As a photographer my method for critically interacting with the urban landscape is walking. Through the process of walking I become alive to the world and receptive to everything around me. Solnit (2002) states that "walking, ideally, is a state in which the mind, body and world are aligned" (Solnit, 2002 p.5) and compares them to "three characters finally in conversation together" (ibid) . I would add that with a camera in hand, being visually attuned allows me to recognize and respond to specific moments as they arise. I usually plan where I intend to walk, but I often enjoy those moments of encounter where some elements come together that suggest further investigation. For example, my first encounter with Woolwich occurred whilst walking along the Thames, when my eye was drawn to some contrasting scenes which visually caught my attention. In his work on the visual quality of cities, Lynch (1960) states that 'legibility is crucial in the urban context' (1960, p.3) and then provides a definition of 'imageability: that quality in a physical object which gives it a 'high probability of evoking a strong image in any given observer' (ibid p.9). Returning to my first encounter with Woolwich, no doubt the strong spatial patterns of a riverside garden followed by a series of sculptures would suggest a level of imageability and explain my response. The human experience of encountering a new place or knowing how to act or go live in a familiar place is intimately linked to previous experiences. Places are always “read” or understood in relation to others. (Tilley 1994 p.27)Although Tilley (1994) refers to a rural landscape, I tend to agree with him that our approach to new places is linked to experience...... middle of paper ..... .create a work that questions the urban landscape.Works citedSolnit, R. (2002). Wanderlust: a story of walking. London: Verso.Lynch, K. (1960). The image of the city. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press. Tilley, C. (1994). A phenomenology of landscape: places, routes and monuments. Oxford, UK Providence, RI: Berg.Balshaw, M. & Kennedy, L. (2000). Urban space and representation. London Sterling, Virginia: Pluto Press.Baudelaire, C. & Mayne, J. (1995). The painter of modern life and other essays. London: Phaidon Press. Definition of flâneur in English. (2013) Oxford Dictionaries, Oxford University Press. [online] Available at: http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/fl%C3%A2neur [Accessed 21 December 2013]Jenks, C. (1995). 'WATCHING YOUR STEP The history and practice of the Flaneur in Jenks.C (ed.) Visual culture. London New York: Routledge pp.142-160