Shoot London

Shoot London

18 May, 2009
by: Tom Jeffreys

'Their stepmother'. 'She stroked their hair'. 'Fierce predators'. 'I love you'. What the deuce? Let me explain: I'm at Tate Modern taking part in Shoot London, a London-wide day of collaborative photo fun organised by Shoot Experience, and their largest one to date. As leader of Team Spoonfed I have assembled a crack unit of four photographic mavericks and gathered in the Turbine Hall with around a hundred other such teams in order to register and be told what to do.

Each team is given four phrases from a story by Joe Dunthorne and three hours in which to take a photograph that relates to each phrase in some way. In the afternoon we are all gather back at Tate Modern where all the photos are collected and the narrative unfolds, image by image. The best photos win prizes and things, and we're out to win!

So our ace team departs Tate Modern, cameras in hand and ideas buzzing round our heads. We go in search of trannies, pigeons, overweight people and hen parties. Alas we find none of these (what has happened to London's pigeons?) so we are forced to improvise. We walk along the South Bank, cross the river and head into Soho, all the while snapping as we go.


Fierce Predators

It's a fun three hours that forces you to think in a different way and push your perception of London and its people. Never before have I approached a group of drunken men in pig masks and asked them to look lecherous whilst pretty girls walk past. And most probably never again.

It's weird how the time passes so quickly and before we know it we're due back – in fact we're a little late. But it's also an exhausting afternoon – all that walking, thinking and posing! – and we return to Tate Modern pretty shattered. The free beer and popcorn help though.

We're all excited to see how it pans out. What's the story? What will everybody think of our pictures? How many prizes are we going to win?! Unfortunately due to some technical issues, there is quite a lengthy delay and some of the images (including ours) come up in the wrong order. But the reading of the story – Hansel and Gretel as it turns out – narrated by the author, does produce some lovely moments. The phrase 'their own flesh and blood' is depicted by two tomatoes with sad faces drawn on, looking on distraught as a bicycle wheel turns another tomato to mush. And 'relish' sees a clever manipulation of perspective involving ketchup being poured onto The Gherkin.

Shoot London is a brilliant concept and I think everyone involved had a great day. There were some major delays that did affect the flow of the event, but these will be ironed out in time.  Shoot London is an amazing way to see London – and, indeed, you friends – in a totally different light. I'm looking forward to the next one already.

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Tom Jeffreys