The Days are Falling (2011–2012) began after an on-going morning ritual monitoring the last remaining leaf on a tree in my garden. It seemed to hang on for weeks despite strong winds and rain. For me this image spoke of determination, holding on and hope. I started to photograph the last leaf or leaves remaining on trees in the local area.

Around the same time I shared these images with poet and friend Sarah Fordham. We started a dialogue about how we read the symbol of the last leaf. Sarah’s poem 'The days are falling from the trees', describes an image of letting go, the cycle of life and death. I was interested in how our interpretations of the same visual were so different. My reading is about holding on and Sarah’s is about letting go. I am indebted to Sarah for the title of this series that references her poem, which can be read here.

This project was completed during a residency at Camberwell College of Art, supported by the AA2A scheme.