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.

Buying Books

GR, f2.8, 1/320, ISO 560, RAW

It's funny how you meet people in one end of the world and then a few years later you meet up again in a different place. It's cool to meet someone again after a few years and have a chat and catch up.

This is how I ended spending the day in Blackheath again and it was nice to both meet a friend but also see Blackheath again.

Maid Talk

GR, f2.8, 1/250, ISO 25600, RAW

There are a lot of things about Japan that are different and that make it not only special but also different from any other country in the world. Some of it is tradition, some of it is more modern but it's always special.
Being a huge fan of Japan and the culture there, I had to go to the opening of a a friend's pop-up Maid Cafe in London. It was a big success judging from the many people who turned up and who were waiting just to get a seat.

Alley Talk

GR, f2.8, 1/320, ISO 12800, RAW 

Sometimes I take a lo of photos during my lunch break or walks to and from the station, other times I only take a handful photos. Although I wasn't hugely inspired, I did get a higher rate of keepers today than some other days where I took a lot more photos.

In the Frame

GR, f2.8, 1/200, ISO 400, RAW

It's been a grey and dull day today. I spent it mostly in the office and packed in the train to and from there. Still, I had to get out for a walk and took some photos as always when I'm walking around.

Wear Suits

GR, f2.8, 1/250, ISO 320, RAW

I wasn't too inspired to take photos today. Add to this that I spent a good chunk of my lunch break queuing at the post office so I didn't take many photos. This is liked best though.

Honest Work

GR, f2.8, 1/250, ISO 400, RAW

I didn't get round to take too many photos today. During lunch I had time for a quick stroll around Spitalfields Market and Broadgate.
This was actually one of the first photos I took but also the one I liked most. I saw the guy climbing out the windows and noticed the wall murals so I waited a bit and took the photo when he was working and looked similar to the figures.

Fire

GF1, f1.8, 1/250, ISO 3200, RAW, 100mm (Canon f1.8 50mm FD)

There is some truth in the best camera is the one you have with you and it's always worth having a camera along as you never know what you come across. So happened this evening when I had the trusty, old GF1 with the even older Canon FD 50mm lens along and came across a fire.

Still, even better than having a camera along is to end a grey, cold and rainy Sunday with some great, live jazz music and a bottle of wine.

Lights

GR, f2.8, 1/250, ISO 18000, RAW

Another day of having to do some shopping in crowded Oxford Street but now I managed to get everything so it should have been the last time. At least I could also fit taking some photos in between.

Shoeshine

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

It's been a grey and quite cold day but I was glad for it to be Friday. The first time in over a year when I actually did care about the weekday, when you're travelling time and the day of the week just don't matter.

I've been out for a walk during lunchtime again and took some photos around the city.

Old Lady

GR, f2.8, 1/125, ISO 5000, RAW

Went after work to see a band playing at the Barbican for the London Jazz Festival, I took only one photo there and this is my photo for today.

Discussion

GR, f2.8, 1/250, ISO 3200, RAW

One of the things I dislike most about London is taking the Tube, nothing is more uncomfortable and slower to travel. Still, at times it can't be helped and I find myself taking the tube for a few stops. At least it makes for some nice photos at times so if I'm stuck I might as well take some photos.

Walking Past Street Art

GR, f6.3, 1/320, ISO 400, RAW

Althought it was raining in the morning the sun came out in time for my lunch break so I took the opportunity to go for a walk and take photos around Brick Lane and Shoreditch High Street. This underpass I liked and the light was very nice so I took a few photos around.

Runners

GR, f2.8, 1/250, ISO 25600, RAW

It's a strange feeling to be back at work after traveling for such a long time, it felt both familiar and different. Work was actually not even that bad and although it was a long day it didn't feel like it but the commute was pretty bad, there is no worse place in the world than London during rush hour.

Still, in between work, I managed to go out and take some photos although it was only once it got dark.

You will have surely noticed the ads under some posts, although I hate having ads bills need to be paid and unless people start donating something for my blog or until I find a better revenue stream I will leave the ads on. So in the meantime I hope the ads are not too annoying.

Destination Christmas

GR, f2.8, 1/125, ISO 1600, RAW

I spent the day going around shops in Oxford Street to do some shopping, one of my least favorite pastimes. It was very busy with a lot of people running around with shopping bags from one shop to the other. At least I managed to find what I was looking for so it was not fgor nothing but it was not the nicest way to spend a Sunday.

A Walk with the GRD

I took my GRD I with me to go out and take some photos around London. I like the black and white quality and figured it would be nice to take some street shots with it.

The weather was quite nice and there were a lot of people out and about so it provided plenty of opportunities to take photos.

London is always nice if you can just walk around and don't need to be anywhere, when you can just wander and take photos.

Puddle

GF1, f2.8, 1/500, ISO 400, RAW, 100mm (Canon f1.8 50mm FD)

What started with a lot of rain ended up being a nice day with some sun and blue skies in the afternoon. I went for a walk to get some air and take photos with the GF1.

Fridge Family

GRD, f5.0, 1/400, ISO 1600, JPG b&w

This is more a fun picture that I saw while out for a walk today. The fridges seemed just randomly dumped half on the road or maybe they were out for a walk, too.

5 In London

I had to go into London to do one of the things I try to avoid as much as possible, shopping. Still, I figured before running around the shops I might as well do some photography first.

Instead of heading straight to Oxford Street, I started off at London Bridge and walked to the Tower to take some photos of the ceramic poppies they laid out before these would be taken away.

A long walk across the City and Holborn, I made it to Oxford Street and started looking around the shops. It was painful as usual and this time of the year it's even worse with people already starting their Christmas shopping.

After a somewhat unsuccessful shopping trip, it was time to go to the LPMG social meetup and get a (well deserved) pint.

On a day like today, the GR is the perfect camera because it's small, light and easy to carry while taking great photos.

Pink Umbrella

GF1, f1.8, 1/250, ISO 3200, RAW, 100mm (Canon f1.8 50mm FD)

While out for a walk in a light shower I kept taking photos and came across two girls with umbrellas, one with a pink and one with a green umbrella. Unfortunately by the time I got close enough the one with the green umbrella walked inside so I only got the girl with the pink umbrella in my photo.

Crossing

GF1, f1.8, 1/250, ISO 3200, RAW, 100mm (Canon f1.8 50mm LTM)

When going out for a walk and to do some shopping, I decided to take the GF1 with me and put the foggy Canon f1.8 50mm LTM lens on it for fun.

I switched to the b&w mode but when developing the RAW files and batch applying my profile over them some color remained even after dialing the saturation down. It must be a bug in RAW Therapee with my profile but I quite liked the effect so left it like this.

Sunny Sunday

GF1, f8.0, 1/100, ISO 100, RAW, 50mm (Holga f8.0 25mm m4/3)

After the mixed weather and rain yesterday, it was a great day with lots of sunshine and warm temperatures.
I had to get a few things done but managed to fit in a walk around Streatham Common.
Since I sold some more lenses and cameras on ebay, I took my GF1 and the (now sold) Holga lens with me for a last outing before shipping the lens off tomorrow.

Estreham Road

GRD, f2.4, 1/40, ISO 1600, JPG b&w

It's been a mixed day and I didn't quite get up to what I planned or even as much as I wanted to. In between the rain I managed to head out for a walk in the evening and take some photos with the GRD I.

Bag Search

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

Took this while out shopping, I liked the light but also her expression when I was walking out. It's great to have a camera that's easy to reach and available to take a photo at any time.

Long Shadows

GR, f8.0, 1/2000, ISO 100, RAW

What's nice about this time of the year is the low hanging sun creating long shadows and nice light in the morning. While walking past the Barbican, the shadows caught my attention but I was missing someone walking past. A person always adds some life and more to a photo so I was glad hat after a short wait someone was actually walking across.

Streatham Bonfire Night 2014

Beginning of November is bonfire night and fireworks all around the UK so it's always fun despite the cold and usually rainy weather.

Hello

GRD IV, f4.5, 1/500, ISO 80, RAW

Took this while out for a walk ion the morning, I liked the light and the blue in the sign and handles.

Rightmove

GRD I, f3.2, 1/400, ISO 400, JPG b&w

It started with a rainy morning and it lasted into the afternoon but then the rain stopped and the sun came out again so a great opportunity for a walk around the neighborhood.

I decided to take the GRD I along and even set it to RAW mode to play around with some color photos but in the end I just prefer the black and white images it produces over what I can get out of it's RAW files.

After asking the question if people want to see the EXIF information and putting up a voting for it, it does look like most who voted prefer to see the EXIF information. So from this post on there will be EXIF information under a photo but as before not when there is a series of photos.

Tree

It's been a mixed day with a lot of rain in the morning and evening but in between the sun came out and made it quite nice.

I made use of the sunshine and went for a walk around and took some photos with the GRD IV this time. The GRD IV is a great camera and the most advanced GRD, it is a shame though that it pales when compared with the unique GRD I images or the way superior GR quality. It is a very capable camera on it's own but when it comes to the GR series nothing beats the GR and GRD I.

Classic Cars on Regent Street

It was another nice and sunny day so it made sense to go out and take some photos. I met with Kesh and we went to check out the car show on Regent Street.