# Trip to London.A few more pictures.



## Graeme Edwards (29 Jun 2009)

Well, it was my first time in our capital. The first day was spent in Hyde Park rocking it in the free world. I went to see Sea sick Steve, Ban Harper, Fleet foxes and the legend that is Neil Young. So so cool. Cracking night.

Sunday was for exploring the city.We headed to westminster on the tube. I walked through a narrow tunnel to London bridge and BLAM, the scale hit me,this place is massive. So many people, so many tourists, me included!

By far the coolest place we went to was Portobello Road and market. Man alive, those people down their are cool. I wanted to take so many pictures of people, but i felt quite rude pointing my camera at locals doing their thing. I never thought street photography would be so hard. Such a cool cool place.

Here is the results and poor attempts and first time attempts at street photography. Again, its been done with my 350D with old 35ml kit lens. Hard work in dark shady markets. Flash would be out of the question in locations these given the subjects. 





































Cheers.


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## rawr (29 Jun 2009)

*Re: Trip to London.*

I can't believe it's your first time in London! Those are some great shots, if you didn't say where it was I would have thought it was abroad.


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## a1Matt (29 Jun 2009)

*Re: Trip to London.*

great pics, they really capture London well IMHO. 
(Haivng lived in the suburbs of London all my life I have spent a fair bit of time 'up town' so feel qualified to say this!   )

Sounds ike you had a great time


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## Steve Smith (29 Jun 2009)

*Re: Trip to London.*

Great shots mate!  I like the post processing you've done too 

The few times I've been to london, I've not been able to do much sight seeing.  Would love to get to know the place a little better


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## aaronnorth (29 Jun 2009)

*Re: Trip to London.*

good pictures  I like the 5th shot. It is very moddy and contrasty - modern & old feel to it at the same time.



> Sunday was for exploring the city.We headed to westminster on the tube. I walked through a narrow tunnel to London bridge and BLAM, the scale hit me,this place is massive. So many people, so many tourists, me included!



I know, it is so frantic to what i am used too i think it would annoy me! By the end i was getting bored of having to push through the packed crowds (and this was mid-week  )


> By far the coolest place we went to was Portobello Road and market. Man alive, those people down their are cool. I wanted to take so many pictures of people, but i felt quite rude pointing my camera at locals doing their thing. I never thought street photography would be so hard. Such a cool cool place.



I always have the same feelings, which is why i respect Tom for his amazing street photgraphy. I always wonder if the photographer asks the person to take a picture, or if they snap away


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## samc (29 Jun 2009)

*Re: Trip to London.*

great pics graeme  8)


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## LondonDragon (29 Jun 2009)

*Re: Trip to London.*

Nice shots Graeme, London is so diverse everywhere you go you think you are in different countries, I love it in London


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## Mark Evans (29 Jun 2009)

*Re: Trip to London.*

the last 3 are my favourites, but the last one would be the one i chose if i had to. the geezers face is brilliant!

in actual fact with shots like that, you'd make a good wedding photographer...the paparazzi off the cuff style is so in nowadays! 

the self portrait is good too. i've got loads of those (of myself of course) in various parts of the world doing various things, in various reflective things!


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## John Starkey (29 Jun 2009)

*Re: Trip to London.*

Nice pics g man,London is a great place for a weeks holiday it has so much to see,
See you soon dude,


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## TDI-line (29 Jun 2009)

*Re: Trip to London.*

Cool pics G-man.


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## glenn (29 Jun 2009)

*Re: Trip to London.*

nice pics i love the 2nd one...reminds me of  banksy's street 'art'  (maby it is his?) and i like the blured (excuse the non photogrpahic jargon) one with the umbrellas   
how come you didnt go to the london aquarium while you were at westminster? good way to spend couple of houres.


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## Graeme Edwards (29 Jun 2009)

*Re: Trip to London.*



			
				a1Matt said:
			
		

> great pics, they really capture London well IMHO.
> (Haivng lived in the suburbs of London all my life I have spent a fair bit of time 'up town' so feel qualified to say this!   )
> 
> Sounds ike you had a great time



Thats cool mate, I just took pictures that looked interesting. Im glad it has captured it.





			
				aaronnorth said:
			
		

> good pictures  I like the 5th shot. It is very moddy and contrasty - modern & old feel to it at the same time.
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Tom takes some awesome pictures. 
I cant imagine how it would be to live there. I can imagine very tiring, pushing through the crowds and having to keep your wits about you.


			
				saintly said:
			
		

> the last 3 are my favorites, but the last one would be the one i chose if i had to. the geezers face is brilliant!
> 
> in actual fact with shots like that, you'd make a good wedding photographer...the paparazzi off the cuff style is so in nowadays!
> 
> the self portrait is good too. i've got loads of those (of myself of course) in various parts of the world doing various things, in various reflective things!



Hmm a pap or wedding photographer......? Both im sure pay well, but not my thing. Crazy that you see that though...
Cheers mate.



			
				glenn said:
			
		

> nice pics i love the 2nd one...reminds me of  banksy's street 'art'  (maby it is his?) and i like the blured (excuse the non photogrpahic jargon) one with the umbrellas
> 
> how come you didn't go to the london aquarium while you were at westminster? good way to spend couple of hours.




It is Banksy mate. Its covered in perspex and bolted down. Well cool.
I wanted to visit the aquarium and Dahli's exerbition, but it was blisteringly hot and i wanted to take some pictures of the culture. The museums and galleries are for winter I reckon.

Thanks for the kind words......


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## Mark Evans (30 Jun 2009)

*Re: Trip to London.*



			
				Graeme Edwards said:
			
		

> Hmm a pap or wedding photographer......? Both im sure pay well, but not my thing. Crazy that you see that though...



why crazy  8) it's only an observation about your photography.  



			
				Graeme Edwards said:
			
		

> Hmm a pap or wedding photographer......?



pap style wedding photography! not  individual jobs. the 2 combined.

all i'm saying is what you've done in the images above, most cant do for toffee. i know some potential brides and grooms would love it!


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## Graeme Edwards (30 Jun 2009)

*Re: Trip to London.*

Ahh yeah,nice one, i get what ya saying. Its quite a trendy way to do wedding photographs these days. I remember when I was planning my wedding ( It never happened   'never trust a women ) we were looking for a photographer, and the guys doing the pap style pics where so expensive. They did look cool though. Im not sure I would be ok with the pressure of weddings. If you get it wrong or dont have many good pictures, well, the bride aint gana be happy. Plus you need to be consistent and have the right gear, im not sure i have either of those. Maybe one day. 
I think my biggest limitation is my lens, its so slow at f4.5 he smallest, i struggle capture anything in low light. I could up the ISO, but i like fine quality shots and im not sure the 350D can give me that at high ISO's. The other limitation is just the basic knowledge of exposures, AV to TV. Some times I shoot in AV and cant get the shot quick enough, its to dark or to light, I flick it over to P and blam, the camera does it for me and I have no idea how. I should look into that.

Also, my pics arnt much to look at pre edit. Im not sure what that says about my photography....lol....


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## Joecoral (30 Jun 2009)

*Re: Trip to London.*

Some great pics, love the guys facial expression in the last one!
Did you buy Heat magazine?


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## Graeme Edwards (30 Jun 2009)

*Re: Trip to London.*

Yeah he kept doing that. He was also sitting in the meditation position with his hands like you would expect to see.....respect...I tried taking a picture of that, but there was too much around him and it was distracting.

Ive never read heat magazine.....not sure I follow on that one.  

Cheers.


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## rawr (30 Jun 2009)

*Re: Trip to London.*

Just out of curiosity to all you street photographers - do you actually ask before taking a photo of people etc or just go ahead and hope they don't charge at you?


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## LondonDragon (30 Jun 2009)

*Re: Trip to London.*



			
				rawr said:
			
		

> Just out of curiosity to all you street photographers - do you actually ask before taking a photo of people etc or just go ahead and hope they don't charge at you?


If you ask them they will just pose and not look very natural


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## Mark Evans (30 Jun 2009)

*Re: Trip to London.*

when i was in Kazakstan, i had to pay them after the shot!


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## George Farmer (30 Jun 2009)

*Re: Trip to London.*

Nice series mate!  

I used to go to London regularly during my misspent youth.  You've captured the atmosphere very well. 

The last shot is also my favourite.

What post-processing are you doing?



			
				rawr said:
			
		

> Just out of curiosity to all you street photographers - do you actually ask before taking a photo of people etc or just go ahead and hope they don't charge at you?


For most candids it's generally best to capture stuff without the subject knowing you're there at all, as this maintains the purity of the moment.  This is where longer focal lengths come into their own.


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## Graeme Edwards (30 Jun 2009)

*Re: Trip to London. A few more pictures.*



			
				LondonDragon said:
			
		

> rawr said:
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I just got sneeky and used my girl friend as a decoy, making it look like i was taking her picture or shot from the hip, holding my camera by my side as if I wasn't even looking.

There was this amazing looking women though, she was very thin afro Caribbean women, with, I kid you not, an afro about 3ft tall, it was immense. I watched her charge another photographer taking her picture. He asked first mind, but she looked mean.....real mean, lol. 

Here is some more shots....

If you look close, you can see my girl friend in it.

















I hope you all like them.


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## George Farmer (30 Jun 2009)

*Re: Trip to London.*

I like these even better mate!


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## Dan Crawford (1 Jul 2009)

Top draw mate, the third picture is just awesome, you've really captured the scene.


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## a1Matt (1 Jul 2009)

*Re: Trip to London.*



			
				Graeme Edwards said:
			
		

> I cant imagine how it would be to live there. I can imagine very tiring, pushing through the crowds and having to keep your wits about you.



Most people harden to it naturally with time (good luck picking my pocket, quite a few have tried over the years  ).  THen it beocmes quite an impersonal place, I think there is something quite sad about that. Edinburgh is the friendliest city I think I have seen in the world. People hold doors open for you and basic things like that.


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## George Farmer (1 Jul 2009)

*Re: Trip to London.*



			
				a1Matt said:
			
		

> THen it beocmes quite an impersonal place, I think there is something quite sad about that. Edinburgh is the friendliest city I think I have seen in the world. People hold doors open for you and basic things like that.


I agree with this.  It's so busy and hectic that most are interested in no.1 only.  New York was similar for me, on an even bigger scale.

Anyway, my favourite shot is the last with the really effective motion blur.  Just the right amount.  But why is there a stool under the van??


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## Graeme Edwards (1 Jul 2009)

George Farmer said:
			
		

> a1Matt said:
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				a1Matt said:
			
		

> Graeme Edwards said:
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Deffinetly, I can see that being the case. Toughen up or get out. I saw some freindly people to be honest, and they where the ones who looked local, but there was plenty who weren't. It was in the tube that struck me. I knew it would be packed, but jeezzz, i thought there was no more room at the next stop, i said, nah, they aint getting on here....how wrong was, they just shoved and pushed their way in, shocking!

Glad you like the pic George. When I was editing it, i was going to crop it out, but I actually like it...... its kind of strange and like you say, it leaves a question as to why its there.

Coooooooooooool 8) 

Cheers guys.


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## John Starkey (1 Jul 2009)

Hi g man,
dont know if its just me but that third picture looks sort of black and white and 70s looks,even though it has colour in it,
or am i seeing things you guys dont see,or shall just shut up     ,

nice pics mate
john.


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## Graeme Edwards (1 Jul 2009)

No mate your spot on. I increased contrast, vibrancy and then I took saturation to around 30% so i wiped some of the color away, but kept enough to keep it interesting. Very retro mate, thats what I was after. Well spotted.

Cheers John,


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## George Farmer (1 Jul 2009)

Graeme Edwards said:
			
		

> Glad you like the pic George. When I was editing it, i was going to crop it out, but I actually like it...... its kind of strange and like you say, it leaves a question as to why its there.


My thoughts exactly mate.  It's the kind of prank played on a mate when you'd know he has to reverse.  We used to do the same with bricks to guys' cars at work!

Respect on the '70s-style post-processing too - I did ask about it earlier in the thread...   Did you come up with yourself or follow a guide?


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## Tony Swinney (1 Jul 2009)

Sounds like a cracking weekend Graeme, and some lovely shots too   

Well done for actually getting out there with a camera, and shooting whats around you, its amazing how different your immediate vicinity looks through a viewfinder   

Cheers

Tony


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## Graeme Edwards (2 Jul 2009)

George Farmer said:
			
		

> Graeme Edwards said:
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Sorry G, missed that question. I did it all on my own through the CS2 RAW editor. I find thats all I need, it does a great job. All I did was fiddle with exposures, contrast, making blacks darker, playing with saturation and color toning. Nothing fancy, just played mate. I love playing with RAW now. Cant believe I just did JPG for so long. 

The only thing I find, is the lens I have is not as crisp as I would like, which is a shame, but as im not selling any shot, or going to publication, im happy with it for now. Though I would never say no to a new lens. Im happy with the camera too.


			
				Tonser said:
			
		

> Sounds like a cracking weekend Graeme, and some lovely shots too
> 
> Well done for actually getting out there with a camera, and shooting whats around you, its amazing how different your immediate vicinity looks through a viewfinder
> 
> ...



Cheers Tony. I see taking pictures in 3 stages. 1, The location....your bedazzled by so much in your vision you take in far more than you can proses or latch on to. 2, Possible location/subject found...your vision narrows to start the process of creativity, framing the shot, getting the nice angles and trying to see what might work. 3 , How it actually looks on screen, post edit and what seems so far from the actual scene you saw with your bare eyes. Its there of course, but its almost sensationalized to make it say something or seem more interesting than the area or subject actually is.
Nothing is really that interesting at a quick glance, but stop for moment and there is always something to find interest. the hardest bit some times is transferring that through the photography......NICE  8) 

Cheer dudes.


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## Joecoral (2 Jul 2009)

*Re: Trip to London.*



			
				Graeme Edwards said:
			
		

> Ive never read heat magazine.....not sure I follow on that one.



Sorry mate, it's from the advert
"I'm going to london, to buy Heat magazine" etc


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## paul.in.kendal (2 Jul 2009)

Lovely pictures, Graeme - as another Londoner born and bred, you've certainly captured the vibrancy and variety of one of the world's great cities.

I used to do a lot of street photography for a previous job and I'd agree with whoever it was who said that for good street shots you shouldn't ask to take people's pictures - in this country, at least.  In London in particular, people are so good at ignoring ANYTHING that you could walk down the street naked and no-one would bat an eyelid.  Taking pictures is going on everywhere, all the time, so you don't stand out as much as you might think you do.  But if someone takes exception, you just have to apologise, offer to delete the shot in front of them and walk away.

In other countries and other cultures I'd be very careful indeed about taking pictures without asking - I usually look at them, smile and hold the camera up with a questioning look and then be guided by their reaction.  Of course, more general shots that include people are something else entirely.  Ironically, taking pictures of children is much more sensitive here than elsewhere, unless you're somewhere with a bad reputation for sex-tourism (it's a sad, sad world).

I think the surreptitious shoot-from-the-hip approach is really hazardous - if you have to hide what you're doing you MUST be up to mishief, no?  Get caught and you'll be hard-pressed to justify what you are doing.  So be upfront, straightforward and quick - most times people won't notice, will ignore it or won't mind.

London can be a hard and lonely place - but I think it sometimes gets an unnecessarily bad press.  London is so big and busy that the social niceties possible elsewhere simply wouldn't work in London - especially when you add English reserve into the mix.  Put it to the test - ask a Londoner for help (when you genuinely need it) and they'll usually come up trumps, just like everywhere else.  And ask yourself, how come people from all over the planet can readily make their home in London, if it is so unwelcoming?

No, London is a great place - and Londoners just like to mind their own business, keep a bit of psychological personal space, and let everyone get on with it.  Just my two penn'orth


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## LondonDragon (2 Jul 2009)

paul.in.kendal said:
			
		

> London can be a hard and lonely place - but I think it sometimes gets an unnecessarily bad press.  London is so big and busy that the social niceties possible elsewhere simply wouldn't work in London - especially when you add English reserve into the mix.  Put it to the test - ask a Londoner for help (when you genuinely need it) and they'll usually come up trumps, just like everywhere else.  And ask yourself, how come people from all over the planet can readily make their home in London, if it is so unwelcoming?
> 
> No, London is a great place - and Londoners just like to mind their own business, keep a bit of psychological personal space, and let everyone get on with it.  Just my two penn'orth



Bad press indeed, I have been living in London for 20 years (this month) and I love it here, I though about moving out a few times to a more quiet area around London but always think about the pros and cons and always end up staying.
I like the fact that when you want something I can just leave the house and travel 30 minutes in any direction to get what I want no matter what it is, also there always something to do in London and there is always some event taking place every weekend from all the diverse communities London has.

I take a lot of photos around London (haven't done much the last couple years, busy time in my life) and show my firends and most of the time I get "Oh I didn't know this place existed" or "I didn't know these events took place".
When I want to get away from all the confusion all I have to do is get my camera and go a walk in the many parks London has, go down to Richmond park in some areas you don't see a person for ages, and many other large green spaces. Go for a walk down the canals, down the Thames in the Richmond area (beautifull) or just go down to the London Wetland Centre (http://www.wwt.org.uk/centre/119/london ... entre.html) and spend a whole day there with nature.

I would not swap London for any other City in the England to be honest.


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## CeeBee (2 Jul 2009)

So much atmosphere in your shots - they're very good!


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## paul.in.kendal (2 Jul 2009)

LondonDragon said:
			
		

> I would not swap London for any other City in the England to be honest.


After 45 years in London I moved to Kendal - but we're hell-bent on moving back to inner-city living once we retire.  

London rocks, baby! 

Sorry for the hi-jack, Graeme.


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