Ben's London Adventure - Pt. 18

I haven't done of these for a while, so I thought it was about time! We've been having some really beautiful evenings recently, so I took the opportunity one night last week, as I had my camera with me, to walk home along the river down to Waterloo. As usual when I do this, it ends up being a case of not so much walking home, as going-out-taking-photos-for-what-seems-like-an-hour-until-you-realise-it's-9 o'clock! Anyway, here's a few that I was pleased with - Autumn's well and truely in the air now...

All in all it was a really good session. One downside was, that since by the time I'd made it to Big Ben is was nearly dark, I decided to stay out and try out the new camera with some night shots - However, my camera doesn't seem to want to play ball in regards to this as, after getting it all set up on the tripod, with a lovely compostion of the London Eye in the view finder, the battery decided to die on me. Again.

Ah well, those long nights are only just round the corner...

Also last week, Amy and I were sent out to take some photos for work. It was nice to have a morning out of the office, but I have to admit that the subject matter wasn't really all that inspiring. However, a few personal shots did slip through the net that I was much happier with...

Ben's London Adventure - Pt. 17

Sorry this is late - I've been so busy again! (That's a good thing, don't get me wrong!).

Anyway, we've finally had a bit of sun, so last Saturday (August 4th) Amy and I went out to explore Brick Lane. There certainly is a lot of it to explore as well. It was an absolutely scorching day, without a cloud in the sky, and perfect for photos. I'm starting to get the feel for the 400D now...




There's a load more on Flickr as per usual. Also, check out Amy's new page as well - She's very talented!

(Oh, I almost forgot - We saw Dave Gorman having his lunch in a cafe on Brick Lane as well! I was very excited! I didn't speak to him though, as I didn't want to spoil his day...)

Ben's London Adventure - Pt. 16

Monday night was the first (official) outting for my new camera! It's all very exciting. It's taking some getting used to, and I definitely have a lot to learn about it (especially in low light conditions) but when it works, you really cannot fault it, as the results show. I foresee many hours of fun being had in the future...




I am slowly adding the best of the nearly 200 strong bunch to Flickr.

Ben's London Adventure - Pt. 15

Last Sunday, Snoo, Teresa and I walked from London Bridge to Canary Wharf. For a change, we went along the North Bank which made for an interesting change of scenery. Naturally, my camera came along for the ride...



Flickr fun and games...

Ben's London Adventure - Pt. 14

It's been a while, but I've been out taking photos again around the city, and I feel well and truely back in the saddle. I went out with Amy from work on Wednesday night, and after a slow start (by me at least) I soon found my flow again. Considering this has been the worst July on record (surely!) we were blessed with a beautiful evening, and we made the most of it. Walking from the office, we headed down past St. Pauls, over the bridge and then turned left (instead of the more favoured right) and off towards docklands. There was plenty to see on the way, including an exhibition of large, wooden guitars by Tower Bridge. As well as getting some great shots, we also had a great laugh and a few drinks - That's what living in London in the summer's all about...




As always, there's a load more on Flickr.

As the old saying goes...

You wait ages for a train...


...And then two come along at once!

(Inspired by Dave Gorman)

Ben's London Adventure - Pt. 13

I went out taking photos again on Thursday night with David from work. We went out straight from work, and wandered down towards St. Pauls Cathedral with a view to going up into the dome to take some aerial shots of the city. Unfortunately, it closes at 3pm which kind of spoilt our plans. Instead, we walked down towards the Tate Modern, and get some shots from over the bridge. We had a back up plan of trying to get some shots from up in the cafe at the Tate, but sadly that was shut as well! We settled for just walking up and down the river, taking photos and waiting for the 'Blue Hour', until it got dark and we really got started!...





There are a load more photos up on Flickr for those that are interested. Enjoy!

Ben's London Adventure - Pt. 12

I've been out taking photos again while the sun's been out. The devil's in the detail as they say...

Ben's London Adventure - Pt. 11

Farringdon's a funny old place. I was walking around there yesterday, and just looking up above the endless Prets', Bookshops and pubs, is a world of everso-slightly-out-of-place (at least I think so) architecture. I'm fascinated by the mish-mash of details on the walls and the rooftops. You could quite easily be excused for thinking you were in France - The road up from the station to the meat market certainly has a real Parisian feel to it - but then oddly enough, you get round the corner and you see the Charterhouse, which looks like the Flat Iron building in New York, but on a budget. Bizarre.

Oh, and I'm also becoming obsessed with Flickr! I've been feverishly sorting and arranging different images into various collections and sets. That, and the warm weather is certainly giving me a kick up the backside to get out and take more photos though.

Ben's London Adventure - Pt. 10

On my (or rather Snoo's) doorstep this time. Some night shots taken on KPR...

Ben's London Adventure - Pt. 9

After we left the Zoo, we wandered into Regents Park to meet up with some of Snoo's friends (who are all very nice!) for a late lunchtime picnic. We met in an area called the Rose Garden, which is in the inner circle towards to the Baker Street end of the park. There was a cool little pond (complete with black Swans) and water fall there. Many of the flowers were just starting to come into bloom as well, which meant I was in macro-photography heaven!...

Ben's London Adventure - Pt. 8

It's been a while, but I finally managed to find some free time last night to go and take some photos. Snoo went out after work, and I had nothing planned, so I thought I'd head up to Tottenham Court Road as it was a nice evening. I initially just planned to head to an internet cafe to try and catch up with various forum things (since we still have NO INTERNET AT HOME!! Grrr!!!). I also thought I'd have a little trip to Orbital as well. By the time I'd done those two things, it was beginning to get dark. It seemed a shame to waste a golden opportunity like that, so I decided to hang around until it was dark to get some new shots. After having some food, and browsing some of the random bookshops around Charing Cross Road, I finally arrived in Trafalgar Square as the sun was going down..

On the way back to the tube station, I noticed that the Arctic Monkeys were playing the Astoria! I'm not a huge fan of the band (they aren't bad though), but I thought I'd capture some of the excitment that seemed to be surrounding the venue. I was suprised that they were playing a venue that was so small (and I'd not heard a word about it!).

There are a few more from this photo session on my Flickr Page

Ben's London Adventure - Pt. 7

I was fortunate enough to be allowed out again today, and therefore spent most of the day in Hyde Park! It was a beautifully warm afternoon, and great for taking photos. I also got to see the Diana Memorial, which is quite interesting (in a water feature kind of way...) I also went down at St. James's Park, and along the embankment (where I had a little "run in" with the law! - Oops!) Anyway, some photos.

Ben's London Adventure - Pt. 6

It was a beautiful day on Sunday, so Snoo and I took the opportunity to get out and about in it, which we enjoyed immensly - Especially since I spent all of Saturday doing freelance work. We went for a long walk along the embankment, past the army of 'living statues' and to the Tate Modern where we went down the slides! It was great fun! I also managed to get a load of new shots for the ever increasing image library.

Possibly one of the most exciting things we saw though (for me anyway - I don't think Snoo saw the appeal so much) were the flatland BMX and Trails riders. I can watch displays like that all day.

Roll on summer!

(Oh, and we also went and saw Nine Inch Nails again in the evening. After a tense half an hour or so trying to get tickets, we finally got in and it was amazing again!)

Ben's London Adventure - Pt. 5

Here's come more photos from my journey home the other night. I honestly think that the first one is perhaps among the best I've ever taken!




This may seem like a hugely arrogant and protencious comment to make, but as I was walking along towards Waterloo station, and looking up at the surrounding buildings towering above me, I felt a real swell of fortune to be able to see (and probably more importantly appriciate) all these structures as not just buildings, but for their shape and composition. Especially at night when many of them are doused in all different shades of blues, purples, pinks and greens, they seem to take on a really fascinating abstract quality. I reckon I could do that walk every day for a year and still find something new and interesting to look at every time.

It may have its dirty and dangerous areas, but I have to say - I love London!

Ben's London Adventure - Pt. 4

Vauxhall bus station by night...




Who'd have thought I'd have found a building such as this so very interesting! It looks fantastic in the dark as well.