I am an English photographer who loves to photograph everyday cars. Having passed my driving test back in 1991, I have since seen drastic changes on British roads in terms of the types of vehicles and volume of traffic. Back then, 1970s cars such as Austin Allegros, Morris Marinas and Mk2 Ford Escorts were still a very common sight, particularly on the local back streets, where they were seeing out their final years on essential everyday duties such as the school run and local shopping trips. From my late teens and through my 20s I owned a number of different Triumph Dolomites, as these appealed to me far more than the boxier 80s cars of the time. Of course, in the intervening years, 1980s and 1990s cars themselves have since become cultural icons and well-loved in the classic car world.

Over the last few years, I have found myself taking more and more photographs of cars - particularly everyday cars. This is partly driven by my long-standing interest in cars, but also because we are seemingly living in a period of transition from internal combustion engine vehicles to hybrid and electric. Considering the historic significance of this shift, I believe it is important to document these changes. However, photographing everyday scenes of cars out on the streets is fraught with problems and I have found it to be a very challenging genre of photography. Standing by the roadside with professional camera equipment taking photos of people driving their cars can understandably draw a serious amount of unwanted attention, so I always make a point of not staying in the same place for too long. Sometimes I will decide to forego a potential shot if I think a situation might escalate and draw a negative response from the public. For example, a couple of years ago I wanted to get a shot of a VW Lupo parked outside a KFC in a town local to me and a lady (possibly an employee standing outside a local shop having a cigarette break) all of a sudden began shouting hysterically "He's taking photos of cars! Look! He's taking photos!" Needless to say, I decided to exit sharpish. I have been challenged on numerous occasions by the general public over what I am photographing and I always try to explain as politely and respectfully as I can. You never know, in thirty years time I might be commended for having the forward vision to take these photos, but right now I am sure I am regarded with suspicion as a crazy oddball!