ONE MAN'S passion for being behind the chip shop counter has moved to being behind the lens for a photography project with his customers.

Kazem Hakimi, owner of Oxford Fish Bar in Iffley Road, has captured hundreds of portraits of his customers bring his two love interest in his job and hobby together.

He says every picture tells a tale and he is hoping to create a book or exhibition out of his photography project.

Mr Hakimi said: "I am always photographing bits and bobs but I am always at the shop – so I thought I would start doing a project with my customers.

"Customers come in for their fish and chips and they normally laugh when I ask to take a picture of them, but after explaining – some people don’t – but most people say yes.

"That is the advantage of knowing my customers very well, they know me and I have a loving relationship with all of them."

Mr Hakimi has been roping in his loyal customers of OX4 to have their picture taken for the project.

So far, the chip shop owner of nearly 30 years has taken more than 300 portrait photos of his customers.

When customers come in and are waiting for their order, Mr Hakimi takes them through to the back garden where he has a white wall to picture them against with one camera lens.

He said: "We get customers from all walks of life and I love them.

“Everyone knows me and I have a loving relationship with my customers – everyone’s pictures show something different about them and I want to show that relationship through the portrait.

“The more you look at the picture, the more you learn about their beauty and kindness.

"It is an ongoing project I will just keep doing, I have between 300 and 400 pictures so far of different people and have made them into a little book.

"I do photography for myself and that is why I started but when my chip shop customers saw the pictures they have bee pushing me to show them to the public."

Mr Hakimi has since collated the hundreds of pictures into a book and is considering trying to get it published.

He also hopes to host an exhibition to show all his customers of the hundreds he has pictured exactly what the project is about.

He has built up a close relationship with many OX4 customers having owned the Oxford Fish Bar for 28 years and the project is a collaboration of around 10 years work on and off.