Pigeons, and Saint George!

 

 

And onto our latest in a long line of photography adventures. For this London Street Photography Meetup we hit Trafalgar Square for the barely publicised St George's Day celebrations on a new compositional hunt.

 

 

The fearless Streettogs were scouring the square looking for diagonals, framing and an odd one out. Strings of bunting ran hither and thither, every stone or person was bedecked or sporting St George's crosses. Everywhere you turned you, could spot pearly royalty, morris dancers, fearsome dragons, authentically dismal court jester music, and of course the ever-present pigeons hoping for leftovers from all the street food.

 

 

As usual, I found myself stalking pigeons, despite in my mind their "winged rat" status they also epitomise street photography and I love capturing them in flight. Luckily there were a few energetic children keen to encourage the grey scavengers to take to flight by running at them.

 

 

In the fountain were mallard ducks, whether they'd just decided to randomly make it their new home, or were lured in for the occasion, was unclear.

 

Posted with Blogsy

The rise of the Pollards!

Another foray into what I’m pretty sure is my favourite theme of the London Street Photography Meetups, namely Man vs. Architecture.

 

 

 

 

This time we were set loose in the Barbican Estate, picking out the lone humans or the occasional couple against the brutalist concrete architecture of walkways, residential blocks and terraces.

 

 

 

It seemed round each corner we’d find a new tiled corridor, balcony, staircase where a silhouette of a resident or passing visitor would complete a pleasing convergence of strong, grey architectural lines.

 

 

 

 

I felt for the locals in particular, as in some places there didn’t seem too many of them so popping out on a short Saturday morning walk to do some errands, taking the rubbish out, grabbing a pint of milk was accompanied by the dulcet clicking of a dozen cameras recording their every stride.

 

 

 

 

 

After haunting the residential areas we ventured towards the peripheries of the Barbican Arts Centre to add a cluster of dramatic ceiling lights to our photo mix. Then needing some refreshments we retired to one of the bars in Barbican Arts Centre for a burger and something cold and fizzy.

 

 

 

 

When we were sated, and tracing our steps back to Barbican tube, Polly took us to view her favourite bollards (doesn’t everyone have those?!), which forever more will be known as ‘pollards’

 

Posted with Blogsy

Back in time

Today we had great fun checking out the fabulous stylish outfits at the Vintage Car Boot Sale. Us, and whole other bunch of photographers it seemed. I’d seen the shots from the last London Street Photography Meetup there last year and was keen to photograph there.

 

 

 

As we left the station there were already a band and few promo girls dancing around and engaging with everyone. There were also some very fine specimens of shiny chrome vintage cars lining the walk to Granary Square.

 

 

 

 

Okay, it was a little rainy and a whole lot chilly, but Polly strives endlessly to replicate those authentic Meetup conditions. And somehow I resisted indulging in a bit of shopping, it could actually be a first!

 

Posted with Blogsy