George Plemper took hundreds of black and white photos in the 70’s and 80’s. This work lay hidden for many years, but thanks to a scanner and Flickr George has been able to revisit his negatives and start sharing them with the world. This led to coverage in the Guardian in 2008 and reconnecting with some of his subjects from decades past. George’s work evokes an undeniable nostalgia, but what makes it so engaging is its simplicity and directness. His portraits seem to have been effortlessly captured with simple, straightforward compositions. Nothing gets in the way of the viewer and the subject – who look back across the decades as if the photo was taken yesterday. The series we have chosen for Backyard were taken at South Bank Polytechnic between 1978 and 1982 where George worked as a research assistant while completing his PhD. The photographs were taken (in his own words) ‘in between making and burning plastic strips’.

Jonathan Goldberg’s work is an ongoing series on Transition Towns. These are communities striving to create a low carbon way of life and an environmentally sustainable future. Jonathan’s work is based in West London, but there are Transition Towns all over the world. This subject is close to Jonathan’s heart and he has become increasingly involved in this movement.   Over the last few months he’s helped to grow local produce, kept bees and has gone on foraging trips for food in wild places. This has resulted in an insider’s intimacy to his photographs that portray an optimistic alternative to the way communities could live and collaborate in the future.

Katherine Green’s calm and empathetic portraits document a community that lives in canal boats on the River Lea. As with all her work her subjects are within walking distance – or at the most, a bus ride from her home in East London. Katherine has a gift for searching people out, connecting with them and documenting their lives.   Katherine’s work is often accompanied by oral histories and interviews, creating a multi-dimensional aspect to her photography.