Historical perspective

Partly through having been in the same job for almost 10years (and being a bit bored of my immediate office area), my photography has stagnated.
Weekends don't always offer the opportunity I need to take photos, so I've decided to make more of either my journey there or of the one back home.

This morning I decided to take a little longer to get to work, via the overground, getting off at Wapping and walking from there.

Along the way I gave in to curiosity by the very old Prospect of Whitby and walked tentatively down some algae covered steps at the end of a narrow alley way.
There I was surprised to see a hangman's noose silhouetted (because the contrast was so high) against the Canary Wharf skyline.

Ricoh GRDiv, ISO80, f/9.0 1/1150s

The Ricoh GRDiv is supposed to produce its highest image quality at around f/4.5~f/5.0 so in hindsight I probably should have opened up the aperture a little more. I ended up at f/9.0 simply because my shutter speed kept hitting 1/2000s at the beginning and I took drastic actions to avoid it.

Unfortunately on the way back up the stairs I failed to see the thick, metal frame surrounding the open gate through which I had walked through on my way down and bumped my head hard.
I felt a bit dizzy for a few hours afterwards but don't seem to have suffered any further ill effects.

Imminent meltdown

These lights never used to be coloured...until recently.
During the day they remain a little bland but at night they come alive and add some much needed character to my office area.

Ricoh GRDiv, ISO400, f/1.9, 1/18s

I have changed my colour profile and bit depth but it's not looking like when I saved it down as jpeg.
I'll have to find out what's going on...

Into the light

It's been a while again. I haven't been taking photos much recently and of those I've taken I haven't been particularly happy with.

However with the recent, better weather my mood has also lifted and I want to take photos again.
It may take me a while to get back into the swing of things and I also have a backlog of photos to get through (even if I might be taking photos more regularly).

Ricoh GRDiv, ISO80, f/2.8, 1/640s

More candy

It's been another long while since I've posted a photo.

I'm still working on a project that has me spending an ever increasing proportion of my time working on it...but I'm now seeing the light and hope to resurface (hopefully permanently) near the middle of February.

Also since my last post, I've sold the Fuji X100s which was a brilliantly frustrating camera. Brilliant but frustrating. The physical controls (except for the shutter release, which like the Sony A7/A7r is placed at an unnaturally vertical angle) were very well thought-out. However the slow menu, inconsistent autofocus, lack of weatherproofing and challenging RAW format tipped me over the edge.

Many of my Nikon lenses are also gone. The huge 24-70mm (which I took with me to Japan), the 14-24mm, the not-often-used Sigma 15mm fisheye. All gone.

Since my return from Japan, I've taken the D700 and 24mm with me on a few day trips but have really struggled with the bulk and weight, especially when photography is not the sole purpose and also when I'm wearing bulky winter clothing.

However I can't part with the 24mm or the 85mm. They have a real "pop" quality and I love using them. I also need to keep the 85mm for studio/fashion...at least until I can find an alternative system to replace it.

The new GR isn't that tempting for me as manual focus is not really an option...and focus (again) seems to be a bit of a weakness of this camera.

The Olympus E-M1 seems to be the most complete, digital, mirrorless camera out there at the moment and it has tempted me numerous times...but it's simply not the sensor size I'm after, unfortunately.

So for now, I'll keep mixing it up between the trusty GRDiv and D700.

Ricoh GRDiv ISO125, f/2.2, 1/20s

Not your usual Easter Egg

I've always wanted to do some "different" pictures but being (first and foremost) a photographer, I normally stick to "the way I saw it" rather than "the way I imagined it to be".

As we grow older, the surprises in life become fewer and fewer and part of me still likes to cling on to the notion of ghosts, the super-natural, other worlds and aliens...

I couldn't resist this one.
Happy 01-April!

Frozen in lime

My cold has now migrated to my lungs, manifested as a cough which is particularly bad at night.
I took some photos of a freeze-dried kiwi recently.


Here are the (fruits of my) efforts.

Frozen in lime.

This Sunday, Cristian, Tom and I are off to Focus.
After the untethered excitement of Photokina, this is a smaller affair, but still exciting nonetheless.
My main interests this weekend are to see what improvements Fuji have added to their X100s and also hoping to hear some news from Ricoh, who have been quiet for quite a while now.

Mannequin catwalk

I'm still suffering from my 'flu but needed to do a few things today, so headed into town.
Along the Strand, I came across the Jessops that had closed, as well as TopShop, which I found quite colourful.
I have also finally installed Lightroom 4. I tried a few edits with it but wasn't too successful, though will need it to process some of the recent RX1 shots, as well as needing it for any new cameras that I might acquire in the near future.

Speaking of which, I need to see how those recent RX1 shots taken on Björn's camera turned out.

TopShop.

St Paul's

I met up with fellow photographers Björn and Cristian today (and Sam too).

On the way to meet them (at the Lord Raglan), I took this picture of St Paul's Cathedral.

Although I've lived in (or very near to) London all of my life, it's not every day that I get to see St Paul's, or indeed find opportunities to take photos.

I also managed to spend a bit of time using Björn's RX1, which continues to impress me. It really is like carrying a dSLR in your pocket.

This one was taken using my Ricoh GRDiv.
I've just realised that my previous posts didn't have a title. I've found where to update it now.

St Paul's, interrupted by a double-decker.

Sitting on the fence

Although I wasn't feeling very energetic, I decided that the weather was too good to stay indoors, so I took the GRDiv and went for a short walk around Greenwich.
Every time the sun comes out, I feel my photographic creativity levels increasing. I am obviously more of a fine weather photographer.

Even though the sun was on the other side of the building, I liked the contrasting colours on these two houses.

Conflicting opinions.

I haven't posted for a while due to work pressures and a general lack of motivation.
I've read that there are several ways to combat photographer's block, including buying/using new equipment.
And so I found myself putting together a Christmas stocking filler...

I only found this after the fact, but useful to know that my shutter operates the same way.

Still in the box.

First steps.

The shutter mechanism.

I always end up with a spare part!

I went out today but it was just as windy as yesterday, if not windier.
Unfortunately my temperament was similarly perturbed and I found it difficult to "see" or want to see much in my dull, office surroundings.
I did find a colourful flowerpot which I think is best converted to something slightly surreal.

Dreams in a flowerpot.

As soon as there's hope of slightly warmer weather, the wind chill and rain seem to offset that again.
I went for a bit of a walk during my lunch break but we soon headed indoors to shelter from the wind.
It was actually quite hard to hold the camera steady and perhaps this is one of those situations where a heavier dSLR could have been less affected.
Still it was bright enough to get decent shutter speeds so I had no real problems.

Stubnitz ROS 701.

The Stubnitz ROS 701 is an old, East German former fishing vessel converted to an "entertainment" ship.

Although my new role, on my new project (whilst still moonlighting for my old team) is keeping me quite busy, I found time to visit Borough Market with Borek, where we met old colleagues Minesh and Vinoth for lunch at Applebee's fish restaurant.
The service is very friendly, atmosphere cosy and the fish was great (or as good as it can be without being sushi or sashimi) ;-)
We all shared 2 starters, consisting of sardines and mackerel. The mackerel was fantastic. We then moved onto Skate, which was also very impressive. I will definitely return. Eating fish with knives and forks is ok but I might sneak in my chopsticks next time. Chopsticks have the dual benefit of not crushing the flesh as well as being better suited to removing bones. As a result, today I ate many bones.

Afterwards we wandered around the market stalls before heading back to work.
Winter is a tough time to remain creative, with short daylight hours, low contrast, poor weather and a general lack of motivation. Hopefully the last few days have seen me bottom out. I'm feeling the urge to take photos returning. Perhaps this is partly due to getting to grips with my new role, reducing the psychological pressures that stifle my photography.
I found these colourful vegetables in one stall particularly appealing.

Spellbound by vegetables.

The Ricoh GRDiv does a great job of capturing hues in daylight, despite its small 1/1.7" sensor.

Today is the first day since upgrading the firmware to v2.2.1, although I have to admit the changes seem fairly minor and I didn't detect any difference compared to before.

Canary Wharf tries to be an artificial Utopia.

It may succeed in convincing fleeting visitors but to the regular realists, it provides only cheap visual thrills.

A bit like the Matrix. An amusement park of the financial district.

Distant relations.

It's been a while since things have been aligned for me to resume photography again.
I've been a bit ill, busy at work, held back by the weather and not feeling too creative.
After a break I feel I'm in the right health and state of mind again, so here goes.

Twisted frames.

Today I also updated the firmware on my GRDiv to V2.2.1.
I don't think it gives me anything too useful for my day-to-day photography but then again the camera software is quite refined by now.

Yesterday I visited the SWPP trade show over at the Edgware Hilton together with Cristian.
It's geared more towards portrait and wedding photographers but with my recent interest in fashion, the lighting exhibits and demonstrations were quite interesting.
I also got to play with a beta Fuji X100s and a Fuji X20.
More interestingly I finally got to handle a production Sony RX1 and minor gripes aside, it seems to be an amazing camera.

Here's a capture I made after the show, during the photo walk with Cristian, heading towards Little Venice.

Little red, crossing blue.

The GRDiv never ceases to surprise me.
In good light the quality can be fantastic, though low light capabilities mean that I have to rest the camera on some sort of support (or tripod) or use black and white mode.
It gets a lot more use than my Nikon D700 - which is itself a great tool but due to my back problems, bulk and sheer presence make it less suitable for day-to-day use.

Halo energy sword. (+1)

Yesterday was just another Sunday.
Today? Alien abduction!

Alien Infection. (+1)

Our street.

Cat's eye view. (+1)

Juicy. (+1)