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from the December 11, 2006 edition

A kaleidoscope of culture

| Assistant photo editor of The Christian Science Monitor
One of the more difficult challenges for a photojournalist is to tread lightly enough to discourage people's natural tendency to stare into your lens. On assignment, a photographer is draped in cameras - at least two - with long, wide lenses and a camera bag. The trick is to blend in, because once the photographer is spotted, the image becomes just as much a reflection of how the photographer has affected the scene, as it is the demeanor of the subject. But sometimes you can't avoid it.

I recently traveled to London and spent several days photographing various neighborhoods with people of all shapes and sizes. Here is a collection of images from London and the boroughs of Tottenham, Brixton, and Whitechapel. They are not strong images on their own, but as a collage they reveal the kaleidoscope of culture that exists in London.

(Photograph)
PHOTOS BY MARY KNOX MERRILL - STAFF

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