Fifty shades of grey, that’s just dull E.L James!. The Market has millions of shades of colour and light, says veteran snapper Clive Boursnell.

Some readers might not be aware that no matter where one is in the UK, one is never more than 100 miles from the sea.

“So what?” you might ask, but my point is that this very fact accounts for the water that is constantly held in the air. I’m not talking about rain, although that is part of the equation. The varying amounts of water and the temperature held in the air at any time create “the Atmosphere”, made all the easier by England’s lack of a high mountain range, allowing 3,000 miles of water-laden Atlantic weather fronts to push East. Add the ever-varying position of the jet stream over the UK and that’s a lot of water for a relatively small Island. Combined with changing air temperatures this gives us infinite conditions and, for a photographer, colours of light. In my opinion, few places in the world can boast the endless variety of light and colour we have here in “Old Blighty”.

I am forever watching our varying light, particularly in days past in both the old and new markets where so much of the work was done outside. As we move into the ‘new new’ Market buildings, the outside light will play a lesser role, but while we still have it I’m a complete sucker for the fog, sleet, snow and rain, as well as the cold ethereal early-morning light, bursts of flaring sun at sunrise on those misty summer mornings.

In these moments, the work of the Market is almost secondary. The outside light completely governs the way I photograph; I disregard the camera light metering system, making my own picture exposure according to how I am feeling about whichever subject is in front of my lens. I love being in and working with the elements, perhaps even more so when I am photographing gardens and landscapes, another of my regular pastimes.

How much of the sky I allow into my picture frame depends on the darkness or contrasting definition. Up to a point, the lighter the sky and the lower the contrasting definition, the less sky I will have in my picture. Too much whitish sky will lose the focus of the viewer; however the blasting light of a low sun will surely hold their attention. It’s like driving into the rising or setting sun - the power of the light can be overwhelming.

I particularly enjoy having light either coming straight into my lens or across my bows at roughly 45° to camera. I will only shoot with the sun coming from behind me when it is very low in the sky because when you photograph with the sun behind you, it becomes a gigantic flash bulb and can kill the atmosphere of any picture.

The Market Nine Elms

I've been taking pictures of this Market since I first stepped foot in it and fell in love in 1968. In this series, I'm looking back on some of my favourites and explaining the thinking and stories behind them.