My photo exhibition

Here is a portrait I took of Gerry Loney for the homeless charity The Passage. Gerry has raised more than £10,000 for them.

A large print was exhibited at the SW1 Gallery between the 19th and the 29th of January 2011 and more than 250 people saw it on the opening night alone. It was part of an exhibition called Thirty By Thirty. The exhibition marked the 30th anniversary of The Passage and involved 30 photographers shooting 30 portraits. Subjects included clients, colleagues and donors, including Cherie Blair, Rory Bremner, Sir Stuart Rose, John Varley, the Housing Minister Grant Shapps and Archbishop Vincent Nichols to name a few.

I was really touched to see that my portrait of Gerry had also been used by the art gallery as the promotional poster for the event and had been put up on the windows of the gallery and elsewhere around London.

Each photographer invited to take part was to conceptulise their portrait however they wanted, so long as it included the subject and a reference to the 30 years of The Passage. This could be anything from having a subject standing under a 30 mile an hour sign to a 30 second exposure etc. I decided to go with a simple, clean traditional portrait and have the “30″ carved in wood for Gerry to hold. I chose the typeface and ordered them from a wood carving company on the Isle of Wight. When the wooden letters arrived, I sprayed them red and asked Gerry to wear some colours that would compliment this.

I chose this shot because I think the overall portrait tells a story. The vibrant 30 is a clear reference to the celebration and success the charity has enjoyed during its 30 years. Gerry’s face, however, contains a more sombre expression, which is visible the more and the closer you look; a stark reminder of the seriousness of being homeless.

Venue: SW1 Gallery, 12 Cardinal Walk, Cardinal Place (off Victoria Street), London SW1E 5JE

To see more of my photography visit siwaller.com
Big thanks to 85four