Posted on 9th Oct
PORTRAITS of veterans from across the UK are going on show in Newark this November for a Remembrance photography exhibition that will celebrate and reflect on the extraordinary stories of those who served in the Armed Forces.
A collaboration between Newark-based specialist car discount service Motorfinity, former Royal Air Force photographer Paul Saxby, and Nottinghamshire County Council, Paying it Forward – a Veteran’s Story will honour the memories of UK veterans through photography.
Located at The Buttermarket, the free exhibition will run from 5th to 14th November. A private preview event will launch the exhibition on Tuesday, 5th November, hosted by Nottinghamshire County Council Armed Forces champion Coun Keith Girling.
The exhibition will display portraits of veterans, shot by Paul, with subjects including a former BBC presenter, a former Red Arrows pilot, and a 99-year-old D-Day veteran. A QR code will accompany each photograph which, when scanned, takes the viewer to a recorded interview of each person.
Created with the ethos of ‘paying it forward’, every portrait was created for free with each subject able to keep the professionally shot and printed image.
Daniel Briggs, chief executive at Motorfinity, said: “Whether they served 70 years ago or seven months ago, it’s so important to highlight the sacrifice and commitment of our Armed Forces. We work with veterans every day, so we share Paul’s passion for telling their stories and we’re so pleased to join forces with him, alongside Nottinghamshire County Council, to put together this exhibition that shines a light on just that.
“Although it’s based in Nottinghamshire, the stories told in this exhibition reach across the UK and we hope to attract anyone who wishes to get a deeper understanding into the community and offer their appreciation at such a prominent time of year.”
Paul added: “As a veteran myself, this project is very close to my heart and I wanted to give something back to the community, by capturing their personality and creating a platform to share people’s voices.
My priority is to create images that evoke a feeling. I’m not about creating ‘happy snaps’; the images must be meaningful and tell a story.”
