cizucu hosts the photo poster project in cities around the world.
By simply choosing a city and date, creators can join a physical photo poster exhibition—and meet fellow creatives in real life.
In this issue, we spoke with Alan Worley about returning to photography through a single night shot of St Paul’s Cathedral—and what changed when that photo moved from a screen to a wall.
Could you introduce yourself?
Hi, I’m Alan. I discovered photography completely by chance around 2017 while working a night shift at Piccadilly Circus Underground station. After a shift finished early, I went upstairs, randomly took a few night shots on my iPhone 5, and posted them to Instagram. Local photographers noticed them, praising my eye for leading lines and composition.
Driven by their encouragement, I self taught myself the craft, eventually upgrading to a professional Sony camera and learning how to shoot and edit in RAW.
Sadly, my journey was cut short. In late 2019, I suddenly lost my mother, which devastated my passion. Shortly after, at the start of 2020, my father fell ill, and I became his full-time carer, ultimately stepping away from photography entirely.
At the start of 2026, after losing my dad, I began taking small steps back to the camera. I was just focused on private practice—learning my gear again and trying new editing styles without posting on social media.
Why did you decide to participate?
I returned to shooting, getting new photos,trying new things however, still not posting on social media. I was just getting familiar with my camera again and editing my pics when Rin from cizucu messaged me asking if I would like to participate in his upcoming london event .
I've never had my photos shown in public or anywhere but social media before. So this excited me but also made me nervous .I decided to join the exhibition because one I was curious about the event and everything that comes with it ,and two I wanted to use it as a relaunch back into photography.
How was the experience?
Before going to this event, I was very apprehensive because I had never spoken in front of a crowd before, and I'm generally anxious about approaching and talking to strangers.
After taking part in the event, I feel prud of myself for doing it, and it has boosted my confidence.
I really liked the addition of the creator cards, as they made it much easier to approach people and exchange each other's names and social media usernames without any awkwardness.
Why did you choose this photograph?
As a London photographer relaunching my work, I chose to reshoot St Paul’s Cathedral—a location I captured exactly five years ago. I love night photography and light trails, and I wanted to see if I could beat my original shot.
I think I succeeded, but you can check my Instagram to see the older version and judge for yourself at @_aworley
A message to those considering joining photo poster project
It's a great feeling having your photo shown to others who also love photography and appreciate what goes into creating an image, whether it's travelling or having the patience to stand and wait for hours to capture the perfect shot you envisioned before pressing the shutter.
At the event, you get to meet other creators who are exhibiting their photos, hear the stories behind their images, and learn about their journeys in photography.
You also get to meet the cizucu team, who you'll quickly realise are very friendly from the moment they greet you, while also being incredibly professional in the way they handle your poster and hand out the creator cards for everyone to share. The team are helpful, supportive, and they make the entire process run effortlessly.
You also get to take your poster home with you if you stay until the end of the event. If you get the chance to showcase your photo at one of these exhibitions, I'd say GO FOR IT!!
