New Photography Book Celebrates the People and Personality of London’s Camden Passage
I am happy to announce the launch of my new photo book, The Little Book of Camden Passage and a solo exhibition. It's the result of a four-year project documenting the unique charm and character of London's most charming street, Camden Passage and its vibrant community.
Watch the "Making Of" video
The idea was inspired by photos I took of shop-keepers in Varanasi, India years ago. I did more of that on a subsequent trip to Old Delhi under the direction of Martin Parr and when I returned to London, started to photograph shopkeepers closer to my home.
I love seeing a person in their environment, surrounded by the things they sell or make. In the case of many independent stores these things represent their passion and their livelihood. Everything they have was wrapped up in this one little shop.
In 2020 I discovered Camden Passage, a little street close to my home filled with independent shops and market traders. Each one of them has a story to tell. From there it wasn’t long before I turned my camera to the shoppers, the coffee drinks and the passersby.
After four years in the making, this project has come to represent not only this street but in many ways every High Street and community. It’s about the diverse people who shop, eat and drink on our High Streets and the local business owners who offer not just products but a sense of belonging, safeguarding the essence of community. Streets like this matter. They are the beating heart of local communities where people come together to shop, relax, catch up and support one another. They should be treasured, nurtured and supported by us and when necessary by the government. If we lose them to developers and online shopping giants we’ll lose a vital pillar of community life.
follow the camden passage instagram here
About Gary
Gary Williams is a London based documentary photographer specialising in weddings and portraits. He also works as a singer and a presenter and considers photography another way of communicating with people.
His work has been officially selected for the International Photography Awards, exhibited at the Decode gallery in Arizona, the Hellenic American Union Annual Exhibition (Athens), the Art Square Gallery in New York, the Trieste Photo Festival, the Glasgow Gallery of Photography (Masters of Street Photography exhibition), the Shutter Hub annual exhibition at Cambridge University, the 7th Chania International Photo Festival and F-Stop Magazine’s 20th Anniversary exhibition. A number of photos from this project are now in the Historic England National Archive. He’s been published in the New York Times, World of Interiors Magazine, Doc Photography Magazine, Dodho Magazine (photography awards), in biographies, on billboards and most impressively… on tea-towels.
