Holloway photographer Josh Redman on winning at the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2016

A curtain upstairs at Paradise Beauty Centre, opposite Paradise Park. Photographer Josh Redman: 'I was picking up a parcel from the Post Office when I saw this. I spent a few minutes lying on my back photographing the curtain as it moved uncontrollably in the wind.' (Image: Josh Redman)

A curtain blowing in the breeze. A teddy bear changing hands under a bridge. An elderly woman leaning down to pick up a cake from a shop shelf.

These are just a few of the moments Josh Redman, 32, captures around town.

All these photos were taken in Islington after Josh moved to Holloway a little over three years ago.

“As soon as I visited Holloway it felt like home, and it’s been a constant source of interest to me,” he told the Gazette.

But there’s at least one piece of Josh’s work you might have seen outside Holloway.

Two people exchanging a teddy bear under a bridge by the Emirates Stadium. Photographer Josh Redman: 'It was a bizarre scenario. I saw the lady half-running with this teddy in her hand, and as she disappeared under the bridge I thought I'd dash to the other side and catch her as she re-appeared. But as she did so, this man was running in the opposite direction, and they did this relay of the teddy bear like they were in some kind of athletic competition. I'll never know the story behind what happened.' (Image: Josh Redman)

In November, his portrait of Frances Dunscombe won the John Kobal New Work Award at the prestigious Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2016 – the National Portrait Gallery’s annual prize ceremony for photos.

His winnings include £5,000 to produce a portrait that will be in the gallery’s permanent collection.

And it isn’t only the judges he’s impressed.

Some of his well-known clients are Adidas, GQ, Wired, Nationwide and The British Museum.

His approach ranges from brightly lit wide shots to dim but detailed portraits.

A woman in Morrisons, Holloway. Photographer Josh Redman: 'She was picking up each cake and looking carefully at them all to see which was the best'. (Image: Copyright Josh Redman [www.joshredman.co.uk/mail@joshredman.co.uk/07855232693])

“Taking a good shot is a bit of a mystery,” Josh told the Gazette.

“It’s about having lots of interests and ideas in your head, and then letting all of that settle into your gut so it becomes an intelligent and responsive person in its own right.”

Many of his photos were taken within a few hundred yards of his flat in Holloway.

“You feed your gut with ideas and compositions and colour combinations, and then after your gut takes the photo, you’re able to see what it was trying to tell you,” Josh said.

A sheer blue polka-dotted curtain blowing out of a window and into the breeze is Redman’s favourite photo and the winner of the 2014 Association of Photographers Award.

It was taken outside the Parkside Beauty Centre in Paradise Park.

After winning the award, he was picked up by advertising agent Mark George. That led to commissioned work.

“I have the local area to thank for getting my start in photography,” he said.