What started as local lockdown project in 2020 has continued for nearly three years and expanded beyond the Scottish capital.
Ross Burns, 43, has taken a photo of one of his son’s many Hot Wheels cars every day for the past 1,000 days in various locations around the UK in what originally started as way of alleviating lockdown boredom.
Ross, Head of Communications at Edinburgh Napier University, initially photographed hundreds of cars in settings around Edinburgh. But as the world has opened up after the pandemic, he’s taken the cars on tour around the country, from London to Aberdeenshire, Glasgow to Newcastle.
“My six-year-old son Daniel loves Hot Wheels and it’s fair to say I’ve caught the bug as well. Back in the summer of 2020, to make sure I took a walk every day, I started taking a car out and taking some pictures on my phone.
“After a few weeks, I set myself the challenge of doing it for a full year and then thought I’d stop. But clearly I was hooked and another 635 days on, I’m still at it. The great thing now is that the world has opened up a lot more so it’s become a pictorial diary of my life.
“It’s also been a fun hobby for me and Daniel to do together. He likes copying my photos and creating his own. Seeing him sprawled flat on a pavement to get the perfect angle is pretty funny.”
Due to the restrictions of lockdown, the vast majority of Ross’s early photos were of Edinburgh but he has now taken his hobby around the country and photographed the cars in front of many iconic sights, including Buckingham Palace, the Finnieston Crane, and the Tyne Bridge.
“It’s exciting when I go away for a couple of days and the first thing I pack are the Hot Wheels. London is amazing for locations although the one downside of it no longer being lockdown is places are far busier and getting shots without people in them is a challenge.”
Ross has also appreciated the interaction from the wider community around his posts.
“My followers can probably be split into two camps: those that love Edinburgh and those that love Hot Wheels and I’ve tried my best to showcase both. It’s been great building up a following on Instagram and receiving messages and comments from around the world, from the USA to Japan.
“There are also inspiring people doing similar things in other countries, including in the likes of Dnipro in the Ukraine where they continue even while under siege.
“I said after a year of doing it that I would stop. Now I’ve done 1,000 days straight and seen my pictures progress from very amateur efforts to something more pleasing, I’ve got a big decision to make!”
You can see Ross’s car pictures at www.instagram.com/scot.wheels.
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