ENEMY NOT SEEN
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ENEMY NOT SEEN -
PORTFOLIO
In a world where conflict is hidden from plain sight, camouflage stands as a protector and a symbol. It embodies the need for survival but also the unsettling truth that war has become a battle fought in the unseen. Through my project, "Enemy Not Seen," I seek to confront the viewer by exploring the concept of invisibility in modern warfare through the lens of camouflage. Inspired by the ways soldiers blend into nature, each image invites the viewer to question what is hidden.
My photographs of military personnel explore how they merge seamlessly into their environments. Shot across several military training areas in the UK, these images examine how soldiers utilise camouflage, a technique inspired by nature but perfected through human innovation. Aiming to explore the effectiveness of camouflage, analysing how patterns, textures, and colours dissolve into their surroundings. This portfolio tells a visual story of concealment, strategy, and survival.
This project goes beyond the surface aesthetics of camouflage to investigate its psychological weight. Wars are no longer fought face-to-face, a tactic that significantly decreased after the First World War with the rise of mechanised warfare and long-range weaponry. They are not neatly contained or easily understood. Therefore, the need for individuals to join the military is critical. Diverse and intelligent minds willing to navigate this unseen battleground are needed to defend and shape our world.
Camouflage has evolved alongside humanity’s capacity for war, moving from simple mimicry of the natural world to complex, technologically advanced designs intended to defeat not only the human eye but satellite surveillance and drone reconnaissance. More relevant than ever in places such as Ukraine, developing anti-drone suits to disrupt the thermal capabilities used by Russia. Technology such as infrared, radar and thermal are being used to avoid detection and confuse the enemies arial systems.
Through "Enemy Not Seen," I hope to ask a larger question: What else is hidden in plain sight? This project is not just about the art of hiding; it is about what it means for us, as a society, to live in a world where we must look twice and still may not see.