His first child was born in 1978 and he says, \u2018like most parents, you start taking pictures of your kids. I went from the classic route \u2013 from Prakticas to Zenit, Olympus Trip \u2013 that sort of stuff. I did a bit of darkroom, but I was really very amateurish. I ruined lots; it didn\u2019t survive my butchery.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n Chris says he was inspired by the likes of Picture Post<\/em>, Bert Hardy, LIFE<\/em> magazine, Don McCullin and Larry Burrows’ Vietnam photographs. He adds, \u2018One of the books that really inspired me, I\u2019d recommend it to anyone, was Harold Evans\u2019 Pictures on a Page<\/strong>, which is incredible. It\u2019s still useful because it has 100 to 150 years of iconic press photography and how those pictures were used or abused. I learnt a lot from that\u2026 the basis of cropping and the difference that cropping can make to a picture was useful. But, other than that, I mainly just wandered around aimlessly on my own snapping\u2026 and that\u2019s what I do today as well.\u2019\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n What has become his Reunions portrait project dates back to 1980 and originally went up to \u2018about \u201985 or \u201886\u2019<\/em>, during which times he \u2018just wandered around the streets of Peterborough with my camera. It was always about the people. I regret that in some respects because I realise now that the backgrounds and buildings are so important, and you get very nostalgic about it. I was maybe a bit shy, so it was maybe more often with a telephoto lens and shooting the backs of people and then I changed completely and now it\u2019s a wide-angle lens and get it all in.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n\t\t Mark Court, left, and his brother Matt eating chips in 1980 while their mother shopped in Bridge Street, Peterborough. \u00a9 Chris Porsz<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t Mark Court, left, and his brother Matt pictured eating chips in April 2021. The brothers went to school with Chris Porsz\u2019s children and now live in Birmingham. \u00a9 Chris Porsz<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n He shot images of local people in Peterborough town centre, on a railway platform, inside and outside shops, buying ice cream, on streets and at various outdoor venues, such as funfairs. But the arrival of children, and a busy career as a paramedic, put his photography on hold for almost 25 years.<\/p>\n He admits he, \u2018sort of fell out of love with photography\u2019<\/em>, but his passion was rekindled in 2009 when he sent some if his images of Peterborough in the 1980s to the local paper, the Peterborough Evening Telegraph<\/em>. Chris reveals, \u2018amazingly, they loved them and they gave me a column \u2013 Paramedic Paparazzo<\/strong>.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n Some local people started recognising themselves in the published pictures and Chris had his \u2018lightbulb moment\u2019<\/em>, when he asked himself \u2018perhaps I can find them?\u2019<\/em> That long search began in 2009 and over the next five years he tracked down the same people, often via social media. When possible, he photographed in the exact same locations and poses that he\u2019d original shot them in decades earlier. The work was published in the 2016 book Reunions<\/em>, but that was far from the end of the matter\u2026<\/p>\n\t\t Lollipop lady Gloria Steele sees (from left to right) Mazia Ahmad, Gulfraz Umar (nee Malik) and Tanya Porter across the road at Queen’s Drive School, Peterborough, 1984. \u00a9 Chris Porsz<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t Former lollipop lady Gloria Steele (wearing Tracy Hutchings’s, far right, uniform) sees (from left to right) Mazia Ahmad, Gulfraz Umar (nee Malik) and Tanya Porter across the road at Queen’s Drive School, Peterborough, September 2020. \u00a9 Chris Porsz<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n Chris decided to continue with more Reunions. He explains, \u2018What really got me going again was digital. The fact that you could instantly see your images and you could take as many as you want, really got me going again. Fortunately, I took pictures of a lot of the youngsters \u2013 it would be frowned upon now \u2013 but back then that\u2019s what people did. A lot of the older people have died now, so [if I\u2019d just photographed them] I wouldn’t have a book. So, it was good that I took [pictures of] the youngsters.\u2019\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n After retiring as a paramedic in late 2020, Chris took the time to put together a second book \u2013 Reunions 2<\/em> \u2013 as the first book had left quite a few people still to be re-photographed. By this time his journey through cameras had taken him from that Kodak Instamatic camera to the Canon EOS 5D Mark III with a 24-70mm zoom lens. He admits, \u2018I also wanted to bring those 1980s mono pictures alive to a certain extent.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n He talks us through his equipment journey and says, \u2018I started with a Kodak Instamatic, then it was a Zenith \u2013 they were solid cameras \u2013 and a Praktica. Then it was an Olympus Trip and a Canon AE-1. That was about it back then. It was the standard lens and sometimes a telephoto lens. I also had a wide-angle lens back then. I realised with a telephoto lens I was sometimes blurring out backgrounds. But I\u2019ve now changed my style and it\u2019s very much taken with [Robert] Capa\u2019s quote in mind, \u201cif your photograph\u2019s not good enough, then you\u2019re not close enough.\u201d So, I went through the Canon Ds \u2013 the 60D and 70D and then I went for the 5D Mark III. Now it\u2019s almost exclusively with the 24-70mm lens, which I tend to keep fairly much on the wide-angle end.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n\t\t Flake, ice cream and crockery – six-year-old Alli Winter at Peterborough market, 1983. \u00a9 Chris Porsz<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t Alli Winter in April 2021 with props provided by the Salvation Army superstore, Long Causeway, Peterborough. Alli’s mother had spotted the original photo on Facebook. \u00a9 Chris Porsz<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n Chris adds, \u2018I try to keep it simple because I\u2019m not very technical. I absolutely have to make sure I have a fast shutter speed and a good depth-of-field. Sometimes I will, literally, shoot from the chest because I don\u2019t want to waste time putting it up to my eye in case I might miss the moment. Maybe I\u2019m constantly searching for a “Cartier-Bresson Decisive Moment”. I think he said your first 10,000 pictures are your worst and that\u2019s true.’ <\/em><\/p>\n He continues, ‘I got a compact camera so I\u2019d not have to carry all the heavy gear round and it would make me less conspicuous. But I found it a bit fiddly and a bit slow in focusing. When I\u2019ve got an SLR I know I\u2019ve taken a picture and I get round that problem of conspicuousness by playing the sort of \u201clost tourist\u201d and just wandering around and being part of the scenery. The camera is obviously important, but it is all about putting the miles in and taking lots of pictures.\u2019\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Chris cites some of his favourite images as including a hospital porter, called Paul Smith, who originally stood by a Ford cortina car but decided to wear a bright blue suit for his Reunion shoot. It suited Paul’s personality as he is now a gregarious DJ on local community radio.<\/p>\n\t\t Paul Smith with his Ford Cortina in Cobden Street, Peterborough, 1980. \u00a9 Chris Porsz<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t Paul Smith, 41 years later in 2021. Smith is now a DJ on Peterborough Community Radio. \u00a9 Chris Porsz<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n Although he couldn\u2019t trace a man for the original 2016 Reunions<\/em> book, Chris later managed to track down the dapper commuter who he\u2019d photographed in front of a billboard advertisement for The Times<\/em> newspaper on Peterborough railway station\u2019s platform. The man, Bernard Norman, turned out to be the former chief executive of the now defunct travel company Thomas Cook, who, every Monday morning, would take a train to Heathrow, fly to the US on Concorde and be back in Peterborough by Wednesday. Rather than risking trying to get permission to photograph a donkey on the platform of Peterborough railway station, the Reunions 2 shoot, with a now retired Bernard Norman, involved a farm location, five donkeys and lots of carrots!<\/p>\n Chris recalls, \u2018I took one picture [of Bernard Norman] back then and with digital I probably took 100. I knew I wanted that picture where the donkey almost dislocates its jaw, like that original cartoon [advert] picture. It\u2019s funny, I\u2019ve got a terrible memory but I remember most of the pictures I took back then and I remember being on that station composing and thinking, \u201cright, I must get his head in those jaws\u201d, so it was just right.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n\t\t The then director of retail operations at Thomas Cook, and later CEO, Bernard Norman, waiting for a train at Peterborough railway station in 1981. \u00a9 Chris Porsz<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t In July 2021, a retired Bernard Norman reads The Times<\/em> with a donkey and carrot behind him. \u00a9 Chris Porsz<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n Chris would share some of his original 1980s images on social media and either the actual people would recognise themselves or those close to them, usually relatives, would reply. In fact, many of those he had photographed and then re-photographed decades later have become friends. He reveals, \u2018That\u2019s the other nice thing. These were mostly completely random strangers. I mean Peterborough is not a massive place \u2013 it\u2019s about 200,000 people. I think this [project] would be quite hard to do in a big, sprawling city centre, like London. So, that helped and often people either tend to stay or come back [to Peterborough]. It\u2019s actually great for street photography. So, during this process, they absolutely become good friends. It was almost like a Reunion for me as well!\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n For Reunions 2<\/em>, Chris explains, \u2018I went through my terrible filing system and I pulled out about 300 pictures that were people I couldn\u2019t find last time. I was a bit obsessive and I wouldn\u2019t take \u201cno\u201d for an answer because people were very often reluctant and were camera shy. There was a lot of persuasion and cajoling. But I had this unshakeable belief that this project was unique.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n He adds, \u2018For example, there is a picture of Mr. Gino with his ice cream van and there\u2019s a little Asian girl buying an ice cream. For the first book I couldn\u2019t find her, but the second time round we did. We got an ice cream van back to exactly the same location and it was like a second bite at the cherry, so that was good.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n\t\t Ice cream seller Genesio Borrillo (aka Mr. Gino) pictured serving Zahida Parveen, 1980. \u00a9 Chris Porsz<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t Former ice cream seller Genesio Borrillo pictured serving Zahida Parveen at a borrowed ice cream van, May 2021. Borrillo now runs a pasta shop in Peterborough with his family. \u00a9 Chris Porsz<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n He eventually shot 168 Reunions for his second book and had to stop in order to get it published. He reveals \u2018when I retired I had more time. It was 18-hour days at the computer [editing]. What kept me going was this unshakeable belief that this is important. I\u2019m a great believer, like in photography, in seizing the moment while you can.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n Chris admits it was tricky to edit down the photographs. \u2018I\u2019m not very technical. It\u2019s important to have a decent camera but it\u2019s equally important to put the miles in, take lots of pictures, learn and to always have your camera with you at the right settings. I can do a bit of Photoshop. I\u2019m not very good at it but I use the Canon Digital Professional software. For example, I only discovered RAW two or three years ago. The medical photographer at the hospital said, \u201cChris, you\u2019ve got to get RAW,\u201d and I learnt the advantage of it.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n\t\t Friends Angela Baxendell (nee Leask, left) and Beverley Barkley (nee Knight, right) waiting to catch a bus outside Craig’s Estate Agents in Broadway, Peterborough, 1981. \u00a9 Chris Porsz<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t Friends Angela Baxendell (left) and Beverley Barkley (right) met for the first time in 32 years for a Reunions photo shoot in August 2020. \u00a9 Chris Porsz<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n Chris has ended up with a fascinating, unique look into Peterborough\u2019s places and people over a 40-year plus period and says, \u2018On the whole, I was fairly satisfied. There were about 20 or 30 I would have liked to have shot again, that didn\u2019t happen. But, on the whole, the successes made up for all of those disappointments.\u2019\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n As to the success of his Reunions<\/em> projects, which have featured in major publications in the UK and beyond, Chris explains, \u2018It\u2019s the emotional aspect. People ask is \u201cwhy has it been so popular throughout the world?\u201d I think it\u2019s because the location is almost incidental. It\u2019s the concept that here are complete strangers\u2026 I had nobody\u2019s details. If I\u2018d taken details it would have been a lot easier, but I didn\u2019t because I didn\u2019t know what I was doing. I had no idea and I didn\u2019t have the foresight to say, \u201cYou know, I\u2019m going to do this in 30 years time.\u201d\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n He continues, \u2018I think, visually, it\u2019s such an obvious thing. You see an image of people, they\u2019re complete strangers, and then you see those people again and, straightaway, people get it and think, \u201cyeah, those are the same people.\u201d I think it\u2019s also very positive in these terrible times of woe and sadness that there\u2019s quite an uplifting, heart-warming story there\u2026 people enjoying themselves and in happier times maybe. There\u2019s a lot of grief and sadness in the photographs as well but, on the whole, it\u2019s quite uplifting. For some reason, it struck a chord everywhere in the world.\u2019\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\t\t Famous Five: friends Nasar Ali (left), Ali Shauqat (middle), Mohammed Shanawaz (right), Khalid Mahmood (crouching, left) and Mohammed Riza (crouching, right) pictured by the Gladstone Street (where they all lived) road sign, 1980. \u00a9 Chris Porsz<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t Famous Five: (from left to right) friends Nasar Ali, Khalid Mahmood, Ali Shauqat, Mohammed Riza and Mohammed Shanawaz pictured by the Gladstone Street road sign – the street where they all previously lived, May 2021. \u00a9 Chris Porsz\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n The front and back covers of the Reunions 2 book by Chris Porsz<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n The book Reunions 2<\/em>, by Chris Porsz, is published by Chris Porsz (ISBN 978-0-9574329-6-3). Part of the proceeds from the book will go to Breast Cancer Research. To find out more and order go to Chris Porsz \u2013 Street Photographer<\/a><\/p>\n Chris Porsz pictured in 1981. \u00a9 Chris Porsz<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t Chris Porsz pictured in 2022. \u00a9 Chris Porsz<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n Chris Porsz began his interest in photography while hitchhiking across Europe and North Africa in the early 1970s. He started shooting images of people on the streets of Peterborough in the early 1980s. Years later this led to a newspaper column, Paramedic Paparazzo, and an ambitious project that saw him photographing the same people again, sometimes over 40 years apart.<\/p>\n www.chrisporsz.com<\/a><\/p>\n Street photography and the law (2022 update)<\/a><\/p>\n Beginners guide to Street Photography<\/a><\/p>\n Best Camera For Street Photography<\/a><\/p>\n Best lens for Street Photography in 2022<\/a><\/p>\n Using smartphones for street photography<\/a><\/p>\n Fill the Frame documentary explores social media’s influence on street photography<\/a><\/p>\n How the pandemic changed street photography<\/a><\/p>\n Follow AP on Facebook<\/a>, Twitter<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, and YouTube<\/a>.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Chris Porsz’s unique project, Reunions, saw him recreating street portraits in Peterborough with the same people, often more than 40 years apart<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":171172,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[374,57,311,663,211],"tags":[3655,2525,525,793,3656,3657,1922,494],"product-category":[],"class_list":["post-171168","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interviews","category-latest-announcements","category-articles","category-book_reviews","category-portrait_photography","tag-chris-porsz","tag-documentary-photography","tag-portrait","tag-portrait-photography","tag-reunions","tag-reunions-2","tag-street-photographers","tag-street-photography"],"yoast_head":"\nDating back to 1980<\/h3>\n
![\"Mark](\"https:\/\/other.kelsey.host\/amateurphotographer\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Mark-Court-left-and-his-brother-Matt-eating-chips-in-1980-while-their-mother-shopped-in-Bridge-Street.jpg\")
\t\t\t![\"Mark](\"https:\/\/other.kelsey.host\/amateurphotographer\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Mark-Court-left-and-his-brother-Matt-pictured-in-April-2021.-The-brothers-went-to-school-with-Chris-Porszs-children-and-now-live-in-Birmingham.jpg\")
\t\t\t![\"Lollipop](\"https:\/\/other.kelsey.host\/amateurphotographer\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Lollipop-lady-Gloria-Steele-sees-from-left-to-right-Mazia-Ahmad-Gulfraz-Umar-nee-Malik-and-Tanya-Porter-across-the-road-at-Queens-Drive-School-1984.jpg\")
\t\t\t![\"Former](\"https:\/\/other.kelsey.host\/amateurphotographer\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Former-Lollipop-lady-Gloria-Steele-sees-from-left-to-right-Mazia-Ahmad-Gulfraz-Umar-nee-Malik-and-Tanya-Porter-across-the-road-at-Queens-Drive-School-September-2020.jpg\")
\t\t\tRetirement & Reunions 2<\/h3>\n
![\"Flake,](\"https:\/\/other.kelsey.host\/amateurphotographer\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Flake-ice-cream-and-crockery-six-year-old-Alli-Winter-at-Peterborough-market-1983.jpg\")
\t\t\t![\"Alli](\"https:\/\/other.kelsey.host\/amateurphotographer\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Alli-Winter-in-April-2021-with-props-provided-by-the-Salvation-Army-superstore-Long-Causeway-Peterborough.-Allis-mother-had-spotted-the-original-photo-on-Facebook.jpg\")
\t\t\tFavourite images<\/h3>\n
![\"Paul](\"https:\/\/other.kelsey.host\/amateurphotographer\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Paul-Smith-with-his-Ford-Cortina-in-Cobden-Street-Peterborough-in-1980-.jpg\")
\t\t\t![\"Paul](\"https:\/\/other.kelsey.host\/amateurphotographer\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Paul-Smith-41-years-later-in-2021.-Smith-is-now-a-DJ-on-Peterborough-Community-Radio.jpg\")
\t\t\t![\"The](\"https:\/\/other.kelsey.host\/amateurphotographer\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Then-Thomas-Cook-CEO-Bernard-Norman-waiting-for-a-train-at-Peterborough-railway-station-in-1981.jpg\")
\t\t\t![\"In](\"https:\/\/other.kelsey.host\/amateurphotographer\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/In-July-2021-a-retired-Bernard-Norman-with-a-real-life-donkey-and-carrot.jpg\")
\t\t\t18-hour days editing<\/h3>\n
![\"Ice](\"https:\/\/other.kelsey.host\/amateurphotographer\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Ice-cream-seller-Genesio-Borrillo-aka-Mr.-Gino-pictured-serving-Zahida-Parveen-1980.jpg\")
\t\t\t![\"Former](\"https:\/\/other.kelsey.host\/amateurphotographer\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Ice-cream-seller-Genesio-Borrillo-pictured-serving-Zahida-Parveen-at-a-borrowed-ice-cream-van-May-2021.-Borrillo-now-runs-a-pasta-shop-in-Peterborough-.jpg\")
\t\t\t![\"Friends](\"https:\/\/other.kelsey.host\/amateurphotographer\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Friends-Angela-Baxendell-nee-Leask-left-and-Beverley-Barkley-nee-Knight-right-waiting-to-catch-a-bus-outside-Craigs-Estate-Agents-in-Broadway-1981-.jpg\")
\t\t\t![\"Friends](\"https:\/\/other.kelsey.host\/amateurphotographer\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Friends-Angela-Baxendell-left-and-Beverley-Barkley-right-met-for-the-first-time-in-32-years-for-a-Reunions-photo-August-2020.jpg\")
\t\t\tUnique & fascinating<\/h3>\n
![\"Famous](\"https:\/\/other.kelsey.host\/amateurphotographer\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Friends-Nasar-Ali-left-Ali-Shauqat-middle-Mohammed-Shanawaz-right-Khalid-Mahmood-crouching-left-and-Mohammed-Riza-crouching-right-pictured-by-the-Gladstone-Street-sign-1980-.jpg\")
\t\t\t![\"Famous](\"https:\/\/other.kelsey.host\/amateurphotographer\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/From-left-to-right-friends-Nasar-Ali-Khalid-Mahmood-Ali-Shauqat-Mohammed-Riza-and-Mohammed-Shanawaz-pictured-by-the-Gladstone-Street-sign-where-they-all-previously-lived-May-2021.jpg\")
\t\t\t
\nChris Porsz\u2019s top portrait tips<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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\nThe Reunions 2<\/em> book<\/h3>\n\t\t
![\"The](\"https:\/\/other.kelsey.host\/amateurphotographer\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/The-front-and-back-covers-of-the-Reunions-2-book-copy.jpg\")
\t\t\t
\nChris Porsz<\/strong><\/h3>\n\t\t
![\"Chris](\"https:\/\/other.kelsey.host\/amateurphotographer\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Chris-Porsz-pictured-in-1981.jpg\")
\t\t\t![\"Chris](\"https:\/\/other.kelsey.host\/amateurphotographer\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Chris-Porsz-pictured-in-2022.jpg\")
\t\t\t
\nRelated articles<\/h3>\n
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