NAOMI GODDARD is a British social documentary photographer. Her interest in visual anthropology fuels her curiosity in the human being and the way contemporary society impacts on how we position ourselves within an environment. Focusing on portraiture and the narrative behind an image, Naomi’s projects adopt a conceptual approach, investigating the relationship of the people and their identity, through the culture and place they inhabit.
Her practice explores socio-cultural issues, often observing a community and reflecting upon the identity they share. By travelling extensively, she has obtained an insight into other cultures which has allowed Naomi not only to combine together her two passions of travel and photography, but also enabled her to reflect on her experiences away from her photographic practice. By observing social aspects of alternative cultures, Naomi is fascinated how customs can affect a persona, and additionally by examining others, it has helped assist an exercise in personal exploration, aiding her to reflect upon her own environment and self within it. Experiencing other countries and their traditions has brought Naomi to extensively travel in Asia, now basing herself in Taipei.
Taking on an editorial approach to her work, Naomi’s photographs present a subjective interpretation, as she constructs an idea and emotion through the visual communication of a story. Naomi prefers using the conventional method of film photography to slow down the process of taking an image, allowing her to create a relationship with her subjects, enabling every picture in her sequence to carry its own story, as she captures an aspect of truth about their life and surroundings. Creating this bond, every photograph of Naomi’s has been carefully considered from subject matter to framing of the environment.