Story Behind the Image - Central Cafe.

Lumix GF1, Lumix G 20mm f1.7 - 1/500sec @ f1.7, iso 1600

I took this photograph outside Central Café in Soho, Central London, on one of those evenings when the city feels like it’s humming just a little louder than usual. I’d been trying to put some newly learned street photography ideas into practice: slow down, choose a simple frame, and then wait for the world to do something interesting inside it.

I was carrying a tiny Panasonic GF-series body with a 20mm prime lens. It’s a simple setup, but that is exactly why I like it. With a fixed focal length there’s no zooming to rescue a lazy composition. You have to move your feet, commit to a viewpoint, and decide what you want the photograph to say.

I positioned myself opposite the café, partly tucked behind some railings, and built the frame around the doorway on the left. The red neon CENTRAL CAFÉ sign was doing a lot of the heavy lifting visually. I loved the way it anchored the scene and gave the whole image a warm, cinematic glow.

At first I was waiting for the obvious moment: someone stepping out of the door, a passer‑by cutting through the light, or a little interaction at the entrance. Then two girls appeared, clearly in good spirits after a few drinks, and started walking into frame. I lifted the camera and made a short burst of five or six frames, just to make sure I had options for gesture and spacing.

In the middle of that sequence, one of them leaned in and hugged the other as they walked past, and that was the moment the image clicked for me. The scene went from a nicely lit café frontage to something that felt genuinely human.

What I like most is the balance: the doorway and the window give structure, the neon gives colour and atmosphere, and the figures bring the story. For me it captures a small slice of Soho as I experience it at night: movement, friendliness, a sense of entertainment, and that warm, slightly chaotic joy you only really notice when you stop and watch for a while.