Artwork

Umbrella: Lost, Alone


You were always there for me when I needed you most.
Now the need is gone, and so are you…

Umbrella: Lost, Alone is no longer a unique photo project. There are numerous ‘dead brolly’ collections online these days, but when I started capturing discarded umbrellas in my rainy city of Vancouver sometime in 2005 I hadn’t seen any others. The series began on film, shooting with my 35mm Hexar. I’ve since ‘bagged brollies’ with every one of my digital cameras. However, it became clear the ‘camera you always have with you’ (aka my iPhone) was the right choice for spontaneous umbrella captures. Flickr was where the series began (& continues), Instagram is where it grew for a few years but here, now, is the complete collection in one dedicated space.

There seems to be no end in sight. This series is ever evolving and expanding as I continue to keep my eye on the gutters, the bins, the shrubs and alleys for these elusive-yet-oh-so-commonplace discarded items.
Collection total to June 1, 2024: 404 unique specimens

Umbrellas photographed in situ 2005-2024:
Canada: Vancouver, Burnaby, Surrey, Delta, North Vancouver, Jones Lake, Roberts Creek in BC, Montreal, QC and Calgary, AB
USA: New York City, NY and Charlotte, NC
Int’l: Cuba, The Netherlands, México (Teotihuacan)