For 7 years I lived in the Longsight area of central Manchester (UK) and I never thought to photograph it until the last few weeks before I left.
This was during semi-lockdown in 2020 whilst many places were shut and you couldn’t generally mix with people. So people like Vinn (above) took to sitting on their porch, talking to passer-bys and getting their exercise inside. This guy killed two birds with one stone by sitting on a spin bike.
Why didn’t I photo the area? Well whilst I lived there I just thought it was a run down area with not much going on. I was much more interested in shooting things happening in the city or elsewhere. What I’ve come to realise though is that every area is special in their own way, with their own characters and vibe.
Longsight is an area full of 1st and 2nd generation immigrants and an ageing white population. There’s a bit of a clash of cultures but they make it work.
Remember lockdown? Those were simpler times…
I photographed this jolly fellow through his metal gate. He maintained a small but beautiful, lush garden.
This boy was with a group of other mates practising parkour. I meant to take the shot mid-jump but I was too quick on the trigger and you’re left with this awful shot because I was being stingy on my film.
This is Katsu. Someone had abandoned her on the street not far from my house. They left her in a cat cage with a note and some leftover food. How could they abandon such a cute thing? I theorise they were scared about cats carrying covid (this was very early on in the pandemic).
A takeaway bravely opens to a few customers at a time.
Shot on my Nikon FM3a with Voigtlander 40mm f2 SL-II, on Kodak Portra 800 pushed 1 stop in development. Processed by Photographique.