Badly behaved urinals

The sign made me laugh because it was as if the urinals (in the South London Gallery) were out of order, as in behaving badly. Naughty urinals! In case you’re wondering, I didn’t need to lurk in the men’s toilets to get the shot, the door was wide open as I passed it on my way to the ladies’ loos, which were, I’m relieved to report, perfectly in order. 

Phantasmagoric Peckham

When I began taking photos I’d worry about whether I'd taken a good picture. Luckily, there were  photographers around to advise me, mostly because of street photography workshops held in Tate Modern (thank you, Sophie Howarth). Now, years later, friends who are successful photographers and artists (Phil Polglaze, Derek Moore, Nick Cobb, Chris Clack) give me pointers. But I’m starting to trust my own judgement. When I looked at this photo, snapped on Rye Lane in Peckham, it triggered a ‘Wow!’ Here you see it in miniature, so you will miss some of the detail. But this, I think, is a good photo. It zings.

... or somefing

As I sat on the bus in Peckham I looked over at the phone box, which smells of pee (this I know because I’ve stood at the nearby bus-stop many a time) and I thought about how I’d seen a Snappy Snap shop that recently had closed. And, I thought, yes, Snappy Snaps is really old technology and for historic-recording purposes I decided to take a photo of the poster. As I depressed the shutter two boys peeped from the side of the phone box. They’d been hiding. Next thing: a voice from behind me, a man talking rather loudly into his mobile: ‘Someone’s taking a picture of kids. Paedophile or somefing.’ To say I was shocked gets close to how I felt. I put my camera away for the day.