Meet the Edinburgh-based Photographer Tackling Men’s Mental Health

“Three times as many men as women die from suicide. Only 36% of referrals to NHS talking therapies are for men. 40% of men have never spoken to anyone about their mental health.”

These are the harrowing words printed on the wall of the TALK exhibition.

TALK is a portraiture project by Edinburgh-based photographer (and former Napier student) Graham Williams, exploring the subject of men’s mental health. The exhibition brings together photographed portraits of individuals Graham has met who have opened up about their struggles. Beside each portrait rests a QR code that you can scan to learn more about their stories. From men’s mental health charity workers to Graham’s own barber, the exhibition gives a voice to anyone who wishes to talk about their journey.

The exhibition is being held at The Storytelling Centre on the Royal Mile from the 7th– 29th October as part of the Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival and is definitely worth a visit.

I went to the exhibition and sat down with Graham to discuss his project and the importance of its message.

When did you first have the idea for this project?

G: I first had the idea at the start of 2023 around January, I mulled it over in my mind until March when I took my first portrait of my barber Lachlan, who is the first one you see on the wall of the exhibition. Then it kind of went from there, it started with just the Instagram account and then people started sharing it and reaching out to get involved. That response was great because one thing holding me back from beginning it in the first place was thinking ‘I could start this, but what if no one wants to take part in it.’

Do you pursue people that you want to photograph, or do you find that people come to you?

G: It’s a bit of a mix. I’ve found that the majority of people come to me, but there have been some people who I’ve reached out to, mostly the people affiliated with charities. I reached out to Men Matter Scotland (several men on the wall are from there), Andy’s Man Club (represented by Simon on the wall), and Mark from Edinburgh Blue Balls. Actually, since photographing Mark I’m now a keen Edinburgh Blue Ball so that’s been a good part of the project for me!

So, it’s your first exhibition?

G: It is yeah!

Tell me a little bit about the launch, how did that go?

G: It was great, it was a bit of a casual affair. It was the first time people had seen it. A lot of the guys from the photos were there and brought their families along which was really nice. It was great to see some of them chat with each other because I’ve obviously met them all and spoken to them, but they hadn’t had the chance to meet.

That’s so nice, like you’ve created a little community.

Is this a complete project or something that you’re planning to keep going?

G: It’s very much an ongoing project, I’ve paused shooting for now while the exhibition is on, but I’ll restart again in November. I don’t really see an end in sight, which is partly down to me never planning too far ahead with anything in my life, but also there are unfortunately a lot of guys, probably an endless amount, to speak to. I feel like this exhibition is a bit of a stepping stone just to exhibit some of the work so far and share those stories.

How do you feel this project has been fulfilling for you as an individual?

G: For me, it has been so helpful for my own mental health journey. I’ve got a lot of history of depression and anxiety, drug and alcohol abuse. I’ve been sober now for over a year and that was something that kind of kickstarted this process because I was in a better mindset myself and wanted to do a project that would help other people along the way. For me, speaking to the guys has been a bit of therapy; it’s been difficult in places but also so rewarding hearing their stories. The project is called TALK and the process of making these photos is all about talking, we’ll sit and have a chat and then take the photo. The photos are a big part of it, but the conversations we have are even bigger, for me and hopefully for the viewer as well.

The theme of the arts festival is ‘revolution,’ how do you think your project fits into this?

G: I think we’re going through a bit of a revolution with men’s mental health in that it is getting spoken about a lot more. There’s still a long way to go and there are so many men out there who are struggling. A phrase that has popped up quite often with the guys that I’ve spoken to is this stigma of having to be ‘the man of the house,’ and feeling like they couldn’t express their feelings or cry because of that. But throughout this exhibition so far, I’ve also noticed how it is spoken about more with kids now, for example, some of the guys in the exhibition brought their kids along to the launch and had open conversations about it. When I was at school, it was never mentioned, but I think it’s spoken about a lot more now which is what it should be like, in the same way we talk about physical health.

So, whilst I think we are going through a positive change in that people are speaking out more, there is always work to be done and scope to encourage people to talk more about it, and that’s part of the revolution.

What is the main thing you want people to take away from this?

G: Just opening conversations up, creating that safe space for the men in your life but also for everyone. The project is about men’s mental health, but everyone struggles, so having that open conversation with the people in your life and creating space for them to reach out for help if they need is a huge tool to help people with their mental health journey. Talking. It feels like such a simple straightforward thing, and it can be, but it’s also quite daunting and difficult.

You can check out the project on Instagram at @talk.portraits, or online at Talkportraits.co.uk. The exhibition is at the Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43-45 High Street, Edinburgh EH1 1SR until October 29th.

Originally published: ENRG Lifestyle Photo Credits: Talk Portraits