LONDONRUBBISH http://www.londonrubbish.com/ http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=481 This is <a href="http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Cornillon,+France&sll=44.154879,4.61642&sspn=0.077837,0.181789&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Cornillon,+Gard,+Languedoc,+France&t=h&z=14" target="_blank">Cornillon</a> in southern France, a beautiful little village up in the hills. We stayed just down the road and strolled through some vineyards to get there. I've tweaked levels and added a selective colour layer to make the sky and clouds pop, but other that that it's pretty much straight from the camera. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=480 Just returned from a week in the south of France with a stack load of postable shots. This one was the easiest to process and one of my favourites, more to follow. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=479 Portsmouth Harbour from the second floor of the Spinnaker Tower. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=478 http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=477 Taken on the Isle of Wight a few weekends ago. I love the ageing and sun bleached rope, stretching out to the centre of the frame. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=476 I was drawn to this lone crow against the imposing sky. Tinkered with in Lightroom, with some final tweaks in Photoshop. If you're interested, the original is <a href="http://www.londonrubbish.com/images/20100530_original.jpg" target="_londonrubbish">here</a>. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=475 Taken on a flight from Belfast to London, through the window, from the iPhone and using <a href="http://hipstamaticapp.com/" target="_blank">Hipstamatic.</a> http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=474 This is the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spinnaker_Tower" target="_blank">Spinnaker Tower</a> in Portsmouth. I was heading back from the Isle of Wight on Sunday evening and the light was just perfect for a blue sky shot. I tinkered with this image for some time tweaking the levels and tones, pulling more blue from the sky and details in clouds, then right at the last minute before saving the image down I decided to try angry black and white. Need I say more. The original, from camera, image is <a href="http://www.londonrubbish.com/images/20100411-original.jpg" target="londonrubbish">here</a> if you're interested. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=473 This one was inspired by David Nightingale's <a href="http://www.chromasia.com/iblog/archives/0912160846.php" target="_blank">Winter Lake</a>. I still very much prefer his image to mine, just getting the colour palette right to make it look cold is quite tricky. This was taken in <a href="http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=dulwich+park&sll=51.444887,-0.080069&sspn=0.004166,0.011362&ie=UTF8&hq=dulwich+park&hnear=Dulwich+Park,+United+Kingdom&ll=51.44601,-0.076818&spn=0.016663,0.045447&t=h&z=15&iwloc=A" target="_blank">Dulwich Park</a> a week or so ago. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=472 Well, I had to get a new image up and take my <a href="http://www.londonrubbish.com/index.php?showimage=471" target="londonrubbish">decorations</a> down. It is the 12th day of Christmas and all. This one was taken on Boxing Day in <a href="http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=kesley+park&sll=53.800651,-4.064941&sspn=16.188323,46.494141&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Kelsey+Park&z=15" target="_blank">Kesley Park</a>, Beckenham. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=471 I thought I should post an image that was a little more Festive. I'd seen a few of this style knocking around on Flickr and thought I'd have a go at doing one myself. The camera will be concentrating on family pictures from now until 2010! Happy Holidays! http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=470 Another from the the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vivienne_Westwood" target="_blank">Vivienne Westwood</a> designed windows at <a href="http://www.selfridges.com/" target="_blank">Selfridges</a> in Oxford Street. I have no idea what this one was supposed to be, but she looked pretty creepy without all my tinkering with the image. It was the strewn bottles of Russian Ctahoapt vodka all around her that did it for me. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=469 If you've not seen the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vivienne_Westwood" target="_blank">Vivienne Westwood</a> designed windows at <a href="http://www.selfridges.com/" target="_blank">Selfridges</a> in Oxford Street you really need to. This is just one of the many fairy tale themed sets with Vivienne's twist. Obviously, the <a href="http://www.agentprovocateur.com/" target="_blank">Agent Provocateur</a> lingerie clad mannequin was my favourite. I may post a few others. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=468 This is <a href="http://www.smcaustin.org/" target="_blank">Saint Mary Cathedral</a> in Austin, Texas. It gave me another chance to step out of the torrential rain I experienced whilst there. I hovered for a moment outside with the camera, as there was a service about to start, but I was politely welcomed in and encouraged to take pictures. And before anyone asks, this isn't a HDR it's just toned and sharpened in Lightroom and CS3. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=467 This was taken whilst I was on holiday in France. Having spotted this barn across the road from where we were staying I snuck in one early morning as the sun was rising to get some shots. I had to slot the mini-tripod into a crack between two crumbling bricks to get the whole space into the frame. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=466 I've spent the last week working in Austin, Texas. My second visit this year. I went on another photowalk yesterday and had to keep diving inside to avoid the thunderstorms. After about fifty straight days of temperatures of 100F I think everyone here is a little thankful for the rain. This is the ceiling of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_State_Capitol" target="_blank">The Texas State Capitol</a> building that's right <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=texas+state+capitol&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=37.410045,93.164063&ie=UTF8&ll=30.274709,-97.740791&spn=0.00997,0.022745&z=16&iwloc=H" target="_blank">here</a>. I took a <a href="http://www.londonrubbish.com/index.php?showimage=455" target="_blank">photo</a> of the outside previously, but this time I spent longer strolling around inside. Everyone takes this shot, although I did do it with the camera lying on the floor and firing from a remote, which drew some stares. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=465 I've just returned from a week in France which was very enjoyable and well needed, but passed too quickly. I've got a bunch of images I'm happy with and will gradually post them here. This one was taken on our trip to <a href="http://www.labourbansais.com/" target="_blank">Chateau et Parc Zoologique de la Bourbansais</a> in Pleugueuneuc. With all the cloud up in the sky and a bright sun I managed to over expose the background. After a little Lightroom & Photoshop tweak I now have one of my favourite animal shots. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=464 Staying with the flower theme, because I seem to have taken quite a few flower pictures recently. This one is another from my trip to <a href="http://www.blackgangchine.com/" target="_blank">Blackgang Chine</a> on the Isle of Wight. I'll definitely be stopping to "smell the flowers" soon as I'm off on holiday again. Think I'll stay away from cliff edges this time though. Annoyingly, Canon didn't announce anyhthing like the 60D (or will it be a 7D?) today, just a bunch of <a href="http://www.dpreview.com/news/0908/09081908canong11.asp" target="_blank">Powershot</a> updates. Apparently we have to wait until 1st September for their next offering. Bugger. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=463 I spent the day today walking around <a href="http://www.rhs.org.uk/WhatsOn/gardens/wisley/index.asp" target="_blank">Wisley Gardens</a>. This shot was taken just as we were leaving. I shot straight into the sun, as you can probably tell. This flower, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmos_(plant)" target="_blank">Cosmos</a> was everywhere and it's gorgeous. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=462 This was taken at <a href="http://www.thegarlicfarm.co.uk/" target="_blank">The Garlic Farm</a>, on the Isle of Wight, last week. If you ever get the chance, go, it's a wonderful place with a great cafe serving great cakes and a shop selling everything with garlic! Having not had the camera out for some time, other than for kids birthday parties, I was reminded how much it is not like "riding a bike". I was flailing all over the place with under exposure, over exposure, forgetting to reset the ISO and generally not taking particularly good photos. Like anything, photography is something you have to continue to work at to produce good results. But at least with a digital camera you can flail around to your heart's content without it costing you anything but your time. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=461 Having a week off work has obviously given me some well needed time with the family, but also some time with the camera as well. Lots of the results have been of kids or kid activities, but I quite liked this shot. Taken at <a href="http://www.blackgangchine.com/" target="_blank">Blackgang Chine</a> you can probably guess who it is, but the title? http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=460 Crawling through the archives again. I'll leave this one to your imagination.* (*I'm going to be in so much trouble for posting this.) http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=459 Having very little else to post recently I thought I'd change the aging Ferrari image to another Ferrari image, but with a little more colour this time. This is also the same car as in this <a href="http://www.londonrubbish.com/index.php?showimage=394" target="_blank">image</a>. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=458 Staying on the car theme, this was taken at the weekend when I was lucky enough to go on a <a href="http://www.scudrunners.net/" target="_blank">Scudrunners</a> trip down to <a href="http://www.clivedenhouse.co.uk/" target="_blank">Cliveden</a>. There must have been nearly 60 Ferraris and Lamborghinis leaving Hyde Park at about 9.30am on Sunday morning. Even when you're not a car nut that's pretty hard to not be impressed by. I may post some from from the meet. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=457 This was taken during my week in Austin, Texas. The classic Citroën was parked in the same place, every day, with the wheels slightly turned. Apparently it did work. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=456 This was taken at the <a href="http://www.artallianceaustin.org/art_city_austin.html" target="_blank">Austin City Art</a> last month whilst I did a ten mile walk around the city. Here's the artist's <a href="http://blog.stone2furniture.com/">stone2furniture.com/</a>. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=455 I've spent the last week working in Austin, Texas. Tomorrow I'm going to spend some more time just walking around the city with a camera and soaking it up. This week I've mostly been in an air conditioned office or eating too much food. This is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_State_Capitol" target="_blank">The Texas State Capitol</a> building that's right <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=texas+state+capitol&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=37.410045,93.164063&ie=UTF8&ll=30.274709,-97.740791&spn=0.00997,0.022745&z=16&iwloc=H" target="_blank">here</a>. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=454 Just a shot I took a few weeks ago whilst walking along Great Eastern Street. Had to post something to get rid of the damn Fish! http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=453 This was taken today at the <a href="http://www.horniman.ac.uk/exhibitions/current_exhibition.php?exhib_id=30" target="_blank">Horniman Museum Aquarium</a>. A friend pointed out that they have one clownfish and one regal blue tang in the tank. Nice touch. I did get a shot where the clownfish was a little more hidden, but this one came out much better. I had to wait for some time to get both fish in the same shot. There's now falling here in London, so tomorrow I will definitely be taking the camera out. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=452 It hasn't stopped raining here for the last two days. It's getting a little boring. Having not had the chance to get with the camera recently I had to trawl through the archives to get rid of Santa. This jumped out at me. Fond memories of a summer day. Remember Summer? http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=451 It's that time of the year again. That time when, however hard you try, you just can't avoid this man. This was taken at Selfridges from one of their many Santa window displays. If you never saw the last post with the same title it's <a href="http://www.londonrubbish.com/index.php?showimage=356" target="_blank">here</a>. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=450 This was taken a few weekends ago, the same day I took <a href="http://www.londonrubbish.com/index.php?showimage=448" target="_blank">this one</a>. I was playing around with over-exposing shots as the sky was already filled with bright white clouds and beyond saving. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=449 These shots were taken at <a href="http://www.horniman.ac.uk/" target="_blank">The Horniman Museum</a>. It's an amazing little museum founded in 1901 by Frederick John Horniman. If you get the chance to visit you really should. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=448 I had a pretty successful day with the camera today. Sometimes it helps just to let go and and try not to get caught up with what the end result might be. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=447 Need I say anymore? :) http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=446 http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=445 This was taken whilst strolling around Pollenca, Mallorca whilst on holiday a month ago. I was so glad I stopped at door to this garage and had a peak inside. If you're interested in the title you can Google "Eskorbuto" that's scratched on the door. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=444 Taken at a friend's house a few weekends ago. I loved the deep red of this van against the grain of the ageing wood. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=443 This was taken on the same walk, around the fields and forests in Edwardstone, as the previous post. I think I could have spent all day strolling around taking photographs. I felt the spark of inspiration again. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=442 Just spent a lovely weekend in Edwardstone visiting some friends. This was taken on Sunday morning whilst walking their dog. We had flasks of tea, empty fields and a cooked breakfast to return to. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=441 Here's another shot from the holiday last week. This was taken while I was strolling around Pollenca, Mallorca. A bit of a photographic cliché, but I like it. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=440 I've just spent the last week in Port de Pollenca, Mallorca with all of the family. All eleven of us! Most of the shots I took were of the kids and the rest of the family. This one is of my better half and Milo strolling along the beach. I have some others from Pollenca which I'll post over the next week or so. Ahhh... I now just have fond memories of warm weather, lazing on the beach and sand in the camera. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=439 This is the Loggia Fountain, based on the Trevi in Rome, taken at Hever Castle over the weekend. There is so much there that is camera worthy, but you really have to go when there are less people or always shoot up. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=438 Spotted this poor fella at the side of the road when I'd stopped to take landscape shot in a field. Not so beautiful as the last shot I posted. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=437 Just a shot taken whilst on a walk a few weekends ago. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=436 This is the last shot I'm going to post from the Battersea Power Station trip. This was taken quickly as we were leaving. Fingers crossed they do something with the station and not let it fall to the ground. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=435 Another shot taken at Battersea Power Station. They wouldn't let us go inside, for obvious reasons but we managed to sneak a peek from one of the open ends and I managed to squeeze the camera lens through some railings. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=434 I took the opportunity to walk around Battersea Power Station with <a href="http://www.webponce.com" target="_blank">Matt</a> this evening and I'm so glad I did. It's open to generate interest and get feedback from the public around the newly proposed <a href="http://arts.guardian.co.uk/art/architecture/story/0,,2286760,00.html" target="_blank">redevelopment</a>. Which is the third proposal in nearly as many decades. I'll let you decide whether that scale of redevelopment is worthwhile. I just wanted to get some great images of an icon of London's skyline. I'll post some more in the next few days. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=433 Another shot from my time spent in Dorset this week. Taken in a field not far from where we're staying. This fella, who was enormous, was quite interested in the camera and I wasn't going to stop him. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=432 This is another shot taken in the field out the back of the farm house we're staying in. I must admit I couldn't believe my luck when I stumbled across all this farm crap lying about in the setting sun. I've been back several times to capture it, but never been quite happy with the results. This one has been messed with quite a bit in Photoshop. It's not HDR, but heading in that direction. Let me know what you think. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=431 This was taken on the hill out the back of the cottage we're staying at in Kitwhistle, Dorset. I couldn't believe my luck when I got up this morning to an extremely blue sky, extremely green grass and an extremely inquisitive cow, bull! More to follow. As long as the weather holds. (There's an argument here over whether this is a cow or a bull?) http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=430 This was taken at Colchester Zoo at the weekend. Again I was trying to get shots that are not the traditional zoo shot you'd see, although it was quite difficult with kids to manage at the same time. I took some others a couple of years ago that you can see <a href="http://www.londonrubbish.com/index.php?showimage=156" target="londonrubbish">here</a>, <a href="http://www.londonrubbish.com/index.php?showimage=155" target="londonrubbish">here</a> and <a href="http://www.londonrubbish.com/index.php?showimage=158" target="londonrubbish">here</a>. Those are better, but I like this lucky shot I managed to capture. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=429 Today I got hassled by two people. A security guard near Victoria, who was very polite and just asked me to stop taking photographs then I was harassed by a homeless guy before I'd even raised the camera. Consequently I'm considering getting a Canon G9 for photo walking. Anyway I'm all out of titles these days. This was taken underneath Hungerford Bridge over the River Thames. There are a selection of amazing portraits and I stupidly forgot to look who they were by and who they are of. Someone enlighten me. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=428 Here's another shot I took whilst photowalking the other day. I was actually just going to take a picture of this large wall which was bathed in light and shadow. As I raised the camera this guy came walking along and I just decided to capture him as well. I'm glad I did as I really like this, although I couldn't think of a title. It's interesting seeing how people react when you're brandishing a SLR in anger. Most people give you a very wide berth, some stop and wait and some even apologise for getting in the way, which always makes me smile. However, I really do prefer the people who don't give a sh*t and just walk right into the shot. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=427 Spent most of the weekend in the garden, hence this post. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=426 Went out again today, headed in a different direction, walking slowing, looking everywhere. When I first started this photoblog I used to go out very regularly and come back with literally hundreds of shots. This of course made it very difficult to pick the keepers. I found myself being a little more selective today and I came back with eight, three of which I think I could post. This was taken through the window of a pub, which I stupidly forgot to take the name of. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=425 I went <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photowalking" target="_blank">photowalking</a> today for the first time in quite a while. It's a challenge when you don't yet know the area too well and you're a little rusty spotting worthwhile subjects. This was taken outside the Home Office. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=424 We rushed out to Keston Ponds at the weekend as soon as we saw the sun was going to stay out longer than five minutes. I've taken artistic license with some of the primary colours in this shot :) http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=423 Running out of things to post, so again I'm resorting to animals. Children next, obviously. I didn't actually intend to leave the camera on f1.8 when I shot this. I think I was just engrossed by the fact that this reindeer was staring at me with a look of contempt on his face. What does he know? http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=422 It's the crane in this shot that gives it away. This was taken from the top of St. Edward's Tower at <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westminster_Cathedral" target="_blank">Westminster Cathedral</a>. If you're ever passing and fancy a different view over London, it's well worth the five quid it cost to be taken up in the little lift. The money goes towards helping them stop the cathedral falling to bits as well. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=421 I ventured to the South Bank a few nights back, with the camera in tow, but didn't manage to take any shots. Then in the restaurant later that evening it was just sat on the table when I noticed these two characters striking quite a pose whilst deep in conversation. I couldn't resist. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=420 We set off towards Hever Castle this morning and we're driving for 40 minutes in glorious sunshine until we got there. Then it poured down and didn't stop. So we went for a drive and ended up in Westerham for lunch. In a brief lull in the downpour I shot this in the church graveyard. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=418 We took the kids to a farm today, so as usual I was tormenting all the animals with my camera. This goat seemed to like having his portrait taken. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=417 Just a bit of fun from the weekend. Apparently, this is my son's superhero face. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=416 This shot was taken a while ago when spring was definitely not on the cards. Today it seems to be more forceful in approach. (If you're interested, this one was processed totally in Adobe Lightroom). http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=415 21st century religion. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=414 This image was taken whilst on a visit to <a href="http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/nav.001002003005002006001" target="_blank">Tilbury Fort</a>. It's been sat in my archives for a while now and gives me shivers every time I look at it. I knew I was going to get myself reflected in the glass but it was the reflection on the left of the image, that I hadn't noticed until I framed the shot, that really struck me. I can't even begin to imagine the fear a parent must of felt when they had to put their child into one of these. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=413 This weekend was spent how it should be, with family. This was taken whilst we were strolling around the, very humid, <a href="http://www.rhs.org.uk/WhatsOn/Gardens/wisley/theglasshouse/" target=_blank">Glass House</a> at Wisley Gardens. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=412 Ok, so as you've probably guessed these are the kids. This photo was taken a while back now, but I've only just decided today that I should put this up. They'd both just had a bath, were messing about on the bed and I just grabbed the camera and got them to pose. It taught me not to constantly leave the camera on f4.0 as I've got my little girl's face spot on, hence my son's face being slightly softer and out of focus. It also taught me to have the camera to hand as much as possible, especially when you have kids. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=411 This was taken in the same park as the previous image and is just something that caught my eye. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=410 The beginning of another mad year no doubt. Which bird would you be? I'm going to stop apologising for not posting more frequently. This year I'm going take shots when I can and post when I can. No self imposed pressure. Thank you for all your visits and all your comments in 2007. This year just keep visiting when you can and comment when you feel like it. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=409 My take on <a href="http://www.tate.org.uk/modern/exhibitions/louisebourgeois/default.shtm" target="_blank">Louise Bourgeois's</a> Maman (The Mother Spider) that sits outside the Tate Modern. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=408 This is one of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Moore" target="_blank">Henry Moore</a> sculptures at Kew Gardens. There are about 25 sculptures around the gardens, but we only managed to see a few. (Middle distance walking with a two stone three year old on your shoulders isn't recommended.) It's well worth a visit and you could easily spend the best part of a day strolling around. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=407 Not nearly as good as <a href="http://www.londonrubbish.com/index.php?showimage=348" target="londonrubbish">last year's</a> or the <a href="http://www.londonrubbish.com/index.php?showimage=131" target="londonrubbish">year before that</a>, but I've set myself up here so I had to post something. Happy Halloween! http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=406 This is another of the shots I managed to get whilst getting the chance to spend a little time in London last weekend. With the low light and no tripod I had to improvise and balance the camera on a handrail of some stairs. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=405 Thanks for all the comments on the previous image. I think the *rooster* would be very proud to know so many people liked his expression. I finally managed to get into London at the weekend and spent some time strolling along the South Bank. I've got a few images I may post although the light was low and with no tripod my options were limited. This image is kind of a follow up to <a href="http://www.londonrubbish.com/index.php?showimage=144" target="londonrubbish">this one</a> and even though it's not as visually engaging I still quite like it. I know had much the same feeling when I was taking it. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=404 I've kind of let LONDONRUBBISH slide this year. My rate of posts has been pretty pitiful to say the least and I'm annoyed at myself for letting this happen. I took the camera out today just to take some pictures of my kids swimming and realised that my eye, and my camera are not getting the exercise they used to. I need to stop using the busyness of my life as an excuse and just sort it out. And I thank those who have hung on to my RSS feed, all 500 of you, because I would have given up and dropped it by now if I were you. So, fingers crossed. (Again) http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=403 This one has sat in my "maybes" for a while and I'm still not sure about it. I know it's just a flower shot, but let me know what you think. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=402 http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=401 More post-processing than photography, but this is what insects must see when they're crawling through the undergrowth. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=400 Garlic? Butter? http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=399 Taken a few weekends ago at the Scooter Rally on the Isle of Wight. Apologies for the lack of posts recently. No excuses, I'm just having a creative lapse again, being over critical of my shots and hence not posting anything. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=398 I was in the Isle of Wight at the weekend and to say the weather was glorious doesn't do it justice. Everyone headed straight for the beaches with the power boat racing and the scooter rally just adding to the fun. This is <a href="http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=steephill+cove&sll=50.588359,-1.222508&sspn=0.008937,0.020771&ie=UTF8&ll=50.589027,-1.223881&spn=0.008937,0.020771&t=k&z=16&iwloc=addr&om=1" target="_blank">Steephill Cove</a> and my son and better half are in there somewhere, buried knee deep in a whole he was helping dig. I love this picture, it just sums up British summer time to me. I have a few more to post over the next few days. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=397 Taken from the ferry on my way back from France a few weeks ago. I was a little seasick, but mainly due to stepping outside into a plume of smoke from all the fag ash lils hanging off the back of the boat. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=396 More tinkering with stones and lots of patience. Boring for those who are after something more engaging. Although I'm quite pleased with these as they're the first counter balances I've managed. I just need to try it on a larger scale. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=395 Just a little experiment with a fast shutter speed, a swimming pool, a beach ball and a willing assistant. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=394 Cut it up for parts or sell it? http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=393 Taken in the garden this morning, when the water was still hanging in the air. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=392 Another shot taken over the weekend at Christmas Tree Farm in Downe, Kent. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=391 I stumbled across <i>this little fella</i> in the garden at the weekend. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=390 The camera came out quite a lot this weekend, although not in London. I have a few shots I think might be worthy of posting and this is one of my favourites. The 50mm 1:1.8, which I don't get out often enough, is a wonderful lens. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=389 I haven't much to say about this one. It's a sculpture by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_Hepworth" target="_blank">Barbara Hepworth</a> called "Family of Man" and it was taken at Snape Maltings in Suffolk. I applied most of the black and white processing in Adobe Lightroom, only moving into Photoshop for cropping and the addition of the noise. We're heading back home tomorrow so posts may wane for a while again. Although I'm hopefully heading off to France in a few weeks time so I should be able to capture something with the camera. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=388 Another shot taken at <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walberswick" target="_blank">Walberswick</a> beach, where the wind was strong, the reeds were tall and I got sand in my sandwiches. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=387 We braved the beach at Walberswick today and huddled behind a wind break for several hours until the weather got the better of us. This is Sidney, our friend's five year old Cocker Spaniel, and I think he was contemplating rushing into the water again. We stayed well away from it, however there was the usual fat old lady wading out for a dip into the freezing abyss. Madness I tell ya, madness! http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=386 This is The Scallop by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maggi_Hambling" target="_blank">Maggi Hambling</a>. It sits on the beach in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aldeburgh" target="_blank">Aldeburgh</a> on the east coast of Suffolk. I was lying all over the stones trying to spot odd angles, but settled on this straight on shot that everyone must take. Somebody else's art and best left alone. My son and I spent hours just sitting on and around it enjoying the sun. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=385 A holiday, at last. I have a week, with the family and the camera. Let's see what happens. This was taken on the east coast of Suffolk and we did get caught in the storm that you see brewing in the distance. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=384 I just wanted to let everyone (anyone who still visits) know that I'm still here. Just. The new job, new baby and new house all took their toll recently and I've not had a chance for photography. I will start again soon, just have patience. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=383 My son seems more keen to pose for the camera these days, as he really enjoys seeing the results right away. Although he wobbled a little when standing high up on this fallen tree trunk and wanted to get down pretty sharpish. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=382 I'm still not getting the camera out much these days, but I couldn't miss this. Trafalgar Square turned into a <a href="http://na.visitlondon.com/whats_on/special_events/village_green_trafalgar.html" target="_blank">village green</a>. Lovely. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=381 Apologies for not posting for nearly a month. With a new baby and a new job as well as not being in central London, I'm finding it very difficult to get out with the camera. I got a concerned email asking if I was OK 'which was nice' - I'm OK. Hopefully I'll get back into it next month as I may be working in London again. However I'm also moving house one weekend then moving office the next, so don't expect regular posts just yet. As for this shot, it was taken nearly three years ago in Paris. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=380 I'm not sure if this is a Banksy, probably not. There's so much stencil graffiti around London these days. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=379 Just a simple shot along the Thames, taken from Waterloo Bridge using the same tone as the previous <a href="http://www.londonrubbish.com/index.php?showimage=378">Hanami</a> shot. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=378 http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=377 Another shot from my trip to the Isle of Wight at the weekend, far from London. I might have to rename my blog at this rate. Oh, and if you're interested I was interviewed recently for the <a href="http://tinyurl.com/2hew9a" target="_blank">London Photobloggers : Spotlight</a>. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=376 Ok, so this isn't London. Sorry. I spent my Easter weekend in the Isle of Wight and this was taken off the coast at Nodes Point. I've got a little addicted to rock balancing and tried larger rocks than usual. The angle I took this shot at doesn't really give a sense of scale - the near foundation stone you can see was about as large as I could carry and I'm no slouch. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=375 Having had a long break from walking around London with the camera, it was interesting to start afresh at the weekend. I found that my attention to detail wasn't quite as good, I got unecessarily distracted by things that I would have normally filtered out and I meandered about without any real direction. In the past I'd get an idea or pass a subject on the way to work, returning later in the day with real focus. I would then concentrate on achieving a particular look with the right light or sit and wait for the right moment to pass. Unbeknown to me I'd built up a skill at getting a relatively good image in a short space of time. So while out with the camera this weekend I was happily unware of the fact, but looking back over the shots I've captured it's struck me that I've got out of practice. It was humbling to realise you can't just pick up a camera, surround yourself with inspiration and get a good photograph. Kind of how I felt when I started this. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=374 I bit of an obvious shot to take I know, but I like it. I was a little afraid... http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=373 This is the Carsten Höller installation in The Tate Modern. It's been there for some time now, but gets dismantled on April 15th so I trekked down there today to get a final few shots. I was kneeling at the far end of the turbine hall when I took this and it was very empty and eerily quiet. I've actually still not been on the slides, but they do look fun. So if you've not seen it or been on it I suggest you get down there before it's gone forever. It's been a while since I had so much time to just stroll around London and I really enjoyed it. I have quite a few pictures to post, mainly because I bumped into <a href="http://www.themarchingband.com" target="_blank">The Marching Band</a> and followed them for an hour or so. I'll post the best of the images in the next day or so, but you can see the whole set at my <a href="http://tinyurl.com/yvmbr8" target="_blank">flickr account</a> if you're interested. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=372 I spent most of my weekend with family, but also with one of <a href="http://shop.lomography.com/holga/" target="_blank">these</a> within reach. I suspect I will have some odd shots when I get the film developed and I'm going to post the results. This shot was taken with my Canon, but through the view finder of the Holga. Absolut and Lomo recently launched a project to invite budding photographers to post creative images to a Photo Wall. They had over 27,000 entries in three months and you can see the results here at <a href="http://www.absolutlomo.com" target="_blank">The Absolut Lomo Project</a>. The competition is closed now, but take a look at the Top Ten as there are some great images taken straight from film - with no Photoshop in sight! Anyway, I bagged a camera to help promote it a little, but I've also got one <a href="http://shop.lomography.com/shop/main.php?cat=&pro=hck" target="_blank">Holga Starter Kit</a> to give away. So stayed tuned this week and I'll think of a cunning way to let you get your hands on it. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=371 "If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you'll never get it done." I spend too much time thinking about photography. Here's something I did the other night. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=370 I had the opportunity the other day to talk to someone at length about my photography. Usually I'm presented with glazed over eyes after about five minutes so this was a refreshing change. The person in question had a motive behind it all and was happy for me to natter away. Our discussions headed towards why I got interested in photography and it really got me thinking about why I chose to pursue it. I wont bore you with the details, suffice to say that it made me scour over my archives and I came across this image. It was taken some time ago on my first prosumer digital camera and I think at this point I'd decided that I was going to try and draw on my creative side. Something I don't often get to do in my day job. Recently, with the arrival of our baby daughter and my new job I've had little time to get out with the camera. I'm starting to get the itch again and this image depicts exactly what I need to do... Focus and frame the colour. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=369 Over the past two weeks, since our daughter was born, we've been trying to settle into some sort of routine. As someone pointed out the other day... "Dealing with a second child is just juggling another ball, you've already got a few in the air with your first." ...and it's very true. Our son is adjusting quite well to having a little sister, giving her kisses and cuddles and rushing to tell us to pick her up when she cries. Although, I'm sure she'll give him a run for his money when she gets a bit older. Today I managed to get out with him and go to our local playzone. This shot was snapped just before I got told off for using a camera. Grumble, grumble. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=368 As I mentioned, it's likely to be baby and toddler images for the next few days as I'm going to be off work for a while. This is Ruby and she has just turned 43 hours of age as I write this. The last two days seem like a complete blur. Family everywhere, a rush to hospital, a quick delivery followed by a quick return home, family everywhere again, a surveyor's visit (we're selling our flat), midwives, lots of outings with my son and generally not a lot of sleep. But everyone is very healthy and very happy. And for the music fans that didn't already know, the <a href="http://www.kaiserchiefs.co.uk" target="_blank">Kaiser Chiefs</a> topped the UK charts with "Ruby" on the night she was born. We didn't know this until after she was named :) http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=367 You can all expect a few babies pictures over the coming weeks. I'm a Dad again. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=366 Finding myself on a beach on Saturday morning I got the urge to construct another <a href="http://www.londonrubbish.com/index.php?showimage=326" target="londonrubbish">stone tower</a>. But I couldn't get it as high as I wanted, I couldn't get my son to stand next to it and it fell when I tried to change the top stone. So it was not quite worthy. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=365 People without children might find this all a bit soppy... Today my son has randomly mood swinged from being an absolute angel one minute to an absolute tyrant the next. I spent the morning with him in the park, feeding the ducks, playing on the swings and cycling around. But this was then marred by a screaming tantrum on the way home because I wouldn't let him have a <a href="http://www.lindt.co.uk/4442/4489/4486.asp" target="_blank">chocolate bunny</a> from the shop we stopped at to get some bread. We got home, he calmed down, had a sleep, then sat cuddled next to me chatting while he ate his lunch and random people wandered around our flat deciding whether to buy it. Our afternoon was then spent wandering around random houses that are too small and overpriced, but he lightened the mood by amusingly looking for toys and <a href="http://www.numatic.co.uk/products4.asp?id=1" target="_blank">Henrys</a>. This then ended when we returned home and he had another tantrum on the doorstep because we wouldn't let him stand on the pavement on his own while I unloaded the car. Yet after his dinner, which he insisted he ate with me, we had a photo session in the bath prompted by him making bubble beards and funny faces. Children pull at every heart string, every minute of the day. There's moments when you just want to cry with joy followed by moments when you want to scream at them as loud as you can. Yet at the end of a challenging day when you're sat there staring at a picture of them you realise they are the centre of your world and you have no recollection of what you did before they arrived. At the moment we're trying to sell our flat, there's is another baby due in five weeks and my son is heading towards three years of age so it's understandable he's finding it all a bit of a challenge. Angel? Sometimes. Would I have it any other way? Never. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=364 Firstly, thank you for all the constant visits and comments over the last few weeks. Having started a new job, not quite in the centre of London, I've found it a little difficult to get out with the camera. Also, it's been very dreary outside and other than the smattering of snow very grey and colourless. Not great for photography. However, I'm starting to feel the itch to get out with the camera returning. A splash of colour peeking through. Fingers crossed. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=363 <b>Update</b>: Chookooloonks got there first, so she's getting all the prints, sorry to those that missed it. Just hang on for more spares I may come across. <b>Update</b>: It's horrible wet weather today so I'm stuck inside having a bit of de-clutter. In one of my many boxes I stumbled across some LONDONRUBBISH prints that'll never get around to framing, so thought I'd just give them away here. There's three 10x8" prints; <a href="http://www.londonrubbish.com/index.php?showimage=274" target="londonrubbish">Ram</a>, <a href="http://www.londonrubbish.com/index.php?showimage=205" target="londonrubbish">The Time Traveller's Wife</a> and <a href="http://www.londonrubbish.com/index.php?showimage=39" target="londonrubbish">Inspiration</a>. The first to <a href="mailto:mark@londonrubbish.com?subject=Gimme, gimme">ask nicely</a> gets all three. Simply as that. Happy New Year to you all, belated as it is. I want to thank everyone for the comments you posted last year and also apologise for my lack of response. Towards the end of 2006 I wasn't posting as often as I wanted, mainly due to work pressures, but also because I was having a bit of a creative lull. I hope to rectify at least one of those in 2007. This shot was taken from Queen's View in Pitlochry, Scotland just up the road from where I spent my New Year's Eve. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=362 This is what I got for Christmas. What did you get? (Check my <a href="http://flickr.com/photos/londonrubbish/334238465/" target="blank">flickr account</a> for more details.) http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=361 Christmas is now all about this little guy and it makes such a refreshing change. To see someone get excited about crackers, sparkly lights and cheesy inflatable santas is just wonderful. He keeps asking if Father Christmas is coming and is totally unaware of the ton of presents he'll get to open tomorrow. With another on the way, next Christmas is going to be twice as much fun. Hope you all have a wonderful few days. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=360 These slides have been at the Tate Modern for some time, but this is the first time I've had a chance to get down there. Capturing people in the tube as they whizzed past was pretty difficult. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=359 I know Christmas is only around the corner and I should be posting festive images, but I could seriously do with a nice sunny day. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=358 Another from the window of Selfridges in Oxford Street. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=357 I hung around for longer than is normal trying to get something with this sign, but this is the best I could do. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=356 He's on his way. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=355 http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=354 The Christmas decorations are vying for our attention on Oxford Street already. This one above French Connection really catches the eye, but more for the fact that the building above it is *so* dull. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=353 I spent some time going through <a href="http://flickr.com/photos/eamon/" target="_blank">stpiduko's</a> flickr photostream the other day and was inspired. Then I dugg my archives and found this one. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=352 <a href="http://www.londonist.com/archives/2006/11/mammoth.php" target="_blank">Mammoth? Not really.</a> More of a girly looking, ginger haired elephant on wheels. I wasn't impressed. The <a href="http://www.londonrubbish.com/index.php?showimage=268" target="londonrubbish">Sultan's Elephant</a> still rocks my world. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=351 Taken some time ago now, but one I kept going back to. I'm going to forget how to use the camera if I'm not careful. Oh, and it does annoy me when I want a straight picture and can't get it. London just isn't straight. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=350 Taken from the window seat of my flight back from Amsterdam. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=349 Taken a few weeks ago from the OXO Tower. I'm still not managing to get out with the camera. Hopefully next week will prove more fruitful. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=348 Happy Halloween! (I didn't quite have the time to do something as good as <a href="http://www.londonrubbish.com/index.php?showimage=131" target="londonrubbish">last year's</a>.) http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=347 Thanks for all comments on the previous post, it wasn't really photographically inspiring but just a nice image. I'm struggling to get out with the camera this week due to work pressure, so here's one of the little man. Taken at <a href="http://www.dinosaurisle.com/" target="_blank">Dinosaur Isle</a> on the Isle of Wight. Once he had the brush and goggles, after a root around in the sand for fossils, he wouldn't take them off. I'm actually quite chuffed he's started to willingly pose for photos these days. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=346 Entitled by my son. We do like big boats and cranes etc etc. Taken from the seafront in Cowes. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=345 The creativity has taken a bit of a dip these days. Let's hope a man eating fish doesn't get me. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=344 So much excitement from simply running until they wore themselves out and then went to feeds the ducks. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=343 Somebody else's art...taken at the <a href="http://www.friezeartfair.com/" target="_blank">Frieze Art Fair</a> in Regent's Park. This is actually a heap of old computer mice sprayed a grotesque red and it stopped me in my tracks. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=342 Not a great deal to say about this one. It was taken at<a href="http://www.vinopolis.co.uk" target="_blank">Vinopolis</a>, while I was supposed to tasting wine. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=340 Apologies for the lack of updates recently. Having not had the time as well as being over critical of my Amsterdam efforts, I thought I'd give it a rest until I shot something I was happy with. This was taken along Oxford Street, outside Debenhams. I think. This scene stopped me in my tracks and made me smile. Especially the smaller picture they're working from, just in case the guy forgets how to put a woman together. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=339 Thanks for the comments on the previous post, I think most preferred the black and white image and <a href="http://www.mysteryme.com" target="_blank">Gary</a> really helped by giving taking my RAW file and showing me what he would have done with the image. So here's another portrait, taken on the last day in Amsterdam. About ten of us passed this fella as we got together before lunch and *everyone* spotted him. Most walked away, but I decided at the last minute to ask for his portrait. I don't actually think he understood me until I waved the camera gently in front of him. He responded with an appreciative grunt and I took a few shots. It was a little rushed, as I didn't want to upset him, so I'm not too pleased with the framing or the background, but I do love his expression or lack of it. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=338 <b>Update:</b> <a href="http://www.mysteryme.com" target="_blank">Gary</a> posted a comment about this shot yesterday, saying... "Mark, this is an absolutely fantastic portrait, but personally, I'd get rid of the green tinge and check the Levels. I've sent you an example." So here's the example. I think he's right about the Green tinge, I'd be interested in your thoughts. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=337 There's not much I can say about this shot. I passed this guy in a market in Amsterdam, he was playing a harmonica (which you can't really see) - I handed him some change, asked if I could take his picture, and left with this. The easiest street photography. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=336 Spotted whilst strolling the streets in Amsterdam. The fact that his t-shirt matched the scaffolding covers caught my eye. God is in the details. If you're interested, the <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/2006epmeetup/" target="_blank">2006epmeetup</a> flickr pool is growing and there are some good images cropping up. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=335 Another shot from my trip to Amsterdam, I hope I'm not boring you yet. There were too many bikes, too many boats and too many canals. I was presented with obvious shots at every turn. This sight made me smile though. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=334 This is De Bazel building in Amsterdam. It used to be the home of Nederlandsche Handel-Maatschappij, or ABN-AMRO bank, but they moved out a long time ago. Apparently it's now used to store municipal archives. From what I can find out on the web, 'Leo Bezet' means that the space has been 'taken by Leo' for selling goods on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koninginnedag" target="_blank">Queen's Day</a>. I have no idea about the grafitti, but I thought it made a great contrast to the carved statues. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=333 Well I had a good weekend in Amsterdam at the 2006 <a href="http://www.europephotobloggers.org/" target="_blank">European Photobloggers</a> meetup. I met some great people, took quite a few pictures and walked a lot! Now I'm tired, my feet ache and I don't know what to post. Thanks to <a href="http://www.brownglasses.com" target="_blank">Rachel</a> and <a href="http://two-muses.com" target="_blank">Lynn</a> for organizing it all and I'm glad I went along as I got to put some faces to well known websites. If you drop by the following over the next few days you're bound to see lots of Amsterdam images... <a href="http://www.eos-chaos.com" target="_blank">Chuks</a>, <a href="http://www.mysteryme.com" target="_blank">Gary</a>, <a href="http://lostinshots.com/" target="_blank">Marina</a>, <a href="http://smudo.org" target="_blank">Fredrik</a>, <a href="http://on-no.net/" target="_blank">Onno</a>, <a href="http://lbstone.com" target="_blank">Brandon</a>, <a href="http://okewlus.com/" target="_blank">Alex</a>, <a href="http://www.skinnybuzzard.com/" target="_blank">Paul</a>, <a href="http://www.pic-a-day.co.uk" target="_blank">Neil</a>, <a href="http://www.dutchphotoday.nl/" target="_blank">Rob and Piet</a>, <a href="http://andrew-chang.com/pblog/" target="_blank">Andy</a> and <a href="http://www.geoffbennett.com/" target="_blank">Geoff</a>. There were others, but I can't remember them all right now. There's also the <a href="http://flickr.com/photos/tags/2006epmeetup/" target="_blank">flickr images</a> - oh dear - mug shots of me already. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=332 This gentleman was sitting outside Selfridges on Oxford Street making sketches of the <i>"outrageous outfits"</i>, as he called them, in the window displays. We had a short chat, with me telling him that I take photographs of a lot of the window displays. I think there was a little mutual appreciation. Not sure if this shot works, but it was a moment I captured and wanted to share. Hopefully I'll see some of you at the <a href="http://www.europephotobloggers.org/" target="_blank">Europe Photobloggers</a> meetup this weekend. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=331 Having not been out with the camera much lately I've had to resort to archive raiding and I came across this. It's not the best quality image, but of course it means a lot to me so I thought I should post otherwise it would probably never see the light of day. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=330 Right. Back to some rubbish then. If you're going to the <a href="http://www.europephotobloggers.org/" target="_blank">Europe Photobloggers</a> meetup this weekend, I'll see you there. I'm quite looking forward to it. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=329 Thanks for all the comments on the previous post, "It looks like a continent!" was a comment made by quite a few people who saw the image before I posted it. This is the last beach shot I'm posting. Honest. Taken on the same morning, but again, facing the other way. <b>Update:</b> Just thought that I should let you all know that I annoyingly managed to purchase a fake Sandisk Extreme III 4.0Gb card from a seller on eBay yesterday. I found this <a href="http://tinyurl.com/pphfh" target="_blank">eBay Guide</a> that points out clues to determine whether the card is genuine or not. Mine was not. I've managed to get the seller to refund in full (plus return shipping), but I've reported them to Sandisk. I think quite a few people have been caught out and some unknowingly may be using the fake cards. Be on the look out. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=328 Thanks for the comments on yesterday's post. As I've said before I'm very wary of posting too many sunrise shots, but I felt this one was sufficiently different to the norm. It was taken through a hole in the rocks along the beach and was an opportunity I'd spotted the day before. I've got one more beach shot I want to post then I'm going for a deep blue sky as I haven't done that for a while. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=327 This shot was taken on the same beach as yesterday's, but looking in the other direction and a little earlier in the day. It actually wasn't that early, only 7.15am for a sunrise - although I was still there first person there. Oh and if you were interested in the height of yesterday's stone tower, just click back a image. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=326 <b>SteveO</b>: Well done. Here's my son, just confirming the height. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=325 Apologies for the lack of posts over the past two weeks. Last week I was away in Portugal on a well earned holiday and there was no sign of an internet connection. The week prior to that I was so busy at work that I had no time get out with the camera, let alone post. Anyway, I got a handful of images from Portugal that I'm quite happy with, this being one of them. I will post the others over the next few days. And if you're wondering, yes - I did build this. Can you guess it's height? (If you're going to the <a href="http://www.europephotobloggers.org/" target="_blank">Europe Photobloggers</a> meetup, I'll be there. I'm looking forward to it.) http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=324 I wasn't really sure what I could capture in front of this billboard, but when this came off the camera I kind of liked it. It was taken outside Nike Town, on Oxford Street, in the same place as <a href="http://www.londonrubbish.com/index.php?showimage=298" target="londonrubbish">this one</a>. I did have to wait for a while to get a clear shot and I also I got harassed by some woman because she thought she got caught in the frame. I had to go through the images on my camera to prove I wasn't snapping her. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=323 I thought I should show you this photograph. It was taken a few minutes before <a href="http://www.londonrubbish.com/index.php?showimage=322" target="londonrubbish">yesterday's</a>. As I was hovering about with the camera, trying not to look too dodgy, a group of guys walked past. They looked like well healed tourists and I'd passed them earlier as they were coming out of a tailor's on Savile Row. As I looked up from my <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chimping" target="_blank">chimping</a> this guy smiled and said... "Hey, you wanna take a picture of an American?"<br> "Yeah OK." I replied<br> "You sure?"<br> "Yeah, cool. Go on, stand there. So where you from?" I asked as I pointed the camera at him... "THE U.S of A!!" I never got his name, but I'm going to call him 'R' as that's what he's got engraved on his gold tooth. What a guy - he was very pleased with himself. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=322 Can you imagine this scene if it was a man walking past a billboard of scantily clad women. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=321 This is <a href="http://www.stgeorgeshanoversquare.org/" target="_blank">Saint George's Church</a> just off <a href="http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=W1S+1FX&ie=UTF8&om=1" target="_blank">Hanover Square</a>. I stroll past it regularly when I'm out with the camera and usually the doors are firmly shut, but today they were open and the view inside was stunning. I really haven't done the scene justice here; I had no tripod on me, it was difficult to balance and the low foreground light forced the ISO up. For me, the memory is better than the photograph. Anyway, if you're interested there's a colour version <a href="http://www.londonrubbish.com/images/alternatives/20060823.jpg" target="londonrubbish">here</a>, but I preferred the black and white. I'd like to know which you prefer. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=320 Not a great deal to say about this one other than it's something that stopped me in my tracks and I tried various different angles, this being my favourite. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=319 Thanks again for all the comments on the previous shot. This was taken on the same day in Green Park where they have recently replaced some of the deck chairs with designs by twenty five artists and designers. You can read more about it here at <a href="http://www.royalparks.gov.uk/support/foundation/deckchairdreams/home.cfm" target="_blank">Deck Chair Dreams</a>. This particular one was designed by William Alsop. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=318 I decided to go out for another attempt at some street photography today, as I've not just strolled around with the camera in hand for a while. I got a few shots of passers by, this being my favourite. I managed to capture it just before it started raining. Oh, and I'll keep banging on about this for a little while... <a href="http://www.londonrubbish.com/t-series" target="_blank">www.londonrubbish.com/t-series</a> ...it's a little project that <a href="http://www.chromasia.com" target="_blank">David</a> and I got involved in for Sony to help promote their T-Series cameras. We were given the cameras for just over a week and asked to take twenty of our best shots. Not easy. Anyway, you can see the the results and read an interview with me and David on the <a href="http://www.sony.co.uk/view/ShowArticle.action?section=en_GB_Products&article=1149156978950&site=odw_en_GB" target="_blank">Sony website</a>. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=317 This shot was taken the same morning as <a href="http://www.londonrubbish.com/index.php?showimage=308" target="londonrubbish">this</a>. I toyed with it for a while, but was never quite happy. So I thought I'd try HDR as I wanted to try and retain the contrast and detail in the wood as well as the exposure in the sky. I know it's <a href="http://www.chromasia.com" target="_blank">chromasia</a> style, but trudging down the beach I felt I owed it to Dave to grovel in the sand at least once. So while mentioning the devil I thought I should show you this... <a href="http://www.londonrubbish.com/t-series" target="_blank">www.londonrubbish.com/t-series</a> ...it's a little project that David and I got involved in for Sony to help promote their T-Series cameras. We were given the cameras for just over a week and asked to take twenty of our best shots. Not easy. Anyway, you can see the the results and read an interview with me and David on the <a href="http://www.sony.co.uk/view/ShowArticle.action?section=en_GB_Products&article=1149156978950&site=odw_en_GB" target="_blank">Sony website</a>. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=316 <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/24_%28number%29" target="_blank">24</a>. Following on from yesterday's number theme I stumbled across this before I got to 49. Not as impressive, but I do like all the overgrown plants. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=315 <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/49_%28number%29" target="_blank">49</a> This building along Marylebone High Street used to be an old car park. This entrance hall is 16 metres long, apparently to "give visitors a sense of journey from the busy street into the quiet, cool, crisp speculative office space." It was designed by these guys... <a href="http://www.hutarchitecture.com" target="_blank">hutarchitecture.com</a> http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=314 This was taken last month in Bournemouth, when the skies were very blue and the sun was very hot. It's all a bit different in London at the moment. The title is from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rime_of_the_Ancient_Mariner" target="_blank">The Rime of the Ancient Mariner</a> by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=313 Taken in <a href="http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=Trafalgar+Square,+Westminster,+Greater+London,+SW1&ie=UTF8&ll=51.505711,-0.123746&spn=0.010444,0.029697&om=1" target="_blank">Trafalgar Square</a> when the sun was blazing, the tourists were swarming (as were the pigeons) and the builders were slacking. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=312 When the light is right, the mundane can become truly beautiful. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=311 Sunday afternoon at <a href="http://www.fruitstock.co.uk" target="_blank">Fruitstock 2006</a> in Regents Park. Nice people, nice music, nice food and nice drink. If you didn't make it then put in it in the diary for next year. The dance tent was nuts! More in my flickr account <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/londonrubbish/sets/72157594226662201/" target="_blank">here</a>. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=310 <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airship_R101" target="_blank">R101</a>. First person to tell me where this was taken can have a free 12x8" print of their choice.* *(Fathers, mothers, brothers, partners and in-laws are banned from entering.) <b>Update:</b> This evening I went along to the <a href="http://www.discoveryseries.nl/" target="_blank">Canon EOS Discovery</a> series in London. Basically it was a promotional event for EOS digital SLR photography, but with on-stage presentations from <a href="http://www.andyearl.com" target="_blank">Andy Earl</a> which were excellent. Also, I had this <a href="http://www.londonrubbish.com/index.php?showimage=298" target="_londonrubbish">image</a> selected, from a few hundred that were submitted, and it got a great on-stage critique. Well worth a visit if you can get yourself booked on it. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=309 Thanks to everyone for the comments on the previous shot. It was well worth getting up early for and is definitely something I will be doing again. Having got the good response I did I spent the evening, the second evening in succession, tinkering with another beach shot, but I just couldn't quite process it how I wanted. So I gave up and settled on something a little less serious. Fortunately when he licked out, I just managed to get the camera out of the way. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=308 4.38am. That's the time I got up this morning to go and get this shot. It's the first time I've actually got my arse out of bed to catch a sunrise and it was well worth it. This was taken from the beach at <a href="http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=Duver+Road,+Saint+Helens,+Isle+of+Wight,+PO33&ie=UTF8&ll=50.699828,-1.104813&spn=0.035989,0.099134&om=1" target="_blank">St. Helens, Isle of Wight</a> this morning. It's quite a nice feeling being on the beach on your own to watch the sunrise. I'll have to make more of a habit of it. Tonight I might chase the sunset on the other side of the island. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=307 Thank you for all your comments on the previous image, it's encouraging to see an image I really like getting a good response. I'm on the Isle of Wight now for a long weekend and it's also the start of <a href="http://www.cowesweek.org/" target="_blank">Cowes Week.</a> so inevitably I'll be posting a few pictures of boats. (There are quite a few about, it's difficult not too.) This morning there was a stunning blue sky with wispy clouds, my favourite, but now I'm sitting inside and it's looking a bit grim and wet. Fingers crossed for the next few days. Looking at this image again just before posting it I think I may have over cooked it a little. Let me know what you think. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=306 I've had a bit of time off from the camera over the last couple of days and it's been a refreshing change. I think it helps from time to time to just put it away and simply see with your eyes. <b>Update:</b> I've been having some serious problems with my hosting provider recently, so I'm moving the site. Today I've waited on technical support lines for more than thirty minutes, twice. So don't use <a href="http://www.f2s.co.uk" target="_blank">Freedom2Surf</a>, they're appalling. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=305 Here's a shot from <a href="http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=West+Lulworth,+Dorset,+BH20&ie=UTF8&om=1" target="_blank">Lulworth Cove</a> on the Jurassic Coast in Dorset. I wasn't really there at the right time of the day for shots like this, as I ended up pointing into the sun. So I've done quite a bit of Photoshop on this, with varying masked curves layers to try to darken the sky and lighten the coastline. I think it's given in an odd CGI feel and I kept toying with the idea of dropping a dinosaur in there somewhere. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=304 Another shot from the Jurassic Coast in Dorset. I walked down the hill from the sub tropical gardens and was quite taken with this lone windswept tree. I'm hoping to get out around London for some more urban photography in the next few days, although at the moment it's far to hot to be lugging a camera around. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=303 Well I survived the Stag Weekend, which actually turned out to be relatively civilised, apart from being shot at during the paint ball session. I've got a stack of photos from the holiday in Dorset, but most of them are "family album" rather than "blog" material, but I may post a few more. This one was taken in the Sub Tropical Gardens in <a href="http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=DT3+4LA&ie=UTF8&ll=50.662085,-2.629852&spn=0.317303,0.950317&om=1" target="_blank">Abbotsbury, Dorset</a>. It was at the top of the new Magnolia Walk, which obviously isn't quite finished. You still get some stunning views up and down the coastline, but I couldn't resist the JCB against the blue sky ;) During the holiday I also decided I might curb the frequency of my posts a little. Going out with the camera everyday gets a little much and I need to do other things with my spare time as well as photography. So I'm going to try to do less, but better. Let's see how that goes. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=302 I've been so busy and all over the place for the last week I just simply haven't had to time to pick up the camera, let alone post anything to the blog. Thanks for all the comments on the last two macro flower shots, simple as they were. I'm off to Dorset for a week tomorrow, for a well earned rest, and hopefully if I can find an open wireless point or a phone socket I should be able to post something. In the meantime I'll leave you with this. Spotted on Camden High Street the other day. It made me laugh so much I actually went back later on with the camera. So if you're stuck for somewhere to watch the football at the weekend then give them a call. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=301 Thanks for all the comments recently. I've been so busy and not had much time to get out with the camera or check my comments page. So I've resorted to using the mini Sony DSC-T9 again and I had to pick this flower to stop it blowing in the wind so I could get this shot. I felt a bit guilty. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=300 Thanks for all the comments on my previous shot. I think <a href="http://www.shotage.co.uk" target="_blank">Andy</a> summed up my feelings about it. Good processing, but not quite the right subject. Anyway, here's another shot using the Sony DSC-T9's. For a small compact it gives some pretty good results, especially in this magnifying mode. I was recently involved in a small project with the T-Series Sony cameras that I'll hopefully be able to tell you some more about soon. I'm itching to get out with the 350D again though, but just haven't had the chance in the last few days. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=299 Having not got out with the camera at the weekend I was left with either, delving into the archives or experimenting in Photoshop with a recent image. I chose the latter. This was a pretty boring shot of rolling greens fields and a lovely blue sky taken at the weekend. I decided to try something different with it. Let me know what you think. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=298 This Nike ad has caused a bit of <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=391684&in_page_id=1770" target="_blank">controversy</a> recently, so I went to Oxford Street Nike Town to see if I could get some images of people reacting to it. Surprisingly most weren't giving it a second glance. <b>Update</b>: The comment from <a href="http://crozfoto.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">croz</a> defines this image perfectly for me, it's what I was thinking as I was processing it. I did think of pointing this out when I posted the image, but thought it would be best to leave you to make you're own mind up. I've removed the Nike logo, which I did think of doing initially. <a href="http://www.londonrubbish.com/images/alternatives/20060622-original.jpg" target="londonrubbish">Here's the original</a> if you hadn't seen it before. Does this make it more powerful? <b>Another Update</b>: I went along to the <a href="http://www.discoveryseries.nl/" target="_blank">Canon EOS Discovery</a> series in London a couple of weeks ago. Basically it was a promotional event for EOS digital SLR photography, but with on-stage presentations from <a href="http://www.andyearl.com" target="_blank">Andy Earl</a> which were excellent. Also, I had this image selected, from a few hundred that were submitted, and it got a great on-stage critique. I was a little chuffed to say the least. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=297 Well I've not managed to get out with the camera much this week so I'm scraping the barrel a bit with this one. It did make me chuckle though. Oh, and if you didn't know, the building it St Paul's Cathedral. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=296 Portrait anyone? <b>Update</b>: If anyone is interested this photobooth is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aldwych_tube_station" target="_blank">here</a>. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=295 This is the <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/5085214.stm?ls" target="_blank">sheep drive</a> that took place in London on Saturday as part of the <a href="http://www.architectureweek.org.uk/" target="_blank">London Architecture Week</a>. A flock of sheep we're driven from Borough Market to Smithfield Market across the Millennium Bridge. Thousands turned up to watch; families with kids, tourists, photographers and of course the protesters. I managed to get right into the thick of it, especially going over the bridge where I nipped past the police and ended getting some great shots with only a few other photographers. With these montages (there's two posts) I've tried to show two different sides to the event. Let me know what you think. Also, if you want to see more, people have already posted loads on <a href="http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=sheepdrive" target="_blank">flickr</a>. And praatafrikaans managed to capture a shot of <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/praatafrikaans/169518502/" target="_blank">me standing behind <strike>Richard Rogers</strike>Peter Murray</a>. <b>Update</b>: I've updated my <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/londonrubbish/sets/72157594169991559/" target="_blank">flickr account</a> with some more images from the event. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=294 This is the <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/5085214.stm?ls" target="_blank">sheep drive</a> that took place in London on Saturday as part of the <a href="http://www.architectureweek.org.uk/" target="_blank">London Architecture Week</a>. A flock of sheep we're driven from Borough Market to Smithfield Market across the Millennium Bridge. Thousands turned up to watch; families with kids, tourists, photographers and of course the protesters. I managed to get right into the thick of it, especially going over the bridge where I nipped past the police and ended getting some great shots with only a few other photographers. With these montages (there's two posts) I've tried to show two different sides to the event. Let me know what you think. Also, if you want to see more, people have already posted loads on <a href="http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=sheepdrive" target="_blank">flickr</a>. And praatafrikaans managed to capture a shot of <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/praatafrikaans/169518502/" target="_blank">me standing behind <strike>Richard Rogers</strike>Peter Murray</a>. <b>Update</b>: I've updated my <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/londonrubbish/sets/72157594169991559/" target="_blank">flickr account</a> with some more images from the event. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=293 Not much to say about this one, other than it's something that caught my eye. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=292 Thanks for all the comments on the previous shot. Here's the colour version for those that are interested. It was just a little too obvious for me, I'm always posting colour saturated skies. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=291 This was taken the other night from <a href="http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=Norwood+Park+Road,+Lambeth,+Greater+London,+SE27&ie=UTF8&ll=51.425972,-0.094671&spn=0.029435,0.092697&om=1" target="_blank">Norwood Park</a>. I raced up there when I noticed the sky starting to turn a gorgeous red and orange, but sadly it wasn't happening across London. I stayed for a while and as the sun started to set it drenched all of the sky with colour. But I decided not to post the colour shot :) http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=290 I couldn't leave <a href="http://www.londonrubbish.com/index.php?showimage=289" target="londonrubbish">yesterday's</a> slightly disgusting shot as the only macro I post. So here's another from the the same outing to the zoo. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=289 We went to <a href="http://www.totallywild.net/howletts.php?page=howletts" target="_blank">Howletts Zoo</a> at the weekend and as most of the animals were hiding from the heat I decided to get some shots of the smaller critters. This fella posed very patiently for me, and no, he wasn't stuck. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=288 Yesterday I went out for a stroll with my friend <a href="http://www.wettone.com" target="_blank">Stephen</a>. At this point he'd like me to point out we're not gay. Anyway, I was considering not taking the camera as it would have been a little rude. But at the last minute I just slung it over my shoulder because the sky was blue and Stephen's quite a patient chap. So as soon as we saw smoke and fire engines we made a little detour and while he waited patiently I got stuck in amongst the camera-phone-photograpers like a seasoned pro. So this shot is a good example of why you should always carry the camera. It took them a while to put it out and apparently it was all over the news last night. Oh, and we both stank of smoke afterwards. <b>Update</b>: I came across <a href="http://www.subtraction.com/archives/2006/0607_how_to_shoot.php" target="_blank">this article</a> whilst going through my RSS feeds. It's quite interesting. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=287 Thanks for all the comments on yesterday's shot. This is the other side of the same building and now you can see how ugly it is. Hence why it's being torn down. I found it quite interesting that right next to it there's a new building going up already. The cycle never seems to end in London. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=286 This is the County Hall Island Block in London and demolition work has just started to tear it to the ground. It's been sitting empty gathering graffiti (and god knows what else) for the last twenty years and it's going to be replaced with a &pound;300m luxury hotel. You can read more about it <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/5015114.stm" target="_blank">here</a>. I have another picture I may post tomorrow which will give you a better idea of why it's considered so ugly. Although, there were no cranes working at the time as I went too late in the day. So I might wait until more of it has been ripped away and go back to get a better shot. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=285 So this is the first post of Year Two. Thanks for all the kind londonrubbish.com birthday messages yesterday, they're all very much appreciated. This shot was taken in Dulwich Park at the weekend when the weather was glorious. Just to clarify, it's not me lowering my son into the ocean (as someone did mention it), but actually him at the top of his swing. It took about thirty attempts to get it right and I was getting myself, and the camera, dangerously close to the down swing. Oh and if you missed the update I made to yesterday's post, I stumbled across this little Picasa plugin that makes the Picture Pile a little more fancy. Have a <a href="http://www.londonrubbish.com/yearone" target="_blank">look here</a>. I felt I had to do something more, especially after <a href="http://www.chromasia.com" target="_blank">djn1</a> shamed me into making more of an effort :) http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=284 Well that's a year gone and it really doesn't seem like it. I'm going to get all teary eyed on you now... I tentatively posted my first picture on the 4th of June 2005, having only owned a digital SLR for a month. I barely knew what the ISO setting did, f-stops were still a bit of a mystery and I daren't fiddle with shutter speeds. In the past year I have learnt so much, not only about the camera and how to compose a good photograph, but also about post processing and Photoshop. I've walked around areas of London I never would have and amassed about 12000 pictures in the process. I've also made some great "virtual" friends, of whom I'm really looking forward to meeting in <a href="http://www.europephotobloggers.org/" target="_blank">Amsterdam in September</a>. (That sounds a bit dodgy, but you know what I mean.) I find photography a challenging hobby with numerous creative ups, when you think you've finally cracked it, which are quickly followed by downs where you consider sticking the camera in the cupboard. But being a part of the Photoblogging community makes you keep doing it. Every day I learn some new technique, discover an amazing photograph I would never have thought to take or turn a corner and spot something I would have previously missed if it wasn't for actually looking at the world. It's always inspiring. And I've been so pleased with the response; numerous emails asking how I processed shots, three thousand comments (three million if we're counting spam) and a surprising number of unsolicited features and links. Now I worryingly head into year two, hoping that I can continue to hold your attention with some good photography and with my fingers itching to switch that mode dial to M with confidence. So lastly a thank you to all who have stopped by, taken the time to comment, linked to me and spurred me on. Oh, and this shot was taken with the "Photoblog Year" mode on the 350D. You can get it if you install the new firmware ;) <b>Update:</b> I've just stumbled across this little Picasa plugin that makes the Picture Pile a little more fancy. Have a <a href="http://www.londonrubbish.com/yearone" target="_blank">look here</a>. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=283 ...in the words of Mr. Scruff. Not much to say about this one. It was taken at a fishmonger along Marylebone High Street. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=282 This is the London College of Fashion building on Oxford Street. I just didn't know what to do with regards to the processing on this shot so ended up adding some grain and trying an attempt at a seventies tone. Images like this make me depressed for some reason. <b>Update:</b> If you're having trouble commenting, please <script type="text/javascript"> <!-- makelink( "contact", "londonrubbish.com", "email me" ); //--> </script> as I've been employing some stronger tactics to combat spam. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=281 I was strolling between Piccadilly and Regent Street and I stumbled across this gaping void behind one of the buildings. It stopped me in my tracks, so thought it was worthy of a post. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=280 I fell into that trap again, I went around on a very sunny day firing off shots on ISO 400. However, I was quite pleased with the results, although they were noticeably grainier than I'm used to. I toned this picture of my son and his ice cream to give it a seventies holiday snapshot feel and the slight grain seems to add to it. Oh, and I left his wispy hair in because it makes me smile. Now I really need a 580EX to get rid of those harsh shadows in sunlight like this. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=279 Although this is the same subject as the previous shot, I felt it was sufficiently different to post. I've taken advantage of the white cloudy sky and blown it totally here. I was aiming to add a more sickly, medical, specimen feel to this, if that makes sense? I'd be interested to know how you think it compares to the first <a href="http://www.londonrubbish.com/index.php?showimage=278" target="londonrubbish">Virgin Mother</a> post. I suspect people who thought that was scary or disgusting are not going to like this one. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=278 This sculpture is called "The Virgin Mother" by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damien_Hirst" target="_blank">Damien Hirst</a>. It's in the courtyard at <a href="http://www.royalacademy.org.uk/" target="_blank">The Royal Academy of Arts</a>. The bronze statue reveals the woman's skull, muscles, tissue and unborn child. It's fascinating, slightly disturbing, but truly wonderful. I love it. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=277 As with yesterday's shot, I'm still focusing on the details. I think I need to get out and get some people shots again. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=276 Guess what it's doing in London? Again. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=275 Continuing the animal theme and specifically animals that head butt you. This is one from the archives from when I visited Colchester zoo. It's only really a worthy image because of the blue sky and wonderful clouds. The rhinos are such lazy buggers they barely even turn their heads to acknowledge you and just sit in the sun doing sod all. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=274 This is Ram Rod D'arcy and I met him whilst on the tour of <a href="http://www.youngs.co.uk/siblingPlainPromotion.aspx?pageID=33" target="_blank">Young's Brewery</a> in <a href="http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=SW18+4JD&ll=51.476572,-0.168056&spn=0.07559,0.237579&om=1" target="_blank">Wandsworth</a> at the weekend. It's well worth going on, during the week if you can, especially because at the end of the tour you get to sample every Young's beer on tap. Lovely. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=273 I was trying to capture a leaf spiralling in the wind, but this newspaper had other ideas. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=272 I managed to find a good vantage point to get this shot of London. Then I used a fantastic Photoshop plugin to give me the fake-tilt-shift grainy-plastic-london look. Awesome. ;) http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=271 I couldn't think of a title for this one, so I chose what my son said when he saw it. "Big Red Digger". This was taken from West Cowes in the Isle of Wight. I spent the weekend there, but other than this shot all I have are a lot of pictures of my son. I may post one of those later in the week. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=270 See if you can guess where this is in London. There's some clues in the title. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=269 As I mentioned in yesterday's post, The Sultan's Elephant was followed around London by a sea of people so I thought I'd show you The Sea of People. It's interesting to see in this shot how many people have spotted me taking it. And to get this angle I'd scaled some scaffolding, so was perched quite high above it all. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=268 Finally, here's the Sultan's time travelling elephant that was following the little girl around London for three days. You can read more about the story <a href="http://www.thesultanselephant.com/thestory/thestory.php" target="_blank">here</a>. I got so many shots of this I didn't really know which one to post, so decided to go for one without a naff sky. This thing was enormous, noisy and moved quite fast. Driven from behind by a huge truck that made all the legs move, it could sit, stand and turn. There were about ten operators making the the head, ears, eyes, mouth, tail and trunk move. Every so often it would stop to fetch water from troughs at the side of the road and then spray everyone. On top there were dancers, wrestlers and of course the mad sultan. The crowds of kids and adults just followed it all around London screaming and laughing. Truly bizarre and wonderful. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=267 Ok, so this is the *big* little girl. After coming out of the rocket you saw in yesterday's post, she then walked and cycled around London for three days. The Sultan's time travelling elephant was following and you can just see it in the background. You can read more about the story <a href="http://www.thesultanselephant.com/thestory/thestory.php" target="_blank">here</a>. For the propeller heads like me, this is an HDR image as the London skies were so naff at the weekend. Although I've tried to make it not look like a typical HDR. Let me know what you think. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=266 We've been <a href="http://www.thesultanselephant.com/" target="_blank">invaded</a>. Again! I've was so busy at work and home last week that I didn't manage to post anything. Sincere apologies for that, I'll try not to let it happen again. Although I did manage to get out with the camera and capture this spaceship that crash landed in <a href="http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=Waterloo+Place,+Westminster,+Greater+London,+SW1&om=1" target="_blank">Waterloo Place</a>. If you live or work in London and don't know what this is about then you need to get out more. It's <a href="http://www.thesultanselephant.com/" target="_blank">The Sultan's Elephant</a> http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=265 We've been <a href="http://www.thesultanselephant.com/" target="_blank">invaded</a>. Again! I've was so busy at work and home last week that I didn't manage to post anything. Sincere apologies for that, I'll try not to let it happen again. Although I did manage to get out with the camera and capture this spaceship that crash landed in <a href="http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=Waterloo+Place,+Westminster,+Greater+London,+SW1&om=1" target="_blank">Waterloo Place</a>. If you live or work in London and don't know what this is about then you need to get out more. It's <a href="http://www.thesultanselephant.com/" target="_blank">The Sultan's Elephant</a> http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=264 I took another trip to Colchester Zoo over the weekend and got a few snapshots for the album. As you can probably tell, this is an HDR. There's some haloing going on which I'm not that happy with, but I like the detail it's brought out around his lovely teeth. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=263 They say if you see red, shoot it. This is what happens. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=262 Unfortunately this is another shot from the archives. I've still not managed to get out with the camera. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=261 Another from the archives. Taken in Pisa last year, I've always liked this shot, but had many others from the holiday that were better. I really struggled to steer clear of blue skies, especially after yesterday's comment from Ade. <b>Update:</b> Thanks for the comments on this everyone. I've been pleasantly surprised at the response. The colouring of this shot was pretty much like this from the camera, I just enhanced it a little and added a vignette. In RAW processing I did the following: <ul> <li>raised the Colour Temperature to a 8400K.</li> <li>set the White Balance Tint to 0.</li> <li>set the Colour Contrast to 10.</li> <li>set the Colour Saturation to 4.0%.</li> <li>added a *very* slight S curve.</li> </ul> In Photoshop I did the following: <ul> <li>added a very slight S Curve again.</li> <li>added a reverse S Curve on the Blue Channel (A trick learnt from Dave [chromasia])</li> <li>darkened the Reds and reduced the Greens with a Selective Colour Layer</li> <li>added a Vignette</li> </ul> Most of the change was from warming the shot by raising the Colour Temp. to 8400K. I hope that helps. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=260 Hopefully the last from my archives. Taken last year at the Chelsea Flower Show. Time certainly does fly. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=259 Or a warthog to you and me. Still diving into the archives whilst recovering from some kind of food poisoning. Not nice at all. I'm actually starting to miss the camera now. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=258 "Death Warmed Up" would be a good description for how I feel at the moment. No chance to get out with the camera, so I've been scouring the archives again. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=257 This is another shot from the archives. I've come down with something 'not very nice' so didn't get out today at all and I'm unlikely to tomorrow. Unless of course I'm inspired whilst shuffling around the house and feeling sorry for myself. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=256 Well, I've had a few days off although not completely away from the camera. It literally does go everywhere with me. But I didn't manage to capture anything I was that happy with so I decided to go through some archive shots I'd put by as possibles and this is one of them. It was taken some time ago and has undergone a pretty heavy amount of processing to achieve this look. I also had a few tips from <a href="http://www.chromasia.com" target="_blank">djn [chromasia]</a> - I don't think the man ever sleeps. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=255 Shot from the hip whilst moving. Thanks for all the comments on my recent posts. I must admit that I've not been too pleased with what I'm capturing with the camera this week and I'm starting to get the feeling I'm posting for the sake of posting. Also I'm not far off having done this for a year now and having posted nearly 250 images, I'm getting the "Where is this going?" feeling. That's not so say I was expecting it to go anywhere in particular, I just feel like I need to try something different. Anyway, enough of me moaning. You just want to see some good pictures, so I'd better pull me socks up. Oh, and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch.php?v=vwl98dU0kY8" target="_blank">check this out</a>. Sod the camera, I want one of <a href="http://web.media.mit.edu/~kimiko/iobrush/" target="_blank">these</a>. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=251 There's always someone smiling down on you. No matter what the weather. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=246 Walking around today feeling very uninspired for some reason. I think I need to head further out to new pastures as I keep taking the same turns and seeing the same things - or maybe I'm just not looking hard enough. Anyway, I was passing through Piccadilly Circus again and these postcards caught my eye. I got back to the office and had a nice cup of tea and a sit down. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=245 This was taken on Friday night in London. It's a crop of the full image <a href="http://www.londonrubbish.com/images/alternatives/20060410-full.jpg" target="_blank">which you can see here</a>. <a href="http://www.barbican.org.uk/artgallery/event-detail.asp?ID=4034" target="_blank">Jenny Holzer</a> will be projecting poetry for the Beckett Centenary Festival on buildings around London every night this week. If you can make it you should try and go along, it's pretty impressive. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=244 I don't usually post at the weekend, but this is just *nice*. The park was *nice*, my coffee and panettone was *nice*, my son was an angel and the sun is out. It feels like spring is sprung at last. I hope you enjoy your weekend. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=243 Yesterday I managed to get a few good shots of Eros with lovely blue skies and fluffy white clouds and I was just going to post one of those. But once I started to process this in Photoshop I took a completely different route and I ended up with what you see here. I considered softening it with a Duotone or Gaussian blur layer, but liked the harshness. Even if it's not the most appropriate subject for this style. I'd be interested to know what you think. And at last I think spring is finally here. We've had three whole days of blue skies in London, albeit a little chilly. <b>Update:</b> As a few of you have expressed an interest in the processing of this shot I thought I'd show you the <a href="http://www.londonrubbish.com/images/alternatives/20060407-mini.psd" target="_blank">PSD</a>. It's only a mini version, but you'll be able to see what I've done with each adjustment layer to get the effect I was after. I'm sure there's other ways to do this, so I'd be interested to hear from the Photoshop experts. Oh, and I wont be making a habit of posting the PSD by the way. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=242 This picture deserves more than just a glance. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lovers" target="_blank">The Lovers</a> I always pass Eros in Piccadilly Circus and hope for a good street photograph, but in a busy city like London this is as about as good as it gets. I do have another, quite different to this, that I'll post tomorrow. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=241 Thanks for all the comments on the previous two shots, especially yesterday's. It's always encouraging to see some constructive feedback. Anyway, I only had a few minutes to pop out with the camera today and this caught my eye as I was strolling along Oxford Street. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=240 This was taken in The Great Court at <a href="http://www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk/" target="_blank">The British Museum</a> and if you've never been you really should visit. It's a stunning space. When the sun is shining at mid-afternoon the shadows cast all over the floor are very eye catching. I have another version of this shot taken from a different angle and I just couldn't decide which to post. I went with the one my partner preferred, but I may post the other if there's enough interest. <b>Update:</b> As a couple of you have expressed an interest, here's the <a href="http://www.londonrubbish.com/images/alternatives/20060404-1.jpg" target="_blank">other shot</a>. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=239 Not really a great deal to say about this one, I shot as I was walking through Canary Wharf last week. The sky was blue, there were fluffy clouds, some impressive buildings and huge clocks. I've visited a few times over the past couple of weeks and everyone there just seems to be in a rush. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=238 This is Ben at work and I suppose you could call him a street artist. He goes around London, Camden in this instance, painting onto chewing gum that he finds on the pavement. (He burns the top layer off first.) When people stop and talk to him, as I did, he gets them to write a message in his notebook. Then he'll go off and paint that message onto another piece of gum which then becomes your little piece of gum. And the cycle continues. So soon, hopefully, a "londonrubbish.com - All Over London" message will be immortalised onto a piece of gum somewhere in London. I didn't really get to bottom of why he was doing it, but he did say it was about connecting people. Oh and by painting on the gum, not the pavement, he's not actually breaking the law. Hopefully he'll come visit and leave a comment. Cool huh? http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=237 Thanks for all the comments on yesterday's shot. When there's rain in London, I just can't seem to stop myself going reflection hunting. Anyway, this was taken a moment after yesterday's. I just liked the way the sun was quickly engulfed by the rolling clouds behind the mass of bare branches on the trees. (<i>I've had to implement some spam blocking in my comments page, something I thought Pixelpost did but it doesn't. It seems to be working fine, but if you have any problems posting please let me know.</i>) http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=236 I managed to get out today in the brief sunny spots between the rain and this was taken just before I got caught in a hailstorm. I had saved my Pret sandwich bag, mainly because I didn't pass a bin. It came in handy protecting the camera from the elements. Come on spring. You've not quite sprung yet. Oh and in case you hadn't realised, this is another reflection shot. The tree is reflected in the puddle and the leaves are floating on it. The title is from a <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0007105045/qid=1143573124/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_2_1/026-3187207-5993232" target="_blank">J.R.R. Tolkien book</a>. (<i>Today I've had to implement some spam blocking in my comments page, something I thought Pixelpost did but it doesn't. It seems to be working fine, but if you have any problems posting please let me know.</i>) http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=235 Another from the Alternative Fashion Show, but this has been heavily cropped from the original. As I was trimming the ninety odd shots I did take, I nearly deleted this one as it was out of focus and the background was too busy. But when I zoomed in I just liked the way she'd thrown her head back and the blur the camera captured gave it a painterly feel. <b>Update: </b> Adrian from <a href="http://www.lightboxphoto.co.uk/fovea" target="_blank">fovea</a> has posted <a href="http://www.lightboxphoto.co.uk/fovea/?showimage=13" target="_blank">this shot</a> of my hand jumping into his line of fire. As you can see, I was practising my <i>fashion-baby-point-and-shoot</i> technique. He's going to be posting a few more from the day so keep checking back. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=234 This was taken last week on my second visit to the Alternative London Fashion Show. This second visit was a little better planned than the <a href="http://www.londonrubbish.com/index.php?showimage=231" target="londonrubbish">first</a>. For starters, I took a stepladder; an essential item for a raised catwalk unless you're especially tall. I also met up with Daniel from <a href="http://hmmm.co.za/" target="_blank">Hmmm.co.za</a> who had some bigger lenses and Adrian from <a href="http://www.lightboxphoto.co.uk/fovea/" target="_blank">fovea</a> who lent me his flash. We spent a good hour switching places on the stepladder and swapping lenses. Very enjoyable. Especially as we'd got a better view than most of the other togs. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=233 Wilted: <i>To feel or exhibit the effects of fatigue or exhaustion; weaken markedly.</i> Too many late nights, not enough new material. I'm going to take the weekend to recover. Thanks for all the comments on yesterday's post I was pleasantly surprised. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=232 Ok, so I've been archive raiding again. I could have posted another fashion show shot, but it wouldn't have been any different to yesterday's. Anyway, I keep coming back to this shot which was taken at a work's party last week. I don't know why, I just really like it; the colour, the composition and the perspective. Let me know what you think. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=231 This was taken at the Alternative London Fashion show in Spitalfields Market and as is always the case with fashion shots it's been Photoshoped up the swanny. I'm still struggling with detailed selections and masks, but got to a "that'll do point" and decided to post it. Here's the <a href="http://www.londonrubbish.com/images/alternatives/20060322-original.jpg" target="_blank">original shot</a> so you can see what I've achieved. I'd really appreciate your thoughts, comments and tips if you have any. This was an exercise in Photoshopping for me and not photography. The <a href="http://www.londonrubbish.com/images/alternatives/20060322-original.jpg" target="_blank">original shot</a> was hand held high above my head whilst pushing through some serious photographers. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=230 The weather has been dull and very cold - not great for photography so here's one from the archives. Another HDR, although this time you can clearly see it is. Three exposures at -1, -0.5 and 0 from a single RAW, all pulled into Photomatix and Tone mapped until it looked how I wanted. Then off into Photoshop where I added a Selective Colour layer to remove some of the harsher colours, added a duplicate Overlay layer with a Gaussian blur and reduced the opacity to soften the whole image a little, then dodged across the bridge and burned in some of the cloud. If the sky in London did actually start to look like this, I think I'd head for the hills. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=229 Now, I would really like to tell you that this is someone I stopped in the street, but alas I've still not quite plucked up the courage to do that. Other than for a <a href="http://www.londonrubbish.com/index.php?showimage=227" target="londonrubbish">shadow</a> of course. After seeing <a href="http://www.londonrubbish.com/index.php?showimage=217" target="londonrubbish">these walls</a> along Oxford Street I knew I had to at least try and take some portrait shots using them as a background. This girl I work with was the perfect candidate as she's always referring to herself as "A Skinny Rock Chick". Let me know what you think. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=228 Thanks for all the comments on yesterday's image, I'm glad it was well received as it's probably one of my favourites. Oh, and the title was a line from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puttin'_on_the_Ritz" target="_blank"><b>Puttin' On The Ritz</b> by Irving Berlin</a> which was written in 1929. I suspect you all know it. Today's image is one of those "just something I saw" posts. It made me stop while I was walking to Shoreditch. I just liked all the contrasting colours, peeling paints and the word Groove jumped out at me. The image of the girl could be by Brad Downey, although I'm not that clued up on my street artists. Anyone shed some light on it? <a href="http://www.friskypics.com/" target="_blank">frisky?</a> http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=227 I always seem to find that when I'm at a bit of a creative low with the photography, I just walk in a different direction and I stumble across gems like this. This shadow of The Ritz's sign stopped me in my tracks. So I started taking some shots with people in the frame. Then a guy rushed past me wearing a hat, but I wasn't quick enough. So I waited...and waited...then finally a very well dressed couple came walking towards me. The gentleman was wearing a hat with a pipe too boot! So I plucked up the courage to ask if he would pose (his shadow) in my picture. I'm quite pleased with this one, as you can probably tell. I did give the him my URL (I really should get some cards printed) so if he does visit I hope he gets in contact. Anyone guess where the title is from? No Googling. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=224 I've been a bit slack with posts this week, so here's two at the same time. Both of the same scene, but different perspectives. If you run out of ideas for a photoblog post, go Banksy hunting. This was spotted on <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=marylebone+lane,+london&ll=51.515353,-0.149324&spn=0.007785,0.024312" target="_blank">Maryelbone Lane</a>. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=223 I've been a bit slack with posts this week, so here's two at the same time. Both of the same scene, but different perspectives. If you run out of ideas for a photoblog post, go Banksy hunting. This was spotted on <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=marylebone+lane,+london&ll=51.515353,-0.149324&spn=0.007785,0.024312" target="_blank">Maryelbone Lane</a>. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=220 This is the hole that is underneath <a href="http://www.londonrubbish.com/index.php?showimage=218" target="_blank">this tower</a>. It's equally as impressive. This was an extremely busy, but interesting shot in colour. Whilst processing it I thought I'd just try it in black and white and it instantly became something else for me. I think the lack of colour allows you to slowly take the scene in piece by piece. As always I'd love to know what you think. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=219 Not much to say about this one, other than it was something that I took whilst gathering images for <a href="http://www.thevisualdictionary.net" target="_blank">The Visual Dictionary</a>. It kept stopping me in my tracks whilst I was looking through my archived shots, so I thought I would post it. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=218 Someone told me about this a few days ago, so I rushed down there today when the sun briefly broke through the rain clouds. I'm so glad I did, because this has to be seen to be believed. This is the Abbey National Tower on Baker Street and they have demolished the whole building, but left the bell tower and front wall standing, suspended in mid-air. By 2009 there will be a building where the last one stood, but then they have to raise the bell tower before planting it atop its new home. Simply amazing. <b>Update: </b> Here's the link to <a href="http://www.general-demolition.co.uk/abbey-house.htm" target="_blank">General Demolition</a> who oversaw the demolition of the old building. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=217 Not a great deal to say about this one other than it's something that caught my eye whilst I was walking along Oxford Street. I wanted to photograph someone who looked "Punk Rock" in front of this advert, but this guy was so "Not Punk Rock". I do wish it would stop bloody raining. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=216 Firstly, thanks for all the comments on yesterday's water shot. I decided to leave water alone for a while and last night I did try fire, but the results are no where near as impressive. The flames from what I was burning, lens tissues in this case, just become too soft and lack detail. I'm sure there's a way to do it though. This image was taken last year, but I went back to it to see if using the HDR technique would make a difference. This only used 3 exposures at -1, 0 and +1 all produced from the original RAW. <b>Update:</b> One of my friends has recently setup <a href="http://www.thevisualdictionary.net/" target="_blank">The Visual Dictionary</a>. He's currently got 400 odd words and the number of users is growing by the day. I'm sure every photoblogger out there passes photo worthy words everyday. I know I do, and I've managed to add a few myself. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=215 I've been experimenting with capturing water droplets and this is by no means as good as I wanted it. It probably took a hundred shots for me to get to this point. I tried various surfaces and amounts of water until I settled on using a mirror and standing water as well as falling. To do this you need lots of light, a flash (an external would be better although this was on-camera), a fast shutter speed, a high ISO and timing. The two hardest things are getting the plane of focus right (it's off in this shot) and hitting the shutter release at the right time. Sixty percent of the results were of standing water and thin air. I'm going to try it again, so expect more. Although I will try to make them different so as not to bore you. I want to be able to do what <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tobyloc/sets/1476063/" target="_blank">this guy tobyloc</a> does on flickr. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=214 Apologies for the late post today, I've been struggling to get out with the camera again. Here's another reflection shot that really caught my eye. I can't seem to see much else at the moment. The building you see reflected is <a href="http://www.londonrubbish.com/index.php?showimage=202" target="_blank">Centre Point</a> which I photographed a while ago and the girl is from a billboard in the shop window of Harmony, an 'adult' shop on Charing Cross Road. And no, I didn't go in. I didn't have time. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=213 I went in search of a Banksy I knew was there and discovered this. Is he famous now? <i>"The time of getting fame for your name on its own is over. Artwork that is only about wanting to be famous will never make you famous. Any fame is a by-product of making something that means something. You don't go to a restaurant and order a meal because you want to have a shit."</i> - <a href="http://www.banksky.co.uk" target="_blank">Banksy</a> If you want to see some of Banksy's un-graffitied "art", check out <a href="http://www.friskypics.com/?image=206" target="_blank">frisky's posts</a>. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=212 I'm really not sure about this one. Having nothing else to post I thought I would try a photoshop exercise with an archived shot. I'm not sure if the selection I made around The Clock Tower, to darken the sky, was good enough as it seems to pop a little too much. Also, I'm sure there are better ways to get a selection than the one I used. Having said that, I like the brooding grainy sky and the time on the clock is 8.45 which is exactly the time I started editing this shot. <b>Update:</b> One of my friends runs a blog over at <a href="http://webponce.com/rants/2006/02/notlondonnotrubbish.html" target="_blank">webponce.com</a> and has done some amazing Photoshop work on one of my recent shots. Go take a look. He's also just started <a href="http://www.thevisualdictionary.net/" target="_blank">The Visual Dictionary</a> which I'm sure you can all help out with. I intend to, I'm just being a bit crap at the moment. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=211 Two posts today. As I mentioned in the previous Tea & Biscuits post, I went back to Selfridges to watch them demolish the biscuit city and it was really fun. The artist Song Dong gave a little speech, then they basically dropped the barriers and let everyone go for it. There were excited kids who didn't have big enough hands, slightly concerned parents dodging flying shrapnel and a few of the biscuit builders crying (with relief) into their cups of tea. It was all captured by mad press photographers firing off shots ten to the dozen. Oh, and me. I think some biscuits may have hit my camera. <b>Update:</b> One of my friends runs a blog over at <a href="http://webponce.com/rants/2006/02/notlondonnotrubbish.html" target="_blank">webponce.com</a> and has done some amazing Photoshop work on one of my recent shots. Go take a look. He's also just started <a href="http://www.thevisualdictionary.net/" target="_blank">The Visual Dictionary</a> which I'm sure you can all help out with. I intend to, I'm just being a bit crap at the moment. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=210 Two posts today. As I mentioned in the previous Tea & Biscuits post, I went back to Selfridges to watch them demolish the biscuit city and it was really fun. The artist Song Dong gave a little speech, then they basically dropped the barriers and let everyone go for it. There were excited kids who didn't have big enough hands, slightly concerned parents dodging flying shrapnel and a few of the biscuit builders crying (with relief) into their cups of tea. It was all captured by mad press photographers firing off shots ten to the dozen. Oh, and me. I think some biscuits may have hit my camera. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=209 Here's a bit of a break from 'series' shots. I just had to post this because it's so amazing. A city of 72,000 biscuits in Selfridges built by Chinese artist Song Dong and a team of biscuit builders. I took lots of detail shots, but liked this the most. I may go back on Wednesday to nibble some of the building blocks before they take it down. You can read more about it <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4732886.stm" target="_blank">here.</a> <b>Update</b>: Daniel from genestho.ca has posted his thoughts on blog commenting and it makes for an interesting read. Grab a coffee and have a read of <a href="http://www.genestho.ca/genestho/words/?p=17" target="_blank">this</a>. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=208 Another wet weekend with the weather, so I'm resorting to posting last week's shots. This is the last of the reflections I'm going to post and I think it's my least favourite of the bunch I kept from the hundred or so that I took. I think this is something I will continue to do (photos of reflections in puddles) but only when I find the right subject and have the right light. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=207 As a few of you asked, here's another shot I took of the London Eye reflected in a puddle. I think I prefer this one, mainly because it's not so easy to identify and there's more "puddle and pavement" than "London Eye". Let me know what you think. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=206 Thanks again for all the comments on yesterday's post. I think I'm going to look into the HDR process in a bit more depth as you can achieve some amazing results with the right image. From some of the emails I got I suspect that a few of you are going to do the same. Today I just wanted to get out with the camera and shoot some touristy images on the South Bank. It had rained quite a lot earlier in the day and immediately I noticed some great reflections of the London Eye in all the puddles. I took quite a few, this being my favourite. I may post another if I get a good response to this. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=205 Thanks so much for all the comments on yesterday's post, I was very pleased. My friend Dan said that he thought it would get a lot of comments. So, I thought I would post another HDR (High Dynamic Range) image from the same day. This was taken a little further along the beach, after I'd gone through the Time Portal obviously. Rather than go into more details about HDR here I thought I'd push you in the direction <a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/hdr/" target="_blank">Flickr's HDR Group Photo Pool</a>. There's details on there about how to do it in Photoshop CS2 and Photomatix, plus lots of people doing it far better than I can. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=204 Ok, so I know this isn't very relevant for Valentine's, but there you go, you can't have everything. This was taken at Brighton beach over the weekend and as before I have no idea what this is. Maybe Michelle can help again. For the geeks, this is an HDR (High Dynamic Range) image. In RAW conversion I created five bracketed exposures from -2 to +2 then blended them together in Photomatix. I must admit I wasn't quite sure what I was doing, I just tinkered with the tone mapping to get it to look good. I'm quite pleased with the result, but I think it's something I may start trying more of. Photoshop CS2 allows you to do this, but I think you have to bracket the images in camera as it works off the EXIF data. Anyway, let me know what you think. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=203 I spent the weekend in Brighton and although I didn't get much use out of the camera I thoroughly enjoyed the visit. We stayed at <a href="http://www.blanchhouse.co.uk" target="_blank">Blanch House</a> which was fantastic and if you ever go for a weekend I'd highly recommend it. This shot was taken along the beach quite close to the pier and I wish I'd tried to find out more about it. It's from a metal sculpture, about eight foot high, with holes punched through it to make images of people kissing. Other than that I have no idea. Can anyone help? <b>Update:</b> Thanks to <a href="http://justonephotoaday.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Michelle</a> I now know what this is - it's the <a href="http://www.axisartists.org.uk/seCVPG.aspx?ARTISTID=6399" target="_blank">Kiss Wall by Burce Williams</a>. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=202 Just a simple shot. The sky looked good, the building (Centre Point) looked amazing poking through the clouds and the sun was shining. I'm off for a long weekend to Brighton so I may not post anything tomorrow. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=201 Ok, I think I've got this right... This is a Guardian Lion, or Shizi and they are placed (in pairs) to the entrance of buildings to protect the structure and dwelling. In this case a Chinese restaurant. This particular lion was on my left so it should be the female. On the right, there was a chewing gum packet stuck in the lion's mouth so he was obviously doing his job well (i.e. he'd just eaten the owner of the packet) or he wasn't and was sleeping on the job. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=200 This was taken at the Commonwealth Church in Audley Street, just of off Oxford Street. I'm reading Dan Brown's "Angels & Demons" at the moment which has a lot of references to the architecture of the churches in Rome, so I think I was subconsciously drawn to this. It's not a great picture, I just liked the orange glow of the lamp against the grey of the stone. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=199 Well, having had a very busy weekend where the camera didn't feature at all I'm left with scouring the archives. So here's another shot from the windows at Seldridges which didn't make it into the last set of posts. Everything still seems to be very grey and dull at the moment so I'm going to have a challenge finding something to photograph today. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=198 I wasn't sure about posting another beach shot, especially after the great response to the two previous posts I thought it might be too much. At the moment though I don't have much else so here you go. These wood structures are called groynes and they are supposed to stop the beach from washing away. On this beach at Ventnor they were so close to one end they created this little secluded area and judging my the footprints quite a few people must have been there during the morning. <b>Update:</b> Today I'm pleased to be guest photoblogging at Jem Lambert's brilliant <a href="http://www.shutterjunkie.co.uk/index.php?entry_id=288" target="_blank">shutterjunkie.co.uk</a>. So if you can't get enough of my self-important waffle here then go visit her site. Oh, there are some good photographs as well. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=197 Thanks for all the comments on yesterday's shot, the response made me glad that I had taken the effort and gone out with the camera in the dark and freezing cold. This is another shot from the Isle of Wight and was taken at Ventnor beach. Although the sun was out, it was pretty cold and windy where this guy was standing and I don't think he caught anything. I did think of leaving this image as colour, but I started to experiment with black and white and then duotone conversions and it just added something. I could have tinkered for hours, although I find when I do I start to dislike the image so I settled on this version. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=196 Not London, but the Isle of Wight. I spent the weekend there and most of the shots I took were in the family album category. However I did venture out early Saturday evening to capture the sunset. This is looking out from (East) Cowes seafront to West Cowes marina. I waited a while for the sun to set low enough to give the deep colours in the sky and I got bloody cold doing so, I think it was below freezing. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=195 This is the final shot from the series of Selfridges windows and I wanted to post it because I have no idea what's going on. Well, I do. He (or she?) is trying to look up her skirt, but he's got stones over his eyes!? The female mannequin was full height, but I cropped the shot (in camera) like this to draw attention to the oddness. Can anyone shed some light on this one? http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=194 This is the second shot from the Selfridges window displays. This particular window was around the side entrance and tucked away where the staff go into the store and I'm glad I wandered past it. It had such an angelic and soothing effect on me that I wanted to stand there and stare at it for ages, but it was so cold. I've got one more I want to post next week which is different to these previous shots and very odd. Oh and Happy New Chinese Year for the weekend. I need to go get some pictures of dogs. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=193 I've been a bit behind on my daily posts this week, but I'm trying to catch up now. On my trip back from taking the <a href="http://www.londonrubbish.com/index.php?showimage=192" target="londonrubbish">previous </a> shot I happened to pass Selfridges and they have new window displays. Again, as with their <a href="http://www.londonrubbish.com/index.php?showimage=139" target="londonrubbish">Christmas Windows</a> they are pretty impressive and really stop you in your tracks. This is the first and although I'm not happy with the blown highlights on the face (the window lights were difficult to balance) I'm quite pleased with the overall result. I have a few more to post, but as I said before you really should wander down and see them for yourself. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=192 This was taken just outside <a href="http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&q=Cumberland+Gate,+Westminster,+Greater+London,+W1&btnG=Search" target="_blank">Hyde Park</a> late yesterday afternoon. There was an amazing sunset and the sun was a huge red ball dipping under the horizon, but this was as close as I could get. I suspect the odd composition is not going to be to everyone's taste, but I like it. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=191 I'm running low on shots at the moment and I'm feeling decidedly 'off colour' when I pick up the camera. So this is something I took a while back which I decided to process it a little differently to my usual stuff. As always, let me know what you think Oh and I finally got the polariser and UV filter apart. Brute force and some long nosed pliers did the trick, although the polariser looks a little worse for wear. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=190 I'm not feeling that lucky at the moment. Although I had a lovely weekend, the camera featured very little. Even when it did make it's way out of the bag I forgot to check the ISO (Again!) and I've found out that my polariser has got stuck fast onto my UV filter. Anyone got any tips on how to undo them? This was about the only shot that was worth posting. I don't usually do this, but check <a href="http://www.thefotokid.com/archives/060122_915.php" target="_blank">this shot</a> out. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=189 I was quite surprised and pleased at the number of comments on yesterday's shot. So I went out today looking for more reflections in puddles, but the light wasn't right and I couldn't find anything of interest. Whilst crouching at one puddle trying to arch my neck and see what I could see I had an old lady ask me if I'd lost something. :) Anyway, with this shot I was aiming to make the model look like she was swiping at the passers by, but I don't think it worked. Firstly she's not looking in the right direction and then there's no expression on her face or the passer by. However with nothing more interesting to post I thought I'd put it up and see what people say. Bottom line, she's good to look at. Also, my good friend <a href="http://www.lightboxphoto.co.uk/fovea/" target="_blank">Adrian</a> has started his photoblog over at <a href="http://www.lightboxphoto.co.uk/fovea/" target="_blank">Fovea</a> and with his first couple of posts he's taken some great shots of smoke. Something I've been wanting to do for a while. Oh and I actually act as his 'lackey' when he does professional wedding photography, I have to do scary things like change film backs for him and use a 'real' camera! It scares the living daylights out of me, but he just takes it all in his stride. I'm looking forward to more good stuff from him. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=188 Thank you all for your comments on my previous Motion shots. At the moment it's difficult for me to find the time to comment on other photoblogs (I always at least try to visit the sites of my commenters), so I really do appreciate it when you all take the time to comment on mine. It also says a lot when some of the regular visitors don't comment, it makes me go back and re-evaluate my post. Of course I'm in no way expecting everyone to like every image I post, but I'm starting to see patterns to the types of images that prompt people to comment. I was very pleased to see the comment from <a href="http://www.genestho.ca/" target="_blank">Dan :: genestho.ca</a>, pointing out that he didn't like the Motion shots for lack of detail, something which was at the forefront of my mind when I was processing them. Anyway, on to this shot. The weather is still pretty grim in London so finding new subjects to photograph is proving challenging and I know this has been done before but I thought I'd give it a go. This was taken in <a href="http://www.royalparks.gov.uk/parks/green_park/" target="_blank">Green Park</a> and I got some seriously funny looks whilst grovelling around all the puddles. I may post some of those reflections. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=187 This is the second and last camera blur image that I'm going to post. I went around the house again trying various subjects, this being a bunch of flowers. It all gets a bit 'samey' after a while. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=186 Having been stuck for ideas this weekend and not having the opportunity to get out with the camera I decided to try this motion blur technique that <a href="http://www.johnwashington.co.uk/index.php?showimage=581" target="_blank">John Washington</a> has been playing around with. However, I get the feeling he put a little more effort into it than I did. This was taken in my hallway at home, then post processed up the swanny until I got something I liked the look of. Digital art I suppose. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=185 This was taken a few weeks ago when I was the passenger in a car. I really like experimenting with light like this, the possibilities are endless. Surprisingly though, it's not easy to produce pleasing results every time. I think this is one came out pretty well. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=184 If you commented on yesterday's post, thank you for taking the time. It wasn't a particularly interesting set of shots but I'm glad it got people talking about photographing strangers. I'm having one of my creative lulls at the moment and could have really done with plucking up the courage to get some portraits. Hopefully tomorrow I'll have the opportunity to get out with the camera. Fingers crossed. Another shot from my wander around Camden yesterday. The sky was blue, but a little grim however the polariser still gave it this wonderful gradient. Let's hope the weather gets better, the British photoblogging masses seem to be suffering :) http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=182 These portraits were taken in Camden and all of the people kindly let me take their photograph. <i>I just wish I had the <a href="http://shotage.my-expressions.com/galleries/4062_1370924836/25592" target="_blank">courage</a>.</i> http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=181 I'm running low on shots again so I had to delve into the archives. I think it's this weather. Going outside with a camera just isn't really appealing so I think I need to set myself some indoor projects. Anyway, this is a shot I've been toying with posting for a while now. It was taken at the London Aquarium last year and although the result isn't great, it took a lot of waiting on my part for this shark to cross the light. I wish the image was sharper and I wish I hadn't over exposed the lights, but it's marginally better than <a href="http://www.londonrubbish.com/images/alternatives/20060111-2.jpg" target="londonrubbish" title="Jaws!">this one</a> where I got uncomfortably close to those teeth. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=180 I'm still not sure about this one. Walking home this evening I passed the Nike Town store in Oxford Circus and these bright yellow windows and black figures looked so good with people walking past them. However there was so many distracting elements around; railings, cars and buses, pelican crossings and I just couldn't get a clear shot. I took about 125 and this was probably one of the more interesting ones, but I wish I'd had more time to hang around. By the way, I've done some work in Photoshop to really darken the background in this one and removed some distracting letters from one of the windows. And the title's a bit naff, but a reference to CMYK. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=179 I must admit, I do love a good bit of architecture and I couldn't resist stopping when I wandered past the <a href="http://www.30stmaryaxe.com" title="30 St Mary Axe" target="_blank">30 St Mary Axe</a> building last Friday night. All I had on me was the Manfrotto table top tripod, but I think I still managed to get some interesting angles, this being my favourite. And if you didn't know, the building [on the left] is affectionately known as The Gherkin and was designed by <a href="http://www.fosterandpartners.com/" title="Foster and Partners" target="_blank">Foster and Partners</a>. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=178 I wish we did have sun like this at the moment, but alas not. I've had to raid the archives as I've not had any time to get out with the camera this week. I took this quite a while back when the late autumn and early winter skies were clear and bright. This is the <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/heritage/buildings/broadcasting_house.shtml" target="_blank">BBC Broadcasting House</a> not far from where I work. It's currently undergoing renovation and when the sun shines on it like this it just looks stunning. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=177 I'm going out on a bit of a limb with this one. I suppose you could call it an abstract, but what I was aiming for was a heat haze look on a desert although it maybe a little overdone. Oh, and it was taken at Kew Gardens, I didn't travel to some far flung country to get a photoblog post. Now there's a thought... <b>Update</b>: J (the better half) just said that this makes her feel sick. Anyone else? http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=176 Firstly, thank you all so much for the comments on yesterday's shot. I really appreciate getting the feedback. Secondly, colour wise, this is in stark contrast to yesterday's image, but for some unexplainable reason I really like it. It's from a Braun exhibition I was asked to photograph where I work. This is the Dieter Rams designed Braun T1000 'all wave' radio and it is a truly elegant piece of design. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=175 I suspect for most people this is going to fall squarely into either the "Love It!" or "Hate It!" category. It was taken at the <a href="http://www.rbgkew.org.uk/chihuly/index.html" target="_blank">Kew Gardens. Chihuly Exhibition</a>. I was hoping to stay a little later when these glass sculptures are lit up at night, but didn't manage it. I deliberately blew out the sky in this image so I could get the white background in post-processing. I may go back before the exhibition ends and see if I can get some night shots. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=174 This was taken at the <a href="http://www.royalparks.gov.uk/events/event.cfm?id=575" target="_blank">Christmas Fair</a> in Hyde Park. I went along with <a href="http://mute.rigent.com/index.php?ladat=2005-09-20" target="_blank">this shot by Miles</a> in mind, but I couldn't quite manage it. We didn't have the sky, there was too much distraction in the background, oh and I'm not quite as good as that yet. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=173 Happy New Year! I'd like to thank all of you that visited the site in 2005 and especially those that gave me feedback, help and guidance with all things camera and Photoshop related. I've really learnt a lot in the last six months not only from your comments, but also from the other great photoblogs out there. In 2006, I hope I continue to post images that prompt you to tell me what you think. <b>Update:</b> I've entered <a href="http://www.londonrubbish.com/index.php?showimage=144" target="londonrubbish" title="Warm Inside | 18-11-2005 18:20">this image</a> into the Photo Friday Challenge. I spotted the relatively mundane scene, captured it well with the camera and processed it well in Photoshop. For me, that makes it my 'Best of 2005'. <br><br> There are so many great Photoblogs our there that I check everyday and there's always something that inspires me, or makes me sit up and think. But if I had to pick my 'Five from 2005' they would be...<br> 1. <a href="http://mute.rigent.com/" target="_blank">MUTE - Photoblog</a><br> 2. <a href="http://www.photoflavor.com" target="_blank">photoflavour</a><br> 3. <a href="http://www.chromasia.com/iblog/" target="_blank">chromasia.com</a><br> 4. <a href="http://www.mysteryme.com/" target="_blank">Mystery Me</a><br> 5. <a href="http://jimbus.my-expressions.com" target="_blank">jimbus.org</a><br> <br> They all consistently post great images that just make me want to get better. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=172 When will I learn to check the ISO setting from the previous day. Although in this instance I quite like the result. This was taken in Crystal Palace Park, there's an Ice Rink and a few fairground rides setup at the moment. And no, I didn't go on it. It was bloody freezing. My next post will be in 2006. So enjoy your New Year's Eve. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=171 Obviously this guy had a lucky escape. Hope you all had a good one. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=170 Whatever you do this time of year, enjoy it. I'm looking forward to 2006, I hope you are too. (Posts might be a bit sporadic next week. Obviously.) http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=169 This is <a href="http://www.newlondonarchitecture.org/project.php?id=161" target="_blank">Cardinal Place</a> in Victoria St. I kept seeing this every time I went in or out of Victoria Station on my way to and from work, but I never walked over the road to get a better look. Last night I decided to. This building is pretty awesome. I had to grovel on the ground with a mini-tripod to get this shot and I was getting some funny looks. http://www.londonrubbish.com/?showimage=168 The second shot from inside the Tate Modern. If you've not been to see this installation you really should go. It's wonderfully simple, yet amazing and vast. You can just wander around these structures for ages. Taking care to avoid all the kids running like nutters all over the place. I'm not convinced this shot is straight, but everytime I try to rotate it in Photoshop it's telling me I don't need to. Is it straight?