MPB meets street photographer Josh Edgoose

The work of Josh Edgoose is instantly recognisable for its warm color palette of everyday life in London—it’s a slightly different take on documentary and street photography. We speak to Josh, who published his first monograph Brilliant Parade in 2020, about his background, gear and street photography.

Let’s hear from Josh.

MPB: How did you get into photography?

JE: I took an A-Level in photography about 16 years ago. We had to shoot three rolls of HP5 per week, develop them by hand, and make contact sheets and darkroom prints. During that time, I learned about Garry Winogrand, Martin Parr, and Joel Meyerowitz. Off the back of that, I gradually became obsessed with photography over the years.

MPB: How would you define the title ‘street photographer’?

JE: I think, for a lot of people, the term ‘street photographer' has a lot of very specific rules applied to it. I haven't always been able to get into central London to take street photographs, particularly over the last year, so I do like to mix it up a bit with portraits, landscapes, anything really. I just love taking pictures, but I suppose candid street photographs are what I enjoy the most and feel most comfortable with.

MPB: Do you actively seek out serendipity and humour?

JE: Yes, definitely. I have always thought it’s important to not take yourself too seriously. I love trying to make people laugh. I try and do that through photography, but those pictures can be quite hard to come by.

MPB: When you see something that looks interesting, do you immediately know what else you’d like in your frame to play against?

JE: I liken photography to collecting anything—antiques, coins. The more you go down the rabbit hole, the more certain elements and aspects appeal to you, and the more you seek them out. The more time I spent taking pictures, the more I tried to include more layers, and more people. Basically, I just try to cram as much into a frame as possible without it becoming a mess. That's my main goal. It becomes less difficult with practice.

MPB: Can you tell us about your kit?

JE: I've been using a Nikon D850 for maybe three months now, and it's quickly become my favorite camera. I love the big viewfinder, I don't have to worry about the battery and the image quality is fantastic. I like to edit the colors in Lightroom, lifting shadows, bringing highlights down, and trying to emulate film as much as possible. The dynamic range from the sensor in the D850 is perfect for that. In terms of the files it produces, it's the closest experience to shooting film in a digital body that I’ve had. Also, for street photography, you need to be quick and the autofocus hasn't let me down once.

MPB: Your work often features oranges and reds, do you find having this distinct look helps you when you’re taking the photos?

JE: I do like to veer towards warmer tones. I think this is mainly because London is often so grey, so I find it best to include warmer colors to counter the blue tint that the clouds give. A nice red does always help a picture ‘pop’, so to speak. I try to keep post workflow to a minimum—for me, the fun part is taking the pictures, I'm not wild about looking at them afterwards.

MPB: Does your film photography differ from your digital work?

JE: I think I’ve now been priced out of shooting film! It’s a lot of fun, but it’s taken me four years of shooting film to get a scanning workflow I am happy with. If I can get a solid setup for developing film at home, then I may do it more often as that would really cut down the expense. Overall, I do find occasionally shooting film a fun way to mix it up from time to time.

MPB: Can you tell us about Framelines?

JE: Shane Taylor and I met at an exhibition in 2019. We kept in touch, occasionally bumping into each other at Oxford Circus. We noticed photography on YouTube was mainly film-based, so we wanted to try and fill a gap—not only looking at digital photography but street photography. We started Framelines just before the pandemic, so we've been confined to mostly creating videos at home. But we're super excited to get back out into London, especially over the summer.

Thanks, Josh.

Looking for more street photography content?

This article is part of the MPB Guide to Street Photography, our comprehensive look at how to create street photography, with camera recommendations, advice and interviews with experts.