The Return

The day of my 3,000th portrait for my Face by Face journal and, by chance, I had reason to get the train to Shipley, on a mission to take a run out to Cottingley Woods, hoping to take a better photograph of Benjamin Ferrand’s folly than I was able to grab back in March. There’s a good reason why but I’m keeping that close to my chest for the moment. It’s very rare that I go out with the intention of photographing something specific.

Shipley is where my street photography started (as a result of a challenge from legendary blipper, Kendall) and, as a result, also where my portrait photography began. For this anniversary it seemed apt that I should return to the market square here. The star of many of my favourite street photographs is Florrie and I was very much hoping that I’d see her again. There was no guarantee, of course, but I was happy to spot her within minutes of arriving. She was the same Florrie, dour and hoarse and grumpy, but nonetheless loveable for all her complaints. She’s sadly even more fed up with life than ever, missing no chance to tell me that she’s had enough of it, reduced by aches and pains to be able to walk only slowly. She still has the same dog, now thirteen, just about the same age as Florrie herself and slowing up in tandem.

It felt strange to return and see how little had changed, neither the place nor the people. I recognised lots of familiar faces. A few recognised me. There’s a sense of real community here, a friendliness, an openness, that makes it easy to approach people. If I’d started my project anywhere else it may never have taken off. 

I’ll own up to 3,000 unbroken daily portraits being a fair achievement! I didn’t post daily during the first lockdown because it didn’t seem the right thing to do. I didn’t expect to be able to continue the unbroken sequence and said to myself that if I met someone doing my daily exercise then all well and good, but if it didn’t happen I wasn’t going to force it. As it turned out, I always came across someone, often only just one person, happy to stop and talk, albeit at range. My journal records the recognition of social distance and now the slow return to normality. Some of the portraits are pretty poor from that period, from a technical point of view at least, but that’s all part of the record.

Having travelled through many anniversaries for my portraits, there’s not much I can add now, except to thank once again all those who continue to drop by and look. I prefer to let my faces speak for themselves. And not much ever needs to be said in response. They are simply a celebration of who we are. The one thing I will say is that there are many days, still too many really, when taking my portrait for the day provides a much-needed reset when my mind, and body, refuse to wake up. After the encounter with some random stranger, forced to play the role of an extrovert, I invariably feel lighter, more present to the world. I feel rebooted. I still find that an extraordinary thing. I’ve stumbled upon a magical form of therapy! I have no intention of ever stopping.

Finally, thank you William. I think I did genuinely put a smile on your face today. You certainly put a smile on mine.