Quiet Life Vol. 1

No Fixed Address

A first-person documentary project about being without a secure home while continuing to work full-time as a mechanic near Bristol.

For 23 nights during the summer of 2026, I had no secure home to return to.

I was still working, still turning up for shifts and still trying to make ordinary life look ordinary. I slept in my car, then moved to a campsite. The project grew out of the practical routines around that: finding somewhere to park, washing, changing clothes, charging equipment, keeping food and water, and working out where I would sleep next.

View of a coastal landscape with a grassy area, a stone barrier, and a lighthouse in the distance, seen from inside a parked vehicle. 
A Room with a View
A car beside the coast during the first days of No Fixed Address. The view could feel like freedom for a moment, but I was still waking on the back seat.
Night view of a laundromat with illuminated red 'RAMADA' sign and washing machines outside. 
Ramada Laundrette
I was still going to work every day, so clean clothes mattered. This outdoor laundrette became one of the places where I could keep that part of my life functioning.
Dirty car backseat with clothes, water bottle, and papers inside a dimly lit vehicle. 
How to Hide a Bedroom
The back seat of my car made into a bed during the first five nights. By morning, the bedding had to be packed away so the bedroom could become a car again.

I didn’t want to photograph homelessness as a series of dramatic moments because that wasn’t how I experienced it.

Most of it was repetitive and logistical. I needed clean clothes, water, food, somewhere to wash and enough sleep to work the next day. Things that disappear into the background when you have a home became separate jobs that had to be planned.

The car was transport, storage and a bedroom. The campsite gave me somewhere I was supposed to be for the night, but it didn’t make the situation simple. Returning to a room changed the immediate problem, but it didn’t end the project.

Three Phases

THE CAR

Sunset sky with purple and pink clouds over silhouetted trees and buildings, reflected on the surface of a car in the foreground. 
The first five nights were spent in the car. The back seat became a bed at night and had to become a car again in the morning.

THE CAMPSITE

Interior of a camping tent with a bed, pillows, and clothing inside, viewed through a large clear window. 
The campsite gave me more space, showers and somewhere to leave the tent. It made things easier without making them normal.

BACK INSIDE

A person with a tattooed arm holding a set of keys, including a house key, a red keychain, and a vintage key, standing on a wooden floor. 
I regained secure housing on 2 August. The project continues into the adjustment that follows, rather than ending at the moment I got a key.

This is one person’s experience. I am not trying to speak for everyone who has been homeless, and I don’t think there is one correct image of homelessness.

The work is about hidden homelessness, work, survival, dignity and the distance between how life looks from the outside and what is happening underneath it.

Publications

The Big Issue, Issue 1732, pp. 24-27

Homeless in a Heatwave

Read the Feature →

Centre for British Documentary Photography

Working but Homeless in Britain

Read the Feature →

Invisible People

The Second Shift of Being Homeless

Read the Feature →

The i Paper

I live in England’s least affordable city – I have a job but still ended up homeless

Read the Feature →

If you would like to support the project, share the work or discuss an editorial or speaking opportunity, get in touch.

Contact Sam
Nighttime scene of a laundromat with a red neon sign reading 'Ramada' above appliance machines, illuminated by a small exterior light, with picnic tables in the foreground.
View of a body of water with a distant shoreline and houses, seen through a rectangular opening in a stone structure.
Cityscape with residential houses in the foreground and a high-rise building in the background under a clear blue sky.
Close-up of a vehicle's side mirror and windshield showing a coastal landscape with grass, rocks, and a lighthouse in the distance.
Underneath a parking structure with blue and green columns, there are trees, green shrubs, and parked cars visible in the background.
Stacked rocks balancing on grass near a cliff edge with a cityscape in the background under a blue sky.
Bench facing a calm river during sunset or sunrise, with silhouetted trees and streetlights reflecting on the water.
A silver sedan car with its headlights on, parked near a yellow post in a dark outdoor setting.
Sunset with pink and purple clouds over a rural landscape, trees, and buildings, reflected on a car's shiny black roof.
The interior of a car at night with messy backseat containing clothes, a water bottle, and some papers, with illuminated door panels and seats.
A pot of boiling water or soup on a portable gas stove outdoors with a scenic park and trees in the background at sunset.
A camping setup with two tents, a folding chair, a table with items, and a car in a wooded area.
A white car parked on grass with a golf bag and club holder in front of it, docked on a golf course or park area.
Person relaxing with legs up on dashboard of car, window view of trees and cloudy sky outside
A black and white photo of a small parking area surrounded by trees and bushes. There is a car visible among the foliage and trees, with a tent or canopy partially hidden on the right side.
A plastic storage box containing a book titled "How I Make Photographs" by Joel Meyerowitz, notes, a small fan, a sheet of paper with handwritten text, a package of yellow sponges, and a pack of batteries.
A black-and-white photo of a camping scene with a large tent in the foreground and smaller tents in the background, set on a grassy area surrounded by trees.
A man with sunglasses sitting on the trunk of a silver Mercedes-Benz E-Class car in a wooded area.
Kitchen sink with dirty dishes and a sponge, looking out onto a grassy backyard with bushes and trees.
Camping area with three parked cars, a tent, a picnic table, a traffic cone, and two people sitting on the ground next to trees in the background.
Hand holding a spray bottle near a car, with a plastic sheet covering the car's rear and Mercedes-Benz emblem visible.
A portable black table outdoors on grass, with a brown rolled-up blanket, a yellow mug with coffee, and a notebook.
An old wooden wagon with large wheels resting on grass, surrounded by bushes and trees.
A hand with tattoos holding a set of keys, including a house key, a silver key, and a red key fob.
A hospital bed covered with various bags, backpacks, and storage containers, with additional boxes and equipment on site, next to a window with floral curtains and a standing lamp.
Man packing or unpacking belongings on a bed in a bedroom with shelves and an empty mattress.
A man making a bed in a bedroom.
A man with glasses and tattoos is making a bed with gray sheets in a bedroom with beige walls and a wooden wardrobe.
Door with attached keys, keyring, remote, and a green keychain strap labeled "TITACHERS _School".
Small enclosed shower with tiled walls and a white electric water heater mounted on the wall inside the shower.
Unmade bed with a blue comforter and some papers or booklets on top. Behind the bed, a window with floral curtains, a mounted electric heater, a standing lamp, and a clothes drying rack with clothes hanging on it.
A computer desk with a monitor displaying a plane in the sky, a keyboard, a webcam, a speaker, and a lamp. There's a white chair in front of the desk, a box under the chair, and a gaming PC with green lights on the right. A laptop is on the floor con
Multiple pairs of sneakers lined up on a wooden floor next to a wall, in a room with a bed, a desk, and various electronic equipment.

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