This months issue of LFI International features the Cheltenham Folk project I started two years ago.
This series of street portraits is part of a bigger study. It’s what I would call a ‘Photographic Demographic’ of my home town and a repositioning of what people traditionally think of as Cheltenham Town.
The UK can be very grey and dull most of the year, but as I was stuck here in my hometown I decided to start photographing local people in the street on my way home and to work.
I started to realise that Cheltenham is full or really interesting people and not as grey as I’d thought for so many years. Cheltenham is positioned in many people’s minds as a very rich and middle-class town, but since I started this project I’ve realised that Cheltenham is a lot more diverse than people think.
I also want to show the beauty and character in everyone I meet. There is something special about everyone regardless of who they are.
I decided to only publish their first name. Some have stories to tell and others are in a hurry. Some of them are homeless, some are wealthy, some are more educated than others, but most of them are just ordinary everyday working people.