Yesterday evening I met up with some of the Bleeding London photographers for a wander through Deptford, in Southeast London. It's an area I rarely visit, though I was down there a couple of years ago shooting storefronts. It's an intriguing neighborhood.
On this trip, I initially went to a council estate where I found lots of blocky Stalinist architecture -- albeit in appealing pastel colors -- and the usual suburban fare.
More cats.
I actually resisted photographing the cats -- I am on cat overload -- but this one was posed so perfectly I couldn't pass it up!
After finishing my assigned territory I tried to reunite with the group but got trapped in a maze of construction-blocked streets. Weirdly I ran into another Bleeding London photographer, also trapped in the same vortex of council estate alleyways, and eventually we found our way back to the main group. (I make it sound like there were loads of us -- there were actually five.)
We all walked toward the Thames, and as the sun set I got some night shots like the bar in the top picture. I love that lighting! I wrestled with whether I should color-correct the photos that I took beneath streetlights, which cast a bright yellow light over everything. In the end I left them alone, figuring the odd lighting would help the viewer realize they're night shots. (When you can't see the sky, it's not always easy to tell.)
So, anyway, three of us stopped off at a pub for a pint before catching the train. I belatedly realized that I never ate dinner, so when I got home, I grabbed a peanut butter sandwich, an apple and an ice cream bar. After Dave and I shared stories of our day and he settled in to watch "Star Trek: The Next Generation," I edited and uploaded all my photos, and wound up going to bed around midnight, which is ridiculously late for me.
Hence, the hangover. Which isn't really a hangover -- just a bit of fatigue. Today, I am once again resting my eyes!
Yes. It may be time for you to take a bit of a breather. What an amazing project and how cool that you are part of it!
ReplyDeleteIt's an epic quest, your photography project. I love the stories.
ReplyDeleteThe blue and gold in the Victoria picture are beautiful!
When you get done with this project, you will have seen more of London than many people born there have. That's quite an accomplishment.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know about the book "The Sixty-Eight Rooms". I'll have to look for that.
Does the project own all of the rights to the photos?
ReplyDeleteWell, it is a good picture of the cat. And what is the Victoria with it's shuttered bar?
ReplyDeleteE: The photographers retain the rights to all the photos.
ReplyDeleteEllen: The Victoria was probably an old English pub, and now it's turned into something called the Hoang Bar. I have no idea what that is, given that it was closed -- I'm guessing an Asian bar from the name. I'm not sure whether it was closed for the night or closed for good.
I love, love, love to photograph council estates - especially the huge blocks. They fascinate me. So many little flats with lives going on behind them. My mind goes into overdrive.
ReplyDeleteI never go to bed before midnight - maybe that is where I am going wrong :/