The end of the world as we know it!

This week's London Street Photography Meetup sounds a bit different than other weeks and most intriguing, The theme was "the end of the world", the remaining detritus after all the humans are eradicated. Nope, not dark at all! And it's the 28th February, hmmm,all very 28 days later!

We started in a tiny passage called Catherine Wheel Alley. It was the sort of place just off a busy road where you could be isolated despite the madness nearby. It seems it was more well known than I expected and those cutting through we rather surprised to stumble upon a dozen photographers looking for a hastily abandoned coffee cup. One French woman exclaimed into her mobile "I came around the corner and there's a bunch of tourists taking pictures of rubbish!" A new member of our group bravely suffered for his art and lay down in the rather smelled gutter to get his shots. Most of the rest then photographed him looking like a dead body.

Thankfully we didn't meet any zombies in our post-apocolyptic land, but did stumble across a random troupe of ladies adorned with feathers and sequins and shaking their bits. The end of the world is pretty sparkly it seems!

 

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Portobello and purple!

This week's London Street Photography Meetup theme was colour in Portobello, colour blocks and multiple points of the same colour. Here's a location I have many memories from, but I don't recall arming myself with a camera in the many, many times I pounded these streets.

I found the visual cacophony of the market really challenging and the rain, just damn annoying! The coloured houses, I'd never seen before, seemed more promising and I find myself spotting a possible subject and running up and down the street positioning myself in front of the optimum hued house for their clothing. It didn't look odd at all! The woman in the natty purple trousers seemed 'delighted' to have one photographer to her side and another facing her.

My final shot was trying to capture some of our intrepid Streettogs through the windows of a moving tube, from the opposite platform. Polly, as ever, keen to dodge our lenses even managed to almost duck out of my shot...almost.

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Hearts and Dragons

Today's London Street Photography Meetup challenge is picking out faces from the crowd who are celebrating the Chinese New Year in Trafalgar Square. It's not an easy one for me, I'm definitely way out of my comfort zone here. The Man vs Architecture theme last time was undeniably more my scene but I guess, not traditional "Street" so I'm going to have the get better at this lark to be part of this group.

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Man vs Architecture and breezy balconies!

On an extraordinary windswept Saturday morning congregating in More London, I joined a hardy band of Polly's London Street Photography Meetup photogs shooting the theme Man vs Architecture. We were looking for reflections, scale, isolating lone individuals, "picking off the weak!" And then of course, shooting them.

We were wondering if we should take it in turns to sit in the auditorium space to add the 'man' element, but luckily three boys decided to entertain themselves by running hither and thither and leaping from each level. Perfect for us to train our lenses on them.

I pointed out the possibilities of 'the dark star' and a reflection to produce a giant bat, and somehow we managed to photograph it without annoying the PwC security.

This is a monochrome challenge for me but there's a wonderful red wall and flashes of yellow that I'd like to revisit. It's not as if I'd have too far to travel for future forays. So watch this space!

To warm up our cold bones and grab some hot food, we retired to the begrudging hospitality of The News Building. Our officious security wanted to make it a 'special' welcome, assuring us that they'd be watching. After a late lunch we braved the even breezier 14th floor balcony performing our own Man vs Wind.

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The bright lights and windows...

This time a f-f-freezing London Street Photography Meetup on a school night, we're set lurking and mingling in Chinatown and the bright lights of Soho. We were looking for artificial light, windows - through, framed by, or reflected in.

We start in Chinatown, peering through the glass at Peking ducks and the amusement arcade lights reflected in the restaurant opposite.

We head to the slightly sleazier side and I am drawn to the lurid neon colours, the rainbow lights in Snog, and am looking for reflections and silhouette opportunities everywhere I turn.

I was skulking in front of a vibrantly lit sex shop hoping someone would stride past at exactly the perfect distance for my shot but instead I caught a customer just leaving...and perhaps serendipitously (see what I did there, Polly?) sporting a neon halo! The perfect moment, though I'm not sure he agreed!

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