From time to time we take a look at the people behind the pictures in the Londonist Flickrpool and ask them about their London and their photography. Today, we feature Stephen Iliffe’s atmospheric shots of the city’s past, present and future...
Going undergroundTiny as antsGoing underground IIBunhill Fields at the heart of the city - a quiet resting place for William Blake"There is more to life than increasing its speed."Autumn twilightUpon this ground I walkedHere comes the 18:16Southgate swanOld StreetLondon at NightMedieval meets the space age in the City of London.
Like many 50-somethings, I started out with dinky kids’ cameras and local chemists before graduating to ‘art’ photography via long nights in an home-made darkroom [courtesy of my folks’ bathroom], from where I’d emerge stinking of chemicals. Then the job, marriage, children, and a couple of decades with no time for photography other than holiday snaps.
Digital cameras and Flickr offered the right [visual] side of my brain a new lease of life. I don’t usually go out of my way to find photographs, they mostly find me while I’m commuting or going for walks. London is a microcosm of the whole world. It’s a wonderful place to live. And shoot.
Anything goes. There are a few recurring themes: the speed and bustle of the London underground, the radiant lights of London at twilight, the weather and changing seasons in our metropolis. At heart, I’m probably a romantic.
Want to see more of the same? Check out Stephen's Flickr stream, or browse more of our rather impressive Londonist Behind the Lens archives.
