More about my twin philosophies describing my approach to Street Photography. Created November 2023 for the Macfilos web site ​ ​www.macfilos.com/2023/11/27/conservations ..read more

​There are many ways to approach photography, one that is popular for obvious reasons is having a systematic project-based methodology.  Then there is coincidence and its close cousin, chance.  After a career full to the brim with planning, deadlines, repetition and the like, I now prefer the haphazard and let what Carl Jung described as 'synchronicity' play its part.  An Austrian colleague used to call me ‘the coincidence man’ because of the most unlikely chance encounters that happened when we were working both in London and Vienna.  Don’t get me wro ..read more

 Taken at the sadly missed Nomadic Community Gardens - Brick Lane Recently, I received an inspirational newsletter from Zoe Wishaw, a mentor to professional photographers who has compiled a list of meaningful tasks for us to do during the ’C’ word lockdown.  One thought has struck a chord, it relates what we reveal about our photography, the narrative that we hope will interest visitors to our web sites. Here it is; “Is your ‘About’ text really saying something about WHY you do what you do, not just WHAT you do?” I believe that I’ve understood my own ‘why’ for a while and I'd like t ..read more

A couple of years ago, I had a brief conversation with a fellow photographer, I can't remember how it started, no matter. My friend stated with a great deal of conviction that he never took portraits. My internal reaction at the time was ‘so what’, each to his/her own but it did seem odd to exclude the opportunity of taking photographs of an inexhaustible supply of subjects.    These days, I too have narrowed my repertoire, just like my friend.  Asked if I take portraits, I would probably also say no, but I believe that there’s a difference.  I photograph people, the portrait is the outcome ..read more

Have you noticed? Photographers who write are sometimes a pretty prolific bunch and negotiating through much of contemporary work about photography is about picking one’s way through the over-use of other photographers’ quotes. There’s one book on my shelf where the first quote arrives on the front inside cover flap, another is full of quotations annotated with some pretty good photographs. One reference is to another writer of things photographic whose own book - you’ve got it - is stuffed to the gunnels with yet more quotes. If I remember correctly, Susan Sonntag’s book ’On Photogra ..read more

It’s not very often that you see street entertainers on Brick Lane but a week or so ago, I met Derek, aka Roadrunner Top.  Under the railway arch, he was performing with an amp and giving a wonderful rendition of his poetry.  He beckoned me over and we had a long and very interesting chat. He had just been performing one of his works, ‘Kisses on the Sea Shore”, great stuff.   Derek hires himself out for parties and events and has just uploaded a few examples of his work on YouTube under the pseudonym ROADRUNNER TOP.   Here are the words to ‘Kisses on the Sea Shore’ but for best results ..read more

Imagine, working in a building that survived the Great Fire of London in 1666.  That is what I did for nearly five years after leaving school.  On the ground floor was a restaurant called ‘The Wig and Pen Club’ which was frequented by lawyers, the building is opposite the Law Courts and journalists who worked in nearby Fleet Street.  The stair cases were one-person wide and to be frank, it was a pretty miserable and dingy place to work.   So, what has this got to do with photography?  Well, if truth be told, not much but there is a connection.  Much of my photography happens in and aro ..read more

Odd title for a post?  Agreed but I haven't posted for yonks so am probably very rusty.  This week will see the number of unique visitors to the web site in the last year pass 5,000.  As I write this, the site has been visited by 4,988 people.  So, I have promised myself to be more proactive in the coming months with perhaps a re-design. The young man here is called Khalid and although he doesn't know it yet, he is connected to my new project for 2017.  I met Khalid with a group of mates, they were chilling out on some old sofas, passing the time and what looked like a bottle of v**ka ..read more

In his wonderful book ‘On Street Photography and the Poetic Image’, Alex Webb recounts that he was on a subway with the renowned photographer Josef Koudelka.  “I had not seen him for some years, sitting with my legs crossed.  Suddenly Josef reached over and grabbed my shoe, turning it so that could inspect the sole.  In his own, direct Czech way, he wanted to see if I had been walking enough- and hence photographing enough.” We can learn about technique, camera function, composition, lighting, etc.  However, none of this is of much value unless we wear use up some shoe leather and press ..read more

Meet Dillan – The Singer Man The first time that our paths crossed, our conversation was broad and fascinating.  We talked about this and that including immigration.  Dillan told me that he embarked on a Kunte Kinte (Alex Haley – Roots) project to try to discover his heritage in the Caribbean and Africa.  His quest was unsuccessful, in both places he had been dismissed as being ‘English’ and I guess that means unauthentic.  Well, Dillan has a very good voice and the pair of us somehow embarked an impromptu duet of ‘My Way’ outside Beigel Bake on Brick Lane.  None of the passers-by t ..read more