Life through lens of city’s commuters
A MAN crosses the tracks, another stares thoughtfully out of the window as his headphones block out the morning buzz, while a woman casts her eyes down on a crowded tram.
The pictures, taken over a year on photographer Andrew McDonald’s commute to work, capture candid moments on Manchester’s Metrolink.
His unguarded subjects, often making their way to work, are a reflection of life in the city.
Andrew, 35, from Didsbury, takes photographs on his commute to Manchester, where he works in finance.
He said: “I take pictures of anyone with a bit of character about them. If they are lost in their own thoughts, for example.
“It’s more to do with finding an explanation of my surroundings and the ever-changing cast of characters I see from day to day.”
Andrew says his favourite picture in his Metrolink series is a man walking across the tracks, his face obscured by the shadow of a building.
He is drawn to photography because it ‘suggests a story without necessarily telling one.’
“To me it’s relevant because the city is changing a lot and I just feel it’s a good representation of how things are at the moment in Manchester,” he said.
“I believe it’s changing for the positive in certain areas, but it depends on how old you are. Some people are nostalgic for the past.
He is capturing, he says, ‘the intersection of the present and the past,’ adding: “I find it gritty, bleak, dark, beautiful and romantic. I love the buzz, the theatre and chaos.”
Andrew studied photography at university but fell out of love with it. But picking up a camera again a year ago, he’s taken more than 700 photos, many of those for his commute series, which has become a hit on his Instagram profile elvis_from_hell. He says many of his subjects get in touch on the social media platform to give him feedback.
If Andrew’s subjects object to having their pictures taken, he deletes them from his cameras. He plans to continue taking pictures on Metrolink.
From February 8 to March 13, Andrew’s photography will be displayed at an exhibition at the Leica Store on Police Street, Manchester.