Shortlist, Invisible Jumpers by Joseph Ford

"I’m a big fan of optical illusions. For this series I matched people to their surroundings through custom-made knitwear. Knitting is the ultimate analogue medium, complete with imperfections and replete with detail. At a time when it’s often assumed that any photographs out of the ordinary are the result of Photoshop or CGI, it’s satisfying to work with a slow, hand-crafted medium. The results aren’t perfect - there are often bits that don’t match up.

Each of these pictures took weeks to research and plan. I worked with an amazing knitter, Nina Dodd, who hand-made all of the knitwear. Each picture began with an idea - could I photograph someone blending into cherry blossom, or disappearing into a cliff edge, for example. With a concept in mind I would then set out in search of the perfect location, before coming up with a brief detailing how the design should match the background.

The locations needed to be eye-catching, but simple enough to be translated into knitwear. They also needed to be places that weren’t going to change too fast, as the knitting takes a few weeks. It would be terrible to prepare a sweater and then not be able to get the shot because the location has altered beyond recognition."