As my 11th year participating in Movember approached, I was brainstorming ideas on how to support this amazing charity beyond just growing a Mo and asking around for a few quid! The physical challenge of MOVEmber was off the table until next year as I’d managed to injure myself in October whilst training for a marathon (idiot!). So, I looked at how a photography project for Movember might work instead.
The idea for the Movember Portraits Project developed from a very basic desire to immortalise the moustachioed manliness of me and my fellow Mo Bros (and Mo Sistas!) and show them to the world. This alone didn’t feel like a good enough reason to set out on the project but luckily the more I thought about it, the more the benefits began to appear…
Dan - "I'm doing Movember because I believe talking more, whether it's the hard stuff or the good stuff, is vital for everyone's mental health. And if a moustache can spark that conversation then it's a price I'm willing to pay!"
Connections
One of Movember’s main aims is to get men talking. By purposely reaching out to my network and asking for people to volunteer I was starting conversations with people I’d never met. Admittedly, I roped a lot of friends in too! But I loved hearing everyone’s story! I even managed to bump into a couple of legends on another shoot and get them involved!
Support
Everyone that took part got to keep their images as a thank you. Which I also hoped would support their Movember fundraising efforts now and in future years.
Steve - "Too many men are lost due to pride and not communicating. We are all here for you brothers. Come and talk to us!"
Motivation
I’ve been enjoying portraiture lately and It’d been a long time since I followed through on a personal project. So it was a great motivator for me to get off my arse and shoot some ‘non-work’ stuff!
Fun
The genius of Movember is, it supports a serious cause while having a bit of a laugh. And this project was just that! I've had such a laugh taking pictures of people I've never met as well as some of my closest friends.
A massive thanks to everyone who took part! Maybe we’ll go again next year, maybe we won’t… either way, cheers!
Take it easy,
Darren
