So... during the week it was my birthday! Which one? Um, I'm not telling :) (although my facebook profile does list my birth year as 1911...I can assure you I am not that old!) Anyway, I got lots of lovely calls, emails and texts from my peeps including one from my dad saying that he reads my blog a few times a week* (waves, Dad!). One part of my Dad's email read as follows:"I enjoy checking out your blog. So if you have a visitor counter a couple of those visits a week are mine. You seem to be into fashion this year rather than people in general and those pesky animals that chase you**. Beats me where you find those interesting, beautiful people. Since you have been photographing, I have taken more notice of people (not too much notice in case it is misinterpreted) to see if they would be interesting subjects. Alas, my creative side is so moribund I am probably looking but not really seeing what is of interest".
It got me thinking about London and how wonderfully diverse the population is. In terms of fashion, you can wear pretty much anything and no one even bats a Shu Uemura false eyelash. I saw a girl wearing a tiger (a giant stuffed toy one, not real) the other day in Brick Lane and yeah, she turned some heads, but it just seemed kind of 'normal'. Oh yes, and then there was the girl wearing nothing but an emerald green leotard, black lace tights and a quirky little hat sauntering down Carnaby Street at lunchtime the other day. She looked faaaaaabulous! (she was on the phone so I couldn't ask her if I could take her photo). I love that people feel free to express themselves whether through fashion, music, art,whatever...and I love that people like me get to photograph them :) :) It's exciting, it's inspiring and I get to meet some amazing, talented, lovely and, yes, beautiful people.
These guys I photographed over the last couple of weeks in London: Each has their own style, their own look and their own take on fashion and pulling things together. As I said earlier this week, it would be such a boring world if everyone dressed the same, conformed... Thankfully I don't think London will ever be in danger of conforming. There is a Mario Testino quote (which I can't for the life of me find on the internet) that goes something like this: On arriving in London from his native Peru, he called his Mum and said "Mum, I've got a new studio... it's called London!"
Tamer (above) was wearing a marvellous mix of Balenciaga, DiorHomme, Miu Miu... And his hair? The perfect coiffure.
Simon (who alerted me to Tamer passing by!): 
And this guy (he is a teacher- but I lost his name!): I love how the family just walked into our photograph! It makes it a bit more interesting than my normal "clear background" style, no? I always love those fashion shoots where the photographer shoots the model in the middle of a bazaar or crowd but with nobody really paying any attention to the model... 
*Parents are awesome in reading your blog, huh?! Even when seemingly no one else reads your blog, parents can be relied upon to encourage and praise :)**This was a reference to the cow (which turned out to be a young bull — I am obviously crap at bovine gender identification) which chased me in one of the London City Farms late last year...