Saturday 28 February 2015

Cat Friend

GRD I, f5.0, 1/320, ISO 1600, JPG b&w

It's been a grey and cloudy day today. I went around Waterloo and Covent Garden to take photos, I decided to take the GRD with 40mm adapter along. It's always nice to use it and the b&w photos are great.

Friday 27 February 2015

Kayak

GR, f8.0, 1/320, ISO 100, RAW

It was a great day so I decided to go back to the Barbican for lunch. It's still the best place to go for lunch so it was very nice. Sitting outside in the sun it was a nice way to relax and it was quite warm.


Thursday 26 February 2015

Market Shopping

GR, f2.8, 1/125, ISO 250, RAW

Been raining during my lunch break but since Spitalfields Market is covered I could go there for a walk and to take some photos. Didn't get many good photos since I wasn't that inspired with the rain and grey weather.

Wednesday 25 February 2015

PRET

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

Another one of my lunchtime photos, I liked the light in this one with the sunshine, reflection but grey clouds in the background.

Tuesday 24 February 2015

Orange Lights

GR, f8.0, 1/2, ISO 200, RAW

I like to take photos of the moon but never really manage to get very good results. In this photo though the moon didn't really matter too much as I did like the colour of the office lights and the blue sky more.

Monday 23 February 2015

Early Morning Commute

GR, f5.6, 1/640, ISO 100, RAW

Commuting in London is one of the worst things that you can ever experience but there is one way of commuting that is actually very enjoyable and this is taking the boat to work. This means you need to live along the route and be willing to pay extra but it's a very nice way to get to work. While I can't commute by boat, at least I don't have to take the Tube because there is really nothing worse than that.

Sunday 22 February 2015

Chinese NY Celebrations 2015


While Chinese New Year was on Thursday, the main celebrations in Chinatown were today.



I took the Epson RD1 with the Ricoh GR lens along to go and take some photos of the celebrations and mostly the people around there.



Since I only arrived after lunch, I missed the parade but managed to see some of the wagons around Chinatown so did get to take photos.



There were a lot of people there despite the somewhat grey and cold weather, especially around the lion dances there was always a big queue of people.



Still, I managed to get in between the crowds and take the photos I was after. The rain set on in the afternoon but by then I was finished around Chinatown and headed to met Kesh. We went to the British museum to take photos there since it was dry and warmer.


Saturday 21 February 2015

Walk on Water

GXR A12-M, f6.3, 1/290, ISO 200, RAW, 42mm (Ricoh GR f2.8 28mm L)

It's been a long time since my GXR Mount A12 got stolen and I did miss it, the Sony NEX-3n was nice but nowhere near the GXR in terms of controls and the peaking mode is not very good on the Sony.
But I got another GXR Mount A12 now and put the GR f2.8 28mm L lens on it to take it for a spin today. It's still a great camera and great to use, shame Ricoh seems to have abandoned the GXR altogether as the Mount module could do with an update and a newer sensor.

Friday 20 February 2015

Pink Clouds

GR, f5.0, 1/6, ISO 100, RAW

Having to walk across London Bridge every day to and from work can be tedious at times due to the number of people who are all in a rush and don't seem to have any flow to how they walk. Still, look around and you are usually rewarded with some nice views over Tower Bridge and the Shard.

Thursday 19 February 2015

Happy Chinese New Year 2015!


Happy New Year to all my friends in Asia and also everywhere else that celebrate it! I hope you all had a nice day and enjoyed the celebrations.

Enjoy the year of the sheep/goat in 2015!

Wednesday 18 February 2015

Out for a Stroll

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

Another great and sunny day but one where I didn't get much time to walk around or take photos. Still, I had to go out even for a short walk around and enjoy the sunshine and from the looks I wasn't the only one.

Tuesday 17 February 2015

Running with Pancakes

GR, f6.3, 1/320, ISO 1600, RAW

Fitting for the International Pancake Day, I came across the pancake race near Brick Lane during my lunchtime walk so I had to take a few photos. The weather was great and people were having a good time.

Monday 16 February 2015

Parked

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

It's been a mostly grey and rainy day but I still made it out for a walk during lunch and saw the yellow door first and then the car so had to take a photo of it.

Sunday 15 February 2015

A-Wassailing


Springtime is near and today was a very nice early spring day with lots of sunshine. While out for a walk enjoying the nice weather I came across people singing in the park.



This was a group of people with the community garden project in Streatham blessing the Apple trees they just planted. They were following the old tradition of Wassailing.



It was great fun and people there were all in a good mood, singing and having a good time. I stuck around to take some photos and listen to the music. Having the GF1 and Canon 50mm FD lens with me meant I was struggling a bit to get everything in the frame but it also meant I could get some nice portraits.


Saturday 14 February 2015

Homeless Chat

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

The day didn't quite go as planned, the original plan had a lot more photography in it. Still, I did get some other stuff done and bought some new shoes which will be beneficial when walking around taking photos in the future.

I see a lot of homeless having set up camp in London and they surely don't travel light. I do wonder though how they got to this point and what they actually expect by camping in central London. If they don't want to spend their time sleeping on the streets they would need to do more than sleeping or sitting on their ass all day.
I find it quite annoying and think the city would do well to get rid of them or at least get them out of the city and put them somewhere in one of the many abandoned buildings on the outskirts, at least they would have a roof over their heads.
I don't have anything against homeless people but I don't like lazy bums sitting on their ass all day or sleeping in the centre with half their household around them and blocking the way. Plus it's easy enough to get some form of benefits so nobody should really need to sleep on the street.

Friday 13 February 2015

Exit Only

GR, f6.3, 1/320, ISO 4000, RAW

After taking quite a lot of photos yesterday during lunch and especially in the evening, it was a much less inspired day in terms of photography but it was also mostly grey and raining outside.

I took this photo on my way to work and turned back after I saw the guy to get a shot of him, while doing so I got to chat with a guy who found him also interesting but was too shy to take a photo with his phone.

Thursday 12 February 2015

Evening Street Photography Walk


During the week it's sometimes difficult to not only find the time to take photos but also keep yourself motivated. This is always worst in the winter months when the weather is grey and it gets dark early.



So when Kesh asked me if I wanted to go for a photo walk after work with the Simple Street Photography group in London it sounded like a great idea to go out and shoot withy likeminded people.



It was indeed a very fun evening out despite the freezing temperatures and we all managed to stay together while photographing, which meant we didn't really walk very far in the end.



We took a walk along Tottenham Court Road, Oxford Street and Soho and it was fun to see everyone using different cameras and having a different approach to street photography. I was not the only person with a Ricoh GR camera though and most people were quite impressed by the little GR and how well it coped with the low light shooting.


Overall it was a fun, cold and late evening but a nice change from the usual daily routine or just meeting someone at the pub for beers. It's always great to meet other photographers and just go out to take photos.


Wednesday 11 February 2015

Skybound

GRD I, f2.4, 1/80, ISO 400, JPG b&w

Another grey day without much photography done. It's not easy to keep being inspired every day when you are always in the same area but it's important to keep the blog up.

Tuesday 10 February 2015

Exhibition

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

Some days are not very good for photography, despite going for a walk during lunch and after work, I didn't really get many good photos today.

Monday 9 February 2015

The Cyclist

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

Another nice and sunny day so it made my lunchtime walk nicer and provided better light for some photography. This was taken near Shoreditch High Street station, the underpass makes for a nice background to take photos of people and the light is usually very nice at around lunchtime.

Sunday 8 February 2015

Garden Talk

GRD I, f9.0, 1/2000, ISO 400, JPG b&w, 40mm

After the rather grey and cold day yesterday, it's been a very nice sunny and warm Sunday. I've made use of it by going for a walk and sitting in the sun. While walking around the Rookery in Streatham Common, I came across the community garden project here and the guy was very happy to tell me all about it.

Following from yesterday, I took the GRD I with me but used it with the 40mm adapter today. I do like the b&w photos it produces even if the technical quality is not anywhere near the GR.

Saturday 7 February 2015

Kensal Green Cemetery Walk


It's been a cold and grey day but I didn't want to spend it at home so decided to join the Simple Street Photography meetup group for a walk around Kensal Green Cemetery. I've set off with my GRD I since I found the b&w images were a prefect match for the theme and for the weather.

Friday 6 February 2015

More London Riverside

GR, f8.0, 1/500, ISO 100, RAW

On my way to the office I decided to take some photos since it was nice and sunny outside. I decided to take a slightly different way and walk past City Hall and More London. I liked he light and reflections, it was also nice that there were not too many people around.
Makes for a change from always people and market photos.

Thursday 5 February 2015

Square

GR, f6.3, 1/320, ISO 3200, RAW

My usual lunchtime walks around Spitalfields Market are always especially interesting on Thursdays when you can buy a lot of junk, clutter, retro memorabilia or hipster treasures (depending on your viewpoint). It's fun to walk around and look at both the wares and the people though so well worth going on Thursday.

Wednesday 4 February 2015

Waiting for the Bus

GR, f6.3, 1/320, ISO 1250, RAW

Another walk around the Brick Lane area during lunch to get some air and take some photos. It's good to get away from the office and do some photography, helps clear my head and get a change from the daily grind.

Tuesday 3 February 2015

Raise Your Hand

GR, f6.3, 1/320, ISO 280, RAW

The day started off with some nice snow so I was looking forward to take some photos of snow in central London. I was looking less forward to the usual travel chaos but to my surprise the trains ran with just normal delays. The downside was that the snow had all but melted by the time I got to London Bridge and by lunchtime it was nothing left.
I went for a walk around Brick Lane to take some photos during lunch though.

Monday 2 February 2015

Crossing Tower Bridge

GR, f6.3, 1/320, ISO 250, RAW

I had some time in the morning so figured I take a slightly longer but more scenic way to work. I took this photo while crossing the Tower Bridge and wanted to try a different angle and view.

Sunday 1 February 2015

Two Guys and a Dog

GR, f2.8, 1/320, ISO 18000, RAW

Another quiet day mostly chilling at home but I did go out to one of the local pubs in the evening. I took my GR with me for some photography but ended up with only two photos. I used the 47mm crop mode for this one because it made composition easier and I didn't need to crop afterwards.