I’m a photographer, writer and researcher based in Manchester.

I am interested in socio-political issues such as migration, housing, representation and belonging.

Between 2011 and 2015 I collaborated with Roma families to tell visual stories about their new lives in the UK. I’ve also made independent work with members of the UK’s Traveller communities.

In 2022-23, I worked with Traveller women in a socially engaged residency with Open Eye Gallery, looking at the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on their lives.

In 2024-25, I spent 15 months working with women from SWAP, an asylum seeker support group in Wigan, on a project commissioned by Open Eye Hub. During this time we produced a huge collaborative banner together.

I have also facilitated a number of other projects – including with young carers and within an NHS adolescent mental health unit for Create Arts and within several special education settings for the Together Trust. I worked as a photography tutor at Manchester Metropolitan University from 2021-25. I have worked as a creative producer for Open Eye Gallery.

I have an MA in photojournalism and documentary photography from London College of Communication, plus qualifications in journalism and teaching. I am part of Post Photo Collective.

I am a part-time PhD researcher at Birmingham City University, in partnership with Open Eye Gallery and funded by Midlands 4 Cities. My areas of interest include socially engaged approaches and archives/collections.

Get in touch by email:  info@ciaraleeming.co.uk