Meet Lamarr Golding, the freerunning photographer snapping London from the rooftops

It's not just Philippe Petit trying out daring stunts in our cities

Lamarr Golding regularly goes urban exploring with a group of friends in London (Lamarr Golding)

Lamarr Golding is no ordinary photographer. He scales buildings like Spider-Man, dodging security’s flashlights, to take staggering shots from some of the highest rooftops in London.

Joseph Gordon Levitt’s recent movie The Walk, about Philippe Petit’s nausea-inducing tightrope walk between the Twin Towers, has brought daring feats into the public eye once again. What many fail to realise is that young adventurers are busy finding new ways to express themselves all around us and often while we sleep.

Lamarr, 20 is an urban explorer with a freerunning background and a remarkable sense of calm in the face of fear.

One of his tensest climbs was at Battersea Power Station where, along with some friends, he reached the base of a chimney by legging it up scaffolding to be met with a “really thin, dodgy ladder” leading to the top. Builders entering the site at 5am put a stop to that mission and the group left before any injuries could occur.

Lamarr insists he has never been seriously injured in three years of urban exploring. “I’ve only ever had a few little cuts, mainly from abandoned buildings with crumbly walls and shattered glass everywhere,” he says. “One of my friends had a really close call. He was climbing down some scaffolding about two stories high when one of the construction bars slipped out over a huge drop. It really shook him up. He was pretty much left hanging off by one hand.”

(Photo: Lamarr Golding) (Lamarr Golding)

(Photo: Lamarr Golding) (Lamarr Golding)

(Photo: Lamarr Golding) (Lamarr Golding)

Lamarr used to keep his feet firmly on the ground but after pushing himself on a particularly risky climb, he found his confidence boosted. “It was a tall skyscraper in Vauxhall that was abandoned and being demolished,” he recalls. “We went straight to the top at sunset. My friends walked along the crane arm and I joined them for the first time. I was completely relaxed, holding onto it with one hand and taking photos with the other. I don’t really get scared anymore.”

For anyone contemplating trying this at home, Lamarr takes time to plan every climb, checking out possible routes to take and noting hazardous areas to watch out for. He has conquered the art of “staying focused on the moment”, blocking out negative thoughts and staying vigilant. “Don’t jump into it straight away without doing research about the buildings and the culture itself,” he warns. “We don’t often get injured because of our parkour experience. We take it easy and don’t rush anything.”

(Photo: Lamarr Golding) (Lamarr Golding)

(Photo: Lamarr Golding) (Lamarr Golding)

Even if Lamarr and his friends hear the police coming, they stay relaxed and in control of the situation. “Either we go to them and tell them we’re photographers or we calmly plan an escape route, which we mostly do and we don’t often even get seen,” he says, adding that he rarely gets into trouble despite London being on high alert for terrorism.

These activities are fully illegal but Lamarr insists that getting a licence would take away the thrilling sense of adventure that inspires his art. “When you reach the final staircase and emerge on the rooftop, the panoramic view of London is so worth the risk and all the climbing to get there,” he says.

Joseph Gordon Levitt as Philippe Petit in The Walk

The Walk is out on Blu-ray, 3D Blu-ray and DVD 1st February