Photographer Captures London Commuters Obscured by Fogged Bus Windows

For three bleak winters, Steve Madden captured London commuters onboard steamy buses.

In the dark and dreary English winter, commuters huddle on London Underground platforms before taking a long, often wet walk through the city or boarding a bus that instantly fogs up when passengers climb on.

For photographer Steve Madden, these quotidian moments are a draw for him. Focusing on London buses, Madden would head out on a rainy day or if it was freezing cold. The bad weather would lead to condensation on the bus windows — familiar to many Londoners — and create the abstract scenes Madden wished to photograph.

Over the course of three winters, Madden documented a tiny fraction of the five million bus rides that crisscross the U.K. capital every day. His work is now being published in a book aptly titled The Grind.

The resulting images depict the visual experience of seeing an endless stream of unidentifiable people traveling on a bus, with flashes of colorful clothes against the harsh lighting of public transport. The part-obscured subjects are often shown in moments of introspection, reverie and repose, sadness and joy, with the occasional fleeting glimpse of human interaction.

“All the best pictures were the ones that got away, of course — it’s one of the world’s busiest cities, and it’s full of obstructions, many of them human,” explains Madden via a press release.

“I travelled all over London trying to find the perfect location, but there were certain bus stops I was drawn to again and again. I’m sure I became a familiar sight in Finsbury Park, Hounslow, Islington, Kingston, Strand, Stratford, Waterloo, Whitechapel, and more.”

“London never stands still, change is constant, and several of the routes have been withdrawn. The stop in the Strand isn’t there anymore — that stretch of road is now pedestrianised. And misty windows aren’t what they were — buses are increasingly air-conditioned, and since Covid, passenger numbers are down,” he continues.

“So what I did there is already becoming history. Change is what happens when you’re looking the other way.”

Madden is not a full-time photographer, his day job involves working at the BBC in various roles including a presenter, writer, producer, and voiceover artist. He currently hosts a show on BBC Radio Berkshire.

“Thanks to the endlessly fascinating, anonymous bus passengers of London, without whom there would be no book,” adds Madden.

The Grind by Steve Madden is published by Gost Books and is available to purchase here.