I really am starting to think that Southern rail has it in for my project, twice this week they have been so lame in getting trains on time that my morning stroll time has just evaporated. The silver lining is I had to go out at lunch time to get some shots, both times ended up being good hunting.
So anyway Month 1 hits the deck and Month 2 of 2013 gets underway. Got some stuff happening this month so hopefully the blues will be chased away a bit and the opportunities will be more varied.
I have become a little obsessed with finding sunlight, how did Bill Brandt ever survive in this country for so long. The silver lining is I have had two days this week where the lack of sunlight was a blessing, one shot was literally under my feet and the other was – altogether in panto verse “Behind you, behind you …………!!”.
Enjoy
Cheers
Ken
January 29th:
January 30th:
What a difference one day makes, yesterday the light was flatter than my shower singing voice and today I nearly needed my sunglasses. Look in the “Neatest most correct entry” list at the bottom for some more on today. I am impressed at the deco balconies right at the top serving no function other than to “look nice”
Oh and the sunglasses that was “nearly” needed. No cigar just yet.
January 31st:
So as I mentioned earlier I have become a little pathological in my pursuit of sunlight, so I have some extra shots in the “Neatest most correct entry” section but ironically on a sunny(ish) day I got this shot on the way home. A week ago the sky was black each night I left work, yet tonight it was like WOW look at that blue!!
February 1st:
Oh dear rain and rotten rail service left me with not a lot of positive inspiration or time to look around, I was walking along struggling with my umbrella – did I mention in 45 years living in Australia I owned one umbrella, here I have owned 10 and currently own 3 and have been here about 5 minutes, back to today, I was walking with purpose to get out of the rain when I looked down and saw this reflection of the coloured balls used to brighten up this otherwise dull alleyway.
So as I complained about the rain, it had presented me with one of my favourite shots so far this year
February 2nd:
We got out of the flat today to go and see the “International Wildlife Photographer of the year” exhibition at the Natural History Museum. This museum is my absolute favoutire here in London, the building is just exquisite, just about every conceivable spot is taken up with little carvings like this, in the “Neatest most correct entry” are some shots of the outside and inside, look closely at the very Escher looking arches photo and you will see demons carved all the way up
This little guy was carved into the column in the window of an area that is now the gift shop, I was so not interested in the stuff in the shop.
February 3rd:
So I strolled out this morning and met with two local artists, Nicole Lestani and Moira Szucs, to photograph an installation of theirs which is a comment on the hectic uncontrolled world of the corporate make over, where yesterdays cool is today’s discarded annoyance, how something that was made to give us comfort and rest is thrown to the side in an unrelenting search for the next “it” thing
No consideration is given as to whether or not it was still of any use. A parallel reflection of societies quest for eternal youth discarding to the side those that are not vibrant and “now” as mere human annoyances.
Szucs, in passing, said “My work explores the relationship between the universality of myth and counter-terrorism. With influences as diverse as Kafka and Francis Bacon, new combinations are synthesised from both traditional and modern layers.
Ever since I was a student I have been fascinated by the endless oscillation of the universe. What starts out as triumph soon becomes finessed into a hegemony of greed, leaving only a sense of dread and the inevitability of a new reality.
Ever since I was a postgraduate I have been fascinated by the unrelenting divergence of the human condition. What starts out as vision soon becomes debased into a cacophony of greed, leaving only a sense of unreality and the dawn of a new beginning.
Okay the truth is we had all gone for brunch at the Gardens cafe (the land where people instagram their coffee foam). My friends have been following my Photo-A-Day exploits and where excited to be in on the hunt for todays image.
We were taking the long way home so I could look for opportunities. I thought this pub being tarted up looked like urban pain in the making, as soon as I slowed to check it out Nikki and Moi were like “Yes do it, its great, get in there, climb on the fence, you’re not doing it right …………..!!”
It was at that moment I got the inspiration for my little story above.
February 4th:
So on my amble to work this morning I was checking out some different angles of things since there was a good amount of morning light which was however subdued with the morning cloud. A very English sort of light.
I was nearly at work thinking a lunch stroll would be needed to bag todays photo when I came across this bicycle, it was a serious bicycle for a serious city which requires its workers to be serious, so you can imagine my delight to see the owner had stuck some tinselly streamers on to the ends of the handle bars. Attached with nothing more sophisticated than good ole sticky tape.
Awesome stuff.
Neatest most correct entires!!: It was a great week for challenges. I surprised myself by finding the answer under my feet or right behind me, so much to reflect on, please read and enjoy.
This was the shot that came a day too late, I photographed it the day before when the light was very flat. This shot played second fiddle to the Heart Hospital shot.
Its great to see how much difference a bit of light can make.
This is me with my mono focus on sunlight when the shot of this day was a night shot straight after work. I guess you get that eh!
Shot a few minutes after the church above
This is St Christopher’s alleyway which I walk down quite often the coloured balls are starting to give up the goods and help me get the shot when there is no shot to be had
Who would have thought ………….. !
The Natural History Museum. What’s not to love about this beautiful building, I sometimes forget why I am there I become to intoxicated by the building. These two shots are me playing in photoshop, the top is me using the “Gothic” plug in filter in PS (no there is no such plug in before you write to me asking where I got it from) and the next one is more how it appeared on the day
Who could not love the idea of this building, blue tiles in a land where blue tiles barely exist.
A shot of the main entrance hall, all the kids love the dinosaur, I struggle to love all the kids loving the dinosaur and running around out of control.
Why don’t their parents just keep them home until they are 25 😉
The light was so flat when I took this shot but it was just an exercise to see if I could get it to shine in post production, I think for the 5 mins I spent on it that I got a good result
So thats the first week of the second month clobbered, I say bring on the next week if you dare!!
If you are lacking some zim and zip to get out there and shoot, pump up the volume and run with Lola!
