Popped out briefly yesterday for a walk around the park rather than sit in front of the computer and edit photos. Nice to get some fresh air at last. We went for a bit of a stroll then relaxed at the cafe in the middle of Peckham Rye Park for a bit. Glorious sunshine and we just sat there watching the world go by with our coffee. So nice having the sun on my back and occasionally taking a photo. Also great to use my camera for pleasure rather than business.
An interesting video I’ve been meaning to sit down and watch for a while now. I’ve received very similar treatment when setting up a tripod in public places. Amazed and reassured that the police are so reasonable and know the law properly. Shame on the stupid security guards though.
Still growing and we’re still observing from the bedroom window. Can’t be long now til they top out. Reserving judgment on it til it’s complete.
And a few other shots I’ve taken of it during its construction. Having a very definite impact on the skyline of London – click to see full size on Flickr.
After a fairly epic week in terms of work, both Architecture & Photography, I went over to the pre-opening of Franks Campari bar to meet Chris and a few of his friends. I’ve never seen South London so busy with art students and what is commonly known as hipsters I guess. After such a busy week I didn’t stay long but I think I’ll head back a few times this summer to get some more shots of the art and installations and also hopefully to enjoy a few drinks with friends.
And a quick video of the crowds.
And whilst the view really is amazing we really are spoilt by the view from our bedroom window.
The last few weeks or even months have been mental workwise. I’ve been working long hours and also working at the weekend and evenings on photography work which included putting a small exhibition up in the local pub. I’ve still not managed to ride my mountainbike but I’m hoping that will change soon.
Today I was keen to use my camera again and not on a tripod! I glanced through my Lightroom Catalogue earlier and couldn’t see a single image that was a personal one. So, off came the shift lens and battery grip, on with the 50mm ƒ1.8 and out we went. Nice to travel light for a change not feel the pressure of having to deliver images for a client. We only went around Peckham Park to get some fresh air and a coffee but it was great to get out for a bit. Naturally we ended up in The Gowlett for a pint of Guinness or two.
Here’s a few shots from today.
Yesterday I went out to West London to do a shoot for a firm of Engineers I work with a fair bit at the office. They’ve been working on a large house that is having a sizeable basement being dug underneath it – about nine metres down or around two and a half storeys. They’ve essentially supported the whole house on columns (piles which have become columns) as they’ve excavated. Seriously impressive stuff and quite a feat to see in the flesh (or metal and concrete rather). I love a good bit if engineering and this really satisfies. Incredible what we can do and seriously impressive stuff.
After this I headed back into town to get a few shots of The Shard and see whether I had enough shift on the lens to be able to capture the top of it. I’ve been seeing quite a few shots of it on Flickr recently and thought I should really go and get some myself. Turns out I did have enough reach on the lens and I spent a few hours waiting on London Bridge freezing my arse off to get the following shot. Well worth it I think for that final one and just go the timing of the clouds right to get the moon in too. Also tried out using a Universal White Balance setting to get more dynamic range out of the D700. Seemed to work pretty well although the previews on the back of the camera come out all green, kind of cross processed.
Or rather trying to do night shots without getting mugged with £4k’s worth of photo kit on you or freeze to death in the cold. Still, I think it was worth it.
After collecting Liz from Paddington on Friday we headed straight down to the National Portrait Gallery after quickly getting her to pose for a few pics in Trafalgar Square. I’ve been meaning to see the Taylor Wessing Portrait Prize this year. Last years was really good and Emma and I even emailed one of the photographers to see how much a print was, turned out it was a little over our budget but never mind. I love portraits and quite how much you can read into someone or the situation they’re in. I find them fascinating and could look at some of them for ages. As usual it was a mixture of headshots, full length, posed, and natural etc, but as usual the standard was very high. Apparently there’s a bit of a joke that the prize is always won by a ginger and this year was no exception. Although it’s a very worthy winner I prefer some of the other shots. One of my favourites was the shot of Charlie Watts, drummer with the Rolling Stones. My other favourite was Merel which seemed to convey such serenity that it felt as though a photographer wasn’t involved at all. The tones and quality of the image are incredible.
It’s incredible to see full size prints like this with such clarity and sharpness as well as the awesome detail in the images. The other favourite part of the exhibition is that it’s only £2 to get in which is a bargain and that they produce a beautiful exhibition catalogue which is only £12 so a good value trip all round really.
Looking forward to the 2011 exhibition.
Charlie Watts, © Michael Donald 2009
Merel, © Clare Shilland
