A Toy’s Story is a collection of lost or abandoned toys randomly found by chance on our streets. They are photographed untouched and as I find them and then the image is treated to a black-and-white look with the toy being left in full colour. I wanted the black and white background to give the capture a more somber feel and to reflect the dire situation of the toy, i.e. forgotten. Keeping the toy, or toys, in full colour adds a dash of hope and brings the focal point straight to them to make them the ‘star of the show’.
I have been capturing these images for a number of years. I find it fascinating that a lost or abandoned toy can evoke empathetic feelings of sadness when we see their plight and situation. Often, it is evident that a passer-by has propped the toy up in order to make them more noticeable, probably in the hope that the owner might find them again. It is a very sweet random act of kindness. Even though the toy has no connection to us personally we still see them and feel sad for them and maybe even the child that has lost their furry friend, with some, even, sometimes making us remember our own childhood toys.
