GILES ISBELL: Hello Pictorial List thanks for having me. I grew up on the edge of Hull in East Yorkshire in the north of England. I was far too energetic, too unfocused, to sit still at school and this got me into all sorts of trouble; so academically I wasn’t a great success. If only someone had stuck a camera in my hand.

But back in the 70's and early 80’s, English teachers were often an indifferent bunch. This was a time when it was ok to hit children, or at best turn a blind eye to the random neglect that was common place in the comprehensive schools of the day. On weekends I used to head out with a very heavy book of birds and my dad’s binoculars for hours on end. I explored the woods and hedgerows seeing what I could find. I think what I enjoyed most was being alone with my thoughts and coming home with mud on my boots. I can’t remember seeing many particularly exotic birds, I remember lots of noisy acrobatic crows but I enjoyed the ritual, sense of adventure and lack of regimentation of open space. Perhaps this explained why I was drawn to photography because it was something I could do alone, like birdwatching; just me and a camera; without the judgement or sense of rejection I’d experienced in the school system. Going out alone with my thoughts inspires me still. It keeps me out of trouble. I think the streets I photograph are an extension of the woodland I explored as a child. I’m self-taught and this always feels like a great big ‘fuck you’ to those who had no faith or belief in me as a child.

I found street photography when I saved up enough to buy a Panasonic G1 that I had read about with a 20mm pancake lens and a ticket to India; I flew into Delhi and circumnavigated the country with only that camera and had a blast! That was twenty years ago and the start of my love affair with the streets.