25 posts tagged “london”
I've spent ages reading over photography magazines wondering how it is that other Flickr users I know manage to pull off a dramatic sky.
Apparently, the secret is fitting a neutral density filter to the lens and then firing the shutter release. I've assumed that perfect results are guaranteed with every shot.
Personally, I'm not absolutely convinced. First off, I know I could probably achieve the same results using Photoshop (although frankly, I can't be arsed). But secondly, I want that horizon I see every single day when I trundle my way down the hill to my front door to be more far dramatic than it is in this shot. I figured that just adding a filter would do the job. Now it seems I have to fiddle with the exposure a bit more or - shudder - actually do a spot of post-production.
Who really thinks digital photography is easy?
I could have gone to the Notting Hill Carnival. I could have even gone to see my parents for a Sunday roast this Bank Holiday weekend. Instead I chose to stay home, get my haircut by a good friend (she's a smasher with the clippers) and get my head around taking some decent pictures with my digital SLR.
Thus, our TV brought us images of Beijing's closing Olympic ceremony. Thousands of performers convened on the Birds' Nest who, along with countless thousand others, witnessed Boris Johnson shuffle forward and wave the Olympic flag from side to side for a while. Visual displays indulged the viewer. Fireworks fired off seemingly all over Beijing. One or two were definitely superimposed over images of the Birds' Nest. I know. I could tell.
Then the pace changed when London got it's corner of the stadium to tempt a global audience with what we could offer in 2012. A big red double decker bus moved it's way around the stadium. Some of us back home winced at the sight of this stereotypical view of the capital.
Leona Lewis rose majestically above the assembled British dance troups and then, as if by magic, David Beckham appears and kicks a football which inadvertently lands on the head of one of the Chinese Olympic volunteers standing somewhere on the other side of the stadium. This doesn't bode well.
Now, outside Buckingham Palace, thousands of excited people wave their Visa London 2012 flags as London celebrates its' new identity: The Olympic City.
God help us.
With the day's events and numerous conversations weighing heavily on my mind - that journey home takes forever when I'm slightly below par - it was inevitable I'd lose patience with their seemingly constant inability to arrive at a decision.
"That's the one we want," signalled the grandfather of the family and obvious self-imposed leader of the group, "The next one is the 1929."
"Where, I don't see it," complained his wife, her nose pressed against the timetable, "I don't see where you mean. Where?"
"There," he shouted back, pointing more insistently, "Now where do we get it from. It's platform three."
It wasn't platform three. It was nothing like platform three. I know that. Nothing goes south of London Bridge from platform three. Impatience at not being able to find out when the next train to Hither Green departed fuelled my certainty that the day-tripping family needed advice and did not need platform three.
A firm, practical yet goal-driven approach seemed the best course of action. I waded in accordingly.
"Where do you want to go?" I asked with a charming smile and assertive tone.
"Well, Gravesend, obviously," replied the grandmother.
Overlooking her impatience, I pointed to the departures screen above their heads. "The 1929 doesn't go from platform three. It goes from platform five. You're obviously not going to get that one, so you're next train is at 1943."
Clearly impressed with my obvious can-do attitude, one of the ladies in the group turned around and asked, "And where should we go for that one?"
"Well," I replied, "just keep an eye on the departures screen up there. The 1943 isn't on there yet because it's too early. But it should appear at the bottom of the right hand screen shortly."
"Thank you," she replied, "you've been so helpful."
"You're welcome. If you fancied a walk you could always try the departures board at the top of those stairs along the platform. You'll find all the departures there listed by town."
At no point did I think for a moment (until I find myself retelling the tale) that I was pointing out the blindingly obvious. And yet, realising that my train to Hither Green also left from platform five in only a few minutes, I quickly trotted up the stairs, over the footbridge and down on to the platform. When I looked over my shoulder I found them not far behind having followed me up the stairs and past the departure board.
It's not that I'm feeling smug they followed my advice. I'm not necessarily relieved they found their train. I'm more impressed with myself that in a split-second when I observed intense irritation brewing uncontrollably inside me, I felt able to pinpoint exactly what needed to done and how it needed to be done in order to get the irritation out of my system and out of my way.
I sound vile, don't I? I don't mean to. What that little exchange reminded me of was how I'm exactly the same in situations where I'm keen to see something completed. If there's something I know needs doing and I know exactly who I need to speak to in order to get it done, I'm there like a shot talking to all and sundry regardless of their status or personality.
It's something I feel proud of as I sit at Hither Green station platform finishing this little missive of. It's also something I know antagonises the hell out of most people I come into contact with.
I was travelling through New Cross late this afternoon. A sick feeling grew inside me as I did so.
New Cross is, like Lee, Sidcup and most recently Holloway, an area of London with notoreity. It's there that the most shocking of recent murders occurred.
This recent news, like that of the news of the recent teenage murders, has had a significant effect on me and my friends. Each new death registers similar gut responses, each increasing in intensity. "What the hell is going on ?" and, as suggested by a friend this morning, "how can we do something about it?"
I've no idea how to resolve the problem. I sincerely hope we can find one .. soon.
This is a close-up of something referred to as "Hyperbolic Crochet", part of an exhibition intended to illustrate the global demise of coral reef.
My camera returned today. I was terribly pleased.
Many thanks to the old chap up in Norfolk who made things happen in the camera repair department.
I've been getting to grips with my slimline Kodak Easyshare compact camera while I wait for my big boys Olympus digital SLR to come back from the repair cave somewhere in deepest darkest Suffolk.
When I purchased the Kodak Easyshare I was intending it to be a replacement for the fabulous Sony Ericsson K800i - quite possibly the best camera phone ever made as far as I'm concerned.
At first I hadn't found the Kodak's results to be particularly good. It doesn't function particularly well in low light, is susceptible to camera shake and doesn't have the ease of use the Ericsson did.
Mind you, I can't really complain with this little venture. I spent my journey into work this morning videoing stuff I saw on my way. I wanted to see just how well the camera functioned with fast moving objects. I figured it would do quite well in the blinding sunlight we had in London today but still I wanted to see how just how good the quality of the video files was after it had been pumped through Adobe Premiere or something like the online movie editing tool Jumpcut.
I'm stunned, to say the least. The quality of the source files (they're saved to a memory card as .mov files - nice) is brilliant and the quality doesn't degrade that much once it's been encoded by Jumpcut. So good in fact I just had to share the video with you.
Should you care to see the quality of the stills which come from the camera in broad daylight take a gander at my smashing feet here.
Every year Lewisham Council stage a free event for everyone in the community called Lewisham People's Day.
This is some footage from last year's event. It's an amazing experience - not because there are necessarily loads of innovative things there to look at and enjoy, more the feeling about the place.
It's a rare opportunity for a diverse community to all come together in celebration and, inevitably, watching the video of last year's event I can't wait for this years.
And to think, it's only at the bottom of our road. Not far to go then.
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