2008
This photography project was developed to support local people in Wester Ross who were experiencing mental ill health.
The project used digital photography as a means of teaching participants new skills, offering them new opportunities to meet different people and form new friendships, increase their confidence and boost their physical and mental wellbeing.
The project tutor was professional photographer and artist, Fin Macrae, who originally comes from Laide but is now living in Tain. Fin worked with the ‘Shot in the Dark’ participants setting fortnightly projects to challenge them and help them to learn new skills and techniques. This was then followed by open discussions about the results with all the participant’s critiquing each other’s work.
Other elements of the project included training in PhotoShop skills and setting commissions to give participants more experience of ‘commercial’ photography and a taste of life as a professional photographer.
The group was excited about their long awaited first exhibition, which was held in Gairloch Health Centre [in 20??] It was a small exhibition of work by participants from both the Gairloch and Ullapool ‘Shot in the Dark’ groups. Fin worked with the group for a year or so in various capacities and the exhibition was the outcome of a project they did called “Light & Shadow” which was also the title of the show.
Fin really wanted the participants to think as broadly as possible with this theme and several of the group produced some very personal work.
The ‘Shot in the Dark’ participants also produced a range of attractive greeting cards, featuring local scenes, with the aim of raising awareness of the project, reducing the stigma of mental ill health and raising vital funds for the continuation of the project.