Yesterday I had the great pleasure of meeting Justine Thornton, as she visited Cardiff supporting her husband, Ed Miliband and Cardiff parliamentary candidates Jo Stevens and Mari Williams. One of the real joys of working on election campaigns as a freelancer is having access to the all of the activity that goes on in the background and to document the atmosphere and emotion of everyone involved in the campaign.
The campaign trail isn’t the most glamorous place to be. There’s lots of jumping in and out of cars, running up and down streets, waiting around for things to happen and people to arrive and then rushing from one event to the next. Sleep is scarce on the short campaign.
Amongst all that are the party members and candidates who passionately believe in the values they are promoting and work tirelessly to engage with people and support their local communities. This side of politics is often not seen by the public. Photo opportunities come and go, launches, pledges and announcements make the front pages of newspapers but not all the work that goes on in between those key moments.
As a photographer I aim to do justice to all aspects of the campaign, including the people on the ground. I think it is hugely important to engage people in politics, and for everyone to have opportunities to make a difference in their area, by getting involved with community groups, political parties and by the very important act of voting.
