I've said elsewhere that one of the things I like about Instagram is that it's a place to put all the images which don't belong anywhere else. Too random for Facebook, not relevant for clients, and neither suitable nor strong enough for my portfolio. But worse would be to leave them on a hard-drive, forgotten in a cupboard, forever. While browsing my IG feed, I noticed that a great number were shot while I was waiting around for something.
It's an interesting category. These are the kind of images which, most of all, should fall between the floorboards. These shots are either an afterthought or noticed when you're thinking of other things. They're the result of time spent idle, with no planning or prior intention, and they wouldn't exist but for the opportunity of a few free moments.
A friend was delayed. St Pancras station, London.
In a cafe, waiting for a coffee.
In a car park, on arriving early for a shoot.
One New Change, London. Waiting for permission from the site manager.
Underground station sign (I had arrived early).
Archway. Meeting a friend.
I don't remember where this was but it's a lamp-post (or was, originally). Strictly, I wasn't waiting and I knew I wanted to do this for a while, but it was taken on a break between shoots.
Taken through glass in a queue at an airport.
Cracked glass at Sushi Samba, London, while waiting for people to arrive for an event.
Gelled flash through opaque glass. Waiting to do a portrait, I was playing around with the idea of using a coloured spot behind the subject. It wasn't working (there wasn't enough space to spread the light), but did make this interesting shot.
London. During dinner at a press launch.
Photographed while the film crew were interviewing a subject. I did actually send this one to the client along with a couple of other stock images from the day (there was a lot of waiting around).
London, in between corporate portraits. The 'razor' building can be seen (centre) through curtains.
Not quite waiting for paint to dry, but the next best thing.
Various gas pipes and pressure gauges in a factory corridor. I have absolutely no idea what they were for.
The Tower of London, the Walkie-Talkie, the Cheese-Grater and the Gherkin. Taken from the event space at the top of Tower Bridge at dusk, while waiting for speeches to finish.