Placing a Bet

January 15, 2013

tags: Bethnal Green Rd, Betting shops, city, lady, London, market stalls, phil maxwell, photoblog, portrait, shopping, Spitalfields, street photography, urban, Whitechapel, Whitechapel Rd

Lady with walking stick on Bethnal Green Road, 1990

I was entranced by this lady as soon as I saw her walking along Bethnal Green Road. I would imagine that she has probably spent most of her life living in the area and walked down this particular road thousands of times.

Lady with walking stick in a betting shop, 1990

Lady in a betting shop on Bethnal Green Road, 1990

When I first saw her I thought she was going to buy something from a market stall. Seconds after I took the shot of her on Bethnal Green Road she disappeared into a betting shop. With little hesitation I followed her inside and photographed her walking to the counter to place her bet. She was probably in the shop for a minute. Clearly she new exactly what she was betting on and did not want to waste any time inside. Once she was back on Bethnal Green Road she did indeed buy some vegetables from a market stall. I remember thinking at the time that I shouldn’t make assumptions about people after seeing them for a few seconds.

Two ladies shopping on Bethnal Green Road, late 1980's

It was a pleasant surprise when my newly found subject diverted to place her bet. I wonder how many times the two ladies above have placed a bet in Bethnal Green Road?