Capturing the true faces Exeter
THESE are the faces of Exeter today – caught in stark black and white beauty by award-winning Echo photographer Matt Austin.
His pictures of well-known Devon horse and cart traveller John Treagood, which recently appeared in the Echo, generated global interest when they were published on our website.
And he has followed it up by revealing a series of photographs taken over the past year, mostly on the streets of Exeter as he travels from job to job.
Matt said: "I spot people and think they would make a good portrait, but sometimes I cannot ask for permission as I don't have time – or am just not feeling brave enough that day.
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"Every now and again the right circumstances and opportunity arises to have a little chat and ask for a picture. People usually say yes, although from time to time the answer is a firm but polite no. That's fine, because I have to admit that I'm not sure I would want my picture taken in the street.
"But when the answer is yes it really is a great experience and a fantastic opportunity to meet and chat to people from all walks of life.
"I have met protesters, solicitors, potters, tattooists, punks and artists – some, but not all, of whom are living rough on the streets of Exeter, and all with a story to tell.
"One particularly memorable meeting was with John, who I have seen around for years but never spoken to before. I spotted him eating a pasty while sitting on a bench outside the cathedral and sat next to him. He was a most charming man who talks with a very calm and slow Devon accent.
"He explained that he had not bothered with a home for about 25 years and told me how, a few years back, he grew potatoes in a quiet corner of Cathedral Green until the powers that be found them.
"Then there was Ken, who I chatted to when he was listening to a band in the High Street. He had the most amazing moustache and it turned out he was a retired drill sergeant from the Coldstream Guards who now lives in Dunkeswell."
Matt said the portrait shots are a welcome break from his news jobs. "With this you can have a casual chat with someone who you would never encounter in your normal walk of life which ends with a picture and a great memory," he said.
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