This beautiful photo portrait of Waterloo Foodbank Manager, Rebekah Gibson @waterloofb was taken by Charlie Clift @charlieclift at the South London Warehouse in the summer, when he volunteered for us. It has now been nominated for a Taylor Wessing Photography Prize and can be viewed along with the other entrants at the virtual exhibition on npg.org.uk or Instagram @nationalportraitgallery
The gallery is not open until spring 2023 so the only way to see this exhibition will be online. The portrait really encapsulates what working at a foodbank has been like during the pandemic, i.e. no pause even to have a photo taken because the calls just don’t stop!
This is what Charlie says about his photograph:
“I photographed @gibson_bekah as part of a personal project documenting two food banks in London as they responded to Covid-19. When Britain was put into lockdown; businesses, livelihoods and the economy ground to a halt. Since then food banks across the nation have seen a dramatic surge in demand. My aim for the project was to highlight the vital work the staff and volunteers are doing and the struggles of the people they are supporting. This image was taken after I had tried for most of her shift, to get Rebekah to step aside from her duties so that I could photograph her. When she finally had a moment she kept receiving phone calls from the people the food bank supports. Because of the virus the food bank’s clients can no longer get the care and guidance by visiting in person, but staff like Rebekah are doing everything they can to still be there for them over the phone.”
To view Charlie’s Instagram post go to instagram.com
Congratulations and good luck Charlie!
