James Hole Experiments Remotely for Virgin Media

When the pandemic hit and lockdowns began, U.K.-based photographer James Hole was stuck at home looking for something better to do than twiddle his thumbs. By the second week of April, James turned to his photography for some semblance of connection with the world. He had an experimental idea that became hugely successful, sparking the interest of UK broadband provider Virgin Media.

 Although home with his wife and child, James, a portrait photographer, was without a subject to photograph. So, he decided to photograph what he couldn’t see, at least not in person.

I started messing around with a bunch of different ideas, just to try and shoot something.

We’ve seen photographers directing people over the phone to shoot portraits for birthdays or weddings throughout quarantine. James wanted to do something a little different, something that nodded to the reality of the circumstances.

I didn’t want to just screengrab. I did want to shoot something from home, but I wanted to do my own take on it, which ended up being a frame inside a frame within the iPad.

James turned to his network of models and photographers and friends, all of whom were stuck at their respective homes in Brazil, France, New York, Tokyo, etc. He wanted the project to be as far-reaching as possible, a common thread, connecting people through this environment of mandatory isolation.

With the help of word of mouth, James was able to connect with people from all over the world, some of whom he’d never met before. James spent about an hour on each call, trying to find the natural light within people’s houses while remotely designing their interiors, props, clothing, and even hair.

It was such an interesting experience, talking to people over FaceTime or Zoom. I found out that no matter where it was you were speaking to someone, whether it was Tokyo or New York, we all had this common, shared experience.

I think people were just excited to do something because no one was doing anything else.

This solution to boredom, teamed with a need to connect and express, became a finalist in Britain’s Association of Photographers Awards. Ranging from haunting and solitary to familial and joyous, the images reflected the strange mix of emotions that quarantine evoked in many of us, and the project garnered a lot of attention.

I shot about 25 of the personal ones (black and white) and was putting one out every day. I was getting really good feedback and then got an email from Virgin Media.

Virgin Media saw James’ project and wanted to apply the concept to mental health awareness week, using a few U.K.-based celebrities. They did all the shoots over two weeks and ran the campaign the following week on their social media.

Each photo commissioned was then emblazoned with the hashtag #stayconnected, more than appropriate for a broadband provider and mental health awareness week. The photos went live along with a short quote from the subject on their state of mind throughout the pandemic.

It was quite interesting seeing how my personal project morphed into the Virgin Media campaign.

Through the all-encompassing fear and boredom, James’ need for a creative outlet led to more than just a job.

It became a vehicle to have that connection, a vehicle to break out of the lockdowns. If I’m honest, because of this project, I probably socialized more during lockdown than I did before.

The project didn’t just provide an opportunity for James to communicate with people. It allowed the subjects to connect with their counterparts, the audience, and the photographer. They were all able to relate and empathize with one another through the commonality of their experience. While the pandemic has wrought plenty of unfortunate consequences, it has also succeeded in bringing many of us together at one point or another.

See more of James’ work at jamesholephoto.com.

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