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My Security Pals


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Another visit to London on a cold wintry day. Temperature was 27 °F  (-2 °C)  with a windchill of 26 °F  (-3 °C). Snow flurries danced their way around the city around noon, but they fizzled away quickly. I was hoping I’d get enough snow on the ground for a better winter scene but that means I’d be colder, so I guess it was just fine the way it was, for now.

It’s no secret that London is tight on security and not very photographer-friendly, but I did not know it was going to be this irksome especially if you come 80 miles away only to be told to pack up and go. I’ve never had to watch my back all the time while shooting – except maybe when I was in Manila Bay at dusk, surrounded by curious bums and squatters, but that’s another story. Taking pictures is starting to feel like a crime around here.

I did not expect to have 3 brushes with security within the next 24 hours. Sometimes it just doesn’t make any sense but there’s nothing one can do, except sneak in a couple of shots when no one’s looking.

Anyway, here are my latest conversations with my security pals:

In Somerset House–

It was still about half an hour before twilight and I was doing test shots handheld at the ice rink when I was approached by female security.

“Ma’am, what’s that for?” She was referring to the GND filter I had in front of my lens.

“It’s a filter,” I replied.

“Yeah, but what does it do?”

I was a little confused about why she was interested, but I explained, “It just balances the light, that’s all.”

“What are you going to do with the pictures?” She asked.  With the tone in her voice, I now know where this was going.

“They’re just tourist shots, that’s all,” I reasoned. “It’s just a hobby.”

“I need to talk to my manager,” she said. “You’re not allowed to use professional cameras here.”

And off she went to get her manager while in the meantime, I sneaked in a couple more shots until the big boss came and just further emphasized what the other woman just told me.

So off to Westminter at twilight–

There were a few tripod-huggers at the promenade by London Eye up  to the steps of Westminster bridge, but of course I had to be the one spotted right away.

“You’re not allowed to use that here,” he pointed to the tripod I had already set up. “But,” he continued very reassuringly, ” you can take shots on the bridge if you want.”

It was only about 20 steps to the bridge from where I was, so is it me or, I find no logic in that?

Anyway, that was it for my rendezvous with my new friends in London, but the following day at the mall in Bluewater 20 miles outside of London, I was taking shots of the Winter Wonderland scene when I got another visit.

“Can I see your press pass, please?” my new friend asked.

Press pass - I thought to myself – that’s a pick-up line I haven’t heard before. “I’m sorry what?” I asked. I had just taken 6 shots of the scene.

She repeated herself and I innocently replied, “Oh, I’m sorry, I don’t have one.”

“You’re not allowed to take photos here,” she said, “We have our own media people doing that.”

“I didn’t know, sorry.” And I said, with what’s becoming my new alibi-of-the-day, “It’s just a hobby.”

“Can I see what you’ve just taken?” She asked.

I turned my camera on and pressed playback. I showed her the last photo I took, “Just that one, is that okay?”  I lied, then I turned my camera off.

“I want to see you put your camera away,” she then said. A little bit too harsh, don’t you think?

So I put my camera back in the bag while she watched, folded up my tripod, and sulked.

Poor me :(

Taken early afternoon with heavy clouds and freezing temperature. There's no shortage of double-deckers in London so it's always fun to do this. I took this handheld at CH (burst) mode, 5fps. 1/8 sec @ f/20, ISO 200.

Classic Westminster bridge and Houses of Parliament scene. It was not allowed to use a tripod from where I stood here, but it's okay on the bridge.

Dreary, cold and gray afternoon in the city.

At Bluewater. Poorly-composed shot I know, but I was just getting started when I was interrupted. This is the kind of blue hour I thrive for - nice, rich, cold winter blue. The cone-shaped tree on top changes color every few seconds. There was more of this Winter Wonderland but I never got the chance to shoot it.


Dusk at Tower Bridge


Posted by Yen Baet

We just turned our clocks an hour back this past Sunday, and that only means one thing to night photographers like me – I get to to go home an hour earlier ! In fact, how’s 5:00 p.m. for civil twilight? Yes, it gets dark early in this part of the globe, and for convenience reasons (photographically speaking), that’s a good thing for me. The only downside I could see to that is it’s rush hour in London around that time, so the trains are packed and the volume of people on the streets is more than normal.

By 5:20 p.m., my gear’s all stowed away and I was done for the day, after squeezing in every bit of that blue light I could get from the sky. I had finished off on the bridge where both foot and vehicular traffic were busy, which equates to lots of unwanted movement. I think I still got decent shots though – it’s just all about timing!

I had been wanting to go to St. Katharine Docks since moving to England. The first time I was there, the side of the bridge facing the pier was undergoing renovations and had unsightly scaffolding and wrappings. This time, everything was clear and ready for some photography, so there’s really nothing to gripe about (well except maybe the overcast skies, but that’s normal around here.) :-)

Hope you like them!

Designed by Wendy Taylor in 1973, this massive sundial measures over 3 meters in diameter. It's made of stainless steel ring supported by 3 chain link cables. I haven't seen many photos of this sundial in Flickr or elsewhere, and I thought it makes an interesting subject although a bit challenging to compose. The curved building in between the towers is the London City Hall.

Another subject that I found challenging composition-wise - there's just so many points of interest in the surrounding area. This sculpture, Girl with a Dolphin by David Wynne, can be found at the north side of St. Katharine Docks. A little hard to see but there's water spurting from its pool which I would have preferred not be there. It was windy that night and was blowing in my direction. As a result, I got several water spots on my lens and my photos which I had to clean up in post-processing.

This clock tower or Ivory House in St. Katharine Docks got its name from the amount of ivory passing through it during the 19th century. Today its been converted into apartments, restaurants and shops.

 

London's most recognized bridge (by sight and not by name apparently), the Tower Bridge, is often mistakenly called London Bridge. Unlike the Tower Bridge though, London Bridge is not as majestic or even beautiful. You can actually see some of it on this image - it's that red strip of light in the far right.

My last shot of the day. My 14mm prime worked perfectly for this tight scene, but for the last few shots I switched to my 24-70mm which I used for this particular shot. I could not quite fit the scene in the frame, hence this angle. I still quite like this shot though - it looks very dynamic and the jagged edges on the top red trails are quite interesting.