My dad used to drive up and down the A46 as a national salesman for different companies, and I still remember the orange lollies from Little Chef that he would bring home, and the small BP albums that we used to collect. My dad is sadly no longer with us, and during my drives along the A46 between work, my moms house and home, I began thinking about our phone conversations and in doing so found the A46 project.
The A46 project is a personal journey through the places where I grew up and where I live now in Broadway. Whilst growing up my family would use the road to get around taking me to football games, to Birmingham or further afield on holiday. I now teach photography at a local college and use the road to drive between work and home. Whilst driving I used to speak to my dad, but since we lost him I found myself not on the phone anymore, but looking and remembering where this road has taken me. Paul Graham’s A1; the great Northern road, and the photography of William Eggleston and Stephen Shore have been a big influence on the project, especially for their use of colour and capturing the sense of a journey.
Whist driving I often stop, put on a high vis jacket and take photographs of the places that I might overlook or miss when driving. All of the images are taken from the side of the A46 and I always keep my camera in the car in case I see something.
Nicholas Priest uses photography to document everyday life as he sees it. He is currently studying an MA at Gloucestershire University and has a BA in photography from Birmingham City University and teaches photography at Stratford college.