Poetry: This Light

This light, bright above your soul
It dims and shadows become soft
It shines and your being sings in rays of colour
It leaves and you existence asserts itself
Yells to be known
For its voice to be felt.

The protest stings the darkness
The light shines again, more focused
Those colours diffuse and fizz
Waves of pure sobering ecstasy, clarity
Riding on notes that gallop and snatch

Love, pure love, trusted and steadying
Shines, bright above your soul

Photography Class Homework: Walthamstow

This week's homework project was "Walthamstow" which at first felt like it was too loose and too vague a subject matter to guide me in a particular direction, apart from east that is.

A suggestion came from another photographer friend of mine that I may want to take a picture of a Staffordshire Terrier in front of an E17 road sign to evoke memories of 90's pop band East 17. I would have loved to do this, and may still try in the future, my mum has a staff called Flick which never leaves her side for longer than a few hours so I may get Flick to model for me.

Another idea I had was to take photos of residential areas in Walthamstow that contrast the idyllic and charming houses of Walthamstow Village and shopping area against the more urban, utilitarian but uninspiring sights of the newer Walthamstow town. I may still do this, and I may even expand the project to show other parts of Walthamstow that are equally schizophrenic, Lloyd Park and it's surrounding area is an example of this.

The photos below are from the Lloyd Park walk and I will be submitting one of them as my homework project, probably the first picture with the girders and the row of houses. It shows Walthamstow as it is now and almost as it was 100 years ago, a place of considerable beauty.

I will be revisiting Walthamstow as a subject again. There is a wealth of picture making opportunities to be had here.

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Angel in Southwark

Last month, or maybe the month before that I revisited a spot in Southwark that I had first been to on my very first Photowalk. The place is an underpass where people are invited to grafitti and do so without fear of prosecution. There is some great work there, it's diverse and interesting and I really do suggest you take a look some time (find the map at the bottom of this post).

I visited with my cousin, Angel and she was gracious enough to let me take some shots of her.

View Graffiti Spot in a larger map

London Photowalks: Regent's Park

February was so cold but we still ventured out and took some snap. Here are a few of the better photos from the walk from Kings Cross to Regent's Park.



This lady stopped and spoke to us about the park, she loves Regent's Park and encouraged us to come back to see the roses and flowers in bloom.



British Library.



These are the steps leading to street level from St Pancras International. The station is amazingly modern and has all manner of shops inside. This must be one of the busiest parts of London.



I love these houses and the buildings in the background too.

2009: Gone in a Click and a Flash

Chinese New Year - Trafalgar Square



Hadrian's Wall



Jesmond Street - Newcastle



Edingburgh



Lewes



On Route to the Devil's Dyke



Liz in Cannes



Antibes



All The Fun of the Carnival



Red Max (Leytonstone Flats)



Grand Union



Greenwich

London Photowalks: Notting Hill

Notting Hill is a really interesting place and shooting it was great fun. A big part of the fun was the company.

My hope for these events is that they create an opportunity for people to be creative, to learn, to meet people who share and encourage their interest, whatever level they're at I hope they can be inspired by the places we visit and the people we meet.

I know that this time round I really was inspired and I'm really looking forward to the next Photowalk.

I wanted to take a pic of this building, I forget why, but on getting the pic home and then seeing it on my computer I realised that it was really dull! So I changed it up a bit and created something I'm far happier with.

I love this car and wish I had done it more justice, this is the better of three pictures I took.

I'm really happy with this shot, I had the aperture too wide and was feeling a bit rushed because my model was posing grudgingly, but I'm sure she's as happy with this shot as I am.

Trelick Tower... one day I will shoot this from a helicopter, but for now, just an interesting shot from street level would do. Maybe this isn't the shot I wanted.

I'm happy with this one as well, I spent some time in Photoshop with it, making the light stuff darker and the darker stuff lighter. Perhaps I should spend a little more time dotting the i's and crossing the t's... one to revisit.

Leytonstone

There will be more and more pics of Leytonstone gracing this blog. I live in this wonderful part of London now, right on the edge of Epping Forest. Here are two images that I took using my Nikon FE and messed around with in Photoshop.

The Albert Hitchcock



The Flats and Max

The Dead Weather

This is not a music blog, so I won't be reviewing the gig accept to say it was excellent. But here are some pictures I took:

London Photowalks: The Saito Seeing Won’t Stop

The next photowalk will be in London’s Notting Hill, yes the one from the film with stuttering Hugh Grant and overrated Julia (I nodded off whilst you were acting) Roberts.


View Notting Hill Photowalk in a larger map

Previous photowalks were in Waterloo:










And Hackney:

Mobile Photos - with scant explanation

Cat, On the beach, at the party.

Liz, at the party, on the beach.

Bird Feed sticker, graffiti in Cannes.

Stun gun... Cannes people take their security seriously.

More personal security stuff... CS gases and a shirt... a shirt?

No idea, but it looks pretty.

Science museum, I can't remember the science behind this but it sure looks pretty.

Science museum (SM) again, a plastic chair... from the future.

Plastic columns.

A Shadow, from SM.

More shadows from SM.

An F1 racer... honestly.

Knives, bikes and rackets.

Apple computer... pioneers of style.

Crazy wrong keyboard.

Yes! An oven, and a washing machine, from the past (SM)

Yuck, right? Puke and then yuck.

Lens of a light house.

I forget... trips to SM are educational, when you take notice.

Legend!

Queen of Hoxton being evacuated due to some fire.