Photographer Niall McDiarmid on his Bristol scenes

For the past seven years, Scottish photographer Niall McDiarmid has travelled the length and breadth of the UK, stopping at more than 200 towns along the way. His new book Town to Town features more than 60 portraits from this journey, in McDiarmid’s singular, colourful style. An exhibition of the project, to coincide with the book’s publication, runs at the Martin Parr Foundation, Paintworks, from January 31 to May 12, 2018.

From Dingwall in the Scottish Highlands to the historic Cornish town of Bodmin, McDiarmid has taken more than 2,000 portraits on his travels. He visited town centres across the country with the same high street shops and chains of coffee shops – but he found that each retained its distinctive character, due to the individuals who walk the streets.

“As a nation we are blessed with a talent for being individuals, unafraid to stick out from the crowd,” Niall explains. “It is also a sign of our nation’s tolerance that in most cases no matter what your age, sex, ethnicity or social background you can be as you wish, wear what you like and walk down any high street without feeling alienated.”

Below are a selection of portraits taken by McDiarmid while passing through our own fair city, with the photographer’s own comments beneath each one.

Town to Town by Niall McDiarmid is published by RRB PhotoBooks in January 2018 and will be exhibited at the Martin Parr Foundation from January 31-May 15 2018.

For more info, visit www.martinparrfoundation.org/exhibitions-category/current and www.rrbphotobooks.com/collections/rrb-publishing-titles/products/niall-mcdiarmid-town-to-town

Wine Street, Bristol – April 2017

“‘I bought this hat in 1973 in Tomintoul, Scotland. I’ve worn it ever since. Everybody loves my hat’,” explained Dick, whom I met at the bus stop in Wine Street. A great character with great tales to tell and great eyes to photograph.”

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Surrey Street, St Pauls, Oct 2017

“Unusually in this instance, I saw the background first. I loved the yellow bucket inside the door, the coloured bins, all the random graffiti tagging and the splashed water on the ground. The chap just happened to come round the corner as I was sizing the scene up. His red boiler suit and the yellow document he is holding seemed made to fit in. As a street photographer, some days luck just falls in your favour.”

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Bond Street, July 2017

“Crossing Bond Street last summer, I got chatting to this woman walking with her son. She told me this was the first day out with her new red hair extensions.. It’s almost impossible to ignore hair like that – always a gift for a photographer.”

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Stokes Croft, May 2011

“My first trip to Bristol back in 2011. I met this fellow walking up Stokes Croft and just loved his outfit – long tie, different laces, all his cables and chains, wind swept hair. We chatted for a while, he headed up the hill, I headed back into town. Nothing beats chance encounters to me.”

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Woman eating Rich Tea Biscuits, Bond Street, April 2017

“Not every shot I take is posed, and this one falls into that category. I saw this woman in a striking red outfit eating biscuits in Bond Street. I was drawn to the mix of colours and the blue packet she was holding which clashed against the detail in the background. I loved the way her matching red bag is tied up with yellow string too. Are these Rich Tea biscuits? I’m not sure. I’m not a fan of Rich Tea – too dry for me!”

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East Street, Bedminster, July 2017

“I’m always drawn to temporary fashion trends, and wearing your T-shirt half on and half off fits into this category for me. It’s something I’ve noticed a lot at the moment, primarily with young lads, as I’ve travelled up and down the country. What does it mean… who knows?
“I met these three lads walking down East Street with a swagger. T-shirts mostly on, yet mostly off. Engaging and funny, if a little bemused by the whole thing.”

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Castle Park, Nov 2016

“Ballet dancers in the park: I’m guessing I was drawn first to their camel coats but later on, chatting to these two, I found out they were ballet dancers taking a break from rehearsals. Is it possible to tell from the way they stand? I think so. Good posture: surely the mark of good ballet dancers.”

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Cabot Circus, July 2017

“Signature images are what I’m drawn to. Colour coordination and engaging characters combining are key to this series of portraits. So this fellow with his peach/pink shirt and shorts matching with the paving stones was a must. He was friendly and helpful – just like Bristol itself!”