"As the largest pro lab in the UK, we see thousands of photographic images every day and this project from Maria has been our favourite one of 2013. The concept is truly original and the images are so vibrant and exciting to process - it has been a joy to work on."

 

 

 Art Work at the Vale

As a school we knew we wanted something exceptional to enhance our new building. We were very keen to commission some art work which would be unique to the school and would look modern and fresh.

Maria’s work suited us entirely. Her innovative approach to photography and her willingness to listen to our requirements made her ideal.  We knew we wanted our images to last for a long time so it was important to us that these photos were not the traditional full-face photos of children working.

The first steps were to ‘brainstorm’ what we wanted the message in the photos to be.  Staff worked in a focus group to come up with the values that we wanted the images to portray – such as teamwork and equality. We also wanted to showcase the wide and varied curriculum on offer at the Vale.

Once we had a list of ideas, we browsed the internet for images that inspired us; anything from a rugby scrum to a rainbow were brought along to the next meeting and we discussed how these images could be incorporated into the photographs.  Maria was quickly on board with our thoughts and we were able to make a list of props and locations which we wanted to include in the photo shoot.  Because of our wonderful  environment , between the sea and the downs, with Cissbury Ring always in sight, we also asked Maria to weave this landscape into the artwork.

Two photoshoots later, we had hundreds of wonderful images to choose from.  Choosing the images to use was a difficult task but we left the final decisions to Maria. We are thrilled with our stunning works of art and we know they will be enjoyed for a long time to come.