Graduate Spotlight: Alison Davis

Alison Davis is a recent graduate of the National Academy of Creative Arts, and the proud owner of a new photography business. These are great achievements worthy of pride and applause, but none of it has come easy to her. 

Alison has lived many lives and has walked many paths and her road to the Academy was a long road full of twists and diversions, but the one thing that has been a constant companion and indeed a loyal friend to Alison, was her camera. From a young age Alison was clicking and collecting images. She documented her life by filling diaries with memories of moments, of places and of people. Being dyslexic meant that Alison was a natural born visual artist, finding ways to record her life without using words. 

Hiding in plain sight  Her sharp eye and skills of observation were honed over the years as she used her camera to build a repository of visual memories.  But it wasn’t just her photography skills that sharpened Alison’s senses.  At 16 years old, Alison found herself without a home, forced to grow up quickly with only her wits to protect her. She had a fearful youth burdened with many troubles and misfortunes, but she found great solace in her lens. The camera was a way to be present without being involved. She found a way to participate in the world around her behind the safety of the lens. It was her invisibility cloak and her armour.  She could observe, capture, and pursue her own adventures behind the safety of her camera. 

A photographer by profession is the epitome of duality. They are in the thick of it, yet they are a degree of separation away from the action. They observe and record, keeping enough distance to avoid interference and it’s often by osmosis that a photographer experiences life. This was ideal for Alison – she needed to connect but she also needed to protect herself. 

But that curious and sensitive soul was always searching. She was looking for something, peering through the lens and hoping to find the answer. Little did she know, the answer was inside her all along. Sooner or later, she was going to slide through the lens and step into the world, she just didn’t know it yet. 

But fate, it seems, had a plan for Alison  As the years rolled on, Alison became mother to two children and got busy being a working mother. She was still on a quest to uncover her inner photographer, but between school runs, full-time work and all the white noise of life and parenting, she was finding it difficult to progress further with her skills. She was also frustrated by her lack of high-quality equipment. She has used many cameras but having squeezed everything she could from a point-and-shoot, and her phone, all she wanted was a decent DSLR. One day her daughter came to her in pursuit of a prom dress. Like all good moms, Alison wanted her daughter to feel like a princess but with money tight and opportunities scarce, Alison looked around for something out of the everyday. She took a punt and entered a competition on the radio. And this is where fate stepped in. Alison won £1000! Not only would her daughter get a dream dress, but she could treat herself to a new camera. 

Alison has always had an intense relationship with photography. Her camera was her one true ally in a cruel and unforgiving world. This affinity was established long before she had children, but the true epiphany came during the birth of her daughter. She describes the lightbulb moment of flashing images, like a film reel, and a profound connection with her past, present and even her future. She was experiencing memories and emotions through images in her mind. She knew then that creating images was the path she was destined to take. 



Written in the stars   After her serendipitous windfall, Alison found herself armed with a camera that she wanted to utilise to its full potential. So, she did what she does best, and searched for guidance. It was a local wildlife photographer who would be her first photography teacher and it was there she got her taste for the endless creativity of working with a manual camera. He workshopped the various settings and went through the basics and after years of pointing her lens at the world, she knew then that this was just the beginning.  

When Alison found the National Academy of Creative Arts, it was like everything had come together. The timing of the classes was ideal and as a natural born visual artist, the tangible nature of the classroom is where she excelled. Covid interrupted the course but when they reconvened, Alison started all over again and this was where she truly absorbed all the lessons and knowledge that would ignite her passion. Rather than feel intimidated by her lack of knowledge, she soaked it up like a sponge and her inner photographer was nourished more than ever. She was learning from the greats of the past and taking it on in her stride. Her thirst for knowledge only increased as she learned, and Alison found herself utterly absorbed in the creativity and the artistry of photography. 

Walking the walk  As time went on, she would gain more and more confidence and today, her camera is not a device behind which to hide, it is her contribution to the world around her and it is her voice. What was once out of the question for Alison, is now her norm. She has stepped out from behind the camera and now comfortably chats to her subjects on the street, connecting with them on a deeper level. 

And for Alison, love it seems, was also written in the stars. She met her husband when they were young, they went their separate ways, but their stars aligned again and now they are not only married, but he is also a graduate of the academy, and they have set up their own business AA Davis photography. 

Next on the list is to travel, camera in tow, ready to capture the world at large. Life can be long, and it can be hard but from those dark days comes light. The artist within Alison has always been there, protecting her, guiding her and now she gets to enjoy the fruits of her labour!