On The Buses In East London
Bus stops are great places for photographic loitering. The accumulation of a wide variety of people at a bus stop provides endless opportunities for portraits and observations of human behavior, fashion and style.
A man with a cap on a route master bus, 1999
I’ve always regarded public transport as a moving studio set up to record people. Invariably I carry a small camera with me to record the environment I pass through. Buses can be difficult in terms of the rapidly changing light. However it’s difficult not to discover an interesting subject. A London bus will always furnish a photographer with a wide range of subjects. This passenger (above) has emerged into the metropolis ready for the cold with his two jumpers, coat and cap.
Man on the lower deck of the 254 bus, 2009
The human landscape is altered each time the bus collects fresh passengers at a stop. This passenger (above) is positioned safely in a seat specially designed for disabled travelers. The route master bus had no facilities for disabled passengers.
Leaving a route master bus on the East India Dock Road, 2003
This passenger (above) is helped from the bus by the conductor. She steadies herself by touching the advertisement of an idealised woman. Despite the competition from the glossy lady in a swim suit our attention is held by the old lady. The route master was withdrawn from service in 2005 partly for health and safety reasons.
Bus stop, Whitechapel 2009
Bus stop, Bethnal Green Road c.1995
Bus stop, Bethnal Green Road c.1984
Bus stop, Cambridge Heath Road c.1990
Bus stop, Bethnal Green Road 2002
Bus Stop, Whitechapel Road 2014
Bus on Bethnal Green Road, London 2008
Passengers boarding bus on Bethnal Green Road, 1983
Bethnal Green Road 2002
Number 25 bus, Whitechapel 2014
Before the invention of the mobile phone conversation between waiting passengers was usual at bus stops. At this stop there is noc between the three women and the woman closest to the camera can’t raise anyone on her phone.
Betting shops In East London 1983 – 2006
Betting shop Whitechapel road, 1985
Over the years I’ve taken many photographs inside and outside betting shops in East London. Here are a few.
Betting shop portrait, Brick Lane 1986
Betting shop Roman road, 2004
Whitechapel Road Betting Office c.1983
Whitechapel Road Betting Office c.1984
Betting shop, Brick Lane c.1983
Brick Lane Betting Shop c.1984
East London c.1984
Betting Shop, Whitechapel Road 2006
Betting shop on the Roman Road. London 2004
Lady in a betting shop on Bethnal Green Road, 1990
Two men outside a betting shop, Whitechapel 1986
Bikes On Brick Lane
Man with his bike, Grimsby street 1988
This is one of my favourite blogs from 2010. I am pleased to publish it again today with some additional photographs.
This gentleman (above) is about to enter Brick Lane from Grimsby Street. He has just bought some second hand clothes from one of the many make shift stalls which appeared on Sundays. The inner tube he is holding suggests a puncture which might account for his forlorn expression.
Young woman on a bike, Brick Lane 2009
This trendy cyclist is going the wrong way down Brick Lane.
Man passes locked bike on Brick Lane, 2006
Bicycles on Brick Lane, 1982
The police officer is hurrying up Brick Lane to join colleagues at the start of a demonstration organised to stop the deportation of Afia Begum to Bangladesh. After her husband was killed in a fire she was deported despite protests. The children on their bikes joined the back of the demonstration which eventually ended outside the small police station next to Heneage Street.
Bicycles and lights on Brick Lane 2002
Boy riding a bike on Brick Lane, 1983
Brick Lane 2009
Man and a bike. Brick Lane, London 2012
An accidental juxtaposition of coloured lights and bikes outside a shop in Brick Lane.
Tony Blair As Baby Jesus
Tony Blair as the baby Jesus, photomontage 2003
This is one of my favourite blogs from 2010. I am pleased to publish it again today (with a few additional photographs).
In 2003 I held an exhibition which launched Photomonth for that year called Comrades. Hosted at the Four Corners gallery it took a satirical look at the Labour government of the day. This photomontage uses a Hungarian painting of the Virgin and Child with Tony Blair’s head.
Arrest of Tony Blair. Photomontage 2003.
This photomontage imagines Tony Blair as a peace protester being arrested close to the Houses of Parliament. I photographed the Labour Party leadership extensively in the early 90’s for Labour Party news. The images I accrued through this work were the principle resource for the exhibition.
Tony Blair as Jesus. After Caravaggio 2003.
Here we have the simple substitution of a Tony Blair head in Caravaggio’s masterpiece depicting the supper at Emmaus.
Torn fly poster with Brown, Blair and Cook, 2003
Tony Blair as the President of the United States, 2003.
Gordon Brown and Tony Blair on Brighton Pier, 2003
Tony Blair and John Prescott at a Labour Party conference, early 1990’s
Blair & Iraq. Collage, London 2008
Photomontage with a message and Tony Blair. Demonstration against the war, London 2003
The exhibition also included straight photographs of Labour politicians which were accompanied with quotes from the subjects.
Rickshaws in Bangladesh
This is one of my favourite posts from 2010. I’ve added a few additional photographs. I’m pleased to post it again today.
Rickshaws are the most popular means of transportation in Bangladesh. In the capital Dhaka there are over 600,000 competing for passengers.
Rickshaw with passenger in Sylhet 1996
Rickshaws are covered with paintings of rural scenes, animals, film stars, the rich and the famous, great monuments and religious symbols. The dress of the passenger above compliments the art work on the rickshaw.
Celebrity rickshaw portraits, 2009
Rickshaws have become mobile works of art. Scores of people are employed to paint and decorate this popular form of human powered transport. In recent years computer generated images have joined hand painted patterns. The main aim of rickshaw art is to attract the attention of potential passengers.
River scene on a rickshaw, 2009
Rickshaw, Dhaka c. 1992
Rural scenes are a popular motif. The river scene above adorns the backboard of the rickshaw. Rickshaws are a cheap and popular mode of transport over short distances. Currently there is a battle between rickshaws and cars in Dhaka. Rickshaws are blamed for traffic congestion. However, rickshaws are safe, environmentally friendly and do not rely on fossil fuels. Many people rely on rickshaws. The industry employs people from 38 different professions.
Rickshaw art, Dhaka 2009
Dhaka cinema with rickshaws waiting outside, 1995
Rickshaw, Dhaka Bangladesh c. 1990
Rickshaw painting. Dhaka, Bangladesh 2009
Rickshaw and Canary Wharf, Photomontage 2010
Rickshaw driver waiting for a passenger. Dhaka, Bangladesh c.1991
Rickshaw ride. Bangladesh 2008
