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InspirationPhotography

Photographer beautifully captures the beating heart of London

With a soft spot for London and all its people, architecture, diversity and fast-paced culture, self-taught photographer Alan Schaller loves to try to capture its beating heart through an ongoing series of black and white street photography.

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Via Creative Boom submission. All images courtesy of Alan Schaller

Via Creative Boom submission. All images courtesy of Alan Schaller

He explains: "I shoot quite instinctively and never have a plan for what I will capture on any given day. Having said that, I do have some locations that I return to quite often to shoot. For example, I am a big fan of taking pictures on the underground as it provides atmospheric conditions, packed with interesting characters. I also love places like Borough Market, Holborn and Hyde Park. London has a certain mood and sense of urgency that I find captivating, and it keeps me out there snapping away."

Every single monochrome photograph of Schaller's – stripped of any colour – seems to really evoke depth and emotion, something that can be especially difficult to capture when snapping complete strangers around London. He adds: "The goal is to allow someone viewing one of my photographs to recognise the story being told in the image, and hopefully to find a connection with it from their life experience, much in the same way that a songwriter will write a song that relates to others. Sadness, confusion, happiness, suspicion, surprise and pensiveness are among the feelings I keep an eye out for when out on the streets.

"It takes a certain confidence to take pictures of strangers, particularly of those in London, who have a reputation for being somewhat unfriendly. I haven't found Londoners to be unfriendly however, and have had many interesting chats with people I have taken photos of. I have never had a negative confrontation with someone over having taken their picture in London."

To see more of Schaller's stunning work, visit www.alanschallerphotography.co.uk. He is also part of the Street Photography London collective.

Black and white portrait of a man wearing a white headband and denim shirt, looking directly at the camera with a serious expression against a dark background
A couple sheltering under umbrellas in the rain on a busy London street, surrounded by other pedestrians in black and white street photography
Black and white photograph of five figures running across an open field beneath dramatic storm clouds, with trees lining the horizon
Acrobat doing a backflip in a busy London street surrounded by onlookers, with a bird in flight above and historic buildings in the background, in black and white
Man with a beard wearing a cap smiles towards the camera while standing in an underground train carriage with other passengers blurred in the background
Woman in black jacket on Notting Hill Gate Underground platform, black and white photograph by Alan Schaller
Black and white overhead shot of a young child standing on a wooden floor holding a microphone, with tall buildings visible through windows behind them
Woman in coat standing alone in a stark underground station corridor with fluorescent lighting and tiled walls
Black and white photograph of an underground train station platform with two trains flanked by ornate arched columns creating a vanishing perspective towards the distant concourse
Black and white street photograph of commuters standing inside a London Underground train carriage
Man with a beard sits at the steering wheel of a car, looking upwards in a black and white street photograph
Elderly man with a grey beard and flat cap gazes thoughtfully towards the camera in a black and white portrait photograph
Young man sitting on shopping trolley against brick wall mural featuring group of figures, with urban street scene and architectural elements behind him
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