Every year in January, Canary Wharf in London holds a Winter Lights festival. Artists are invited to exhibit pieces of light based artworks. I've visited from the early days of this event which, in recent years, has become more popular and in particular somewhat crowded. Now normally I'd avoid crowds but the one benefit to me is being able to shoot street photography with the throng of people as the subject.
The next event is scheduled for 24th January 2024 and I'll be there possibly with a model this time. That's assuming I can persuade one to join me in the freezing cold condtions!
In preparation for my visit, I've dug out a few images which I never processed from previous visits. It's good to remind one's self what you did and write down ideas for the next visit. As well as subject matter, this might also include lens choice or maybe a reminder not to take such a heavy tripod.
For this set I've edited a few shots and my conclusion is I'd like to focus on motion blur. The number of people and the lights in the dark also reminds me of the Bladerunner films, a massive inspiration for some of my photography.
Notes to self:
Shoot more people
Don't take a tripod
Take the 14mm lens
Use long exposures (as usual)
Breathe on my lens to simulate a ProMist filter
Bladerunner
I remember standing on the edge of this transit tunnel shooting for ages when it occured to me I'd like a ProMist filter. I had the bright idea to breathe on my lens and simulate the effect without the filter. It worked out better than I imagined!
The lone figure, huddled from the cold, looking lonely in a dystopian world fits well with the Bladerunner theme.
An industrial past
Canary Wharf was a major docks for international trade and the evidence is found everywhere such as this huge crane. For this shot I applied an oil paint filter to create a more abstract feel.
Capturing a moment
Street photography to me is capturing that elusive moment in time. I remember standing on this spot shooting people on a long exposure for ages and I came away thinking I hadn't nailed a decent composition. Then this pops on my screen two years later. The angle of the kid matches the angle of the railing; why didn't I notice this before??
Oil paint filter to the rescue
I liked this photo and then I didn't like this photo. A quick press of a button in Photoshop and now I like it again.
Seeing something you never saw before
I shot this photo in a moment. I saw the people rolling down the escalator and quickly took a snap. As I was collating this post, I saw stuff I never noticed before. It's probably a lesson learned on my part to look a little closer at my results before I dismiss and move on.
Rent, connect, belong
I shot this opportune moment with reflections and all sorts of things going on in the frame. I'm never quite sure what to do with this sort of shot once I've bagged it. As a lone photo presented by itself, I'm not sure it works but presented in a set or ensemble of images, this shot makes more sense.
Hustle
For this shot I was using a 20mm lens and still couldn't fit as much in the frame as I wanted. Next trip, my super duper Sony 14mm G Master is coming along for the ride!
The Brick Lane Artificial Intelligence Co.
Lately I felt like the term "AI" has been overused. It implies that some clever "automatic" thinking has been employed to achieve something. I don't like the idea of AI especially in photography. I decided to have a go at using the AI Denoise feature in Photoshop 2024.
This image was originally shot at ISO 1600 and was quite noisy. A quick blast with the AI Denoise button and this is the result.
To me this isn't AI as such. It's just clever programming to achieve a result in the same way as you would use a calculator to add 2 + 2!
Will I get in to an argument with security?
I walk around with a "pro" looking camera with enormous lenses. It's obvious to everyone I'm taking photos. So when I'm in a central London Tube station in one of the most expensive real estate areas in the world, I tend to get a bit twitchy about security guards throwing me off their property.
No such thing happened on this occassion. I happily shot away for ages waiting for someone to fill the frame in the right position.
No doubt, next time I try this in the same spot, I'll be ejected as an undesirable!
LS Lowry on the tube
I'm a big fan of LS Lowry's paintings of abstract matchstick figures. Travelling down the escalator, I grabbed this quick snap and applied the oil paint filter to simulate something like LS Lowry's figures.
Back in the abyss
Having walked around Canary Wharf for hours on end, my feet usually decide it's time to go home before the rest of me does. Unfortunately, it's a long walk back to the Tube to find where in the hell I parked my car!
About me:
I usually specialise in shooting lightpainting images but occasionally dabble in urbex, landscape and artistic model photography. I'm always on the lookout for someone to collaborate with; the social side of photography is always good!
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