As a commercial photographer in Ipswich, some evenings stay with you. The Midnight Walk 2016 for St Elizabeth Hospice was one of them. For the second year running I worked alongside Phil Smith and Charlie Mann of Photographyby, which made a good night even better.
Held at the Town football ground in the middle of Ipswich, the walk always has a real buzz. This year drew more than 2,000 participants, all in bright neon. As night fell the floodlights threw long shadows across the ground while the neon-clad walkers lit up the scene. For a photographer, it was a gift.
The participants split into two groups, the 5-mile walkers and the 10-mile walkers. Despite the different distances, they left through the main gate together, and their shared sense of purpose was plain to see. Photographing an event like this in Ipswich is a pleasure: the community spirit, the laughter, the quiet understanding that everyone is there for something bigger than themselves.
By setting up in the middle of the main gate as the walkers set off, I framed some of my favourite shots of the night. They caught the spirit of the event and the individual faces that made it. It is demanding work, part technical, part reading people, and all the more rewarding for it.
The real reward, though, was being part of an evening built on such a strong sense of community, and I hope to be asked back next year.
If you would like a copy of any photograph taken by Phil Smith, Charlie Mann or me, they are available through Photographyby. You can also see the full set I took on my Facebook page. Do tag yourself if you spot a familiar face among the neon.
Two years in, I can say the Midnight Walk sums up why Ipswich is such a good place to live and work. Capturing moments like these is exactly the kind of commercial photography I love, and a reminder of how much a single well-made photograph can mean, both to the people in the frame and to those who see it later.
