This Field Note documents an editorial photography assignment for Helsingin Sanomat, exploring the growing trend of paving over front gardens in London and its contribution to surface flooding.
The assignment focused on the relationship between individual household decisions and a wider environmental issue. Across London, front gardens are increasingly being converted from planted or permeable spaces into driveways and other hard surfaces. While paving can provide practical benefits, including easier maintenance and private parking, it also reduces the amount of rainwater that can be absorbed into the ground, increasing pressure on drainage systems during heavy rainfall.
The photography took place in Surbiton, Greater London, documenting residential properties, front gardens and local residents connected to the story. The assignment also included a photograph of standing water on a residential street, providing a direct visual connection to the flooding risk discussed in the article.
The main photograph shows a paved front garden outside a London home, with the neighbouring property and its driveway visible alongside it. Further photographs document standing water on the street and residents in and around their own front gardens. Together, the images provide a visual record of the places and people at the centre of the story.
Rather than illustrating flooding as a dramatic event, the photography focuses on the everyday residential environment in which the issue exists. Paving, driveways, front gardens, drainage and standing water become visual elements through which the wider environmental story can be understood.
Read the full story in Helsingin Sanomat
