Memorable Moments with People in East London
The Sclater Street flea market has now all but disappeared. It was always full of interesting characters, and in this image I was pleased to capture a man pushing a shopping trolley, dressed in a formal coat and hat, his beard neatly kept. He stands in quiet contrast to the rough, temporary atmosphere of the market around him, and to the Burger Bar trailer behind.
I photographed this market regularly over several decades, and it never disappointed. Each time I walked it I found something visually compelling—an endless supply of small, enticing moments waiting to be captured.
2006.
You can buy a signed copy of my latest photo book here
Exploring Spitalfields: A Photographic Journey
I remember taking the photograph above because, at the time, it was so unusual to see anyone carrying a mobile phone. I had the impression the man was holding it almost as an accessory — a statement about who he was, perhaps even an attempt to impress the woman he was walking with. Back then, mobile phones were extremely expensive.
Today, mobile phones are ubiquitous and almost invisible; in this image, the device is conspicuous and slightly awkward in scale. It captures a moment of technological transition — the early appearance of portable communication in everyday urban life.
In retrospect, the photograph documents the beginning of a shift that would eventually lead to smartphones becoming one of the most dominant objects in modern life.
For my first exhibition in London, at the Montefiore Community Education Centre in Spitalfields, I printed a huge image of the phone. I laminated the print and displayed it on the floor. People were able to walk over it.
You can buy a signed copy of my latest photo book here
Capturing Life at Brick Lane Launderette in 1983
This was the launderette I used when I first moved into a tower block on Old Montague Street in 1982. I wasn’t there as a visiting documentary photographer — I was part of the furniture. Like always, my camera was my notebook and diary. It went everywhere with me.
This photograph was taken with an Olympus XA2 — a marvellous little camera that allowed you to work unobtrusively. It slipped easily into a pocket and never drew attention. For professional assignments I used a single-lens reflex, of course, but the XA2 was perfect for moments like this.
I made ten frames of the couple. During that short time, their mood shifted and they seemed to fall into a disagreement. In the final moments, the young man was left sitting alone, watching the washing revolve in the machine, looking suddenly forlorn.
The launderette — usually a place of waiting, repetition and monotony — was briefly transformed into something intensely private. What began as a public embrace ended in solitary reflection, all within the span of a wash cycle.
It was a fleeting moment, and one I was very pleased to capture. The image has since appeared in several exhibitions, made into a postcard and is included in my book Brick Lane.
You can buy a signed copy of my latest photo book here
In 1983, Brick Lane was very different from its present-day identity as a fashionable destination. When I took this photograph, the UK was in a deep recession and unemployment had risen to around three million. This was the launderette I used at the time; today, it has been converted into a restaurant.
Looking at the image now, it is impossible not to think about the gentrification that has transformed the area and displaced many long-standing residents. Where there were once essential, community-based services, there are now cafés, vintage shops, and curated retail spaces. Brick Lane today is known for street art, markets, and nightlife — a vibrant cultural scene that attracts visitors from around the world.
The launderette stands as a visual record of a pre-gentrified landscape: functional, community-oriented, and economically modest. There are no launderettes on Brick Lane today — but there is no shortage of tourists and ‘digital creators’.
You can buy a signed copy of my latest photo book here
The River Buriganga in Dhaka, Bangladesh
Despite being the recipient of 80% of Dhaka’s sewage and other pollutants the Buriganga river always looks magnificent in spite of its human adversaries. This river featured heavily in the film I made with Hazuan Hashim ‘Going East’.
I took the above photograph in the late afternoon when the light was very diffused because of the smoke pollution—creating a silvery sheen on the water. The haze and smoke created a sense of heaviness.
The people in the foreground boat appear small compared to the industrial backdrop, suggesting a theme of humans versus industrial power.
Brick works and tall smokestacks emit thick, dark smoke that spreads across the sky, forming a heavy horizontal band. The smoke visually echoes the shape of the boats and divides the frame into layers —water below, industry above.
You can buy a signed copy of my latest photo book here
