The exhibition, titled Favourite Things, Favourite Places – A Snapshot of a Village, was hosted at the Graham Institute in West Linton and featured portraits of residents captured in spaces where they could fully relax.
Organised by five photographers – Lianne Gordon, Niamh Shaw, Erin Weston, Annie Brown and Boyd Wild – the project took 18 months to complete and aimed to capture a true reflection of village life.
Ian Reid, one of the project organisers, said: “Good things come to those who wait, and we have waited for a wee while to create this today.
“So first and foremost, thank you so much for coming along.
“It’s great to see such a lovely village kind of gathering, which is exactly what we hoped for.
“We’re delighted that we’ve arrived at this point. This has been an idea that’s kind of just grown and grown.”
Each portrait was taken in the subject’s home, workplace, or another setting where they felt comfortable.
Some included cherished objects or personal belongings.
The exhibition was made possible by a £3,000 grant from the Co-op Community Fund, which was split equally between West Linton, Carlops, Dolphinton and Newlands.
Developed in partnership with the Knot, an idea came about to create a portrait archive of residents in the village.
Mr Wild had previously spoke about the importance of capturing people in their everyday environments.
The Graham Institute threw open its doors at the weekend, welcoming dozens in to view the portraits across two days.
During the exhibition, he was grateful for the levels of community support.
He said: “It becomes a bit of living history.
“Like any artist, when you’re holding an exhibition, [you think] ‘is it going to work? Are people going to like it?’
“People are really liking it which is very gratifying.
“Hopefully, that vibe will pass around the people here and perhaps some of them will have a go next year.”
Margaret Struthers has lived in West Linton since 1938 and was blown away by the display.
She said: “I think it’s very good actually and I think it’s created a lot of interest in the village.
“They do try very hard to keep the village going with interesting things like this. And it does help.
I have seen some today that are really very nicely taken, especially those out in the gardens. They’re lovely.”
Photographer Niamh Shaw shared her experience working on the project.
She said: “It’s been great seeing all the photographs of different people in our community up in the hall.
“It’s nice recognising all their faces that you have taken pictures of.
“It’s been great seeing people come to the exhibition and to have a look and to either recognise themselves or recognise a friend and just to see people happy being in the village and celebrating what our home is like.”
Organisers hope that the project can be taken forward into future years in a different form, but carrying the photography theme.