Featured Archive: British Cultural Archive

A selection of my early documentary work has been featured by the British Culture Archive, titled People of Merseyside, 1980s.

This archive goes right back to the roots of my photographic practice. I was just sixteen years old when I first began documenting the streets of Merseyside while studying at Wallasey School of Art. Influenced by my teachers at the time, including the renowned documentary photographer Tom Wood, I took my camera out into Birkenhead, Liverpool’s Pier Head, Liverpool 8 and Toxteth.

Looking back at this archive, the work captures a snapshot of social history, identity and the rich diversity of the local community during a defining era. At the time, I had no idea where these photographs would eventually end up, or that they would still have meaning decades later.

Since the portraits were published by the British Culture Archive, several people have reached out to me after recognising a loved one or friend in the photographs. That has been incredibly moving. To think that these images can still bring people back to someone they knew and loved all these years later is a real reminder of the power and longevity of photography. It is also a lovely reminder that sometimes we don’t fully understand the value of what we are photographing until much later.

There is something very special about seeing the community stories I photographed as a teenager connecting with the narratives I continue to document today.