A Misguided Monochrome Walkabout around the City of London - My entry in to Monomad

They say all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. My name isn't Jack and I don't want to be dull after a brief hiatus from the Hive due to excessive amounts of work. It was time I dusted off my camera and got out to shoot something!

That something was a walkabout around the City of London. @neilru75 and I took a road trip today and instead of walking there and back from a tube station, I worked out a walking route from one station to another taking in as many photo opportunities as I could fit in.

I'm not that familiar with London and it's geography and I seem to have an unerring inability to underestimate how far it is between tube stations. As I write this my legs are on strike and demanding a day's rest!

Before my legs gave out here's what I got:

ICM - Intentional Camera Movement

On a previous trip to London, I accidentally took a shot which turned out to be a cracker so this time I deliberately set out to create some abstract ICM images. Here I stood under a bridge underpass and snapped away looking like a drunk wobbling his camera!

Along the route another underpass presented an opportunity. This was a busker screaming his head off despite signs everywhere saying "No busking"

Taking it slow

Along the route, we took a stop in the Tate Modern if only to use the loo! I can't resist grabbing a few shots of the brutalist architecture and with the light levels being so dark, using a slow shutter speed is right up my street!

I like this with the sense of direction in the frame. I'm still trying to decide whether to clone out the two outer passers by....

Gum

Walking around the streets of London always surprises me how clean some areas are. This must be one of the answers. Steam cleaning the ground is something I've never seen before. I am from the north of England where we can't get enough of that wonderful gum stuck to the floor!

Engage Sniper Mode

I'm on a quest to combine modern architecture, street photography and people walking through my frame. I waited like a sniper here for a while, literally stood still for 10 minutes waiting for someone to enter my sights!

A sucker for spiral stairs

Another sniper shot where I pre-compose the frame and shoot exactly at the right moment.

The Obligatory St.Paul's Cathedral Shot

@neilru75 wanted to shoot this PoV and who am I to argue with the reflections?

A sucker for diagonals

Being a photographer I'm drawn to diagonals, glass and reflections like a moth to light!

Packing 'em in

We spotted this glass fronted elevator with probably more people packed inside than is probably good for them. No-one seemed to care though and the photo is made by the young chap smiling "almost" at the camera!

Beggar's Belief

And finally, I'd seen this chap being photographed on a few YouTube channels before. I didn't expect to see this for myself. This chap's preferred pose for begging on the streets in front of tourists is to adopt this bent over double position with a collection cup in front of him.

I don't know whether this was because he had a bad back, whether he was stoned out of his mind or maybe just so down on his luck he just doesn't care anymore.

Whatever the reason for his forlorn pose, people walked on by oblivious to this chap's plight with only the occasional donation.

On the other hand this guy may be a conman and shortly after finishing his shift on the streets, he heads back to his £2000 a week flash apartment in the Canary Wharf business district for a well earned Gin and Tonic!! I'll never know!

About me:
I usually specialise in shooting lightpainting images but occasionally dabble in urbex and artistic model photography. I like to collaborate with other photographers and occassionally shoot outside my comfort zone.

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