The Snapping Bishop

I wonder if there are any adults left in the world who haven’t heard of a place called Trafalgar Square? As a Londoner I find that question very intriguing! I heard it said recently and this simple idea left such an impact on me, especially considering it may nearly be true to some degree, that I suddenly felt an awakened passion for this city; the city I forget I love so much. I feel at home on the streets of London myself, the madness of thousands upon thousands of busy streets makes me feel comforted somehow; I’m both at its mercy and yet also somehow invincible within this sublime yet intense sprawl. It’s as if at any one moment you can choose to let destiny take its flow or get off at the next stop and make another choice, yet simultaneously I can jump back on again. It’s a fantastic thing to want to be swamped and swallowed by the hive that is London and yet still be bold and inspired at the same time… Hmm! do you get that? Not sure I do; looks like I do love London after all.

Art piece: Title. SoulSeat. A man living on the street finds some solace within a small church.

I’m really trying to start myself writing about ’street photography’ with that intro but it hasn’t worked. I wanted to write a passage that encompasses my reasons for shooting the shots below, I wanted to explain why it is I’ve become interested in this genre of photography.

Trafalgar Square: Iconic or ironic?

I’m so lucky to be living in this city when it comes to street photography; I have a considerable choice of subjects in most areas. Some, like Trafalgar Square offer an almost limitless supply of changing types, from tourists of any and all continents to the richest and the poorest, and all in-between. Not forgetting the sexes, the young, the old and the undecided, all passing each other on the same street but living in totally different worlds .

I hear people refer to Londoners as arrogant, possibly obstinate, an over self-confident attitude that sometimes rubs… but this is just a guise, a show of intent but not actually the truth of their being. It’s a side effect of being members of one of the most intense Cities in the world, we fight to keep our identity to some extent; without a little shouting now and then our voice would be lost in the constantly changing masses that have passed through London throughout the decades.

Hmm, still not getting going here… lol.

Let’s have the rest of my ‘Street’ photos. I’m gonna conclude my reason on a future blog (when I’ve decided what the answer is…)

All shot last Saturday afternoon during a wander from Covent Garden to Trafalgar Square.

A merge of two photographs