“I have often dreamed of finding a perfect place to do my food shopping. A place far from the strip-light nightmare of the supermarket: somewhere that offers the best of a farmer’s market with a taste of something from further afield. A slightly secret and hidden place, where supply goes with the ebb and flow of the seasons, where there is a constantly evolving group of traders bringing things to tempt and delight”

Nigel Slater’s description of the Saturday morning scene in and around Maltby Street, near London’s Tower Bridge, resonates with my own experience of it. Being lucky enough to live just around the corner, I have been a regular there since its inception and have enjoyed all that it offers including its seasonal ebb and flow.

It is this group of traders, these neighbours and friends, who, over the Saturday mornings of 2011, became the subject of these photographs. I thank them all for the generous gift of their time and for the pleasure of collaborating to make these pictures.

They have all been shot in natural light on a Sinar 5×4 camera using the now irreplaceable Polaroid Type 55 film. Due to my limited supply of this precious film I restricted myself to no more than two sheets per person. 

As I print them, I will post the results over the coming weeks.

-Tif Hunter

Tif’s new project is now available to view on a blog created solely for the project, this is a prelude for an exhibition that will be taking place in spring. 

You can view more of the work from the project here.