Kevin Scott

Throughout 2023 I have strived to visually document the essence of Northern Ireland's complex and ever-changing landscape, fearlessly delving into the darkest and most perilous corners of Northern Ireland to shed light on its complex and often volatile realities. I have demonstrated an unwavering commitment to documenting the region's challenges and triumphs, I have successfully covered paramilitary disorder, general crime, and a diverse range of feature and magazine stories. My photographs not only bear witness to the unfolding events but also reveal a deep understanding of the human stories behind the headlines. This year I provided a comprehensive and compelling visual narrative of Northern Ireland's multifaceted issues; more so than three images could tell. On April 11th the headline on the front of the Belfast Telegraph was "Violence... on the 25th anniversary of peace accord." On a day of huge significance for Northern Ireland as US President Joe Biden arrived to celebrate peace on the anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, the image taken shows a young man, likely born after the Good Friday Agreement throwing a petrol bomb at police during disorder at a New IRA parade; we were able to show how fragile that relative peace was on a day in which the worlds media watched Northern Ireland. On October 15th as the Israel-Hamas war rumbled on, pro-Palestinian protesters took to the streets of Belfast. In scenes of minor disorder two protesting groups clashed, In a protest that was mundane for the most part I was able to capture the emotion between rival groups during the protest. In early January I had the pleasure of photographing my colleague Gareth who was working on a piece reflecting on his faith and his beliefs. Rather than just an image of Gareth, I wanted to capture the attention of a reader with the image alone, no words; just an image that could tell what the story inside was about. I shot a dual exposed image of Gareth in a local bar that is adorned with holy fixtures; the first frame with Gareth looking into a flash mimicking a window and the second frame of an illuminated cabinet with fixtures inside; creating the final image of reflection.