Jerome

Found in Waterstone's Cribb's by 'seasonal colleague' Jerome, Christmas 2009. Looks like it's been cut from an ID card or summat...

Ol' Blue Eyes

Found in Waterstone's at The Mall, Cribb's Causeway, Bristol.

HAPPY HAPPY JOY JOY!!

This was the first photo I found after moving to Bristol in 2008. Don't know what these children are looking at but it must be good - they are so happy! Love it. Found in The Mall at Cribb's Causeway.

Wee Babber

Whilst rummaging for books in a charity shop, Mr Sam Jarvis from Bristol chanced upon this photo caught within the leaves of an everyday paperback. Good find Sam!

Up Middle Finger

Another photo sticker found at the Cambridge Leisure Park. One of my all time favourites. Fact.

Saucy

This is a tiny sticker found in Cambridge Leisure Park. Saucy!

Brum

Found this on the pavement outside Woolworths in Croydon. Looks like it was taken with some kind of fish-eye lens of a kids static car ride outside TKMax in Centrale, Croydon.

Toof

Can't remember where I found this photo but suffice to say, it was probably in Croydon somewhere...

Total Trucker

These trucker pictures were found together with a bunch of postcards in the 'Help the Aged' charity shop in Purley. As a keen collector of postcards, it's always lovely to stumble across an old photo that's just been shoved in with all the other cards. It's even better however when there are a few photographs of the same person doing different things: you develop a real sense of their character. What is this trucker doing with the other people in the second photo? Is he collecting an award of some sort? And if so, why didn't he get dressed up for the occasion? And what the hell is that ufo above the woman's head?! 

Gooby

Fantastic find by the wonderful Miss Becky Gooby. She chanced upon it a while ago somewhere in London, though I forget where. If you're reading this Becky, perhaps you could remind me..?

Bon-Bon

The sad decline of the old style photobooth where you'd get 4 random images has given rise to a new breed of digibooth - it talks to you in a patronising voice and prints exactly the same photo 4 times. What rubbish. If you're not happy with this way of getting your passport photo taken, may I suggest visiting Bon-Bon newsagent in Purley. Here you can be taken out back and made to stand at the bottom of the stairs. Mr Bon-Bon will then take your photo and you can have a bit of a chat too - he's a very nice man. Lovely bit of human interaction. This baby passport photo was found outside Bon-Bon a couple of years ago.

Syrup

This woman has what appears to be a giant moustache on her head. Found on the ground outside HSBC on Wellesley Road in Croydon.

Throbbing Gristle

Another Croydonite found in the throbbing gristle of the arsehole of London.

We Are Family

Lovely found passport photo of a Croydon family. Picked it up in what used to be called the Drummond Centre (now Centrale).

Staplehead

This pretty lady was once attached to a document via a staple through her head. I saved her and made her into a jpeg instead. Found somewhere in, yep, you guessed it, Croydon.

Not Waving

Found on a rainy day outside East Croydon Station. I saved him from drowning.

EMO

Piercings, studded collars, dyed black hair - yes the emo-goths are in town and they're gonna burn their photo because that is completely going against the structure of society yeah. Fuck the man and let's start chaos! Burn that photo baby, yeah... er... hang on, hang on... er, I wouldn't mind keeping it actually...
I feel their pain. I have been since I found this photo on North End in Croydon. LOVE IT.

Fuzz

He's fuzzy, his face has been widened (I'm sure of it) and he was found near the Home Office in Croydon.

Oklahoma

Timothy McVeigh lookalike found in my former workplace, Waterstone's Croydon. Waterstone's is located near the Home Office and we regularly had customers asking where they could get something photocopied, or where they could get a passport photo taken. 'Not here' we would tell them several hundred thousand times a day.

James Corden

Ok, so it isn't actually James Corden, but he bears such a resemblance to the unfunny one you could be mistaken for thinking it's his depressed brother. Found in Waterstone's, Croydon.

Flat Stanley

This photo arrived in the post today from an unknown sender; postmark London. Thank you for this my mysterious friend, whom-so-ever you may be! The lady is a little fierce looking and I get the feeling she attends a pottery class in an attempt to make her life worthwhile.

The Youth

Ah, the youth, the youth... Genuinely one of my all time favourite found images, this is one of those tiny 'fun' photographs found outside WHSmiths, Croydon. Word.

Smiler

She's happy because she lives in Croydon. Found by the Home Office, Wellesley Road, Croydon.

The Good, the Bad & the Invisible

Clint Eastwood wannabe The Invisible Man fails audition for classic film remake. Found this photo in the Allders photobooth, Croydon.

London Loves

I found this one somewhere in the heaving metropolis of London. I really can't remember where. Just another anonymous face in a sea of millions...

The Devil Rides Out

Another ripped up photo. Another failed romance. Found this little devil near Thornhill Road, Croydon.

Home Office

The Home Office is on Wellesley Road, Croydon and it's where I picked up this photograph. If I hadn't lived so close to the Home Office, I probably wouldn't have such a large collection of found photo's...

Scratch

Another happy soul that I found on George Street, Croydon.

Ripped Torn

For some reason ripping a photo up always seems like a sacrilegious act - it's as if you're harming whoever is in the photograph. Even when I used to get my film processed at Boots long before digital photography, I'd never destroy those blurry, half black photos you were guaranteed to get back. There's something magical about the chance happening of their occurrence. In fact, there's probably a whole new blog to be created of abstract images and Gerhard Richter-esque blurred shots of nothing...

Anyway, this photo was found in The Whitgift Centre, Croydon. I always wonder what this person did to have their face ripped in half...

World Cup Special

Little Diego was found by the tram stop in George Street, Croydon. Argentina is probably not the most advisable choice of football teams to openly admit you support. Not in Croydon anyway...

For Lovers

This photo, along with a few others, turned up one day when I was working for Waterstone's in Croydon. I'm particularly fond of the young fella in his white jeans and Reebok Classic combo which is fittingly topped off with a pager - no wonder the young lady has a smile on her face. There were several copies of this same photo together with another photo of the two lovers snogging, although sadly this one has now been misplaced.

Whitgift

This happy young man was found lying on the upper mall of the Whitgift Centre in Croydon. His photo that is, not the man.

Allders - home of the found photograph

Found in Allders photobooth Croydon.

Rockin'

Found this on a rainy day outside West Croydon station. It probably ranks as my most favourite found photo ever - the age of the photo, the bloke's amazing hair, the crimped edging - all utterly marvellous.

White Goddess

Haunting. This beautiful lady had her photo taken in the spring of her youth by some young druid, but now she probably roams these woods as a ghost. Assuming she's dead of course... Found in the pages of a musty book from a second-hand shop in Tunley, Bath.

So Solid

This photo could only be found on North End in Croydon. I love the hard-as-nails pose and don't-fuck-with-me gaze, all softened ever-so-slightly with the intellectual glasses. Wonderful.

Little One

Found on North End, Croydon. Really heart-warming this one, I like it a lot. I suspect it was lost by the mother as she was hassled by her child for a Greggs sausage roll.

J.D.Sports

Another one I found in Croydon but am unable to place. Haunting.

Shocking

This fella looks somewhat surprised at having his photo taken, even though he knew it would be happening. Found in West Croydon.

Curly

Another side-on photo bound to be rejected by the IPS. At least she's happy about it though. Found in Allders photo-booth, Croydon.

Rejected

This young lady was found on North End, Croydon. Her photo would be rejected for a passport due to the side-on stance. Fact.

Mona Lisa

Found this lovely lady on the London Road, West Croydon.

Flower Power

This is an absolute classic. Man thinks - Hmm... I don't think it's taken my photo yet... I wonder if the money went in properly... let me just take a -**FLASH**- oh for f....
Found in Allders photobooth, Croydon.

Croydon Girl

Can't remember where I found this one, although it was somewhere in Croydon - the epicentre of all found photographs.

More Tea

He's a happy soul and no wonder - he's found God. Shame he can't see the devil behind him though... Found on Oakfield Road, West Croydon. Saw this fella several times when I lived in the area and he would nearly always be sporting a big black cloak. One day it was particularly foggy and he emerged from the haze as a fearsome black mass which struck the fear of God into me. I'm an atheist now.

Sadness

Found this one in West Croydon near the train station. An overwhelming feeling of sadness takes over as I gaze into her dead eyes.

Man Child

After all these years this is still one of my all time favourite found photo's. A baby with the face of a man. Nuff said. Found in Allders photo booth, Croydon.

Stinky Pete

I love this one and it's the only polaroid I've found to date. Unless you count the cigarette burnt one I found back when I was about 12 - a grainy image of a sex act. Guess which body part someone stubbed their cigarette out on..? Sadly I lost that particular photo, but I think it inspired me years later to begin this current collection. Found on Oakfield Road, West Croydon.

Operator

This man is the actual photo-booth operator, although I was unaware of this until a week or so after finding this photo. Pen behind the ear is a nice touch too. Found in Boots photo-booth, Croydon.