Tabitha Biggs

Photography - BA (Hons)

I am a social documentary photographer based in Suffolk, England with an interest in portraying people, places and the way that they interact with each other. Focussing on themes of social class and identity, my previous photographic practice has an intimate and defined documentary aesthetic that aids my visual storytelling. Generating consistent work within small estate British communities has equipped me with the skills to quickly connect with the people I work with and capture the moments that speak the loudest. This allows me to create images with the intention of communicating in a candid and revealing way, providing an authentic look into the lives that they portray.

Above all, I am passionate about any opportunity that allows me to learn more about individual ways of life and create visuals that aid their representation and establish connection between others.

This multi-layered body of work examines generational ties to environment and the defining characteristics of small estate England. The images explore class identity, visual landscapes and the culture of staying where you grew up to work and raise your own children. I have combined family photographs with documentary shots of this estate to question what role the family album has regarding self-preservation and memory. My aim throughout was to create a lens that values the personal history of people that live long, complex lives in one place and often aren’t remembered outside of their own community. It also pays homage to the aspirations held by those in areas like this such as the importance of motherhood and creating large family structures, portraying these desires as valid.

It has been a personal journey navigating my own identity, how living here my entire life has impacted me and my family and how this may apply to many others in the same environment. Ordinary ways of life should be cherished and values. The photographs that live in the pages of our albums are the most valuable type of photography there is. Real moments and real people. Pure and genuine; a record of life and existence. Moments committed to film to prove that we were ever here at all.