London style

Around Canary Wharf I see the frequent Porsche and the occasional Ferrari but they're all recent cars that can probably be bought by a decent bonus.

Then sometimes I see cars that could only be owned by real motoring enthusiasts.

Although I have nothing against modern cars, there's something about old, purely mechanical cars that likely need significant maintenance to keep them in good working order.

Expensive to run, even more expensive to fix. More of a lifestyle than just a car.

Timeless books

We spent the day with Mandy for her birthday, walking near London Bridge and Southbank, avoiding showers and also trying to stay warm (also known as eating).

The Southbank is always a good place to watch people of all ages, from toddlers to teenage skateboarders, all the way to senior citizens.

The constantly changing weather made it quite interesting for photography, providing varying light conditions throughout the day.

For street photography, I'm finding that I'm using the LCD a lot, rather than the VF. The reason for this seems to be because it's bigger and quicker to compose with when I bring it from my right side to an upright position.

It would be (or have been) interesting to see how street photographers of yesteryear (rangefinder and SLR shooters, not TLRs or cameras with waist-level finders) would have done this. Did they walk around with their eyes glued to the viewfinder or did they take a little more time to bring the camera to eye level to compose?

The other reason the LCD seems to work well is that I typically want a slightly lower, subject-level view of the scene. If I used the VF, I would not only have to bring the camera up but also have to scoot down a little to get to the right height.

All this points to wanting a flip LCD on my next carry-around.

ISO 200, f/2.8, 1/500s, RAW

Needing small change

I was out on my own today...and ended up walking quite a distance (as usual).
It's been a while since I last took photos so it took me a while to get back into it.
This one was probably my favourite of the day.

ISO 200, f/2.8, 1/60s, RAW

Red route

I saw a (probable) generation of ladies walking in front of me and I thought it was quite interesting.
I wonder how long the red roots have been running through their genes?

ISO 200, f/5.6, 1/180, RAW

Red bike, green mist

I've seen this bike down in the basement of our building quite a few times now.
It's a relic of a past dream, to ride fast, to ride far and let's admit it...to look good.
When I see a Duke 748, 916, 996 or 998 (or a Honda VFR) I still feel lustful, but gone is the impulse.
I've had too many riding (pushbikes) and sports accidents and don't care for any more.

If only I had 9 lives...

ISO 2000, f/3.2, 1/30, RAW

A different colour palette

Some moments are fleeting, while others linger for a while but also don't last.
When I took this photo I wondered whether there was a better way of capturing the colours and messy texture.
The answer may be "yes", "no" or somewhere in between the two.
I know that the search for beautiful, striking or eye-catching images is one of the cornerstones of my photography but there is also an underlying quest for perfection. The more photos I take the further away I seem to be from photographic nirvana. If I ever get that perfect image, I will probably be the only one to appreciate it, such is the subjectiveness of art.

ISO 400, f/2.8, 1/30, RAW

Casting shadows

It's been very busy at work recently.
Somehow I always seem to end up being my own, most demanding client so it's hard to leave the office.
The original plan was to go for a lunchtime walk but I failed.
The backup plan was to go for an extended coffee break but I also failed.
By the time I left it wasn't late by working standards but certainly not that early, so I only had time for a quick walkabout within Canary Wharf before heading home.

It was actually quite nice to take photos at a different time of day.
I didn't have my camera ready in time to capture a perfect composition and there were only a few people walking through the area that I needed them to pass through that it tested my patience - but regardless I enjoyed seeing the long shadows.

ISO 200, f/5.6, 1/150, RAW