Sunrise in London: Stunning pictures of dawn breaking over the capital from Evening Standard photographer Jeremy Selwyn

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Luke O'Reilly31 December 2019

During a year defined by parliamentary intrigue, protests and a general election, one Evening Standard photographer has found a little time each day to take his mind off the busy news cycle - by photographing sunrises.

Jeremy Selwyn has worked as a staff photographer on the Standard for the past 33 years.

He has been lauded for his powerful news photography, including his images of the tragic fire at Grenfell Tower in 2017, for which he won the National News Photographer of the Year at the UK Picture Editors Guild Awards.

However, no matter how busy his daily schedule is, Jeremy always makes sure to leave a little room to photograph the sunrise.

In this picture, the Evening Standard photographer captured Tower Bridge at sunrise
Jeremy Selwyn

Jeremy wakes up up each morning at 4am in his home in Hertfordshire. He then drives to London to begin work at 6am.

"I start really early," he said. "I go for a walk around London. As I walk around, I have made it a habit over the last 10 years doing sunrises.

"It gives me something to do before the morning doorstep."

Jeremy has noticed more and more people getting up early in London
Jeremy Selwyn

As a news photographer, Jeremy's first job of the day often involves waiting outside a politician's front door to take a photograph of them leaving.

Sunrise photography is a welcome reprieve.

"It beats taking a picture of a politician walking out of their front door and skulking away," he said.

He added that it also has the added advantage of allowing him a break from the news.

"It takes your mind off some of these things," he said.

One of Jeremy's most startling sunrise photographs is of a heron snapping up a fish in the Serpentine, Hyde Park.

Herons tend to eat just before dawn. This picture was taken at the Serpentine, Hyde Park
Jeremy Selwyn

"I noticed him first thing in the morning in the Serpentine Hyde Park", he explained.

"They often are feeding just before dawn.

"I sat near to him with a telephoto lens. That was in the summer at about 5am.

"I was lucky because he just plucked his head into the water and whipped out a fish."

A movie extra watching the sunrise
Jeremy Selwyn

In another of his more unusual photos, Jeremy appeared to capture a time traveller watching the sunrise over Tower Bridge.

The man, wearing an old fashioned naval uniform, didn't notice his photograph being taken.

"I don't know why he was there to be honest", Jeremy said.

"Often they make films early in the morning. He was an extra in the film and he was just watching the sunrise himself."

When Jeremy first started taking sunrise photographs, London was a ghost town.

Jeremy has been at the Standard for 33 years
Jeremy Selwyn

However, that has begun to change.

"Over the years it has become more and more busy," he said.

"When I started I would be the only one up, bar the odd milkman.

"Now there seems to be a huge amount of people up early, travelling into beat the traffic or doing deliveries."

London may have changed over the past three decades, but one thing has remained the same. No matter what else he has on, Jeremy will always be there to photograph the sunrise.

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