Ginny Koppenhol                                                        

31 St Austell Place                                                         

Carnforth                                                                                       

Lancashire                          

LA5 9TU

                          

07815 125986

ginny@gkoppenholphotography.com                                                                                                                      www.gkoppenholphotography.com

                                               

I am a creative, enthusiastic, caring and highly motivated person and my career choices so far, reflect these attributes. I have always worked in team environments but am able to work effectively independently. I trained as an Occupational Therapist in 2001 and have worked in a variety of mental health settings (with children, young people, and adults). I also worked as a Youth Worker for a year in order to gain some different, yet linked, experience. I now run my own portrait photography business and am also a DJ. I have two young children too, so life is always varied and interesting! 

 

Experience

February 2015 – present                                                                                                                       Ginny Koppenhol Photography

Photographer and Creative Workshop Facilitator

 

Moving to part-time working in my previous Occupational Therapy (OT) job enabled me to start my portrait photography business.
As well as providing photography services for families, business owners, and musicians, I deliver creative workshops and projects (some involving stop-motion animation which was also an interest of mine during the initial years of my business). The most recent projects are listed first;

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• Encore! Exhibition – October 2024 at Assembly Arts, Lancaster

Music photography portraiture to highlight the closure of many independent music venues in recent years, and to coincide with the Lancaster Music Festival.

• Life Rooms, Southport – May 2023 (12-month co-commissioned project between the NHS and Open Eye Gallery, Liverpool)

Running a series of courses within a community mental health setting, using a socially engaged practice model. The first group has just come to an end and I am about to evaluate it, in preparation for running two more groups over the coming months.

• Would Like to Meet – November 2022

I took part in an inter-generational artist development residency, hosted by Manchester-based organisation Quarantine. Fellow artist Fynn Galloway and I spent a week together exploring our shared interests in DJing and supporting independent music venues, through the perspectives of our different ages, and reflected on the themes that emerged.

• Brain Hacks – Sept 21 – March 2022

Funded and supported by the Culture Coop, I designed and ran a project with a group of pupils at Our Lady’s High School, that promoted the use of smartphone photography for its mental health benefits. The series of workshops culminated in an exhibition which was initially shown in school, and later at More Music in Morecambe. Pupils also designed some helpful resources to encourage others to give photography a try. I navigated the various challenges involved in running a project during a pandemic!

• Analogue It! Collaborative Project & Exhibition – May 2020 – August 2021

I coordinated a collaborative project with local artists on the theme of the pandemic. These were remote collaborations, due to social distancing, but with an ‘analogue’ focus. Local artists were invited to choose a photo print of mine, which I then posted to them so they could use it to create new work. An exhibition was held at the Dukes theatre and ran for over a month, showcasing the pieces created. Techniques used included collage, painting, origami, spoken word and animation. Organising a project involving 20 other artists, as well as hosting an exhibition an launch event developed my project management skills greatly.

• Gratitude Gallery – September 2020 onwards

During lockdown, I designed and developed a 4-session online smartphone photography course. It contains plenty of tuition but also offers participants the opportunity to start their own ‘visual gratitude practice’ as a way to support mental health in these challenging times.

• I run regular Smartphone Photography Skills workshops and online photography challenge series.

• Ablaze! Exhibition – Sept 2019 - My first solo exhibition held at More Music in Morecambe, showcasing a vibrant portrait series, featuring creative images of local people with brightly coloured dyed hair.

• ‘CHANGE’ Project with ROC North West Childrens Home, Lancaster (May / June 2016) – I worked with four young people in residential care, running five stop motion sessions over a ten week period, to explore the theme of ‘change / transition’.

• 5 Ways to Wellbeing with Stanleys Youth Centre, Morecambe (Aug 2016) – I worked with young people over five sessions to make a film that explained the ‘5 Ways to Wellbeing’.

• ‘Inspiration’ Project with Hope & Horizon Units (Young peoples mental health care), Bury (Aug 2016) – I was invited to run a series of four animation sessions to enable the young people using the service at the time, to learn a new skill, find a new way to express themselves, work as a team and celebrate their achievements.

• ‘Wake Up the Walls’ CAMHS Project, Lancashire (Sept-Jan 2016/7) – I worked with a colleague to provide ten sessions across five CAMHS services in Lancashire Care Foundation NHS Trust. We used a variety of artistic mediums to help the young people convey messages of hope to others experiencing mental health problems.

• The Faces Behind Our Food, a LESS (http://www.lessuk.org) project, Lancaster (Sept 2016 – May 2017) I ran animation workshops as part of this Arts Council funded project, to support the local community to develop their knowledge and interest in where their food comes from, and the advantages of sourcing food locally and in season.

• A variety of stop motion animation workshops at festivals, in schools, and with NHS researchers, as an alternative way to present their findings.

• Numerous group creative, skills, community, social / leisure sessions and workshops using a varied range of activities across my OT career in mental health services, with a wide range of age groups. I also ran many workshops and training sessions during my time as a Youth Worker.

• I co-ran a business start-up programme for women, with The Growing Club in Lancaster. www.thegrowingclub.co.uk

• I worked with the NCS on their “Challenge” scheme (July - August 2015) www.ncsthechallenge.org with 15-17 year olds, running photography workshops.

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April 2010 – July 2015       Lancashire Care NHS Trust, The Junction / The Platform (In-Patient CAMHS)

Senior Occupational Therapist (Most recent role, prior to starting my business)

I worked with young people aged between 12 and 18 years. As an Occupational Therapist, my primary role was to carry out assessments and interventions aimed at helping the young people to increase their independence in all areas of their life. We explored the activities that are meaningful to them, and the barriers to engaging in these (eg. having a mental health problems such as anxiety, depression, psychosis, an eating disorder or experiencing low self-esteem, social confidence or developmental needs). Treatment plans involved adapting activities and the environment to find new ways to engage in their chosen interests, work / study and self-care activities. This work involved also working closely with the young peoples families. I ran many activity-based groups to develop life-skills such as; community living skills, cooking, assertiveness sessions, creative writing, relaxation, and team-building games. As a senior Occupational Therapist, I also had many service development roles and staff and student supervision responsibilities. 

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April 2009 – April 2010                                                           Blackpool, Wyre and Fylde Primary Care NHS Trust, CAMHS team  

Senior Occupational Therapist

 

September 2003 – April 2009                                               Lancashire Care NHS Trust, Guild Lodge Medium Secure Unit

Senior & Acting Head Occupational Therapist

 

September 2001 – September 2002                                         Lancaster Diocesan Young Peoples Service, Preston

Youth Worker

I was responsible for setting up a newly commissioned project, the main aim of which was to create a greater sense of community in an area of North Preston through working to bring two local High Schools and four local parishes closer together.

 

September 2002 – September 2003                    Newcastle, Northumberland & North Tyneside Mental Health Trust

Occupational Therapist

 

Further Education

• Masters module in Child and Adolescent Mental Health (30 credits) – Salford University, 2009

• BSc (Hons) Occupational Therapy (2:1) – University of Northumbria at Newcastle, 2001

Education

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Attended Our Lady’s RC High School, Lancaster (1991-1998)

• Achieved four A-levels (A-D Grade), two AS-levels (B & C Grade) and  ten GCSEs (Grades A*-B)

 

Interests

I am a mum to two children and have enjoyed being able to build my business around their needs, and also my own. I enjoy a variety of creative pursuits. As well as a photographer, I am a house DJ and whilst I am not playing in clubs and festivals as much as I was, I still enjoy playing out when the opportunities arise. I enjoy yoga and being outdoors.