Photo London 2025

Photo London 2025

"The UK Photography event of the year" The Guardian

48 Hours In New York

Curated by Carrie Scott and Robert Watson

Photo London is the UK’s leading photography fair, a place where the past, present, and future of the medium meet under one roof. Held within the stately walls of Somerset House on the North bank of the River Thames, it’s a gathering of images and ideas—where the world’s most respected galleries bring work that sparks conversation, reflection, and inspiration.

This year, I’m honoured to be showing my series 48 Hours in New York with Albumen Gallery. These photographs were made in motion—on foot, on instinct, in the unrelenting rhythm of a city that never gives you the same moment twice. They sit, I hope, in conversation with the streets walked by Winogrand and Feinstein, while also tracing their own path through the present. To see this work among the energy and history of Photo London feels like bringing something full circle.

Street photography is the defining lens through which we experience the energy, rhythm, and character of New York. From Garry Winogrand’s frenetic captures of mid-century New York to Harold Feinstein’s intimate portraits of life at Coney Island, the tradition is built on immersion; on the photographer becoming an extension of the street itself. For Robert Watson, his 48 hours in New York was both a challenge and a homage to these masters, a test of endurance and instinct as he navigated the city with 27 rolls of film and a singular focus: to photograph the city in its rawest form.

Unlike his previous visits, this trip was about full immersion. Street photography, as Watson sees it, demands complete attention; no distractions, no casual strolls. It’s an intense, solitary pursuit, where the photographer must push past initial hesitations to get truly close. Shooting on film heightened the stakes. With no way to check his shots, every frame carried weight, forcing Watson to trust instinct and keep moving.

He journeyed to some of New York’s most storied locations including Herald Square and Bryant Park to wade through the dense currents of pedestrian life, and eventually, Coney Island; a setting so rich with photographic history that it felt almost surreal to walk in the footsteps of those who had come before him. The boardwalk, the sun, the crowds; this was a New York that pulsed with nostalgia and contemporary reality all at once.

Over the course of two days, Watson battled the challenges of new terrain, the shifting moods of the city, and the internal pressure to perform. What emerged is a body of work that speaks to the heart of street photography. It is spontaneous, unpredictable, and deeply human. This is an experiment in both documenting place, and a personal testament to the power of being fully present behind the lens.

Carrie Scott

Art Historian & Curator

Robert John Watson BBC News Street Photography

It’s not every day that you hear whilst doing a BBC radio interview that there is a news article about you also. Click on the image above or the button at the end to read the article.

The last time I was in the press was when Dutch newspaper NRC used one of my seascapes (Blackpool 0630) to promote UNSEEN Amsterdam photography fair last year. That was a surprise also. People were coming to Albumen Gallery’s stand to see the picture and indeed to buy it.

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The above picture - Blackpool 0630 is being exhibited at my current exhibition in my hometown of Warrington in Cheshire. It will also feature at my exhibition in Manchester opening in October of this year. I will keep you posted about that closer to the time.

In the meantime, I’m doing a talk and Q&A session this Saturday (25th March) in the gallery with all my pictures.
It is an Eventbrite ticketed event and it would be great to see you there.

Links below to both the BBC article and free tickets to the artist’s talk I’m doing.