Photographer finds the extraordinary in the ordinary in amazing 'everyman' portraits

Dave Imms describes his work as 'a contemporary investigation of the man on the street'

Two hunters load a stag onto their jeep (Photo: Dave Imms)

With people living all too busy lives in 2015, many of us fail to admire how extraordinary the ordinary can be. When photographer Dave Imms realised this, he set about capturing portraits that give incredible insight into the lives of the everyman.

From butchers, mechanics, referees and factory workers to deer hunters, undertakers, squash players and dog walkers, Imms finds inspiration by delving into the realities found around him.

“The influence for my projects can come from several places,” he told The Independent. “For instance, “The Butchers” came about from watching Gangs of New York. But throughout all the inspirations, the constant is that I want to celebrate the banal and show people that the ordinary is exceptional.”

He continued: “People dedicate their lives to their jobs and pastimes. Sometimes it's a sacrifice, other times a labour of love. Sometimes controversial, like the deer hunting, and other times so accepted as normal that it becomes invisible, like a project on mathematicians that I'm working on at the moment.”

Imms does not use captions for his photographs but does associate phrases he has heard people saying while shooting a project. His favourite came when photographing a group of First World War battle re-enactors, when one of the sergeants announced to the crowd: “Today, we will be recreating the first day of the Battle of the Somme. I hope you enjoy it!”


 (Credit: Dave Imms)


 (Credit: Dave Imms)


 (Credit: Dave Imms)

Simplistically, Imms likes to look at his work as a “contemporary investigation of the man on the street” and at times, a “celebration”.

Take a look at more of his photographs on his website here.