Upton Park 2006-2016
I did a photo search for 'West Ham fans' on Flickr and a guy had written "If you're a West Ham fan, then welcome to a lifetime of pain" - it seemed a very appropriate comment to me. My in-laws are from East London and are all die hard Hammers, so most of them know something of how that feels.
I have always loved football since I was a teenager. My first job was even reporting on football for the local rag.
For some reason when I moved to Essex I got out of the habit of going regularly and going to a game at Southend United didn't happen all that often. I spent a lot of time in Southend taking photos of other things and I although I had been to Upton Park on and off since 2001 with my ex husband, it was only when I borrowed my mate Kane's season ticket for two months, that I developed an emotional connection with West Ham and that sense of passion and excitement I'd had as a teenager for the great British came flooding back and I was like - 'I let this go?'
I have met some great people at the Hammers and made some great friends. It's not just about the scoreline for me (although that helps) - but the whole routine of the thing: the pre-match build up, the camaraderie, the coach trips to this country's nether regions that previously existed only in myth (like Wigan). Even meeting my mates at the best chippy in the world before a game is just what I did when I was a teenager.
Plus as a photographer - I find the emotions on the faces of the people who attend these games truly fascinating. Hammers are a rollercoaster of emotions and results and one thing I have found over the last few years is that their fighting spirit is irrepressible.
Welcome to a lifetime of pain? Indeed.
Read MoreI have always loved football since I was a teenager. My first job was even reporting on football for the local rag.
For some reason when I moved to Essex I got out of the habit of going regularly and going to a game at Southend United didn't happen all that often. I spent a lot of time in Southend taking photos of other things and I although I had been to Upton Park on and off since 2001 with my ex husband, it was only when I borrowed my mate Kane's season ticket for two months, that I developed an emotional connection with West Ham and that sense of passion and excitement I'd had as a teenager for the great British came flooding back and I was like - 'I let this go?'
I have met some great people at the Hammers and made some great friends. It's not just about the scoreline for me (although that helps) - but the whole routine of the thing: the pre-match build up, the camaraderie, the coach trips to this country's nether regions that previously existed only in myth (like Wigan). Even meeting my mates at the best chippy in the world before a game is just what I did when I was a teenager.
Plus as a photographer - I find the emotions on the faces of the people who attend these games truly fascinating. Hammers are a rollercoaster of emotions and results and one thing I have found over the last few years is that their fighting spirit is irrepressible.
Welcome to a lifetime of pain? Indeed.
