Meet the Photographer Who Has Captured London for 65 Years

Clive has been taking photos of people in London for about 65 years. During that time, he has met and photographed many people from all walks of life. A new documentary film by Chocolate Films, as part of the 1000 Londoners series, looks at Clive’s career and how his photos paint a detailed portrait of a city and its people changing over the decades.

Chocolate Films first met Clive seven years ago when Clive was taking photos of fruit and vegetable traders in the middle of the night in London’s Covent Garden Market. Years later, the team revisited Clive as he works in a new cultural quarter of south-west London, Nine Elms.

“Set against the backdrop of a rapidly changing urban landscape, the film explores how thoughtful design and regeneration can create places of calm and connection within the city,” Chocolate Films and 1000 Londoners explain.

Clive’s story is not just one of how he photographs people throughout London, but how he has witnessed and documented the city’s many and varied transformations. Clive and his camera have followed the city’s evolution. In the new film, Clive reflects upon how his photos document the city’s buildings and people and how different communities have changed over time.

He says that years ago, Nine Elms did not have one square inch of green space. Now, the area has rich, lush parks and gardens. While not every change in London over the past six decades has been universally praised or welcome, the expansion of green space is an idea many, like Clive, can get behind.

The new documentary, and the one from seven years ago, seen below, is part of the broader 1000 Londoners initiative that shares the stories of 1,000 different people in London. While the project was on a hiatus, largely because of the pandemic, it is back in full force and in pursuit of the coveted 1,000 Londoner mark. The project is nearing its 400th person. Clive in his original film marked Londoner #225.

When the project is complete, which will take years of additional work, 1000 Londoners will be a vibrant digital portrait of London and its people. There will be a new Londoner featured each week on the 1000 Londoners website and YouTube.

Image credits: ‘1000 Londoners’ and Chocolate Films