Framing 50 years of Knowledge Transfer Partnerships
Perfectly Framed
50 years of Knowledge Transfer, captured in black and white
To mark the 50th anniversary of Knowledge Transfer Partnerships, I spent the day photographing the people who sit at the heart of the programme — the folk who make the connection between academia and business.
Shot in black and white, each portrait strips things back to what matters most: the individuals.
Fifty years from its inception, KTP remains very much about people.
Proof That Small Talk Matters
Its amazing what happens when folk sit down over a coffee and chat.
I was involved in the judging of the Scottish Knowledge Transfer Partnership Image Competition at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in early 2025 with fellow judges, Innovate UK's Innovation Lead, Richard Lamb and Amelia Whitelaw, Director /CEO of Interface, the Knowledge Connection for Business.
We were finished judging the competition when Richard asked what, photographically, could be done to celebrate KTP's 50th anniversary.
I had an idea immediately in mind: 50 portraits. All square. All black and white. Not a series of business headshots - something different, some involving hands, some really close up - a variety.
I put together a proposal and it was approved and I booked my stay in Manchester where the 50th anniversary celebrations were to be held.
An excuse, apart from anything else, to visit Curry Mile!
Five Minutes, One Chair, Zero Colour
The plan was to have the studio set up close the event itself.
The hotel staff told me where the event was taking place and I saw the location where I would set up - I got up early and had everything in place at 7am.
Ready for a 9a.m. kick off.
I went for decent breakfast (an army marches on its stomach) and returned to my studio at 745am for fine-tuning - I noticed a better location nearby so dissembled my studio and re-erected it on the other side of the hallway (away from passers by).
All good.
Then at about 845am I managed to touch base with my liaison and it transpired the info I was given by the hotel on the event location was wrong 😀.
My first "participant' was already waiting as she had to get the train at 920a.m.
So I made her portrait, took apart the studio entirely (nothing to be kept partially up) and relocated myself to an entirely different part of the rabbit warren hotel....
Building the Look
The idea was to keep it simple. A white background, square format and in black and white. The only factor which would change was effectively the individual. Therefore, highlighting the individual.
Why black and white? Colour is often a distraction, especially if many images are going to be looked at side by side. The lighting I selected had black and white and contrast in mind. I needed to try and keep the lighting as consistent as possible so, when the images are seen as a collection, there is cohesion.
There were 50 people to shoot plus some additional numbers as back-ups.
Each person got 5 minutes only.
It is quite a challenge, even at the best of times, to get someone happy, relaxed and into a pose (which might be counter-intuitive) but especially so with such a tight time-frame. It was always going to be a test, however the folk involved just nailed it. No hassles. Everyone just trusted the process and it went very smoothly.
No one was able to preview the images: that would slow things down dramatically. I chose the images post-event to collate them into a meaningful series where variety and interest were the themes.
I am delighted with the outcome.
It is exactly as I hoped it would be and the collage created by the Innovate UK team is perfect.
I'v also enjoyed some amazing feedback.
"Great photo Guy! Thanks very much. All the best."
"Huge thanks to our photographer who made the whole process enjoyable and accessible."
"It was great to work with you, you absolutely nailed the brief and the photos look amazing 🙏"
It was a lot of fun - meeting so many interesting characters in one day and I am delighted with the finished product.
If you wish to see the full set - have a look at the gallery.
And if you wish to have such a similar collection for your team for at an event drop me an email