Georgina Lunn

A Photographer’s Journey of Responsibility, Relationships, and Reunions

In a quiet corner of Peterborough, an extraordinary story unfolds through the lens of the remarkable Chris Porsz. With a career spanning 40 + years in the NHS and a deeply personal journey, his life is a testament to resilience, human connection, and the passage of time. Whilst Chris has produced numerous remarkable projects, from documenting his travels to the bark of man’s best friend – this feature solely focuses on his books Reunions 1 and 2. A project that bridges decades and generations: recreating portraits of strangers he photographed 30 years ago.

For much of his life, photography was a passion, not a profession. He roamed the streets of Peterborough early on in life, capturing candid shots of the everyday. “I had a darkroom in my house,” he recalled. “Most of the photos didn’t survive, but a few did. These snapshots, simple moments frozen in time, lay forgotten for decades. Life took over – raising a family, building a career and taking care of my wife who was in palliative care.” Retiring in 2020 to protect her from COVID-19, he found solace in photography once again. It became more than a distraction; it was a way to reconnect with the past and explore the nature of memory and identity.

The search for lost faces began after the idea for Reunions was sparked after sharing some of his old photos in a local newspaper, “People started recognising themselves.” What followed was an extraordinary mission: to track down the people from his old photographs and recreate the images, capturing them as they are today. Using social media as a detective tool, he pieced together fragments of the past.

Some reunions were filled with moments of serendipity. He recounts finding a young boy from a 1980s photograph purely by chance, years later, after responding to a medical call as a paramedic. Another time, a reunion came about when he helped a man having a heart attack, only to discover he had photographed him decades earlier. “It really was serendipity”.

The search was bittersweet. Some subjects had passed away, and he involved their families in recreating the scenes, a poignant tribute to those lost. Others refused to participate, perhaps embarrassed or estranged. Yet, 300 reunions later, the project serves as more than a nostalgic trip; it’s a profound commentary on the passage of time and the resilience of human spirit. Through his lens, he captured how people change – or don’t – over decades. “Some are the exact same,” he marvelled, while others are almost unrecognisable. The photos challenge our perceptions of aging, reminding us that behind every face is a story shaped by time and experience.

“Age doesn’t mean anything, really, and it shouldn’t,” he said. The project underscores our shared humanity, revealing that despite different paths – some marred by hardship, others by triumph – we are more alike than we realise.

The response to Reunions has been overwhelming. The project went viral, featured in national newspapers and television programs, resonating with people across generations. For younger audiences, it offers a glimpse into a world before iPhones and social media, a world captured candidly and authentically. “It’s a taste of what things were like back then”, which somewhat brands his books as a legacy of connection.  

Through these images, he preserved not just faces but moments, emotions, and stories. “It’s people being people,” he reflected. 

Beyond his photographic achievements, his story is one of resilience and care. As the child of Holocaust survivors, he carries his mother’s words – “just be kind” – as a guiding principle. This ethos shines through in his work, which is as much about empathy and connection as it is about art.

In Reunions, we see more than photographs. We see life – its fragility, beauty, and enduring connections. And through his lens, we are reminded that while time changes us, the essence of who we are remains.

Full story and images available in my newspaper.