The new exhibition launched on October 11 at the GK Gallery, and showcases the colours and textures of street photography.
Photo credit: Maria Panagiotidi
After being fascinated since she was a child, Maria Panagiotidi only found the courage to pick up a camera and start taking photographs 6 months ago. She started as a way to combat stress and anxiety, and over the months has built up her confidence, from taking pictures of shadows and reflections to photographing people.
“I’m on the spectrum, which does influence the way I see the world when it comes to photography. I tend to focus a lot on details and colours, which you can see in the pictures of buses; the textures and the colour element are quite strong,” she said.
“You’re aware of the person, but you don’t clearly see the person, you see the details surrounding them.”
In her exhibition, Maria focuses on street photography, also known as candid photography, capturing people in their day to day lives, with many of her images displaying passerby on buses or empty streets.
When she isn’t photographing, Maria has a full time job as a lecturer in Psychology at the University of Salford. So, having her work in a gallery just down the road from her profession is something Maria finds surreal.
“I ended up in academia, but arts was always my passion. But, because of the high risk, I didn’t have the guts to pursue it, so now I have nothing to lose, I can just enjoy it.”
Alongside Maria, works from Heather Greenbank are also on show. Her ‘ The Mindful Photographer’ exhibit focuses on the unnoticed sights around us, with each image giving a new perspective on something a passerby would take for granted.
Both exhibitions will be on show for free upstairs at the GK Gallery until the October 21.
For more information on GK Gallery and their exhibitions, check out their website.
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