‘I remember the whole family gathered in the living room on Boxing Day being subjected to Uncle Frank’s photographic slideshow,’ says Graham Coates an optometrist in Petersfield who works at Morgan-Owan and Coates. ‘It somehow instilled in me the idea that photography was definitely a craft. I was given my first Olympus Trip 35 when I was 10 and I went mad on family holidays taking shots of everything in sight!’
What started as a hobby for a young Coates has now morphed into a passion for photography which has seen him produce stunning works of art in far-flung places such as Ethiopia, the Philippines and Trinidad and Tobago where he did a stint as an optometrist.
Coates’ love of adventure has seen him volunteer for Vision Aid Overseas (VAO), an international eye care organisation which sends optometrists and dispensing opticians to countries in Africa to improve access to eye care. Through meeting other volunteers, eye care professionals working in Africa, and of course the patients, Coates has built up an impressive photography portfolio.
‘I’ve been on 12 overseas trips with VAO,’ says Coates. ‘Including Ghana, Ethiopia, Zambia, Uganda and Burkina Faso. My first trip was to Ethiopia in about 2001. On subsequent trips, I met another photographer called Paul Constant who worked for National Geographic. He was an inspiration to me because he would never take the most ‘obvious’ shot. While the instinct would be to shoot a sunset or beautiful view, he’d come at it from a completely different angle and produce something incredible that no one else could see.’
Is there a particular subject that Coates specialises in? ‘When I first started out it was landscapes. Always landscapes. But as I travelled more and saw the life-changing work VAO does, I switched to portraits. I have a desire to show the humanity in every situation and taking photographs of people really draws you in.’
Any particular place which is great to photograph? ‘Well Ethiopia, it’s a land of extremes. It has mountains, deserts, bustling cities, isolated plains. And the people are wonderful. Graceful and friendly – in a place like that there’s a story lurking behind every corner.’
Island adventure
Having qualified as an optometrist in 1997 and with a wife and young family, Coates has always had to fit his photography round other priorities. However, this will change as he journeys up to the island of Eigg in the Inner Hebrides this September to attend a five-day photography workshop run by Scottish photographer Bruce Percy.
‘I taught myself photography but wanted something more. In terms of pointing your camera at something and pressing a button or turning a dial, I can do that but this workshop will be the chance to really experiment with different light conditions and contrasts. Plus Eigg is a stunning place to be.’
As a challenge from his family who wanted him to enter into photography competitions, Coates reluctantly entered one of his shots to National Geographic Traveler magazine – and won second place. ‘It was for the subject of “joy”. I was in Ghana just talking to some lads about football and straight away, they named every single player of Manchester United! I just took a shot of them mid conversation when they were all laughing which is more natural than them posing and that’s just how photography should be. Fun and spontaneous.’
Graham Coates’ photography website: www.grahamcoatesphotography.co.uk
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