ABOUT PETER HAKEN

I did not learn photography on a digital screen. I cut my teeth shooting street photography on film. On the street, you do not get a second chance. You have to anticipate the moment, compose the frame, and trust your instinct before you even press the shutter.

That is still how I work now. Street photography taught me to slow down, watch properly and recognise the weight of a passing moment. It taught me that the strongest pictures are often unscripted, imperfect and human.

WHERE IT STARTED

My background is in observing everyday life as it unfolds. Not directing it. Not overworking it. Just being present enough to see something real before it disappears. Film shaped that approach early on. It made me deliberate. It made me patient. It taught me to value timing, framing and feeling over volume.

That foundation still runs through all of my work. Even now, with digital tools, I am drawn to photographs that feel immediate and honest. Images with atmosphere, tension, humour or quiet detail. The kind of frame that reveals more the longer you look at it.

THE WAY I SEE IT

I am interested in people, gesture, contrast, architecture, weather, movement and the odd visual collision that turns an ordinary street into something cinematic. A glance through a bus window. A split second of chaos. A figure caught in the right patch of light. These are the moments I look for.

Much of the work is black and white because it strips things back. It lets shape, expression and composition do the heavy lifting. Colour still has its place, but black and white feels closer to the heart of how I see street photography, raw, graphic and timeless.

WHY STREET PHOTOGRAPHY

Street photography is where I learned to trust myself. It sharpened my eye and taught me to work without fuss. No big setup. No control. No safety net. Just instinct, awareness and the ability to respond when everything lines up for a fraction of a second.

That is what keeps me coming back to it. Every frame is earned. Every image depends on attention. And when it works, it says something honest about a place, a person or a moment that would otherwise go unnoticed.

BASED IN THE UK, SHOOTING WHEREVER THE STREET LEADS

I work across London, Oxford and beyond, building a body of work around candid moments, everyday life and the strange beauty of the ordinary. Some images are quiet. Some are sharp. Some lean documentary, others feel more graphic or abstract. What connects them is a search for something real.

HAKEN is a place to show that work clearly, without clutter. Just photographs, observation and a personal way of seeing the street.

PRINTS, EDITORIAL AND COMMISSIONS

If you are interested in prints, editorial work, commissions or collaborations, feel free to get in touch. I am open to selected projects that fit the style and approach of the work.

hello@haken.co.uk