Still human, still here.

Abbie Trayler-Smith - Boni

Host Gallery in London is exhibiting a project by Abbie Trayler-Smith called "Still human, still here" that portrays the lives of rejected asylum seekers in the UK. I know Abbie really well, she's been a friend since we worked on a student newspaper together. She honed her considerable photographic skills at the Telegraph where she became one of their busiest photographers, regularly traveling to hot-spots and disaster areas and every time returning with powerful images.

After eight years at the Telegraph she courageously decided to move on and has recently found a new home at Panos Pictures. Like all great photographers, she is her own worst critic so she will hate me pouring on the compliments but having seen this latest project develop, almost from the start, I'm struck again by her ability to make wonderful images, communicating complex stories with simple honesty.

I've asked Abbie to blog about her experiences working on the project and putting the show together so hopefully she will.