Happy New Year 2015!

Happy New Year and all the best to all of you! Thanks for following my blog, I hope you enjoyed it in the past year and will continue following it.

A lot has happened in the last year for me and a lot more is to come in the new year so I am looking forward to it.

Two Ways

GR, f6.3, 1/320, ISO 100, RAW

It's been a great but freezing day, thanks to the holidays there were only a few people around London so it made for a nice walk during lunchtime.
Thanks to the low hanging sun creating long shadows it meant the light was great for photography. I did take quite a few photos during my lunchtime walk but when I came across this reflection it reminded me of an older photo I took a few years ago. I did take a few photos here of people and cars but this is he one I liked best.
I am a big fan of reflections and try to always incorporate them in my photos if possible.

Crystal Palace Walk

It's been a cold but sunny day today. Great for a walk and some photography. For this, I decided to take the Epson RD-1 along. It's a great camera but usually too big, bulky and unreliable to take along more often.

Since the weather was good and it didn't feel too cold, I decided to walk to Crystal Palace, it's only just over an hour walk and taking the Green Chain walk you go through a few parks so this is very nice.

Crystal Palace is actually a lot nicer than I thought with good views over London from the hill it's on and some nice restaurants, funky shops and decent pubs.

I've never been to Crystal Palace Park before so figured it will be interesting to see it. The park is a bit strange with different things in there, from old ruins, a radio tower, a council estate tower, stadium and even some dinosaurs you do get a bit of everything in the shield shaped park.

White House

GF1, 1/125, ISO 3200, RAW (Pinhole lens)

It's been a nice and sunny day so I went out for a walk and decided to do some pinhole photography with my GF1. I haven't used my self made pinhole lens in quite a while so it was fun using it again.

Looking Back

GRD I, f2.4, 1/20, ISO 400, JPG b&w

We all see the people sitting around with a sign or a cup waiting for someone to give them money, most of us just walk past without paying them any attention. One of the little girls did turn back to look at the guy as did I when I walked past after taking this (somewhat blurry) photo.

I didn't give him any money because I don't have any to spare and even if I had I think it's bad to give money to people doing nothing but sit around. One should not encourage such practice and I don't find it enough to have a cardboard sign or paper cup and expect to get money. They can at least do something more productive in order to earn money and no matter how much one gives the same people are in the same place the next day and the day after that.

So what I'm saying is one should never give them money but also don't just walk by completely ignoring them either.

The Van

GF1, f1.8, 1/60, ISO 3200, RAW, 100mm (Canon f1.8 50mm FD)

After the sunshine from yesterday, it's been a grey and rainy day today. I didn't go out much or take many photos. When I looked out the window in the evening I saw this van parked across the street through the blinds and thought it would make a great photo. I liked the light reflected from the raindrops, the blinds obscuring part of the view and just the big white van next to the street light.

Sitting on a Tree

GF1, f2.8, 1/200, ISO 100, RAW, 100mm (Canon f1.8 50mm FD)

What else to do on a sunny holiday than go for a walk around and take some photos. It was a nice although cold day but this didn't keep people inside and quite a lot were out enjoying some fresh air around Streatham Common.

Merry Christmas! Santa's on his way!

Merry Christmas and enjoy your holidays!

Thanks for following this blog, I hope you enjoy it over the year and continue to follow.

EYE-I

GR, f6.3, 1/320, ISO 800, RAW

The best time to be working in London is around Christmas and New Year, most people are off, the city is quieter, the transport less busy (you will still not get a seat and pay full price) and everything is more relaxed and laid back. This is always one of the main reasons I don't take holidays during this time.
While enjoying a bit of sunshine during my lunch break I went for a bit of a walk and took some photos but more I was enjoying the calm atmosphere around.

Waiting for the Train

GR, f2.8, 1/125, ISO 3200, RAW

Living and working in London you spend a big part of your day waiting. You wait for the train, on the train, getting in and out of the station and so on. I figure I should do a series of people waiting for the train in the next time.

Shopping

GRD I, f2.4, 1/60, ISO 400, JPG b&w

Not been doing much and only took a few photos on my way to do some shopping. At first I wanted to go out with my pinhole lens and the GF1 but the weather wasn't that great.

London View

GR, f8.0, 1/1250, ISO 100, RAW

This is probably one of the most photographed views in London and I figured I try a different take on it. The end result however is neither very good nor very exciting but it was worth a try.
It did give me an idea for a different take on it and see if it works better next time.

Watching

GRD, f5.6, 1/400, ISO 400, JPG b&w

While the day started off dark and grey, it cleared up and by lunchtime it was nice and sunny for walk around Spitalfields, Brick Lane and the Yota store to check out the Yotaphone 2 again.

The Ring

GR, f6.3, 1/320, ISO 12800, RAW

Took another walk around Spitalfields Market during my lunch break and managed to take quite a lot of photos. It was quite busy today, more than usual with lots of krimskrams or clutter to buy although some of it was fun.

Night at the Circus

GR, f2.8, 1/125, ISO 8000, RAW

Tonight was the company Christmas party and I had to take some photos while there. Most are boring for people outside work but this photo I quite liked.

The Guy with the Cane

GRD I, f2.8, 1/160, ISO 400, JPG b&w

I was more inspired to take photos today. I took the GRD I with me because I wanted to focus on b&w and I did take more time to take photos.
When I came upon this guy, I knew I had one of my potential photos for the day. Initially I didn't see him in the doorway and I wanted to just take a photo of the wall art with my phone but he fitted right in there. While I also have a photo of him in colour taken with my phone, I prefer the b&w one.

Buy 1 Get 1 Free

GR, f5.0, 1/320, ISO 3200, RAW

My recent photos are not all that good I find, not sure if it's me not being inspired or not having enough time or something else. Most photos turn out blurry and out of focus, I will need to start focusing more on my photography over the coming days.

At the Bus Stop

GR, f6.3, 1/320, ISO 140, RAW

It's been a nice day again but I spent a big part of it shopping, I should have known better than to go do my shopping on a Sunday.

Sunny Saturday

GR, f8.0, 1/160, ISO 100, RAW

It was a cold but very nice day so I went for a walk around and through the mud in the nearby parks. It was good to be outside and enjoy some sunshine despite it being a bit chilly, kind of miss the weather in Asia.

More London Weihnachtsmarkt

Friday is now again one of my favorite days! It's funny how you stop caring about Fridays, or any day of the week for that matter, while you're travelling.

After work, I went to see a friend and rather than putting up with rains at rush hour I decided to walk and take some photos while walking there.

It was quite cold but still nice enough for a walk and I rather freeze outside than be in a packed train anyway.

While walking past City Hall at More London place, I decided to take some photos of the Christmas market there. It was pretty empty, most people were warming up inside pubs with a nice pint.

Blackfriars Morning

GRD I, f4.0, 1/320, ISO 400, JPG b&w

I only managed to take three photos today. It's been busy and I didn't have much time to take photos during lunch or after work.
This was however my first photo of the day after getting a seat on the train for 3 minutes till my stop came up anyway.

Backpackers

GRD I, f6.3, 1/500, ISO 400, JPG b&w

It's been a very nice day with sunshine and relatively warm temperatures for this time of the year. It was definitely nice enough to go for a walk and take photos during lunch.
I decided to take the GRD I along because it's fun to use and the b&w image quality is just very nice despite the other shortcomings it has compared to the GR.

Woman in the Window

GR, f8.0, 1/60, ISO 160, RAW

A bit of architecture and a person inside for today's post. I took it during my lunchtime walk. Didn't take too many photos though, it's not easy to take photos while working but it's good to keep it up.

Two Towers

GRD I, f6.3, 1/500, ISO 400, JPG b&w

Another architecture photo, this time with the GRD I and taken at the Barbican. The GRD I and the Barbican go great together snce the architecture looks great in b&w.

4 Corner

GR, f8.0, 1/60, ISO 200, RAW

After posting only photos with people in the past weeks, it was time for a change so here is a simple architecture photo. I took this after meeting a friend for lunch near the Tower of London.

Dirty Dicks

RD1, f5.6, 1/250, ISO 1600, RAW, 42mm (Ricoh GR f2.8, 28mm L)

While I didn't plan to return to Liverpool Street and Spitalfields on the weekend after spending all week there working, I decided to meet up with Tom. Since I planned on doing some photography, I did bring my Epson RD1 along, despite the size and weight. In the end I didn't take many photos but I did take some photos of people dressed up as Santas.

Big Chill

GR, f6.3, 1/320, ISO 16000, RAW

Another one of my lunchtime walks, this time around Spitalfields market but also Brick Lane. The weather was nicer so it made for a more pleasant walk today.
I even came upon a pop-up shop for the new Yota Phone 2 and have to say it's a great and very cool phone as it's something different and the e-ink screen on the back is pretty cool. Will have a closer look at it but it it were cheaper I would have been very tempted to walk out with one of them.

Festive Hat

GR, f2.8, 1/250, ISO 1600, RAW

Yet another greay and rainy day in London, it's winter so I guess it's not too surprising. Still, I decided to go for a walk around Spitalfields Market, at least it's covered and I can take some photos around there. It's not the nicest market and after it has been renovated recently it lacks character but it's still ok for a walk around during lunch.

Coffee Break

GR, f2.8, 1/400, ISO 400, RAW

Went for another walk around lunchtime to take some photos. I seem to get a lot of mis-focused photos recently because I don't take enough time to get the right shot. Out of 12 photos I took today, I kept only two and none were fantastic so I need to work on the quality more.

Surprise

GR, f2.8, 1/250, ISO 800, RAW

Another cold and grey day but I did manage to go for a walk during lunch and take some photos. Not many great photos but this one I liked best.

Lady and the Pigeon

GR, f2.8, 1/320, ISO 1100, RAW 

It's been a dull and grey day today. I went out for a walk during lunch but didn't take too many photos and wasn't too inspired either.