Working class photography

Funny, tragic and often bizarre, Stephen Leslie’s photos in his book Sparks are an unique ode to street photography, matching short fictions with the images that inspired them

Senior shoemaker standing in his workshop and holding a shoe mold.

The Turner Prize nominee breathes new life into the memories of his childhood

Lewis Hine, who was best known for his use of photography as a means to achieve social reform, was first a teacher of botany and nature studies at the Ethical Culture School in New York. It was while he was teaching that he was given a camera by the head of the school. In his hand, the camera became a powerful means of recording social injustice and labor abuses. Hine's interest in social welfare and in reform movements led him in 1905 to begin his first documentary series; immigrants on…

Shirley Baker – whose work covers the 1950s to 2000 – might be the best street photographer you've never heard of.

Shirley, known for her honest and eye-opening monochrome depictions of her native Salford, had an illustrious career spanning five decades working jobs including industrial photography and freelance writing