On the road with Jeremy Corbyn – a photo essay

As the Labour leader fights his second general election, Guardian photographer Sean Smith joins the campaign trail

I started photographing Jeremy Corbyn during the leadership contest before the 2015 election. After a short time covering him on the campaign trail, I thought he would do a lot better then people expected. By the time of the next general election, in 2017, I, probably in a minority of one, thought he could win.

Corbyn is quite relaxed with a camera around. When we first met, he would ask: “What do you want? What should I do?” But now he understands I’m not trying to do photocall pictures; I want it to be as if I wasn’t there.

• Arriving at the European Commission in February with (from left) James Schneider, head of strategic communications; Keir Starmer, shadow Brexit secretary; Seumas Milne, director of strategy and communications; and Shami Chakrabarti, shadow attorney general

To start with I didn’t have much special access, but over time I persistently asked to follow him. I don’t think the Labour team ever started to trust me, but they did start to tolerate me.

• About to be interviewed by ITN’s Angus Walker in the offices of MEP Richard Corbett in the European parliament, with Keir Starmer and Shami Chakrabarti, 21 February

• In the interview, with Milne and Schneider in the background

• Arriving on the Eurostar with Chakrabarti and Richard Burgon, MP for Leeds East

• With Starmer and shadow business secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey, before meeting Theresa May to discuss the Brexit deal, 3 April

• Waiting for the train back to London at Lancaster station, 23 March

I wasn’t expecting him to do the Eric Morecambe pose. I didn’t suggest it. A member of the public asked to do one with him and then he got Lizzi to do one, too. It was very spontaneous.

• With Labour councillor Lizzi Collinge earlier in the day

• Door-to-door canvassing for Morecambe and Lunesdale

• On the train back to London from Lancaster

• Travelling to south Wales with shadow home secretary Diane Abbott, on 30 March, for the byelection campaign following the death of Labour MP Paul Flynn

Corbyn is much more relaxed and open than his minders from the press team. He said to me once, “Oh Sean, are you coming on the train with me?” and suddenly all of his people looked worried; I could see them thinking, “Oh no, don’t invite him – what are you doing?”

• With local candidate Ruth Jones

• Preparing to go on stage

• Making notes on a train en route to the Peterborough byelection, 27 April

He seems very happy and rejuvenated when he’s on the road and appears to prefer it to being in Westminster: I think he feels it’s a bit of a club, an echo chamber. On the road, he seems genuinely engaged, albeit mostly with Labour party members. Perhaps he should go after a few Tories, too.

• With new MP Lisa Forbes in the town centre, talking to the press after Labour hold the seat

• Walking home from Finsbury Park station, London, with a member of his team (second left)

• Chatting to pearly kings and queens at Armed Forces Day in Islington, north London, in June

He’s got more energy than I do. I was with him in Hartlepool one day, back in Islington the next: he couldn’t resist popping into a tiny local street festival where there was an Elvis impersonator. Everyone there wanted to say hello to him, even the police officers.

• With Elvis at the Manor Gardens street festival near his home

• At Finsbury Park mosque, as part of the nationwide Visit My Mosque day

• Working on a speech at the Tolpuddle Martyrs’ festival, Dorset, 20 July

When he’s preparing a speech, he does very brief notes to himself. It seems like he’s writing prompts. In Tolpuddle, he was making his notes in a porch behind the stage, where a musician had left a guitar.

• With his wife, Laura Alvarez, joining the annual march through the village

• Signing autographs and (right) on the march

• Acknowledging applause following his speech to the Labour party conference in Brighton in September

I think Corbyn is the only politician I’ve photographed who doesn’t have that lifelong ambition to be prime minister. I’ve never come across anyone like that. All the others, even if there is no possibility of it happening, have that occasional glint in their eye at the thought of “what if?”. For him, agree with him or not, it is all about the policies he deeply believes in; it is not about personal ambition. I think even his enemies would agree with that.

I think he’s a lot more steely and capable than people think. From the little work I’ve done with Boris Johnson, he’s more desperate to be loved than Corbyn; the prime minister seems to get hurt if people don’t like him.

• A walkabout on the seafront

• With shadow chancellor John McDonnell and (right) waving to the audience with Alvarez

• Addressing the climate emergency demonstration in central London, 20 September

It’s become harder to get proper time with politicians. Margaret Thatcher was a lot easier to photograph than Tony Blair or David Cameron. They want to stage-manage and control things. With these shots, I feel I got some of those rare candid moments.

• Talking on the phone on a balcony outside his office

• With celebrities to launch the Labour party’s new charter for the arts. Below: Being interviewed by the Guardian’s Heather Stewart

• Backstage before giving a speech, 7 November