Nik Roche is a photographer currently studying documentary photography at the University of South Wales, he produces projects that tell peoples stories in an honest, and human approach. his work is intimate and influenced by social change as well as the effect institutions can have on an individual.
What first drew my attention to this project wasn't actually a photograph but a quote, 'advice to the young lock yourself in a bathroom see how long you can stay there then you will know if prison is for you' this intrigued me and made me want to know what the project was about. This project is based around recently released drug addicts in the tight knit community of Townhill, a small rural town built to aid the coal mining industry. I find it interesting as it shows you the other side of the passed out drug addicts you're too familiar with seeing slumped over in carparks and back alleys.
The image below is the opening photo, it shows a torn up green in front of a group of grey, monotonous looking housing estate with a singular yellow house in the centre. There is no detail in the sky making this a very bleak image apart from the single coloured house. I think this does an extremely good job at setting the mood for this project as its about outcasts in a town that is no longer useful.
This image also works well because it could reflect the situation these people are in, they're just out of prison, they haven't got much, yet they're trying to make something new and better for themselves but are stuck in a town that is long past its prime. it shows how the people here have been left and abandoned in what once would've been a town thriving on the coal industry just like they have been abandoned by the prison system, locked up and thrown back out with little hope of building a new life leading them right back into old habits, stuck in a cycle.
This next image shows a man sunbathing in the centre of the frame there is a table to the right of him with drinks, and smoking tins on. To the left of the frame you see the mans pet budgie trapped in a bird cage out in the sun and on the right of the frame you can see the arm of another person, also sunbathing but with a can of beer in their hand. This image was shot in natural light just after mid day which you can tell by the harshness and the angle of the shadows in the image.
I like this image because I find it amusing that he has brought his budgie, still in the cage, out to sunbathe with him. It could reflect how living in a small rural town can feel, like you're only getting a small slither of what the outside world can offer you. I find it interesting that he included the second mans arm in the image I think it could be used to show that there isn't anything to do here and all they can do is lounge around and drink beer in the sun, unable to get a job due to lack of them as well as their personal records and shows how easy it is to fall back into that life and why people like this get stuck in that cycle.
the next photo I have chosen to look at is of two bonfires on a small green overlooking the town, you can see the man who id assume set them standing to the left of the frame and looking at the town below him. The colours are a lot more saturated in this image, it is shot in natural light, there's a thin layer of clouds defusing the light from the sun and giving the image a soft feel.
The 2 bonfires initially caught my attention before leading my eye diagonally back across the frame to the man gazing off into the distance. This creates almost a calm feeling in the image despite the 2 huge fires the man seems peaceful.
This image was the last photo of this series shown on his website and I think this is done to show the subject reflecting on something, either his life now or the things he's done. I think this image captures an intimate moment for this man, there's large fires not too far from him but he looks detached from the moment.
images © Nik Roche - the budgie died instantly
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