Jonathan Arundel captures car boot sale culture

Perhaps fate was on his side, or maybe he’s been stalking my Instagram account but photographer Jonathan Arundel definitely picked the right member of the It’s Nice That team to pitch his Car Boot series to. I love car boot sales with the kind of desperate adoration usually felt by teenage boys about #veryrare Supreme drops. But who needs a branded brick when, beneath a pile of sullied blankets, you might chance upon a life-size china dog or the patent thigh-high boots of your (my) dreams?

Although his favourite place to bargain hunt is in York where he grew up, Jonathan sees car boot sales as an access point into the communities of new and unknown places on his travels. “I often visit car boots or flea markets when visiting new places, Jonathan tells It’s Nice That. “I rarely buy anything but it’s a great way to spend a few hours wandering around; people are always so friendly and it’s amazing how so many items that were once the everyday norm now seem so nostalgic and interesting. There’s a timeless feeling about them I love and this is what I wanted to capture in my images. They could have been shot yesterday or ten years ago!"