Amazing analog photos of London's unseen history revealed in new book

London Unseen
(Image credit: James Artaius)

As the capital city of the United Kingdom, London has always been a melting pot of multiple cultures and classes. A 15-year photographic project documents the unique evolution of this storied city via analog images – and it's collated in the photo book, London Unseen

The project is the work of photographer and native Londoner, Paul Anthony Scane, who spent a decade and a half documenting the unseen side of the city using some of the best film cameras ranging from 35mm to medium and large format, including Leica, Hasselblad, Linhof 4x5 and Mamiya 6x7.

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Away from the tourist trappings and well worn beats of Big Ben and Trafalgar Square, Scane headed out on foot and on his bike to document London's lesser seen side – from campy dry cleaners and abandoned tanks to a double decker bus appearing to maneuver a miniature golf course.

Mile End, 2014 (Image credit: Paul Anthony Scane)

Clapham, 2011 (Image credit: Paul Anthony Scane)

Wandsworth Bridge Road, 2010 (Image credit: Paul Anthony Scane)

St Martins-in-the-Fields, 2009 (Image credit: Paul Anthony Scane)

Westminster Bridge, 2010 (Image credit: London Unseen)

Piccadilly Circus, 1950s  (Image credit: London Unseen)

Petticoat Lane, 1950s (Image credit: London Unseen)

Notting Hill Gate, 1960s (Image credit: London Unseen)

Bermondsey, 2010 (Image credit: London Unseen)

Stoke Newington, 2010 (Image credit: London Unseen)

Hackney, 2014 (Image credit: London Unseen)

London School of Ballet, 2010 (Image credit: Paul Anthony Scane)

The collection truly is a celebration of the beating pulse of the city, capturing the character and soul of the real London with the affection of a real Londoner. Moreover, it's a wonderful collection of 35mm and medium format photography.

London Unseen is available now as a beautiful hardback volume consisting of 208 pages from publisher teNeues Books (ISBN number 3961713847). You can order it from Amazon using the link below. 

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James Artaius
Editor

The editor of Digital Camera World, James has 21 years experience as a journalist and started working in the photographic industry in 2014 (as an assistant to Damian McGillicuddy, who succeeded David Bailey as Principal Photographer for Olympus). In this time he shot for clients like Aston Martin Racing, Elinchrom and L'Oréal, in addition to shooting campaigns and product testing for Olympus, and providing training for professionals. This has led him to being a go-to expert for camera and lens reviews, photo and lighting tutorials, as well as industry news, rumors and analysis for publications like Digital Camera MagazinePhotoPlus: The Canon MagazineN-Photo: The Nikon MagazineDigital Photographer and Professional Imagemaker, as well as hosting workshops and talks at The Photography Show. He also serves as a judge for the Red Bull Illume Photo Contest. An Olympus and Canon shooter, he has a wealth of knowledge on cameras of all makes – and a fondness for vintage lenses and instant cameras.