That time we made a documentary film

A Portrait of Walthamstow: Looking Back on Our Documentary Project

Back in 2014, my then-neighbour, Guy King, and I would often chat over the back fence — usually while hanging out the washing. Guy happens to be a documentary filmmaker, and me being a stills photographer, we’d often find ourselves talking about our latest projects.

I remember one particular conversation about portrait photography. I was telling Guy how fascinating it was that people would open up to me so quickly during a portrait session — sharing surprisingly intimate details about their lives, things you wouldn’t normally reveal to someone you’d just met five minutes ago. I loved that about portraiture, but I was also a little frustrated that my still images couldn’t fully capture those personal stories and emotions, unless I had some long winded caption. Filmmaking, on the other hand, seemed the perfect medium to do just that.

And that’s where the idea was born.

As if by fate, a small pot of community development funding became available to create short films that would premiere at the soon-to-open Scene cinema development in Walthamstow, London. We quickly put our heads together, drafted an application, and were thrilled to be among the successful applicants.

A couple of months later, our five day Pop-Up “Pound A Portrait” Studio was up and running — me taking the portraits, and Guy filming the process.

Here’s what we created… click below:

Why Share This Now?

Well, it’s been 11 years since we made that film and it first aired. Recently, we were invited to show it again as part of the Made in Walthamstow film screenings at the Trades Hall — an event celebrating films by and about Walthamstow and its filmmakers. What an honour to be asked! I was so excited (and a little nervous) to see it again, this time with an audience.

It had been a long time since I last watched the film, and I wondered: had it dated? Would the portraits still hold up? Would I cringe at any technical flaws or see things I could have done better? (You know what us ‘artists’ be like!)

But honestly, I didn’t feel any of that. It’s still a marvellous film — just as relevant now as it was then. People are people, and we’ll always be human: the laughter, the sadness, the love…

Watching it brought all the emotions flooding back as if it were yesterday. I’m so grateful — and proud — to have been part of such a wonderful project documenting the people of Walthamstow, my birthplace and my home.

I’m deeply grateful to everyone who stepped in front of my camera and to Guy for helping bring those stories to life on film.

I’d also like to thank:

• @E17Films – go check them out. Supporting creatives and emerging talents.
• Walthamstow Trades Hall, where the film was shown, and one of the great entertainment spaces we have in this part of London.
• Liza Fletcher and the Trades events team, who reached out to ask if we would show this again and made it happen.

Projects like this remind me why I fell in love with portrait photography in the first place — the chance to connect, to listen, and to capture something true about the person in front of me. If you’d like a portrait that tells your story, I’d be honoured to create it with you.

👉 Book a portrait session — let’s create something special together.