PEOPLE OF MANCHESTER: 2025

People of Manchester: 2025 began with a return to photographing the streets of the city I know best. I was looking for the small details that give Manchester its character: passing glances, gestures between strangers, people waiting, working or finding their way through a shared space.

I had photographed Manchester for years, often during periods when my own life felt unsettled. In 2025, something shifted. I exhibited more of my work, Victorious Voices reached new audiences, and I spent an evening talking photography with Martin Parr at his foundation. Those experiences gave me encouragement, but the change I noticed most was in the photographs themselves. I felt more patient and more certain about what I wanted to pay attention to.

This series is rooted in street photography, where I have to respond to what happens in front of me. I’m interested in how a person’s presence can change a familiar corner, or how a brief exchange can make a busy street feel intimate. The images don’t try to define Manchester through its landmarks. They look at the people who make the city feel lived in.

People of Manchester: 2025 is a record of a city in motion and of my own growing confidence behind the camera. It marks a year when I returned to the street with a clearer eye and felt more present in the work I was making.