In 1994, I started going to Birdman events at West Sussex seaside towns like Bognor and Worthing. People would launch themselves off piers strapped into homemade contraptions – often in fancy dress – and try to fly. After my first visit, the photo agency I worked with sold the images all around the world. I thought: “Wow, that’s quite a result – I’ll do it again next year.” It was always a nice drive there and a chance to have fish and chips. I eventually started going with the family and we spent half the day on the beach. Sometimes I got a picture, sometimes I didn’t.
At first, I would try to note down who the competitors were that I photographed – until I asked one dressed as a dinosaur and he said: “Terry Dactyl.” We had a very entertaining chat, but I thought: “That’s it. I’m not going to ask any more names or where you come from or anything.” Consequently, I don’t know who the guy in this image is. There was metalwork involved in the horse, or dragon, or whatever it was, and it was on wheels. He started out riding on top of it like a knight in shining armour.
