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Today was great fun. Fran and Martin are perhaps some of the most camera-shy people I've had to photograph, but they certainly warmed to having me and a big black box in front of them as the evening progressed! We wanted a "London feel" to the photos and I enjoyed trying to capture some less common shots upon our tourist-central locations. Our journey started in Green Park, followed by: Buckingham Palace, St James' Park, Westminster and finishing on the South Bank. Thanks for being good sports and good company... I'm really looking forward to your big day! Technical details: Sony a850 with Minolta 28-75mm and 70-210mm lenses.      
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Strolling Regent's Park and Victoria Tower Gardens on a nice summer afternoon. Technical details: Fuji X-M1 with 50-230mm and 60mm lenses.       Alternative London's "free" (pay what you like) walking tour certainly lived up to the hype... despite it being a dull and drizzly day the tour engaged us thoroughly in the sights, sounds and smells of Brick Lane and surrounding areas of Liverpool Street, Spitalfields and Shoreditch. It ranks highly on Time Out and this is how the site itself describes the tour: "This is our original tour which was established to showcase East London's incredible creativity whilst giving insights into important historical and cultural events that have made the area what it is today. " Our guide (Doug) was incredibly passionate yet informative - all the guides have a personal connection to the street art they are showing - whether they are street artists themselves or have a strong interest in capturing it - Doug runs Fifth Wall, an independent short film company focusing on London's creative scenes. I don't want to give too much away - I strongly recommend signing up and going on one! You can book on the site here: http://alternativeldn.com/walking_tours.php I enjoyed the tour so much I returned a few weeks later to explore and re-capture some of inspiring street art in the area. Technical details: Fuji X-M1 with Fujinon 35mm and 16-50mm lenses.                Another new toy - the Fujinon XC 50-230mm lens. Although the build quality is not in the same league as the XF lenses, the image quality is still very good! And the image stabiliser certainly works well - Photo 4 was taken at a 200mm focal length with a 1/14th second shutter speed - I make that a good 4 stops. Photos four and five taken in the Serpentine Gallery within the park, and the last photo is taken on Chelsea Bridge.... all other photos taken somewhere within the massive 350 acre Royal Park. Technical details: Fuji X-M1 with Fujinon 50-230mm lens.          Photo 5 shows protesters outside Harvey Nichols - one of only two department stores selling fur clothing in the UK. The painting in Photo 8 was taken in the Saatchi Gallery. Technical details: Fuji X-M1 with Fujinon 60mm macro lens.          The 18mm f2 lens was the first of the trio that I sold shortly after today ... spending an afternoon with it initially led me to believe that it wasn't the right focal length for me (27mm in 35mm equivalent). However looking through the photos, I think they have a different feel to my usual - I can't quite put my finger on it but its more than just the wider perspective and greater atmosphere caught by using a wide angle. The dreary clouds tempted me to switch into monochrome and my walk started by crossing Lambeth bridge when the Garden Museum caught my eye. Well worth a quick visit, the homespun milieux seems almost out of place within the church, while the Garden Cafe serves vegetarian and vegan meals prepared from seasonal produce grown in house. The view over the Thames and the millennium foot bridge was taken from the restaurant at the top of the Tate Modern, also worth the climb for the views alone. Although I didn't realise it at the time, I've photographed the same woman twice, the second of which I found quite amusing. Another Friday afternoon of rambling finished several miles down the Thames path, past London Bridge, Butlers Wharf and Bermondsey before concluding at Rotherhithe. Technical details: Fuji X-M1 with Fujinon 18mm lens.                            For the launch of HTC's new One (M8) smartphone, the empty old Selfridges Hotel was converted into a skate park for one weekend only... With lots of publicity and high security it was a skate park with a difference! The bridge being crossed is one of the Hungerford foot bridges (AKA Golden Jubilee Bridges) upon which I met a friendly chap trying to busk his way to his girlfriend (not the girl pictured, apparently). Photos of the music performance taken in the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank, and I was enjoying photographing a cycle theme as I walked eastbound. I then cycled myself across to Covent Garden to capture a little of the Friday night atmosphere. Technical details: Fuji X-M1 with Fujinon 35mm lens.                      Photos taken while pottering around the West End of London; a little street photography with the beautiful 35mm Fujinon lens. Technical details: Fuji X-M1 with Fujinon 35mm lens.          A continuation of yesterday's walk took me up Regent's Canal from the park and up to the Camden Lock. Even early on a Friday afternoon the market was buzzing with tourists and workers ready to wind down for the weekend. The last three photos are taken in and around Covent Garden. Technical details: Fuji X-M1 with Tamron 35-80mm MF lens.                More spring beauty in the capital. The view atop the Primrose Hill, despite the slight haze, offered wonderful views over London - with many of the prominent sites clearly in sight. It is one of the most expensive residential areas in London, and this article from the FT explains: "If you want to understand the appeal of London’s Primrose Hill, an expensive enclave just north of Regent’s Park, simply take a stroll through the area. Among the matrix of pretty streets and squares, you will see desirable, four-storey Victorian terraced houses neatly painted in pastel colours; G-Wiz electric microcars parked next to Porsche Cayennes; lampposts carrying makeshift signs for local book clubs and spinning classes; and, in Regent’s Park Road, about 30 small shops, half of them cafés or restaurants, with not a chain store in sight. Primrose Hill’s unique selling point is that it is a small settlement near the centre of a world city. It may be just five minutes’ walk from gritty Camden Town or a 10-minute drive from Selfridges but “village” is the word you hear from local residents and estate agents alike." Technical details: Fuji X-M1 with Tamron 35-80mm MF lens.                |
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