I’ve been taking pictures for as long as I can remember. In 2008, I started some cognitive behavioural therapy to deal with panic attacks brought on by anxiety at work. My therapist, Richard Longmore, taught me to grab a comforting object to help pull me out of the quicksand when a panic attack would start to swallow me up. I chose my Saint Patrick statuette, given to me at my First Holy Communion. Richard’s therapy helped me understand that the stress I’d been feeling was brought on by seeing my commercial creative efforts derailed by committee. He suggested I leave therapy and find a creative outlet that would be just for me. I took a night course in film photography at Central Saint Martin’s – standing on my own with the help of St Paddy. Since then, I’ve carried my Pentax K1000 with me wherever I go. Photography has become a calm, serotonin-inducing love affair. Here are the results of over 10 years of near-constant snapping. I dedicate it to my trio of saints: Paddy, Martin and Richard. Especially Richard. Thank you. Rest in peace.
Photograph by Katie Hammond