Welcome to photography 25/26!

I still remember the weight of my dad’s camera in my hands back in Year Seven. It was this big, chunky thing that felt way too important for someone who could barely figure out what every button did. It all started with me trying to photograph birds in our garden (and insects, too – no, I didn’t have a macro lens). Honestly, most of my shots were terrible. Blurry wings and empty branches made up most of the shots on that memory card. Luckily enough, that wasn’t enough to make me give up. I stuck with that camera through the years, capturing moments from family events all the way to Bengal tigers in Ranthambore out in Rajasthan.

Years later, I moved to London for university. It was, of course, a significant change in my life. It’s easy to find yourself lost in a new city—not just uncertainty about which line to take on the tube, but also that lingering feeling of not belonging. Soon, you recognise that feeling in unfamiliar streets, how it mirrors your own self after the long distances you’ve covered from back home. Distances should not just be measured in the number of stops between stations, but in the space between who you were when you arrived and who you’re becoming as you walk these paths, and everyone’s lives you’ve touched – the people you met on day one and the people you’ll meet one day.

This mixture of realisations, acceptances and learning manifested as my passion shifting to photographing streets and the stories they have to tell. Sometimes I’m just out and about with my camera, talking to people, taking in the stories that their words say, their actions show and their eyes tell.

It turns out that photographing people isn’t that different from photographing wildlife. You still need patience, and you’re still looking for those stories hiding in plain sight. The difference is that humans are infinitely more complex in a completely different manner – and their stories are often more compelling.

Your Story is Worth Telling

Here’s what I’ve learned: everyone who picks up a camera has stories to tell, whether they know it or not. The way you notice light hitting a building differently than I do, the moments that make you stop and think, “I need to capture this” – that’s your unique perspective on the world.

You may be the type of person who sees beauty in the chaos of the Central Library during exam season. Or you’re drawn to the quiet corners of campus at 8am when hardly anyone’s around. Whatever catches your eye says something about who you are and how you see Imperial, and the world around you.

Real Stories from Real Events

We’re working with societies across Imperial because they’re where the best stories happen. Sports photography is obvious! There’s drama in every rugby tackle and grace in every fencing lunge. We’re also looking at:

• Drama society rehearsals 
• Cultural society festivals 
• Research showcases 

The goal isn’t just about taking pretty pictures. It’s about documenting what makes Imperial special, which is usually the people and their stories. 

Got a Photo? Got a Story?

This is where you come in. If you’ve ever taken a photo and thought, “This actually captures something important,” we want to see it. Could be anything – sunrise over the Queen’s Tower, your friends cramming in the library at 2am, that weird shadow pattern in the Blackett building, or even just a moment that made you smile.

Whether you’re thinking about photography as a hobby, a way to get involved with student media, or just want to document your time at university, there’s room for your perspective. University goes by fast, and the small moments, especially the ones that feel ordinary when they’re happening, are often the ones you’ll want to remember most. Let’s capture these stories together, Imperial photographers!