A Photo a Day 2020 #245

This is the car from Stanley Kubrik's 'A Clockwork Orange' taken last year at the Design Museum, London at the Kubrik exhibition.

Yes, the theme of September is: 'Shades of Orange'!

Photo a Day 2020 #204

The day that I can return to the Tate Modern will be a happy one. This was taken a year ago in the iconic Turbine Hall of the gallery. 

A Photo a Day 2020 #199

Another throwback to a trip to the Tate Modern last year.

A Photo a Day 2020 #195

A Photo a Day 2020 #190

This was taken in February 2020 just as Coronavirus was starting to be mentioned in the news more. Storm Dennis was visiting and our trip to the city coincided with this. Look at the rectangles of light on the pavements-- such a cool effect!

A Photo a Day 2020 #177

A Photo a Day 2020 #65

St. James' Park

This was taken a few weeks ago on a trip to London. St. James' Park is the place to be if you want to see some top birds! Ducks, swans, geese, pelicans-- it's an ornithological haven.

A Photo a Day 2020 #51

Button

I saw this when walking around London recently. I liked the blue man.

A Photo a Day 2020 #49

London Eye 

 

Note to self: take your whole lens kit with you when going to London (regardless of trying to travel light).

This was taken on my standard zoom lens (the one that comes with the Sony A5000 or similar model). The shots I've taken on this trip are ok, but my telephoto lens would hace worked better when trying to capture some of the beautiful wildlife in St. James' Park-- who've thought a trip to the city would mean meeting some pelicans, geese and black swans! 

I liked this cheeky little addition to the rather pedestrian London Eye shot. He makes me smile.

Taking Photos at the London Design Museum #1

Coincidentally Kubrik-esque in its symmetry, I took this on the way to Kensington where there is currently a Stanley Kubrik exhibition on display. Sadly, we didn't book tickets in time, but we will return!

Here is a taster of the exhibition from the lobby:

A Photo a Day #138

Underground

Not the perfect shot, but the best of a couple taken on this occasion. I think the tubes are ripe for photography projects, but a challenging environment to take photos; people don't like to make eye contact, let alone have a camera in their face.

A Photo a Day #118

Camden Lock, April 2017

A contrast to the last few days' black and white shots, this was taken on a stroll around Camden recently. I wanted to bring out the red of the bus and managed to play up the reflections. I liked the dated colouring I achieved by playing around with the curves feature on Photoshop.

A Photo a Day #75

Man About Town

I took a similar photo of my brother in London a few years ago and I took opportunity to create this portrait on my recent trip when we went to see The Divine Comedy. I'm not sure what I think about the blurring. On one hand it suggests some movement as he strolls through the underpass; on the other it isn't as crisp as I would have liked. As it was an evening shot and also not posed, I had to work quickly. Unfortunately, I had to crop out someone walking past him to the right, so there isn't as much width as I would have liked. I do, however, like the range of tones in the image. 

A Photo a Day #71

Ganton Street, February 2017

The electrical substation on Ganton Street (just off Carnaby Street in London) features this illumination as a permanent installation. It has been there since 2001 and they change the design of the plug socket every now and again. I captured it alight in the evening. 

A Photo a Day #70

Day at the Theatre

Taken at the London Palladium in February, I really like the intimacy of this portrait.

A Photo a Day #69

A Shoot

An impromptu shot of a photoshoot in Soho. I wonder if anyone was taking a snap of me photographing the photographer.

A Photo a Day #68

Strength

Beautiful lines against a white sky seen whilst crossing Waterloo Bridge and looking up. My lens needed a clean!

A Photo a Day #66

The Art of Persistence

1/250     F11     ISO 800

The ugly, mundane and macabre are subjects I find a lot of beauty in. I really admire photographers (or indeed any artist or musician) who can tell a story through their work. This is what I wanted to achieve here.

This was taken (if I remember rightly) walking across Waterloo Bridge in London. The spikes clearly did not put off this graffiti artist and the humour of the pieces of clothing caught up in them was too much to resist! There's something both heroic and stupid about this scene.

A Photo a Day #64

Liberation

1/60     F4.0     ISO 800

Liberty of London department store is probably the most famous in the city due to its traditional 1920's Tudor revival building. The store is just stunning even as you walk through the front doors where there are beautiful flower displays. The Grade II listed building is so charming with its squeaking staircases and traditional woodcarved features. 

The luxury goods on offer range from (my favourite) beauty brands- many of which which are very niche- to homewear and objets d'art. The staff are also very approachable and come across as if they value every customer. Regular customers may spend a fortune, but even a lowly serf like myself without the means to go wild with a credit card has received excellent service on the occasions where I've purchased anything there. 

This view from one of the upper floors highlights the beauty of this fabulous shopping haven.

A Photo a Day #63

Chinatown

1/200     F10     ISO 800

Taken on Gerrard Street, Soho, the perspective here is almost but not quite ideal for the shot. This beautiful street in London is known as Chinatown and features many Chinese restaurants and businesses. The red lanterns adorn the streets and make for great photos (I imagine they are there following the Chinese new year in late January).