Talented young photographers hop on board to get residents ‘on the buses’

Talented young photography students are to see their work featured across advertising channels thought the region after being selected through a competition to be part of a high-profile advertising campaign encouraging people to use the region’s buses.

The innovative competition was developed to support young local talent and create fresh, authentic images for the summer phase of Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) ‘You’re Bussing It’ campaign.

Students were briefed and asked to submit a creative proposal, like the process a professional photographer would follow when pitching for commercial work.

The initiative is the result of a partnership with Birmingham City University and creative marketing agency, Impero.

BA Photography students Jasleen Kaur, Josh Reilly, Josh Thomas and Nikhil Odedra were selected based on their project proposals and then commissioned to provide natural and relatable shots of people using the bus – something not usually captured in traditional stock imagery. The successful students were paid for their time and for use of their images for the campaign.

Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands, said: “These images show the depth of talent and creativity we have in our region and it’s only right they will be seen by thousands of people.

Thousands of people in the region will see the giant adverts featuring the students photos on digital display screens over the summer.

Joshua Thomas, a second-year photography student said: “Working with TfWM let me take a step into the industry of working professionally on campaigns, something that I’m lucky to have access to so early on in my photography career.

“I really enjoyed working with the team, working to a creative brief, engaging with members of the public and working with them to capture candid moments on the transport network.”

Sue Willdigg, corporate design manager, Diamond Bus, said: "Diamond Bus was really pleased to help support this project, by providing the opportunity for the students to participate in photo shoots on our services. Being able to work in a real-life environment has really allowed the students to capture images that reflect the essence of the You’re Bussing It campaign - featuring local people using their local bus network in their daily lives.”

Martin Brent, lecturer in photography at Birmingham City University said: “This was a rare and fantastic opportunity for our students so I'm very grateful to the team at TfWM for creating this brief and putting their trust in BCU.

TfWM and creative marketing agency Impero, supported the students through the commissioning process and on their first day of shooting, giving them experience of delivering work for a live commercial campaign.

Nikhil Odedra, aged 20 from Tamworth, is in his second year at BCU. He said: “What I enjoyed about this project with TfWM was getting the opportunity to work with a director from within the industry and produce a body of work that fitted his brief for the commercial campaign.

“This has meant a lot to me as a student as it has given me an insight into what it’s like to work on an advertising campaign. It’s something that’s great to add to my CV.”

Final year student, Joshua Reilly aged 21 from Birmingham, added: “The opportunity to work with TfWM was amazing. I'm so glad it got set up as the real-world industry experience and connections are going to be invaluable for me.

“The best part of the project was meeting the team on the shoot, interacting with them and learning from how they act.”

Jasleen Kaur, who is also in her final year, said: “Working with TfWM has been quite fun; I got to put myself out of my comfort zone and gained more confidence.

“Getting this opportunity so early on in my career has been an eye-opener and has made me more open to other opportunities.”

Examples of artwork being used for the campaign: