Free community photography workshops for the residents of Fair Oak & Horton Heath with professional photographer, Simon Bray.

Across Thursday mornings this November (5th, 12th, 19th and 26th - 2026), join professional photographer and artist Simon Bray for a series of free, friendly photography workshops exploring the places, people and stories of your local area.

The workshops will focus on how photography can create opportunities for people to share their perspectives and experiences on living in the local area, and the sense of home that it provides.

Learn new photography and digital camera techniques including the basics of exposure and composition

Explore how to use photography to document your local area and create a portrait of your community through different methodologies such as Photovoice.

Consider the past, present and future context of your local area

Contribute to an upcoming local exhibition

Share your existing photographs and memories of the area

All abilities welcome — no previous experience of photography needed

Digital cameras are provided but you are welcome to bring your own.

Refreshments included

Book your free place, by clicking on the orange 'Check Availability' button above.

Thur 5th Nov: 10-13.00

Thur 12th Nov: 10-13.00

Thur 19th Nov: 10-13.00

Thur 26th Nov: 10-13.00

(Please book for all of the sessions that you are able to attend. To get the most out of the workshops ideally you would be able to attend all four sessions, but you are also able to book individual sessions to suit your availability.)

About Simon Bray

Born and raised in central Hampshire, Simon Bray is an artist, who now lives in Winchester. His work combines photography, text, music and audio to explore experiences of place, time, loss and our connections with one another.

Simon’s work has been exhibited at venues and festivals including the Southbank Centre, Manchester International Festival, Open Eye Gallery, Brighton Photo Biennial, Sheffield Museum and Wales Millennium Centre, and has been featured by The Guardian, The Washington Post, British Journal of Photography and BBC One.

Workshop Research, Approach and Context

These free photography workshops are part as part of Simon’s PhD research at Winchester School of Art, University of Southampton, which explores how photography as a medium to engage communities in a sense of place and home, particular in relation to the new One Horton Heath development.

In taking part in the workshops, you are agreeing for the process and outcomes of the workshops to be used for research purposes, which means the material generated at the workshops will inform Simon’s thinking about how photography can articulate a sense of place and home, particularly in light of the One Horton Heath development and its influence on people's understanding of the place and the ongoing change in the area.

Material generated during the workshops will also be used for a forthcoming local exhibition which you will be invited to attend.

The workshops will employ the ‘Photovoice’ research methodology, which will allow for collective reflection on images and writing supporting captions. Opportunities for creating portraits will also be provided and participants will also be invited to engage in photo walking interviews. After the workshop a short survey of your experience of the workshop.

All aspects of the workshops are voluntary, and you can also drop out of the research at any time.

For full details on the process and how any information collected during the workshops will be used please go here: Participant Information Sheet - Photography Workshops.pdf (https://sotonac-my.sharepoint.com/:b:/g/personal/sjb1g25_soton_ac_uk/IQAMMYrs55MXSojKX_Swgm8_AQuafPCM4tWcIqVz3QM7kXE?e=80KgwB)

Consent forms relating to the material gather and its use, will be collected on the day. Example of which can be found here: Consent Form.pdf (https://sotonac-my.sharepoint.com/:b:/g/personal/sjb1g25_soton_ac_uk/IQDTYByMi3yKTpGTYQ2W09EiASwwGzFw7tRysDZsNNJ0NZU?e=HF25Jt)

This research is supported by Eastleigh Borough Council and John Hansard Gallery, Southampton. Outcomes of the workshops will inform an exhibition, that will be held in the local area.

Description supplied by the event organiser.