February 2012. Client: HMPR

Although I specialise in photographing people, every year I get the opportunity to shoot a more static, but surprisingly fun, subject. Potholes – they’re the bane of many drivers’ lives, but they’re my models for the HMPR‘s annual Alarm road maintenance survey.

I love this job. Asphalt is everywhere, but I see it in a different light when I’m tasked with capturing everything from the smoothest new ribbon of road to the worst ruts in a city street. And, as much as I enjoy the dynamic, interactive nature of photographing people, it can also be a pleasure shooting things that sit still.

I’ve had to prowl the countryside looking for the perfect pothole. I’ve surprised a few drivers by asking them to reverse through a particularly photogenic rut so that I can capture the splash. And I’ve trained my friends to report the most gruesome examples on their commutes.

And I’m not alone in finding something oddly fascinating about potholes. The magazine was chosen ‘guest publication of the week’ on the BBC’s Have I Got News For You?