Preston photographer showcases his work at Dutch street exhibition

Matthew Dever, who works at Penwortham Girls’ High School, has been snapping Preston for an ongoing documentary.

His work is among that of photographers from around the world, who have found inspiration in the streets, exhibiting as part of the acclaimed Pow! Wow! Rotterdam, billed Europe’s leading street festival.

Taking over an empty property in the Rotterdam-Zuid area and filling it with more than 100 large-scale newspaper prints, the exhibition is curated by the photography organisation Shutter Hub, who provide opportunities, support and networking for creative photographers worldwide.

This is the first international exhibition for the former All Hallows and Cardinal Newman College student, who was recently asked to talk about his work at a symposium at Cambridge University,

The former St Martin’s College student has been taking photos and making documentaries for several years.

He said: “I’ve lived and worked in Preston much of my life and I do enjoy wandering around with my camera.

“I’ve had some wonderful conversations.

“I’m influenced by Charles Dickens’ approach and the Preston he was inspired by over 150 years ago as a starting point to the series, which I’m calling Proud Times at the moment.”

Matt has been working part-time to help fund his career as a photographer.

As a youngster in 1990, Matt, his parents, grandparents, two brothers and an uncle drove to Poland in a minibus to retrace their past and he was charged with documenting the event on an 8mm camera.

The footage ran to a three-hour film.

As part of his degree studies, he read sociology and social policy and uses a sociological perspective to research influence on beliefs and behaviours; specifically, collective behaviour, and the relationship between individuals and society.

The exhibition runs until September 15.