Nick Turpin’s Night Bus Portraits

BEST IN BOOK in the Photography Annual 2017 

Published in book form by Hoxton Mini Press, On the Night Bus follows a long tradition of captivating photographic projects centred around public transport and commuting. However what sets Nick Turpin’s portraits apart is their eerie and painterly quality. The steamed windows of the buses create an optical illusion; softening and blurring the faces of those behind the glass, raising questions about voyeurism and public and private space. The steamed windows of the buses create an optical  illusion … raising questions about voyeurism

Shot over two winters at the Elephant and Castle roundabout in London, and taken with a telephoto lens, the images reveal an intimate glimpse into the life of the city traveller. Some passengers interact with each other, some sleep, some are moody and pensive, others lost in faraway thoughts. All are strangely silent behind the cold wintry glass that, alongside the artificial light in the bus, renders these everyday scenes into something akin to classical paintings.

Photographer: Nick Turpin 
Publisher: Hoxton Mini Press
Introduction by Will Self
Design by Zoë Bather and Hoxton Mini Press