere'}

         }
      ]
      ->fieldsbyname (array) = [
         .thumbnail (object of type: stdClass) = {
            .name (string) = thumbnail
            .type (string) = image
            .value (string) = tn-welshfromEverywhere.jpg
         }
         .gallery (object of type: stdClass) = {
            .name (string) = gallery
            .type (string) = textarea
            .value (string) = 
{Gallery dir='People-Photography/Welsh-From-Everywhere'}

         }
      ]
      .detail_url (string) = https://www.webber-photo.com/cymry-o-bob-man-welsh-from-everywhere
   }
]
$category_label (string) = Category:
$author_label (string) = Posted by:
$statusopts (array) = [
   .draft (string) = Draft
   .published (string) = Published
]
$param_category (string) = newport
$param_module (string) = CGBlog
$entry (object of type: stdClass) = {
   .author (string) = admin
   .id (string) = 3
   .title (string) = Cymry o Bob Man / Welsh From Everywhere
   .content (string) = 
The Maindee area of Newport is incredibly ethnically diverse - and richer because of it. Children at the amazing Maindee Primary School have parents from around 30 different countries with almost as many languages spoken in their houses. 
Maindee's Community House is at the heart of this diverse area, and I've been working for and with them since I was knee high to a grasshopper, so what better place to set up my portable photographic studio and invite the locals to have their portraits taken. This is not the first time I've shot portraits at Community House, and it surely won't be the last either.
Welsh From Everywhere
The title for my project comes from Susan Lewis' poem 'I Love Maindee'. Sue is a trustee at Community House, and wrote the poem as part of the Epic Award Winning Maindee Stories project (from Marion Webber). 
These portraits were taken in autumn 2019, but there's more to come as soon as Coronavirus restrictions allow.
Jessica Morden, MP for Newport East (and who had her photo taken for the project) said:
"Rhys's wonderful portraits draw attention to the strength of Newport as a city - by emphasizing how welcoming our community is, and how much richer our culture is as a result. This is especially true of Maindee, where I live, and in Community House, Eton Road, where these portraits were taken. Here we welcome and celebrate the cultures of people from all backgrounds, making Wales a home for all"

   .summary (string) = 
In 2019 I started a new project called 'Cymry o Bob Man / Welsh from Everywhere', a photographic investigation into the ethnic diversity of Newport.

   .postdate (string) = 2021-06-23 15:14:00
   .url (string) = cymry-o-bob-man-welsh-from-everywhere
   .extra (string) = portraits, black and white photography, portrait photos
   .startdate (string) = 2021-06-23 15:14:00
   .enddate (NULL) = 
   .create_date (string) = 2021-06-23 16:00:02
   .modified_date (string) = 2021-11-03 15:47:15
   .file_location (string) = https://www.webber-photo.com/uploads/cgblog/id3
   ->categories (array) = [
      [0] (array) = [
         .id (string) = 1
         .name (string) = General
      ]
      [1] (array) = [
         .id (string) = 2
         .name (string) = newport
      ]
   ]
   ->categorylist (array) = [
      .0 (string) = 1
      .1 (string) = 2
   ]
   ->fields (array) = [
      .thumbnail (object of type: stdClass) = {
         .name (string) = thumbnail
         .type (string) = image
         .value (string) = tn-welshfromEverywhere.jpg
      }
      .gallery (object of type: stdClass) = {
         .name (string) = gallery
         .type (string) = textarea
         .value (string) = 
{Gallery dir='People-Photography/Welsh-From-Everywhere'}

      }
   ]
   ->fieldsbyname (array) = [
      .thumbnail (object of type: stdClass) = {
         .name (string) = thumbnail
         .type (string) = image
         .value (string) = tn-welshfromEverywhere.jpg
      }
      .gallery (object of type: stdClass) = {
         .name (string) = gallery
         .type (string) = textarea
         .value (string) = 
{Gallery dir='People-Photography/Welsh-From-Everywhere'}

      }
   ]
   .detail_url (string) = https://www.webber-photo.com/cymry-o-bob-man-welsh-from-everywhere
}
$img (string) = https://www.webber-photo.com/uploads/cgblog/id3/tn-welshfromEverywhere.jpg