Chill Out

GR, f2.8, 1/125, ISO 1000, RAW

I've been doing a lot of walking today, to and from work and a long walk during lunch. Still, photo opportunities were not as good as expected so I ended up with only a few photos and none very good.

Train Journeys - 2015 Calendars

I hope you all had a good start to the new year and enjoyed celebrating. As hinted in my last post, there will be some changes. One of them starts today and is the ability to purchase a calendar with my photos from the train journeys from around the world.

I am currently looking for the best way to implement this on my blog so if you're interested leave a comment but I will provide some more details (including pricing) in the coming days.

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.