Simon Martin is a 26 year-old award winning photographer based in the South East of England currently working out of Gravesend in Kent on personal and commissioned projects mainly revolving around British culture. His series Cadets is an exploration of an alternative source of education for teenagers: the Royal Marine Cadets.
A course crystallized his interest in photography: “Failing my A-Levels after a fleeting life as a musician I realised I had nothing to fall back on so applied for position on a Art Foundation course, I had begun to play with photography previously but didn’t realise the ability it gave you to vocalise reason and meaning through imagery and word. i fell in love with the art form and the ticket it gave you to explore the world around you”.
Pointing out the problem of the British education system that has its funds cut and its prices constantly increasing, the body of work Cadets is a look at other sources of education for the 13-18 year olds. Considering this time of life as a huge part of the person you become, “the Royal Marine Cadets is an after school program that uses the ethos of the Royal Marines to train young adults to complete various tasks. As much as the activities are mainly military based, the skills they learn are not solely intended to produce young soldiers but, instead, confident young adults. Leaving the cadets with the ability to achieve personal goals in the different walks of life they choose to follow”.
Make sure to visit Simon’s website.
