We love London, and we love photography. Similar sentiments are shared by many, and often the love for both can be brought beautifully together – in particular, by friend of coolography, Stuart Gleave. Playful, colourful, imaginative – compositions that make us sit back and fall deeper in love with this city of ours. Having followed his work for some time, we felt a coolography feature was long overdue. Continue reading for a compilation of his favourite London shots as well as a short Q&A…

What is it about photography that grabs and channels your creative interest?
It’s the ease of being able to pick up a camera and create something beautiful that draws me to photography. I have always been moderately frustrated with my inability to draw so photography is an outlet for my creativity that satisfies the desire to create something visual. That and the precision encouraged by the craft. Composition, exposure, subject matter and timing all need to come together in harmony to create a photo I’m proud to display.

Tell us about how London, the city and its inhabitants, inspires you.

I’ve lived in London all my life, and as with anywhere you see every day it’s very easy to become accustomed to the sights. A number of years ago I decided to attempt to see London afresh, and the camera helped with that. Once you start looking for interesting compositions, or seeing in terms of frames, even the most familiar of sights reveal photographic opportunity. Noticings is a flickr based community looking to encourage this new way of seeing things. While keeping your eyes peeled is a philosophy that can be applied anywhere, when it comes to London specifically I’m very fond of the diversity on offer. Architecture spanning centuries, green spaces and countless backstreets offer exploration to anybody willing to embrace it.

…The diversity isn’t just limited to the buildings of course, and the variety of people you can encounter on a single day is not to be taken for granted. Friends visiting from out of town are often blown away by just how busy central London is. A half hour walk can take you from the city’s suit wearing bankers through the eclectic fixie toting Shoreditch crowd to the unscrupulous sales tactics of the characters on the curry haven that is Brick Lane. To the West, the pomp and circumstance of Westminster awaits, or if that seems too formal, Soho and its colourful nightlife are moments away. All this without even mentioning Covent Garden, Camden Town or the numerous markets and ever fresh list of events dotted around. My new years resolution is to try and take more in the way of portrait/street photography to get to know a little bit more about the people that make up the capital.

There is a strong use of colour that dominates many of your photos. Do you feel this highlights an aspect of a city that is traditionally viewed as dull and grey?

As you rightly point out, The Big Smoke isn’t best know for its colourful palette. I’ve not gone forward with an agenda of portraying a more colourful London, I think it’s just a byproduct of the style I’ve adopted for its aesthetic qualities. I’m fond of silhouettes and feel they’re best presented with a colourful backdrop. Similarly the sun is the best source of light you can hope for outside, and while it’s rare in the UK, on the occasions it does make an appearance, a clear blue sky is usually in tow. While I have taken numerous photos in the city during overcast and foggy conditions, they are rarely of London’s monuments, but of the people interacting with the weather.

A few of these shots have a quite playful theme; a london eye pod coddled by a cloud, canary wharf framed by arches; are these pre-planned or are they results of a whimsical shot?

Yes and no. No in that I just wander from A to B and yes in that when I see something that might make a nice photo, I plan how best to capture it. Just walking around, looking instead of seeing, will show something new every time. More often than not I’ll pick two tube stations with a famous landmark somewhere between them. If there’s something else in the scene which I feel will compliment that landmark, or indeed any less famous object of interest en route, then the planning kicks in. I’ll compose an ideal shot or two in my head and move to mimic it in the viewfinder of the camera, with varying degrees of success. If there’s movement involved, such as with the London eye or people photography, then there’s a period of time before everything falls into place and the shutter captures what you want. There’s usually a fair bit of waiting for any photo, be it waiting for the desired spark of emotion, the right weather, right light or just something interesting to add that special touch.

…That’s another great thing about London being so busy. If you pick any innocuous looking spot on a thoroughfare and wait long enough, something interesting is bound to happen. It’s just a matter of how long you’re prepared to wait for it, and whether or not the other factors will still be in balance when it does. I only stood pointing my camera at the millennium bridge for a few minutes before a jogger’s silhouette fell into frame. It was just fortunate that the sun was still illuminating the sky to provide a brilliant orange backdrop for him. The busy contrast he provides against the other two people in the frame was the special touch I was waiting for. It was one of the first pictures I took when I bought a more serious camera a number of years ago and it’s still a favourite of mine.

Lastly, what’s cool?
I like my gadgets and think they’re pretty cool, but only when they work of course. Nothing is more frustrating than being given grief by something that is supposed to make your life easier. I read Engadget for the majority of my tech news.

I also think so called ‘social media’ is pretty cool, though the term is being used and abused by everyone under the sun lately. The advent of various sites like Twitter, Facebook and the like certainly makes the web a more friendly, personalised place. Photo sharing site Flickr is probably what’s kept me so actively interested in photography over the last few years. Even when there’s a lull in my shooting or inspiration runs dry, it’s nice to be able to browse really great photos from my contacts. I’d highly recommend it to anyone looking to get into photography, as it’s a great place to learn new techniques, get feedback on your shots or just find people with a common interest.

Social media has become quite a powerful force in the last few years. While traditional news outlets are very good at spreading a message in one direction, when it comes to feedback the other way they falter. The Internet easily allows individuals to organize themselves and get behind a cause. It’s pretty cool as it is, but the Internet, or particularly the ways in which we use it are going to get much much cooler in the future.

And if none of that floats your boat, then here’s a flamethrower made from bacon.

More of Stuart’s photography can be seen at www.stuartgleavephotography.com