Sam found his passion for photography photographing D.I.Y punk gigs in pub basements around his home town of Sheffield. Sam’s approach to photography is about story telling, creating connections with both people and places and finding beauty in the overlooked and everyday.
He documents his experiences in a considered, stylised, colourful and tangible way, for personal, editorial and commissioned projects. Sam’s work always centres around beautiful light, whether natural or recreated.
Sams work has been recognised by respected awards and galleries including: The NPG, D&AD Awards, Lürzer's Archive, Creative Review, Its Nice That, Palm Studios
I was first drawn to photograph this community after hearing about a relative who was from Irish Traveller heritage but denounced her heritage and past when she married. Although I have never lived this life, I had a strong interest and wanted to learn more about the community.
My first port of call was Appleby horse fair, one of the largest and oldest meets in the Gypsy and Traveller calendar. Before I went to the fair, I had my first encounters with prejudice as multiple people advised against attending the fair. What I found when I was there was that I was welcomed by families with warm hearts, met people full of passion, and discovered a strong resilience towards a way of life that is becoming harder to maintain each day.
It was very clear that many people have misunderstood Travellers and Gypsies, and I was shocked by the open prejudice towards this community. I wanted to tell the real story of the people I met and counter the misrepresentative media portrayal.
Over two years, I've immersed myself in this world, travelling to horse fairs across the UK and Ireland, conducting interviews, carrying out research, meeting inspiring people and documenting my experiences through photography and film.
As mounting challenges threaten the Traveller and Gypsy communities, I believe it's time for a positive change in attitudes, and I hope this project contributes to that shift.