This Place, These People is an ongoing documentary portrait project celebrating the people who make Sunderland what it is. Through environmental portraiture and personal stories, the project explores the relationship between people and the places that have shaped their lives, identities and communities.

The project begins by spending time getting to know each participant through informal conversations, learning about their background, interests and connection to Sunderland. These conversations help inform the photographic approach, ensuring that each portrait is personal and authentic.

Rather than photographing people in a studio or against a neutral backdrop, each participant is photographed in a location that is meaningful to them. The environment becomes an integral part of the image, providing context and offering insight into who they are. Whether that place reflects their work, passions, memories or daily life, it plays an important role in telling their story.

Alongside each portrait is a written profile based on our conversations, allowing participants to tell their own story in their own words. The combination of image and text creates a richer narrative, encouraging viewers to look beyond first impressions and connect with the individual on a more personal level.

Photographically, I adopt a documentary approach, working primarily with natural light and allowing the participant and their surroundings to shape the final image. While each portrait is carefully considered, authenticity remains at the heart of the project, resulting in honest representations that celebrate both the individual and the city they call home.

This project has grown from my previous documentary series, Between Shouts, which explored the lives of Sunderland RNLI volunteers beyond emergency callouts. Through environmental portraiture and personal stories, the work demonstrated how photography can reveal the people behind familiar roles and meaningfully preserve their experiences. Following the publication of the accompanying photobook, This Place, These People expands that approach beyond a single organisation, opening the project to individuals from all walks of life whose stories collectively reflect the identity and character of Sunderland.

As the project grows, it aims to build a diverse visual archive of Sunderland and its people, documenting the individuals whose lives, work, creativity and experiences contribute to the city's character. Collectively, these portraits form a broader story about place, identity, community and belonging.

Ellie Clewlow. Paper artist based in Sunderland. March 2025, from the series, Behind the Art.

What is the aim of the project?

This Place, These People aims to create a lasting documentary record of the people who make Sunderland what it is. Every city is defined not just by its buildings and landmarks, but by the individuals who live, work, create, volunteer and contribute to its communities. This project seeks to celebrate those people and preserve their stories through portraiture and conversation.

Rather than focusing on public figures alone, the project embraces people from all walks of life. By documenting a wide range of experiences, it aims to build a visual archive that reflects the diversity, character and identity of Sunderland today.

Initially, the work will be shared through an evolving online gallery and social media platforms, allowing the project to grow organically while encouraging public engagement. However, the long-term ambition is for the project to exist beyond the digital space.

As the collection develops, the work has the potential to become a touring or permanent exhibition, a published photobook, an educational resource, or a community archive that future generations can revisit. It may also lead to collaborations with museums, galleries, libraries, heritage organisations and local cultural institutions, creating opportunities for the stories to reach wider audiences.

Ultimately, This Place, These People asks a simple question: who are the people that define Sunderland today? By preserving their portraits and stories now, the project becomes a record of the city's social history, and one that will become increasingly valuable with time. It isn't simply about making portraits; it's about creating a growing cultural archive that captures the identity of Sunderland through the lives of its people.