Hand car washes

While in Northamptonshire a couple of years ago (January 2015) I passed by a hand car wash near Kettering and decided to return later that afternoon to see whether I could get permission to take a few photographs on my iPhone – it looked as though it had the makings of a great subject for photography. Here is a selection of the images I took that day.

This has now become an ongoing personal documentary project. I’ve yet to come across anyone else who’s made a study of the phenomenon of the hand car wash. This is an ideal subject for the documentary photographer, with the low wage, insecure employment aspects, besides the fascinating detail and the people watching, now especially in the context of Brexit. I use a combination of photographing close up, with permission, or shooting disceetly from a distance, sometimes from a passing car.