Celebrated portrait photographer Tom Oldham has launched his latest project, ‘The Hopefuls,’ aimed at addressing the widespread political disillusionment among first-time voters in the UK. This powerful project aims to capture portraits of candidates from across the whole political spectrum, including Faiza Shaheen (Independent), Gina Miller (True & Fair Party), Lois Perry (UKIP), and Arthur Pendragon (Independent), standing in their potential future constituencies.
In addition, Oldham asked every candidate a series of identical questions to get under the skin of who they are. With this initiative, Oldham hopes to combat voter apathy and restore faith in the democratic process by humanising the often faceless and distrusted political landscape, encouraging first time voters to register and get out to vote.
Oldham’s campaign shines a light on a critical issue: more than half of first-time voters (56%) do not believe there is a political party that truly represents them and 18% know who their local MP is. This sentiment is echoed across various demographics, underscoring a pervasive sense of disenfranchisement. Only 28% feel that there is a party that aligns with their views, highlighting a significant gap in political engagement and representation.
I caught up with Tom this week, on the eve of the 2024 UK General Election, to learn more.
What was the brief?
To create a project that would successfully encourage new voter registration and engagement with electoral candidacy.
How did the initial pitch/brainstorming phase go?
I’m a portrait photographer and needed to tackle this with an open and unbiased approach, so we had to find a route that was entirely democratic and without judgement. We batted around lots of ideas, but agreed maintaining trust, honesty and the integrity of the aesthetic as a constant throughout would make it work as a series that aided the brief.
We wanted to present the politicians as people of interest, worth investing time in to hear their viewpoints and for the viewers to decide that if they liked them, or if they said something that rang true to them, they should vote. And if they didn’t like them, they should also vote!
What was the process behind ideating the concept?
We agreed the portrait and video element balanced out harmoniously with each reinforcing the honesty and straightforward approach of the other. Straight down the lens, with everyone composed at the same focal length and distance from the camera, same aperture for the same look, in locations chosen by the candidates themselves without direction.
It’s anti-portrait photography in a way, focussing on the series as a whole and not as an individual portrait shoot, but I’m delighted with the fairness of the whole series when you zoom out.
What was the production process like?
Super producer Ruth Newton helped the intense level of logistics and communication required for a project like this – not helped by an unanticipated calling of the election at the shortest notice possible.
This really stepped up the production and we were all over England shooting sometimes 5 set ups each day. Exhausting but the best fun and me very much in my element.
What was the biggest challenge during production? How did you overcome it?
The biggest challenge was cost sadly. It’s entirely self-funded and crew fees, travel, hotels, web design, video editing, equipment purchase and hire are really expensive! Other than that, a four month timeframe being cut dramatically with the surprise announcement of the election.
We ultimately felt this was still incredibly important though, so we moved everything up and we’ve been travelling non-stop for the last few weeks to make sure we got these images.
What kit/tools/software were used to create the project?
Sony A7RV for the portraits, Sony FX3 for video. Rode mics, Gitzo tripod. Video software was Premiere, with Capture One and Photoshop for the portraits.
Plus a whole heap of Mail and PDFs!
What is one funny or notable thing that happened during production?
Exhaustion does tend to make fun things funnier but if you’re interviewing Mad Mike Young of the Monster Raving Loony Party or Count BinFace, you’re in for a great time.
What’s the main message of this project and why does it matter?
Not all politicians are the same, so investigate candidates and their core beliefs and vote. Whatever you do, vote. It really matters.
How long did it take from inception to delivery?
Eight months approximately, with vast periods of inaction, plus waiting for work commitments to be fulfilled.
Can you describe the creative spark or inspiration behind the initial concept? Was there a specific moment or insight that ignited the idea?
To be honest it was more a need to have to use my skills to contribute positively to the debate and to encourage more democracy to take place with more people.
That need then drove the discussion and The Hopefuls was the fruit!
How did you ensure that the concept aligned with the brand's values, goals, and target audience?
There wasn’t a brand involved as such but it needed to align with my own values, plus maintain a quality that was consistent with my own look and feel. We achieved this I hope.
Were there any alternative concepts or ideas considered during the ideation phase? If so, what led to the selection of the final concept?
No other ideas or concepts and even less time so we had to move on what was in front of us.
We locked into this look and aesthetic and then charted out our settings and maintained them throughout the series – which was surprisingly hard when often there was a better shot in front of us which we couldn’t utilise!
Can you discuss any collaborative or interdisciplinary aspects of the ideation process, such as working with other departments or external partners?
There are many stakeholders with a project like this but ultimately sign off came down to me and my own demands from the shoots. I chose to work with a flexible and creative team willing to put in a shift to achieve a consistent result from set ups with multiple variables in play at any one time.
What role did consumer research or market analysis play in shaping the concept and its execution?
We commissioned a survey of 2000 first time voters across the UK to make sure that what we were doing was targeted at the right people and would drive the impact we wanted. We also wanted to make sure that our assumptions about first time voter apathy and a feeling of not belonging to a particular party were correct.
Our commissioned research showed unsurprisingly that more than half of first time voters feel that no party represented them. Some of this is down to a general lack of trust in the major parties (42% trusted no political party) but incredibly - less than a fifth even know who their local MP is. That convinced us that what we were doing was not only important, but it really spurred us on to showcase candidates that encompassed the whole political spectrum.
Can you discuss any unique or unconventional production techniques or approaches used to bring the idea to life?
I shoot a lot of editorial and environmental portraits so luckily I’m very used to turning up at a location and locking in a composition that fulfils demand, but this was really stretched.
Happily The Hopefuls has always considered their locations prior to our arrival but finding the frame that was good for a portrait and motion created challenges around audio and lighting. PLUS THE WEATHER! But the energy felt with us and very few arrangements were challenged by the conditions.
How did you ensure that the concept remained innovative and stood out in a crowded marketplace?
That is the golden goose and very hard to analyse I’m afraid. Can I say experience tells you when something is worth pursuing? Everyone involved immediately knew this was a solid concept and the press attention has confirmed our time, efforts and resources were well spent.
What do you hope it achieves for the brand?
I’m the brand here. You can’t look at heartfelt personal work in that way I don’t think as if you only ever did work you felt would benefit you alone, you’d chase your own tail into a spin cycle.
I hope it encourages people to look at our politics and get involved because lots of the candidates we spoke with know they won’t win but believe in their democratic right to stand and be heard. I truly admire that and wish for this to inspire others to stand too.
Credit list for the work?
The Hopefuls was photographed by Tom Oldham
Casting and production by Ruth Newton
Lighting and filming by James Hole and Matt McQuillan
Press and PR by Braver and Shape History
Photo Post Production by Between Friends
Video editing by Arthur Harrison
Website design by 59deluxe
Tom Oldham Thursday last week, around noon
Thank you so much for sharing this! It's gone great and I appreciate you inviting the project onto your platform.