Theres on thing that East london has that no where else in London can even compete and thats the 24/7 365 days of a year Brick Lane Baigel Bake all day ever day this shop is rammed with costumers, from Police Officers to a motor cycle gang stopping off to get a Salt Beef Bagel. This place was built in the 1974 and is probably the most famous shop on Brick Lane beating all the curry houses at the end!
The best things about Beigel Bake is the fact that they haven’t changed their prices to fit in with every other shop on that street, you can literally go in there get a salmon and creme cheese bagel for £1.80, a coffee shop near me sells the same Bagel for £4!!!
One of my best memories about the bagel shop was when there was a riot on Brick lane a few years ago, loads of shops got there windows smashed in, cars were destroyed, it was todo with the rising cost of living in the area, so naturally the estate agents took a battering, but the begel shop was pristine, literally not a scratch. it was like it a had shield around it protecting it from the flying bricks and angry hippies letting everyone know they weren’t happy.
So heres some snaps I took Last night
– this over a drunk macdonalds any day of the week! –– Home –– I dont know what they put in them but these are the perfect bagels
As im writing this post, its raining not just a bit its actually chucking it down, yesterday it was boiling hot, today its completely changed. My first idea for this post was to show some photos of the rain and maybe a few puddles around london, but I thought screw that im going to show some good weather and live in the past rather than face facts that London will never be the Mediterranean.
I even read an article the other day that said because of global warming, that Europe will experience cooling, meaning our summers will be even shorter and the winters a lot longer! This is becuase of the greenland Ice caps melting and the gulf stream, so in fact the cold air will be pushed into the golf stream and basically turn Europe into a fridge freezer.
for those of you who are equially suprised that I’ve read an article here’s ya proof.
today is a big day, to day is the day I reach the 100 days of this three photos a day challenge, so that means Ive upload at least 300 photos (some days Ive done more than three). The whole thing is starting to pick up momentum which is good and I’m starting to see some regular people like my page. you guys know who you are, so thank you!
But I though rather than just posting photos, I thought I would share a story, from before I was born and with a man I never met, my grandad Frederick Wrench. Back in the day this man work for the times news paper in the photography department, (just when people where trying to get in the whole 35mm film game), so this is probably where I get my techy geekiness from.
Well anyway my granny and him where saving for a new dishwasher, she was bored for doing it by hand and they needed to up there kitchen appliance game and a new dishwasher would of definitely have made the neighbours jealous, but one day Frederick spear came home with the new Kodak Retina Type ii (which is an amazing film camera), and had spent all the savings from the dishwasher on this new camera because as he saw it, he needed it, I dont think my gran was very happy but when you need something. you need it. what a legend!
Well, 60 years later I was given this camera by my gran, and took it for a spin around London, its not the easiest camera to work and without a light meter you’ve got to have a pretty good eye. so to know that back then he didn’t use a light meter and it was all just by judging the environment and take a great snap is impressive.
I never met this man but I definitely think this story has had an influence on me in some sort of way, to know he worked at the times in the photography department in the early days of photos and technology, is something that I think is pretty cool.
Anyway here some of his snaps and some of mine.
– my 100 post’s celebration –– 2nd from the left Freddy Wrench, 3rd from the left Granny –– my mum, love that hair cut –– not sure if thats my mum or my uncle, I should of really found out before writing this –– mum playing with the “smart phone” –– Grandad wearing the camera, that I know have –– no idea who or whats happening –– the photo I took with the Kodak retina type ii-– this is anders –– Mezhyhirya Residence, Ukraine (he was the president, but got over run my rebels and he’s now is in hiding some where inside Russia) I was there last year to film a chocolate biscuit commercial… but thats whole different story –
Im writing this while listen to the legend that is Dusty Springfeild. I was over in Holland park the other day, when I came across one of those blue signs that said Dusty Springfeild, she live in London, I might sound stupid but I ever knew that, I also thought it would of been LA.
Her house is actually really cool but in an understated way, if you drove past it, theres nothing special and compared to all the other houses in that area, like the mansions that Guy Ritchie and the Beckenhams own, its not really that big but still has a pretty nice price tag of £16.5 million for the 7,200 square meter house, with a 35ft swimming pool and a gym.
When you actually stop and look its got a funky 60’s vibe, from the number on the door to the door its self and the windows all of it has that art deco feel. I suppose Ive got to up my photo game a lot before ill be able to afford this place!
Heres some other pictures aswell include a child falling off a scooter and…
– the home of dusty springfeild –– this house is sick –– some tourists asked me for directions, just as the boy fell over so I missed the actual stack, i was literally on a tripod and everything it would have been perfect –– who ever has a pink door and drives a purple porsche you are a legend and these people think so too –
its now only three days off me having posted three photos a day for 100 days, So today i thought it would be a good idea to show some pictures thats Ive taken but haven’t been post over the past 97 days I’ve been doing this. and then today I can head out and make sure I take even better photos for you to have a look at over your Sunday morning coffee. Sometimes its just easier to keep things simple.
– thats a proper dinner spot –– the crazy coastal road in amalfi –– someones making stuff happen on bethna green road –
Walking home from work yesterday and I saw this crazy helicopter flying over Bethnal Green, I only really noticed it because of how low it was flying and what it had on the side. Does anyone know what helicopter it is? Other than that I saw to Asian people taking wedding photos out side of a bills restaurant which was a bit weird but different strokes for different folks.
– what is this? I would love to fly in this –
One thing I’m learning about street photography is that you have to be there in the moment and not worry about taking photos of people in plan sight, other wise you’ll never get the shot, some times you’ve just got to go balls to the wall.
– “make sure you get the menu in the shot” –
At the moment my main camera I’m using is a Sony WX350 which isnt the best point and shoot but it’s a lot easier than taking a canon 5d with a 24-105mm lens which is basically the same size as a small child. – this was me just playing around with the lights on the tube –
As you can see this camera does hold up ok and for the price you can’t complain, this was literally a camera I brought for a small project I had with a mate and not really intended to use it for the blog thing I’m doing, so I suppose it’s doing the job but if you were to put it next to a fuji x100f or Leica M it would look like one of those old Motorola flip phones.
for the next 5 days Im going to concentrate on taking photos of people around London, its something that I’ve wanted todo for a long time and something I want to get better at. Street photography is big in London and probably to most popular type of photography around here, so I think its time I give it a proper try. At the moment, Im a big fan of black and white street photos I think they just add something else to the photo, so for now I’m probably going to concentrate on that, but well see where it ends up.
Heres some photos I took yesterday on my lunch break and after work having pizza in the park. have a look at ’em and tell me what you think.
– business on top, fitness on the bottom (running in a shirt) –– just going to meet my mates –– looks intense –
theres no better wake up call and to be reminded that your back in london than english rain, its the “I dont need a jacket today” attitude that catches you out the most and the sudden down pour that seems to last a few hours but long enough for you to be sat at your desk with wet jeans for the whole day! but I suppose I cant complain because I saw a guy standing in the que for the sainsburys check out with a metro news paper still balanced on his head to protect him for the sudden down pours that happen inside Sainsburys every now and again, it doesnt sound that funny as I write this, but if you were there…
Any way heres my snaps from today. I’m trying a few new things out, to see what works, what does work, changing the format, adding a watermark trying to work on finding a nice typography that I can use consistently and mainly the style of my photos, what I focus on when i’m in London and what I focus on when Im in new countries. so please let me know what you like and what you think is absolutely crap.
– this is kind of a smart / cheap way of advertising – – its like the old people are walking towards the light – – I found palm trees in tower hamlets, its almost like being on holiday –
One thing I thought was a good idea is if I saved up all the photos I took on my iPhone from Italy. This camera gets used as a quick go to, if it’s in my hands and I happen to see something I like or if all my other cameras are in my bag. Then the photo takes the snap, no playing with settings just swipe up and press the button. Done.
A few months back though I wasn’t a fan of phone stills they always seemed a bit flat and couldn’t really hold up against a camera but since I’ve been using it as an easy to go point and shoot camera, it’s definitely impressing me and something that’s pulled through when I’ve needed that quick snap.
Any way enough of the rambling I’ll let the photos do the talking.
– the last beach i saw –– I just like the colour in this photo –– the “high street” in Raito, Italy –
Im finding it hard to described the town Raito, it is a properly individual town where locals sit at the bus stop the whole day watching the world go buy, Old ladies invite you into their home to buy a “bus ticket” and wild dogs hang out on the street like teenagers no joke! this was the place we where staying, its high up in the mountains above the Amalfi Coastal road, the only transport is a bus that comes every 1/2 hours and doesnt really have a destination it just kind of drives roughly to the town and will roughly drop you off. this mixed with a couple of 5 star hotels which are full of tourist, expensive wines (we werent staying there we were in an Airbnb) and every other day the town played hosts to big Italian weddings! definitely gives Raito a weird feel, and kind of organised chaos, but you gotta love it.
I wanted to take pictures at night of this hip little town and show you just what is it like, so heres some snaps.
– this is the whole of raito from the road up to it –– from the high street looking down on salerno, there were fireworks going off for some sort of celebration –– the high street in raito, full of small shops selling tabacco, ham / cheese and coffee –
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