Street photography is the observational craft I pursue in London when not directing commercial lifestyle and advertising photo shoots, but I never thought these two worlds would meet.
My London street photography is the art form that feels most connected to my personality, sense of humour, and the way I see the world.
Meanwhile, the reach of advertising and commercial photography makes me feel like I’m making an impact on the daily lives of Londoners and people whom I’ve never met. Walking past images I’ve created displayed in public for masses to see, while most in London are desensitised to ads, never fails to give me a buzz.
Street photography advertising campaign stop motion images. Displayed across London, throughout the TfL tube network, all major train stations, and Heathrow International Airport, for IBM’s “Everyone’s An Expert” Wimbledon tennis tournament campaign.
Whether capturing street photography around the world or in London, I seek the fleeting moments of interaction and organic expression. It feels, and is, real. Real feelings drive me more than the need to fabricate a story from scratch in an empty studio.
What started as a way to explore the cities I’ve travelled to, and the one I now call home, street photography has become the foundation for the lifestyle imagery I direct and create.
My street-style portraits at Fashion Week sharpen the same instincts: reacting quickly to real people, imperfect environments, and fleeting expressions. That sense of urban texture carries over into my editorial and commercial fashion photography, as do my personal branding and dating portraits, which are built around natural interaction and a feeling of being taken by a friend.
All of these practices come together in different ways when working with non-models, defining what helps them feel relaxed in front of the camera and for candid moments to unfold.
For this campaign, beyond the unexpected intersection of my street and advertising worlds, all my pursuits within lifestyle photography came together as one. As the cliché goes, it’s as if everything has led to this point.
Commercial lifestyle photography of 30-year taxi cab veteran Alan. As we were shooting, it began to rain while the sun was still shining, which led to authentic raindrops adding texture to the scene.
After seeing my blog post, Street Photography London: One Year Walking the City, which shares the street photography work I created in London since my move, advertising agency Ogily New York reached out to share their brief for IBM and Wimbledon and expressed interest in receiving my proposal for the project.
Unlike any brief I’ve received before, I was surprised – and flattered – to see images from my London street photography portfolio and One Year Walking the City blog post as examples of what they were looking for.
London street photography images from my One Year Walking the City blog post that Ogilvy New York pulled into their creative brief for IBM’s “Everyone’s An Expert” advertising campaign for Wimbledon.
When I look back and think about the projects that have landed in my inbox that have got me the most excited, they’re nearly all out-of-home campaigns with brands I have a personal relationship with, or editorials that lift up someone who deserves recognition. I’m given the opportunity to shape how a brand feels to others and give incredible people a platform.
Especially for non-models, it can change the way they see themselves.
For IBM, and the advertising industry as a whole, the appeal is real moments with real people. With the push for AI and the ease of creating polished campaigns that look better than reality, authenticity and candid moments signal reality and relatability. Ultimately, the core of street photography. It’s created a new market and demand for this kind of work: keeping as far from AI as possible.
The brief called for finding unique Londoners to feature in their elements. Titled “Everyone’s An Expert”, it plays on armchair quarterbacks: those who act as experts in an area and give opinionated critiques (namely, in sports), while those individuals may be nowhere close in athletic ability or knowledge to those whom they’re criticising.
When Wimbledon dominates London each year, the tennis fans come out of the woodwork. Those who may not watch it the other 11 months of the year suddenly assume the identity of tennis experts.
The Wimbledon mobile app and website, powered by IBM, use IBM’s AI tools to provide in-game insights and analytics, including match predictions. These accessible insights enable anyone to become their own tennis expert (and claim IBM’s as their own opinion).
Commercial lifestyle photography of florist Iyata, pulling a wagon full of flowers on delivery. My producer, Morgan, discovered Iyata when canvassing unique businesses throughout the Wimbledon neighbourhood.
Commercial lifestyle photography of influencer Jordan, a sneakerhead and tennis fan who brought an infectious, positive energy that made our whole team smile.
Tennis fans can be found in the most unexpected places in London, and I was tasked with finding them. It was clear from the beginning that this wasn’t something I could do on my own, so I reached out to producer and mentor Morgan Evans for the support of her production company, Germaine Walker, to make this possible.
Ranging from casting calls, in-person interviews, community groups, business-to-business visits, and reaching out to friends of friends of friends, Morgan interviewed dozens and dozens of Londoners who could be a great fit. We sought out those with visually distinctive jobs – far from tennis pros, who represented London’s diversity. Most importantly, we wanted tennis fans to keep the campaign as authentic as possible.
This resulted in a two-day shoot across Greenwich and East London – all areas close to my neighbourhood of Bow, drawn here by the converted match factory where I live and create photos, dating back to the 1800s.
We found settings for our cast members that were true to them. That said, with nearly 30 people on set – many flying in from New York – it was important that these non-models did not feel intimidated in front of an audience of that size. Before my camera came out, it was important to have coffee and spend time with each cast member individually to build rapport and help lower their guard.
With so many eyes on set, candid, relaxed moments, like in street photography, would never happen. Only those who absolutely needed to be there were by my side directing and shooting with the talent. The remaining team viewed our images in real time on out-of-sight monitors, relaying feedback from the advertising agency’s creative director, the client’s creative director, and the rest of the Ogilvy team in New York to my producer, Morgan.
In the end, it’s an incredible feeling to have well more than 30 people call this project their own.
For the creatives on set in London, including stylists, makeup artists, lighting and digital technicians, all their assistants, and especially Morgan, it’s rewarding to get talented people paid.
Most importantly, the Londoners through and through – the talent – are ultimately a part of Wimbledon and London’s history. It’s a powerful legacy and memory to help facilitate for them, even if only for a single tournament season.
At the time, the 30+-year-veteran taxi driver, Alan, told nobody about the photoshoot. He didn’t know how others would react, and he had never been photographed before. Only on set did he learn the extent to which this project would be displayed: across the entire TfL tube network, at all the biggest train stations in the city, and at Heathrow Airport.
Seeing his face light up when I said his Heathrow passengers may be seeing his face on the way to hailing his cab is something only the impact of an out-of-home advertising project like this can make him and me feel.
Street photography stop motion and still images, as seen on the London TfL tube network, major train stations, and across the city for IBM’s “Everyone’s An Expert” advertising campaign: the moments I found them in the wild.
Needless to say, this project has solidified what I want to create more of and what I find rewarding. After starting my photography business more than ten years ago at the start of university (albeit for beer money), I’ve found that quantity breeds quality, and I’ve ultimately found the niche I can call my own that impacts real people around me and the brands I thought were out of reach.
Debuting across London on my two-year anniversary of living in the city, I couldn’t think of a more London project to commemorate it.
Commercial lifestyle photography of stylist Bridget, who had a hand in styling herself for the project. Starting in the morning, we had incredible, natural light that lit our scene as it bounced off the nearby pavement – exactly what I look for when shooting street photography in London.
Commercial lifestyle photography of long-time pie shop staff member Joanne, who gave the entire Ogilvy New York team their first taste of a British pie and mash. As a new Londoner recently moving from Vancouver, Canada, Joanne’s scene felt the most quintessentially “London” to me of all.
Thank you to all the talent for their enthusiasm and stepping outside their comfort zone, to Ogily New York for the trust and creative agency, to Morgan Evans and Germaine Walker, without whom I could not have delivered this, and to the entire creative team, whose Instagrams are shared below.
A special thanks to Goddard’s Pie and Mash shop for letting us take over their space, as well as The Pelton Arms for their gorgeous exterior and my celebratory Guinness upon wrap.
Crew and Production
@germaine_walker and @morganelisabethb, @philhphoto, @alexjose.photo, @wearecaa, @catcostelloe, @abbierosannagreen, @ashleyspirermakeup, Jenny Jarvis, @chiswickstylist, @wagonwheelsofficial, @zebedeetalent, Katie Hudson, @streetstudios_e8, and @charliecave1.
Talent
@iyata_golding of @gardeniaoflondon, Alan, @bridgetnzenwa, Joanne and @goddards_pieandmash, and @sneakernomicz.