A series celebrating the talent of our friends over in the Londonist Flickr pool. Here, they introduce themselves and share their favourite London shots. Chris Tubb had no less than 3 photos in Thames Barrier to Teddington, one of which was selected as a judge's favourite. Meet tubb:
It started as a let's-buy-a-camera conversation and went through you-better-use-it-if-we've-spent-all-that-money to alright-then-I-will. This was all at the same time as one career closed and there was a paid pause in life. Photography consumed me. Suddenly my eyes were viewfinders and just walking around London my mind whirred looking for relevant angles and moments. Photos are everywhere, like bacteria.
London feels infinite. It's a fractal with a never ending surface area. The river carves through it and lets us take breath and see sky providing rare chance of simplicity. It was the first place I headed. After maybe 3 months of really trying the pictures improved. To me the three principles of good photography are: Go out and shoot with what you've got; Give in to any expense; Get up early.
People don't figure greatly in my shots. I think that will increase but I prefer to shoot them in the back for now. The city is the subject and we are just passing through. I wanted a more reflective form of photography so I bought a set of filters that let you take long exposures during the day. I like to draw out the flatness of the Thames and I love to find bizarre objects to set it against. Mini motorbikes, discarded tables, bike locks, shopping trolleys. I return muddied hauling my camera bag and tripod up from the foreshore to the amusement of early morning joggers and dog walkers.
I fell into film if not against my will, against my better judgement. We have at our digital pictures with sliders and curves like kids bashing a keyboard, pretending to be daddy. I felt I needed to earn some heritage about what colour or grain meant after well over a century of film embedded in popular culture and in turn our eyes and brains. Shadows become more meaningful, colours shine and intent is cut into the sort of film you put in the thing. It drives you to finish the roll but stops you taking worthless shots. I love the mystified looks of children when they look at the back of the camera and they can’t see it straight away. You can't underestimate the importance of Flickr to amateur photography. Imagine if every kid that bought a guitar had to perform four times a week instead of staying in his bedroom. Exposure to the community, so to speak. IT guys are enjoying being artists in their spare time - what a social change. Eyes are opening, brains are working, things are getting noticed.
Explore tubb's Flickrstream for more.
Browse past lensers.
