#171 A man with a cigar

Have I ever walked by a man with a cigar? I don't think so! Not sure how I am going to cope in Cuba though! 

Smokers always make for perfect portrait subjects. This gent was no different. He put on his shades and enjoyed the quick photoshoot. Thank you for posing!

#155 Yet another smoker

A lovely day out in Columbia Road. My favourite Sunday location. I don't like smoking but I do like to shoot smokers. I cannot wait for my Cuba trip this summer. There will be plenty of cigar photo action.

Guess what I noticed first about this gent! He stood there watching the street so why not? He seemed to enjoy the attention too. Thanks for posing!

#144 Nikon Man

There he was sitting on a box watching the world or Brick Lane to be exact and smoking. Friendly smile and I got the shot. He was happy to oblige smoking as required. Only just as I was leaving him, I noticed he was carrying a camera. Nikon to be exact. Am I allowed to shoot boys of a different brand? 

#127 Another smoker

I spotted this chap taking a break from his work getting ready to smoke his pipe. He was quite happy to pose for me only inquiring if I myself was a local on the street full of tourists.

#126 Smoker

I spotted this chap waiting for a friend and asked for a snap. He kindly agreed. Not entirely happy with the way I captured smoke here but it's the best I could do with three shots.

#117 Smoking Hot

Another one from a few of weeks back. A lovely lady who was sitting outside a shot smoking a cigarette.

#66 Fashion student

This lovely chap was sitting on the shop window sill with a couple of friends chatting and laughing. I loved his bright colours and asked him for a photo. It turned out he was a fashion photography student so we exchanged a few tips. He had the most wonderful smile.

#36 Roll-up girl

Now that exam marking has finished and the school is out for the summer I can do more street again. However, one from February for today. I saw her rolling up her cigarette and simply loved her look with the graffiti flowers in the background. Her date returned when we were wrapping up the shoot and looked at us half-stunned half-puzzled then looked at her and said 'I can't leave you unattended even for a moment then?'

#12 Can I make a mean face?

Top tip: 'Indulge your subjects.'

There's an after party club located in old public toilets by Old Spitafields Market. It sounded slightly surreal when we heard the loud music beats in a middle of busy afternoon street so we came closer to explore.There was a bunch of smokers (thank you smoking ban!) hanging outside.

This chap watched me with interest as I shot another bloke but went all timid when I asked him for a shot too. Suddenly, he was full of excuses 'I don't look good. I'm not photogenic. I have been partying since last night.' but he gave in in the end and asked if he could make a mean face. It was a giggle snapping him as he tried a number of mean faces. He also asked me if I'd teach him photography since he just inherited his grandfather's Pentax. We invited him along to one of our street outings.

#4 Fredi Marcarini

We all act differently as soon as there is a camera pointed at us. Some of us freeze with a broad but rather fake smile that takes away all the natural beauty, some get fidgety pulling silly faces, quite a lot of us strike a pose, which we consider flattering. There are those of us who are what we call ‘natural’ working with the camera and the light to enhance their portraits and then there are the photographers... This bunch takes control, demands to know what your settings are, advises you on the best composition and directs you to what they consider the right background. I know this too well. Just ask any of my friends!

Meet Fredi Marcarini, Italian photographer. Again it was the pipe that got my attention first (it must be the ex-chain smoker in me!). I spotted Fredi in Portobello Market and asked him to pose for me. He was reluctant at first admitting he was a photographer and was more used to being on the other side of the camera. Once we started shooting, he asked to see the pictures and directed the lights. It was fun shooting an incredibly experienced photographer, who through his experience wanted to influence the outcome of the shoot.

#2 Sir Alex Ferguson lookalike

That's probably why he asked me if I was going to put his picture on Twitter. I spotted him sitting in a cafe with two other elderly gentlemen on King's Road, quite a well-off area of London. As soon as I saw him take out his pipe, I knew I wanted to shoot him. There's something special about portraits with smoke. He spoke in a very educated manner with upper-class accent. 'I take up photographic exercise myself in my spare time', he said.

B&W

Colour

How did it all get started? I've been doing photography for four years now and have always enjoyed shooting candids and city scenes. A few months back Emil posted an invite on London Strobists on flickr inviting people to join him to shoot street portraits and since I hadn't tried that before I thought I'd give it a go. We headed out to Portobello Market on Saturday, 12th February 2011 and that's how it all began. I enjoy the hunt. I enjoy watching people and going up to them with a smile asking them to pose for me. London is full of fascinating personalities waiting to be photographed.

#1 Antoine The Cigar Smoker

Welcome to my blog on street photography. I aim to capture the beauty of London streets by photographing strangers. 

Antoine, a designer from Paris, was one of the first strangers that I asked to pose for me. I spotted him one Saturday in February in Portobello Market. I was fascinated by the smoke from his cigar. There were many more smokers I stopped to ask for a photograph trying to recreate that shoot.