Staff Writer, Ava Gamba provides a shift in perspective on how looking at London through photography has enabled her to rekindle appreciation for the city.
Probably twice a month, I find myself in a ‘Wow, I live here’ moment. Either caught during an impromptu walk across the infamous Waterloo Bridge, from seminar to seminar, or when I catch a proper glimpse of the London skyline from the 8th floor of the Strand building, I suddenly remember the gravity of the city I study in every single day. It only comes in fleeting moments, the rest of my quotidian life filled with what I’ve now deemed to be routine, to be familiar. Walking from Strand Campus to the Maughan Library has become so regular, my Piccadilly commute from North London to Holborn – I could do them with my eyes closed. The worst part is, I feel like I quite frequently do.
Not literally, but consumed by deadlines, readings, and the thought of what I’m going to have to cook when I get home, I tend to spend my commutes up in my head rather than looking forward. In her piece entitled On Photography, Susan Sontag paints photographers as artists who discover ‘beauty in what everyone sees but neglects as too ordinary.’ For me, and I am sure for many King’s students, parts of London have become ‘too ordinary,’ regrettably, part of a mundane school routine.
I cycle through this thought process during every one of my ‘pinch-me’ moments, but they don’t occur frequently enough. Too many times, I have found myself unbelievably tired, worn out by my 9-5 at university, and have forgotten to appreciate how lucky I am to be in this city as I walk through its streets.
I took this image at the tail end of Westminster Bridge. Trying to catch the girls snapping Instagram photos in front of Big Ben, something I did only a few months ago, this guy with a scarf happened to take centre stage.
Thus, I took it upon myself to revel in gratitude, to make sure I still see the beauty in what I’ve deemed ordinary. Photography made this easy. I went through my usual commutes to school, across the bridges I cross multiple times a day, and sat at the cafes I frequent. This time, I used my camera as a device to stay present, to capture beauty in a place that makes it very easy to.
Images by Ava Gamba.
Photographing strangers and landscapes in places I’ve normalized, I realized, not only how beautiful experiences like walks around campus actually are, but also how many people feel the same way. Walking around Strand, camera in hand, before my Friday classes, I headed to Westminster Bridge. Only a 15-minute stroll away, in my ‘present’ state, I really took in how appreciative tourists are of London.
For example, I sent this photo to my Mum immediately after taking it. A mother and daughter posing for the camera. Unforeseen to the viewer, the Houses of Parliament serve as the backdrop for their photo.
I so often find myself rolling my eyes at tourists, scoffing at their inability to keep up with the ‘London pace.’ When I took the time to observe and photograph, however, I took a step back. I saw families taking selfies, hundreds of individuals snapping pictures of Big Ben, and so many smiles, despite the incessant rain on the day. I was approached by three separate people asking for photos with the monuments around us. Each person looked so genuinely happy to be there, and after striking up a conversation with them, I learned they had traveled thousands of miles to see these things. Just as far as I have to be here.
However, this photo is my personal favourite. The light behind Parliament is nothing short of magical, and seeing someone appreciate it as much as I do made it even better.
Their attitudes toward the city undoubtedly remind me of the way I felt the second I touched down in London. I looked at everything with such awe, snapping photos of Big Ben from the West side of Waterloo Bridge probably a hundred times in my first week. I even have a photo of myself from before I came to King’s, posing by a red phone booth outside the Australian Embassy on Strand, something I now pass almost every day on autopilot.
My awe faded over time, as the King’s campus became associated with more than just dreams but a reality full of work & deadlines. I think with it, unfortunately, went a lot of my innate appreciation. Appreciation for the place I call home now comes with a novel discovery, or a truly breathtaking landscape, instead of every small thing as it did before. My first tube ride had my eyes glazed over in fascination, now becoming an everyday occurrence, sometimes even a dreaded one. My normal day was once my dream, and I think it’s important to remember that.
Like the unmistakable Piccadilly line seats. I’ve done the math with my housemate, briefly, and we’ve spent over 24 hours on this line, in total, since September. I always appreciate the little skyline on the seats; it makes me excited for what I will see when I get out of the station.
Another, taken right by Temple Station, I have passed these windows so many times while running during my first year. Usually upset to see them because it meant my run was far from done, the light & shadows made them look exceptional in this moment.
Turning this realisation (that I had been essentially taking this place for granted, one many, including me, have spent so much time and money traveling to) into a project has helped me shift my ordinary back into something new. I took images of people appreciating London, but also a London to be appreciated. Taking these images, of the places I see every day and the immense love they receive, has given the city an entirely new dimension, one I am eternally grateful for.
If you find yourself in the same shoes, forgetting to find gratitude in your routine, I hope these images help you to make your infrequent pinch-me moments into an everyday, perpetual feeling of appreciation. And even if you don’t feel this way, I just hope you consider crossing Waterloo Bridge, or walking past the Royal Courts of Justice, just a little slower next time, and really revel in the privilege we have to study in this city every single day.
