Coordinates: 51°33′32″N 0°05′08″E / 51.558807°N 0.085459°E / 51.558807; 0.085459

Ilford is a large cosmopolitan town in East London, England and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Redbridge. It is located 9.1 miles (14.6 km) northeast of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. It forms a significant commercial and retail centre surrounded by extensive residential development. Ilford was historically a small rural settlement in the county of Essex and its strategic position on the River Roding and the London to Colchester road caused it to develop as a coaching town. The arrival of the railway in 1839 eventually accelerated that growth and as part of the suburban growth of London in the 20th century, Ilford significantly expanded and increased in population, becoming a municipal borough in 1926 and has formed part of Greater London since 1965. The town has since made attempts to raise its profile, and due to its proximity to the Olympic Park in nearby Stratford, Ilford was announced as the fastest-growing tourist destination in Europe in 2011.

Gregory Heisler (born 1954) is a professional photographer known for his evocative portrait work often found on the cover of magazines, such as Time, for which he has produced a number of Man, Person, and People of the Year covers.

Heisler once had his White House photographer privileges revoked after taking a photograph of President George H.W. Bush for Time magazine in which Heisler used in camera techniques of double exposure to show what the cover labeled the two faces of Bush. The president was unaware of this photographic technique being used at the time of the shot. His press secretary Marlin Fitzwater later wrote about his own anger in Call the Briefing! (He discussed how upset he was in an interview in 1995 with Brian Lamb on C-SPAN's Booknotes.) Heisler's trade group protested the ban because it was based on an editorial opinion that was expressed. Heisler has since taken photographs of President George W. Bush.

Among the awards Heisler has received are: 1986 ASMP Corporate Photographer of the Year, 1988 Leica Medal of Excellence, 1991 World Image Award, 2000 Alfred Eisenstadt Award