When darkness descends on the British capital, Mr Whisper uncovers the magic and magnetism of London’s illustrious hub
As street lights crackle and fizz to life, pupils widen. Breaths quicken. Obscured by the cloaks and mantles of the big smoke, the sun withdraws from a steely grey sky. A pulse is felt – a rhythm more acute than before, intensifying the temples, the wrists, the streets, the tubes. Pints are pulled, cocktails are concocted, meals are made. The heady afterglow of Piccadilly strewn against windscreens of neighbouring taxi cabs, pouring across rain-soaked pavements, gleaming and expectant. Famed for its energy and dynamism, the onset of dusk ushers in a sharper rendering of all London has to offer, and somewhere in the bright lights of its West End, the spirit of the city is laid bare.
Born and raised in the South West, Bal Bhatla is all too familiar with these sensations. At once, they’re distant memories and present-day realities, and like most natives, affectionate reminders of London’s intoxicating life force. “It’s been said a million times before, but it’s the melting pot for culture. The central spot for brands, holidaymakers and creatives – and all of these factors make it such an amazingly exciting place,” he begins, smiling. “Every time I visit the centre, I encounter something new and unexpected.” For nearly a decade, Bal has been documenting the hustle and bustle of these hotspots with style and finesse. Adopting the pseudonym ‘Mr Whisper’ from his graffitiing days, these photos expose the energy of unleashed Londoners, adventurous and carefree, chasing the night. “When the clock hits a certain hour, it’s like the city puts its makeup on. The mood’s lightened. There’s much more of an extroverted drive, and that really plays into the way I like to approach street photography. During those hours, you encounter a more pronounced version of events.” Specialising in graphic design, Bal studied at Goldsmiths, before serving as a leading marketing manager in the city for almost 15 years. Keen to pick up on emerging trends and fashions, he began to notice a cultural shift in late 2008. Slowly, but steadily, a tidal wave was materialising. Soon, it would reveal itself as an unprecedented explosion of social media content.
Beginning his photographic exploits with an iPhone, Bal managed to accrue a selection of esteemed commercial clients from his days as a marketing executive. “Back then, I was capturing everything with my iPhone. I was headhunted by Samsung, and eventually brands started paying attention to this online revolution. For a while, I was essentially running my own micro-agency,” he recounts. “The phone is what made it accessible. All I had to do was point and shoot. Instagram allowed me to share stuff and, surprisingly, it was very popular. I would practise during my commute, and pretty soon I had this insatiable urge to upload everything.” As his influence grew, Bal would go on to coordinate an ad campaign for popular fashion brand Lacoste. He soon realised his iPhone photos were insufficient, and that a hardware update was needed. “I couldn’t blow anything up beyond A4! I quickly realised that I needed to invest in something bigger. It was actually the day the X-T1 was released. The design struck me straight away; I loved it. The analogue dials really helped to facilitate my transition from phone photography. I was aware of the settings and specifics, but that camera allowed me to get to grips with some of the more precise elements. I use the X-T3 now, which I consider more of an artistic tool, as opposed to a technical one.”
Documenting in the dark, Mr Whisper’s photos are evocative snapshots of a city let loose. The vitality is undeniable – and for Bal, it’s down to his freewheeling, off-the-cuff approach.
“I never use a tripod. For the style that I engage with, it would just get in the way. I’m looking for those fleeting moments. Night-time photography is fast, so you always need to be alert. It’s almost like having a Robocop helmet on. You’re hyper-aware of all the elements in the environment. That can be quite overwhelming, but it’s really the only way you stay engaged.” Offering tips and tricks for those starting out, Mr Whisper breaks down the fundamentals involved in his process. Practise and experimentation are stressed as key markers for success. “Get to grips with blue hour – it’s the perfect time to shoot. Once familiarised, you’ll start to understand how camera settings can complement the environment.” Like any artistic pursuit, the initial ‘starting out’ phases can be disheartening and frustrating. “Stick at it,” Bal reassures. “For a while, I wondered why my images weren’t turning out the way I hoped, but ultimately it’s all part of a process. I learnt how to adjust ISO, shutter speeds and other settings through trial and error. You just need to be patient.”
Photo 2021 © Mr. Whisper | FUJIFILM X-T3 and XF33mmF1.4 R LM WR, 1/200 sec at F2, ISO 800
The Evening Standard characterised the Mr Whisper brand as encapsulating London’s ‘most human moments’, a sentiment that certainly rings true when viewing these images. Demystifying the method behind his nearly 75,000 Instagram followers, Bal emphasises a need to trial certain compositional ideas, before settling on them outright. “Personally, I often take test shots. There’s this weird misconception that people have with street photography… that you have to capture everything quickly and on the fly. I’ll treat the test shot as the blueprint, then amend and hone the image from there.” Rather than accidental, unselective arrangements, Mr Whisper’s photographs are purposeful interpretations of real-life instances, carefully replicated so that the authenticity of the original moment is always retained. Speaking to this sense of candour, Bal avoids excessive ISO usage, so that his shots resemble something approximating vision itself. “I have a rule,” he outlines. “If I can’t achieve what I want at ISO 1600, I don’t bother. I know some shoot with stupidly high ISOs, but that feels too artificial for me. It doesn’t replicate what I’m seeing with my eyes.”
As well as utilising initiative, Bal lets his Fujifilm equipment assist and advance picture quality. “Don’t be afraid to lean in to a good piece of kit. Autofocus on the X-T3 is absolutely outstanding. It’s so good that sometimes I feel like I’m cheating!” To capture the crispness of his surroundings, primes are preferred for their definition. “I only ever use primes. You can’t cut it with a zoom. I’ve got five Fujinon lenses – XF16mmF1.4 R WR, XF23mmF1.4 R, XF33mmF1.4 R LM WR, XF35mmF1.4 R and the XF56mmF1.2 R – but when I’m out and about, I’ll rarely use more than one.” If the detail and clarity of his lens choices bolster realness, Bal’s editing process serves as the finishing touch. “I limit post-processing to Lightroom. For me, programs like Photoshop are for image replacement. My mission in street photography is simple: what you see is what you get. Enhancing images should be about mood and tone. If the original isn’t good enough, I’m not going to try and fix it in the edit, and neither should you.”
The allure and appeal of London has made Mr Whisper a celebrated voice, and it’s something that’s indelibly tethered to his identity. “As a kid, the only time we’d get to go into central London was to see the Christmas lights, so there was a sense of mystique to this place. It’s always been a thriving pulse of creativity. When I started to experience this nightlife first-hand, that added a whole new dynamic. A slice of London life: I love to document moments like those. The joys and the darknesses make up this portrait. It’s these realities that make my city breathe. They make it real.
“When people look at my images in twenty to thirty years, I want them to know what it was like to live in London at this time.”
Photo 2021 © Mr. Whisper | FUJIFILM X-T3 and XF35mmF1.4 R, 1/180 sec at F1.4, ISO 400
