MARTIN USBORNE

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Copyright © Martin Usborne  / All rights reserved  

Photographer, writer, animal lover Martin Usborne says: “I was once left in a car at a young age. I don’t know when or where or for how long, possibly at the age of four, perhaps outside a supermarket, probably for fifteen minutes only. The details don’t matter. The point is that I wondered if anyone would come back. The fear I felt was strong: in a child’s mind it is possible to be alone forever. Around the same age I began to feel a deep affinity with animals – in particular their plight at the hands of human. I saw a TV documentary that included footage of a dog being put in a plastic bag and being kicked. What appalled me most was that the dog could not speak back.  I should say that I was a well-loved child and never abandoned and yet it is clear that both these experiences arose from the same place deep inside me: a fear of being alone and unheard.

When I started this project I knew the photos would be dark. In a sense, I was attempting to go back inside my car, to re-experience what I couldn’t bear as a child. What I didn’t expect was to see so many subtle reactions by the dogs: some sad, some expectant, some angry, some dejected. It was as if upon opening up a box of grey-coloured pencils I was surprised to see many shades inside.” 

  Martin Usborne was born in London in 1973 where he still works and lives (with his miniature schnauzer, Moose). He trained in architecture, philosophy, psychology and 3D animation and finally settled on photography. His current work consists mainly of portraits, both human and animal. He has published four books so far and his works has been widely published in various magazines around the globe. His book The Silence of Dogs in Cars was awarded Best in Show in the Creative Review Photography Annual 2012.