PEOPLE OF MANCHESTER: 2024

I made People of Manchester: 2024 during a difficult year. An ongoing court case occupied much of my attention, and there were times when it was hard to make space for photography. I kept going out with my camera when I could. Walking through Manchester gave me something immediate to focus on: the light on a street, a face in a crowd, or a small moment between people passing through the city.

These photographs follow everyday life as I encountered it. People wait, talk, travel and carry on with their routines. I was drawn to those ordinary moments partly because they continued regardless of what was happening in my own life. Photographing them helped me stay curious about the world beyond it.

The series was made in the margins of that year, on days when I had the energy to look and respond. It taught me that I could keep practising even when I couldn’t work with the focus or certainty I wanted. Some images came from a planned walk; others came from noticing something on the way to somewhere else.

People of Manchester: 2024 is a record of the city and of my decision to keep taking photographs through an unsettled time. The people in the pictures have their own lives and stories. Making the work helped me remain connected to mine.