Meet Emily: Capturing The Creative Community Through Photography

My name is Emily James, I’m 18 and I live on the Bates Estate in north Brighton. I enjoy being involved in my local community and, outside of work, I love spending my free time doing art and other creative activities.

I’ve been working with East Brighton Trust on a short-term contract, supporting the team with marketing content and media. This includes taking photographs at events, writing about them and helping to share the stories and experiences of the people involved.

I’m also working alongside Donna James with the Bates Estate community, helping to bring people together and make the area an even better place to live. Being involved in the community is really important to me, and I love seeing how events and activities can create connections between people.

I recently qualified with an NVQ Level 3 in Childcare and also studied photography at college for five months. Photography is something I’m really passionate about, particularly the ability to capture genuine emotions and reactions in a moment. For me, it’s about more than simply taking a good photograph – it’s about capturing how people are feeling and telling a story through an image.

Two events I’ve particularly loved photographing with East Brighton Trust were AudioActive: Truth to Power, where young people used music and storytelling to express themselves, and Culture Shift x Writers Block, where people turned their experiences and ideas into poetry and spoken word.

I really enjoyed photographing both events because they showed how creativity can bring people together. Whether it’s through music, photography, poetry or storytelling, there’s something powerful about giving people the opportunity to express themselves and for others to listen, connect and share those experiences.

I’d like to say a big thank you to East Brighton Trust for giving me this opportunity. I’m really looking forward to capturing more of these moments – and the music, emotion and connections that come with them.

Emily