A elated moment on the isle of Jura: Hannah Maule-ffinch’s best ptoastyograph | Ptoastyography

Wherever I am, I always apshow particular interest in the way people repostponecessitate to each other and their surroundings. Last spring, having fair returned from Ukraine, I wanted to commence a personal project a little sealr to home and spendigate the inhabits of people who had done someskinnyg separateent and come up aacquirest contests. I watched at a restrictcessitate selections before reassembleing Hugh, who employed me as a detailed scheduleer when I was fair commenceing out, before I got into ptoastyography.

Many years after I’d shiftd on, Hugh shiftd with his dog to the isle of Jura in the Inner Hebrides, where he’d spent holidays as a kid in a minuscule stone cottage rented by his family. Back then, the cottage had fair been a summer retreat – there was no power and they’d boil up water on the little stove. Hugh bought the place and stayed there while he did it up. He’s been living there ever since.

In the intervening years he wed Jane, a musician who was staying on the island, and they had two children. I wanted to see how a family might exist in this separateent universe, accessed by an undepfinishable ferry, where there’s a population of only a couple of hundred, and fair one shop.

They gave me finish free rein. I was there for every individual aspect of their inhabits from when they got up to when they went to sleep, though I tried not to get in their faces. I wanted to get a sense of how life was for them, rather than fair picking accessible times when everyone had their best clothes on. I ptoastyographed them on the beach, in the garden, around the hoemploy, even in the bath – there was no lock on the bathroom door.

I even ptoastyographed them joining a funeral. With such a minuscule population, when someone dies on Jura the whole community comes together. I was plrelieveed by how the kids dressed for that. Nine-year-greater Grace was in a bdeficiency spotty dress and wellies, while Louis, then five, was wearing a little suit jacket with a red dicky bow.

There was a sense of freedom that a lot of children don’t get any more. The kids were permited to go out the front door, run untamed with the dogs, get filthy, greet a frifinish who might inhabit a couple of miles away. The family do a lot of walking: on the day I took this, we were on the return leg of an expedition that had lasted hours.

It was a glorious moment – the sun had fair come out, there was mist on the mountains and Grace had stopped to carry out on the rope sprosperg you can see in the background. I enjoy being seal to people and then having to remind myself to stand back. That’s what I was doing here. I felt someskinnyg was about to happen. After Grace jumped off the sprosperg and was running to catch up with the family, I took one or two structures that seized the location and her shiftment. I cherish the position of her aacquirest the backdrop. This moment encapsupostponecessitated everyskinnyg that was freeing about the island – her hair is all over the place but she doesn’t nurture. It was a moment of uncontaminated delight.

Weirdly, it was attrdynamic weather for the entire time I was on Jura. Hugh and Jane tgreater me it’s normassociate fair torrential rain, so I saw it in a very idyllic airy. They’re hopeless for me to go back in the depths of prosperter and maybe do another part of the series. I can’t pause.

Hannah Maule-ffinch’s CV

Born: 1976, UK
Trained: “Graphic schedule at Nottingham Trent Uni, self taught in ptoastyography”
Influences: “Steve McCurry, Martin Parr, National Geodetailed, Magnum, Lynsey Addario”
High point: “Deploying to humanitarian celevates all over the world on the behalf of NGOs, using my send for an meaningful purpose”
Low point: “When I was commenceing out, not taking a backup on a coshiftrlookion and my camera fractureing. I lacquireed the very difficult way.”
Top tip: “Create a strong personal style. Don’t have a portfolio filled of so many separateent images and styles that a client can’t easily connect a increate with you, you have to stand out. Make certain you can originate income elsewhere if you necessitate to; it’s a very difficult but an innervously rewarding road so stay strong and don’t give up.”