Spy vs. Spy on the dark side

 

 

So we've gone all stealthy today. This is my 50th London Street Photography Meetup and a welcome revisit to the imposing, brutalist architecture of the Barbican Estate. This time we were playing spy games. We are all disguised in black like sneaky photography ninjas, wearing hats and dark glasses, though a distinct lack of false beards, sadly.

 

 

 

 

We were set a series of challenges in various classified zones. Lots of classic looking up from below, looking down to those below, but coupled with surveillance, espionage, lurking, stalking and shooting from the shadows. Our themes today included looking for those leading lines framing little silhouetted people, negative space, and a Polly favourite - the odd random limb.

 

 

 

 

One of the joys of the Barbican is the multitude of textures. Around each corner there's rough and smooth concrete, long lines of bricks, tiles and the lighting can really emphasise those details. I'm particularly drawn to reflections off the shiny floor tiles, and the art deco style ceiling lights throwing intriguing pale pools to the lower levels.

The illumination beneath the handrails flanking the ramp leading up from the Barbican Centre makes me think of a runway or spaceship gantry, and I have to linger there for a whole hoping someone would walk up. Typically, there's no one for ages and then a little huddle of people make their way up the slope, and you sigh hopefully one would linger behind and make your image. I was fortunate that after being thwarted for ages, a passersby was happy to saunter down and up the slope. It transpired that he's an accomplished photographer as he showed me a couple of wonderful lit leading lines images taken at an airport. Obviously this wasn't very covert of me but I guess I'd been made by then!

For the second week in a row I grabbed a selfie. Good grief, what is happening to me? As I arrived at Barbican tube station I noticed the 'kids' were posing in front of the shiny panels alongside the platform with their smartphones. So figuring I was pretty anonymous in my ninja photography garb I thrust my Leica in the general direction of the big X and clicked!

 

 

We were seeking a film noir look for all our photographs today. So in post, I've emphasised the low key murky blackness especially for those shots inside the complex, where you're engulfed in all that towering concrete. I was hoping to evoke a spooky, mysterious feel, upping up the vignette and letting the inkiness creep into all the corners. Welcome to the dark side!

 

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Day 276 : let there be light!

The other J and I decided to partake in Luce e Limoni tonight. We had planned checking out the London Photo Festival again after work but it transpires it shuts at 6pm and that's entirely not doable. We were going to wander round, critique some art and then head for dinner.

As it is the other J has a mooch on the way into the office as she was only coming in at midday today. This left us wide open for dinner plans. I've hankered after trying the Sicilian place across the road since we moved here, and it didn't disappoint. The pumpkin gnocchi, in particular, was sublime! So good I’m pondering forays at lunchtime or wondering if they do takeaway!

It's so lovely to have a well lit restaurant. I appreciate ambience but some have gone the way darker than the dark hole if Calcutta. Gaucho. That's you, perhaps you could invest in some 100 watt bulbs? Here in this lovely Sicilian restaurant you are bathed in light, not clinical but elegant, above each table is a plethora of crystal pendant lights. The effect is very sparkly (which is never a bad thing!) and there are dramatic shadows on the walls. Hasta la vista!

 

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Day 237 : the power of water!

I discovered a colourful little bolt through my close-up filters by the side of the river whilst the tide is out. As I guess the bolt is often underwater hence the interesting patina. Water can make beautiful things, like this, and also be so destructive.

I'm being a little haunted by the power of water at the moment, after flooding my downstairs neighbours’ bathroom, clearly what goes around comes around and my upstairs neighbours’ balcony is leaking again into my lounge. I was woken at 5am this morning by two new leaks dripping or even two new drips, leaking! One has targeted my broadband router by the window, which is probably not entirely waterproof. And the other found a new more noticeable place in my ceiling to attack. I had just sleepily put a bowl underneath to catch the occasional drip when I thought I could see the drips getting faster. And then whoosh, possibly the entire balcony full of rainwater poured in through my ceiling in an impromptu waterfall. That certainly woke me up and also, added a new hole in my ceiling. What joy!

 

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Day 196 : pool pal

AL has declared that, other than the inevitable sojourns at work, she is barely moving from her poolside all week. She lives in a great mansion block that looks onto a communal garden with a BBQ, and a heated swimming pool. How enviable indeed! Obviously all the inhabitants of the mansion block are also as enamoured by the proximity of such a convenient way to cool off and the children seem pretty keen to work their way through the list of “don’ts” posted next to the pool. No bombing...no diving...no running...!

Fortunately for her friends, the invitation is generally extended for those who can schlep over to Chiswick.

Luckily AL is a mere two tube stations from me, I think that means we are officially neighbours. And my neighbour has a pool, cool!

 

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Day 191 : shattered!

Whilst the light is still good I popped out to our odd little ’garden’ out back to see if I could get some inspiration. There’s a few faded flowering shrubs, overblown roses and drab daisies, nothing was really catching my eye so I gave up.

On the way back upstairs, via the service lifts, I noticed the corner of a window has been smashed and has formed a spider web of a crack. I've still got my close-up filters attached so I see if I can get an interesting shot. I like the way the toughened glass has appeared to spring a fern-like design alongside the cracks. Very organic!

 

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