street photography

Strand shadows

/ mikeosbornphoto / 4 Comments

Strand shadowsStrand bus

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A murky winter’s night in central London. Standing inside the entrance to the palatial Somerset House, it’s still and calm. Shadows from the railings sweep across the well-worn flagstones. The light comes from the clamour of The Strand, a busy city thoroughfare. It appears frenetic and muddled where the pedestrians and buses are going at a different pace. It’s hazy in both smoky black and white and all the colour such a night can offer up. These are London moments captured from the calm edges.

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Olympic legacy

/ mikeosbornphoto / 8 Comments

Two years ago the eyes of the world were on London for the Olympic Games. A neglected area of the city was redeveloped to host the event, which was deemed a huge success.

After the action has finished, it’s easy for facilities to fall into disuse. There’s little sign of that in London. The area has been turned into a playground for the city, with beautifully sculpted walkways where everyone is free to roam.

It has great architectural interest with the amazing curves of the Aquatic Centre, designed by Britain’s high priestess of building design, Zaha Hadid. It sits near Orbit, a thrusting artistic twist of metal created by Anish Kapoor. And the athletes’ village has been turned over to private residential use.

This is a place that visitors want to explore, long after the buzz of Olympic competition left the arena. Here’s a portrait of the park captured one afternoon in both its might, detail and as a people’s place.

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The Photo Shop

Underneath

/ mikeosbornphoto / 12 Comments

Subway sign

Elephant and Castle in London is notorious with city dwellers for its rundown shopping centre and existence as a major road artery just south of the River Thames.

Beneath the busy traffic system lies a network of subways, allowing pedestrians to safely negotiate their way from one side of Elephant to another.

It’s adorned with cheerful, vibrant murals – official art unlike the Leake Street graffiti tunnel – but is a confusing maze to negotiate. I spent my first week in London staying locally, and often went round in circles. At night-time, it can feel a little intimidating.

For this shoot I wanted to get lost to cover every corner of the system and pass as many fellow pedestrians as possible. On my way out, I followed the signs to the Tube station – now that seemed like the longest walk…

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The Photo Shop

Island city street

/ mikeosbornphoto / 6 Comments

A trip to Port Louis, the island capital of Mauritius. It’s a bustling place with a very lively marketplace, its fair share of traffic and people going about their business.

From a photographic viewpoint, one small thoroughfare caught my eye, with its smartness and formality not really in keeping with much of this tropical city, where the country’s colourful flag flies with pride.

It turned out this covered walkway housed the office of the country’s prime minister, and reminded me of a place in London I captured some months ago – but with far less mystery and gloominess.

The street around this portico was full of life, while some palm trees in the distance was a reminder that the Indian Ocean was very close by.

Market bustle

/ mikeosbornphoto / 6 Comments

Mauritius is not just an island of dreamy azure seas and golden sands. Venture to the Indian Ocean republic’s capital, Port Louis, and it’s a lively place where people go about their daily business like any other.

The central market is the place to visit, thronging with people and groaning with produce. Some of the floorspace is given over to Mauritian handicrafts made for tourists, and as a European visitor you’ll have several offers to visit stalls with vanilla, spices and fake t-shirts.

The fruit and vegetable market is an irresistible draw and bustling with activity. The two shots above show this frenetic life, smeared with colour and movement.

I chose a muted scheme for the photograph below, and like the story it tells – the stall on the left shows little movement apart from the owner glancing at his much busier rival. Why is everyone going to buy their goods there?

Sometimes you only notice these little stories in a frame long after you have taken it. While I’m not always very comfortable with documenting life and people, sometimes the rewards are richer, wouldn’t you say?