Walking Distance
© Sarah Burton FieldingSarah Burton Fielding’s Walking Distance reads like a quiet, heartfelt love letter to the 6 years she lived in Hackney and the everyday rhythms of London life. After moving from New Zealand in 2016, the environment felt fresh and energising, and so Sarah took in the city the way she knew best, setting out on foot to document her new neighbourhood.
Rather than a straightforward documentary, Walking Distance is shaped by emotion and memory. A mosaic of people, colours, architecture, gardens and the light sweeping over it all. She favoured the spicy energy of summer evenings and searched for everyday momentsto elevate.
Pushing herself outside her comfort zone into street portraits, Sarah found that the simple act of asking strangers for pictures led to some of her favourite shots and became part of the greater tapestry of community she was capturing. The portrait of a vendor and his son at a jerk-chicken stand was featured in Portrait of Britain 2020 (British Journal of Photography).
Against the backdrop of national and global upheaval, Walking Distance offers a grounded, intimate portrait of daily life unfolding on the streets, a testament to continuity and connection.
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