The Reading Warehouse

The people of Merseyside, celebrated in photographs by award-winning photographer Barry Male. A spontaneous glimpse of real people living real lives, being who they are and doing what they do, captured with empathy and affection by a native who has rediscovered his roots.

Merseyside is a place where no-one is truly a stranger: people are happy to be who they are and to accept you as you are, with humour and good heart. I wanted to capture something of that spirit and then to hand it back in a way that says 'Thank you for being who you are - you're great '

This book emerged from what became a three year project to celebrate, in photographs, the people of Merseyside. It's not been a sentimental journey: my approach has been simple - I would spend time in an area or place I was drawn to and be as open and aware as I could be to what was happening around me . Occasionally, something speciaI would happen - often for only a fleeting moment - and I'd take the shot before it was gone - or not, if I'd missed it.

What I've put into the book is really a collection of stories: if you spend time with each picture, you'll see a moment in the real-life stories of real-life people living their lives as I encountered them; not always flattering, but true and real and always seen through the eyes of a kindred spirit.