Projects run by London Region

London Major Projects.  The London Region has been unique in running a major project usually each year. It started with Bleeding London - a photograph in all 50k streets in Londons "A-to-Z Map Guide. Our 2016/17 project "Breathing London" was completed in terms of photography in April 2017.  Here is the website.  Our 2018 project "Celebrating London" closed for photography on 1st January 2019.   The Celebrating London website can be viewed here.

In September 2019, we held a short "one month" project to document the 2019 Thames and The Totally Thames Festival.

These are the exciting projects we’re planning for 2025 - two short projects and two longer projects, spread throughout the year. All four are an early stage and we plan a couple of zoom meetings for each project to help define and plan them.

VE / VJ Day 80th Anniversary Celebrations. This will run over the week of 5th to 8th May (VE Day) and around 15 August (VJ Day). But some "events" have already started and other are running for several months. This would be similar to the Jubilee and Coronation mini-projects. 

London’s Architecture. This is planned to run for three months over May, June and July. This could include, for example, juxtaposing old and new, London’s historic buildings, derelict buildings or disappearing London buildings.

Patterns of London. This is planned to run for a month over June. This could include patterns of buildings, London’s icons, or abstract images, for example.

Watery London. This is planned to run for three months from July until September, coinciding with the Totally Thames Festival. This would include London’s waterways, ponds, reservoirs, or lakes, and the photography could cover: scenes of people living or using the water; abstract images; landscape or cityscape.

Hopefully, there is something here for everyone!

Please sign up for one (or more) of the projects which interest you; if you’re not sure, sign up and find out more before you decide!

So that we can capture everyone’s ideas to refine each of the projects, we’ll then arrange Zoom meetings for each project. This will include thinking about the outputs of the projects. We are thinking of a “Projects Exhibition” (or exhibitions) in late Autumn / winter this year - and possibly photobooks.

If you’ve got any questions, please drop us a line at greenlondon@rps.org

Image credits: David Hicks; Mary Thompson; Lesley Rees ARPS; Crown Copyright

Overview

Tackling the climate emergency is the most pressing issue of our age.

See the overview prepared by the project's leader, Joanne Segars  link here

Already, the climate has warmed by 1.1deg. compared to pre-industrial levels and, if action is not taken, will reach 3deg. of warming. It’s why governments across the world have pledged to limit warming by to 1.5deg. above pre-industrial levels by 2050. But to do so, will require changes in human behaviour.

This project seeks to record some of the environmental threats to our city as well as work to improve its sustainability and environmental credentials to improve the lives of Londoners – the way we live and the air we breathe.

For example, it could be:

• recording some of our endangered species, or those that have come back to the capital as a result of environmental improvements;
• documenting how an area of London is being cleaned up (for example a river or litter picking group) or photographs of an area suffering environmental damage;
• portraits of an environmental champion;
• photographing ‘repair, reuse, recycle, resell’ initiatives to showcase the circular economy and sustainability in action;
• documenting the consequences of poor water and air quality, and work to improve it;
• documenting the work of a local environmental charity; or
• photographs of green transport solutions (or the protests against them).

These are just a few suggestions. There are many, many possibilities.

So, there’s something for everyone – whether you’re a portrait photographer, a documentary photographer, street, wildlife or architectural photographer, this is a project for you.

The Magnificent Seven plus One!

SIGN UP NOW TO FIND OUT MORE!

London's Magnificent Seven is a collection of grand Victorian cemeteries, scattered around the city. With tombs the size of small houses, they can feel like their own (ghost) towns. From lion tamers, to exploding coffins, to three policemen buried in one grave, these cemeteries have some fascinating (and altogether bizarre) stories to tell.

Objective:

To photograph these Cemeteries throughout the year showing the changing seasons, the different atmosphere created by different weather conditions, the wildlife which lives there and the people, who use them as places for quiet rest and relaxation and as thoroughfares – not to forget the extraordinary, the famous, the not-so-famous and the frankly bizarre!

We will particularly be looking for creative approaches. We are looking for photographers (individually or a small group) to set their own mini-projects within the overall project such as: - across the seasons; a particular aspect of one or more locations; the architecture or design of monuments; people in the cemeteries; wildlffe etc.

Project duration:

All four seasons - 1 November 2021 to 31st March 2023 - but you can join and leave at any time!

Locations:

The cemeteries are located in a ring around London. They are:

• Highgate
• Abney
• Tower Hamlets
• Nunhead
• West Norwood
• Brompton
• Kensal Green
• Bookwood Cemetery (in Surrey - also known as the London Necropolis)

Project Organisation

Each location listed above will have a Co-Ordinator (or Co-ordinators), whose role will be to arrange some meet-ups and make sure that the location is photographed. We already have volunteers for all but Nunhead and West Norwood - so please come forward if you are particularly interested in either of those and prepared to lend a hand.

We will have monthly reviews and meetups (possibly online) to share progress and make sure we come together as a team

Output

A book or books, maybe exhibition/s at each location. Some locations (e.g. Highgate) sell postcards, leaflets and books: these and other ideas all open for discussion.

Opportunities

• To meet up, explore and take photos with other photographers
• To photograph on your own, in your own time, when it suits you
• To have your work in a book or books, maybe an exhibition
• To learn new skills by taking part.

Progress Update - December 2022

Click here to see the 23rd January Status

Click here to see the December 2022 status

We asked London Members to submit two photographs taken at Platinum Jubilee Events; all photographers got at least one image included, some got two.  These were put into a book of 70 photographs.

A PDF of the book can be found here

A hardback version of the book is available to purchase from Blurb here

And a softback version from Blurb here

Blurb regularly offer significant discounts (15%, 20%, 25%, even 30%) - so, if you don't yet have an account, sign up and wait for an offer in your email's inbox!

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