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InspirationPhotography

Photographer Chris Holmes plays with light and shadow to create stunning imagery of London

"The concept of photography is what I find the most interesting. The simple idea that we have the opportunity to capture a scene, a movement or a colour, an everyday image that's unique to the individual who sees it." These are the words of Chris Holmes, a London-based photographer who loves nothing more than to traipse around the capital with just his music and camera.

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Via Creative Boom submission. All images courtesy of the photographer

Via Creative Boom submission. All images courtesy of the photographer

Being active at dusk, dawn and night, he opts to play with light and shadow, as "the contrast that the sun can bring to a composition can add real drama".

Amazingly, photography is only a hobby for Chris. Completely self-taught and armed with no technical know-how, he doesn't even believe you need a DSLR to get the right shot. "There's always so much to learn and as I see it, photography is most definitely a journey, not exclusively behind the camera but also in front of a computer screen. I like to treat photographs as a base on which to add further creativity, an art to learn within itself with still so much more to grasp."

Chris would actually like to turn his photography into a career: "I've been fortunate enough to receive some freelance work whilst I make my way through the busy corporate world. My day job doesn't lend itself to artistic creativity so some time with my camera is a solid output and if there's an invoice at the end, even better! Who knows, one day it might become stable enough that I can follow my passion, until that day I'm happy having the best of both worlds."

Until then, you can follow his work on Instagram @brxtn_pistol.

Black taxis queue on a London street as brilliant sunlight floods between tall Victorian buildings and dramatic clouds overhead
Young child with blonde hair and blue eyes gazing directly at the camera against a dark background, demonstrating the dramatic interplay of light and shadow in Chris Holmes's photography style
Urban waterfront at sunset with modern buildings, construction cranes and dramatic sunlight reflecting off a canal, shot by Chris Holmes
Night-time view from an elevated viaduct looking down at London traffic with red and white light trails from moving vehicles, illuminated buildings lining both sides of the road
The London Eye illuminated in red at night on a dark street, with buildings and blue neon signs flanking the iconic observation wheel
Symmetrical view down the centre of a train platform with dark carriages on either side, fluorescent ceiling lights, and a train approaching in the distance
Interior of a Gothic church looking down the nave towards the altar, with white columns, ornate blue ceiling beams and a large golden rose window
Aerial view of Chicago's downtown with two tall red construction cranes positioned over a dark waterway between towering skyscrapers
Colourful horizontal louvres with red, yellow, teal and green stripes form a striking facade on a tall building flanked by traditional office blocks in an urban courtyard setting
London street bathed in warm golden sunlight between tall buildings casting long shadows across the pavement at dusk
Red and yellow painted industrial pillars line a covered walkway beneath steel beams, with a figure reaching out along the columns
Canary Wharf skyline silhouetted against a dramatic sunset with golden light breaking through dark storm clouds reflected in the Thames
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