As a photographer, my method for critically interacting with the urban landscape is to walk. 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 figures finally in conversation together” (ibid.). I would add that with a camera in hand, being visually attuned allows me to recognize and react to specific moments that present themselves. I generally plan where I intend to walk, but I frequently enjoy these encounter moments where certain elements come together and suggest further investigation. For example, my first encounter with Woolwich was while walking the Thames Path, when my eye was drawn to contrasting scenes that 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 gives a definition of “imageability: this quality of an object physics which gives it a high probability of evoking a strong image in a given observer” (ibid p.9). Returning to my first encounter with Woolwich, there is no doubt that the strong spatial motifs of a riverside garden followed by a group of sculptures would suggest an image level and explain my response. The human experience of encountering a new place or knowing how to act or leave. taking place in a familiar place is closely 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 tied to experience.... .. middle of article..... .create a work that questions the urban landscape.Works citedSolnit, R. (2002). Wanderlust: a history of walking. London: Verso. Lynch, K. (1960). The image of the city. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press. Tilley, C. (1994). A phenomenology of the landscape: places, paths and monuments. Oxford, UK Providence, RI: Berg. Balshaw, M. & Kennedy, L. (2000). Urban space and representation. London Sterling, Virginia: Pluto Press. Baudelaire, C. and 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 December 21, 2013] Jenks, C. (1995). 'WATCH YOUR STEP The history and practice of Flaneur in Jenks.C (ed.) Visual culture. London New York: Routledge pp.142-160