One latest subsection of Fergus’ ongoing undertaking is Moonrakers and Sunseekers, named after an in a single day 300 km Audax that takes place annually. Riders go away Bristol at 10pm, make their approach south to Bournemouth, then Poole Harbour the place they cease off at Lilliput Sea Scouts management for fundamental meals, relaxation and to have their brevet card stamped.
It was at this relaxation level that Fergus stationed himself between the hours of 2-7am, photographing riders who got here by. “It’s a wierd time to be awake and I used to be to see how which may have an effect on the interplay between photographer and sitter,” Fergus says. “When driving at evening, you’re acutely focussed on a small pool of sunshine emitted in entrance of the bike, studying the street and watching out for risks reminiscent of potholes.” It’s this depth that Fergus sees translating into the photographs – palpable within the riders’ eyes as their portraits are taken, staring into the digicam, or in some circumstances past, and the environment of the sparse blue-and-white harbour setting. “There’s a monastic silence, damaged solely by the sound of cutlery in opposition to plates and biking sneakers tapping out and in of the door.”
Through the shoot Fergus encountered a couple of “celebrities” throughout the Audax group who have been “hailed for quietly and persistently placing within the miles”. Like Dai – one of many few cyclists with a big smile on his face in his portrait. Recognized for his closely laden mounted gear and broad Welsh accent, one important element of his portrait (and one thing Fergus sees as setting him other than street cyclists) is the actual fact he’s sporting two Paris Brest jerseys from separate years on prime of one another. Fergus additionally has a delicate spot for Zlatamira’s portrait. It was the final photograph in a roll of movie and she or he blinked, however the ensuing picture is one which resonates, as “a serene, meditative second earlier than she continued on into the early hours”.
