today I thought it would be a good idea to go out early morning around bethnal green / hackney and practice my sun flare skills, its my favourite camera technique and something that I really want to get prefect. obviously, using something like a 85mm prime lens really takes a sun flare shot to the next level and I’m hoping to get my hands on one of those next week, but for now my 24-105mm will have to do the job. I know you can add lens flare in photoshop but I want to learn how todo them in real life first before I use computer software.
my plan is to watch a tone of youtube videos on lens flare and see how I can improve, but for now heres a few photos I took this morning. I want to show these ones and then maybe tomorrow ill show you a few more that Ive done after watching some youtube tutorials.
-I’m liking the over exposed look –– hackney road. 7am. –– the sun raise was perfect this morning –
On my way into work today, I had a great idea. How far away from the office on my lunch break and can I take some good photos, eat lunch and make it back in an hour. So at 12:24 I ran out the office, stopping at sainsburys to get a meal deal and then on to the bus stop to jump on the first bus that came past 5 mintues later the 242 towards st pauls turns up. I jumped on it and quickly realised I was going the wrong way, heading towards Liverpool street, which if you know London has got to be the slowest road in London. not really ideal for seeing how far away I can make it.
So I jumped off and decided to walk to spitelfeilds market, the coolest place within walking distance of me, that’s when it started to absolutely chuck it down with rain, one of those weird moments when the heavens open and you just get soaked. not great for trying to take pictures of people out side.
Whole thing seemed two of paid off because I got a free Ribena from some promotion thing and also took a few cool photos. While I’m working in this office, I’m going to make it a weekly challenge, to see how far I can make it on my lunch break.
Today I made it exactly 1 mile away. So I would say this was a complete success and mixed up my normal routine of seeing how much I can eat on my lunch break,
– I need this guys set up –– I should of sacked off the meal deal for this beuty –– that hat is something special –
so im now 116 days into this 3 photos a day and a brief paragraph thing, and trying to come up with things to take photos of and write about after working a days work anit so easy. but today I though, I would write about rain, the brussel sprout of the eco system, everyone hates it, but if it was for rain, we would probably most definitely be dead. it clears out the Carbon Dioxide from the air, keeps plants alive, which then keep us a live.
So heres a few interesting facts about rain and if anyone has any ideas on things I should take photos of, then please let me know. Im in an office all day at the moment and need to start doing some exploring.
The highest amount of rainfall ever recorded in 24 hours is 182.5 centimetres (71.9 inches) in Foc-Foc, La Réunion. This occurred during tropical cyclone Denise on January 8, 1966.
The highest amount of rainfall ever recorded in one year is 25.4 meters (1000 inches) in Cherrapunji, India.
Under certain conditions, rain can fall from the sky without ever reaching the ground. It happens when rain falling from a cloud evaporates or sublimes as it approaches the earth’s surface.
rain has a smell. When raindrops fall on dusty or clay soils, they trap tiny air bubbles on the surface which then shoot upward – as in a glass of Champagne – and burst out of the drop throwing aerosols of scent into the air where they are then distributed by wind.
Raindrops are shaped more like hamburger buns. As a rain drop falls, it becomes less spherical in shape and becomes more flattened on the bottom like a hamburger bun.
– Norfolk rain the other day –– this is a puddle –– rain clouds, the sign of summer in the UK –
right I think we can all agree that tuesdays, should be a day of no work. its the one day each week, where you forget about the weekend you just had and still to far off to think about the weekend you have coming up. they’re just a day where you work, go home and get ready for Wednesday. I always try and mix a Tuesday up, to give it something a bit different, but yesterday I had nothing. I just worked, had a mini shoot half way though the day, which was a bit fun. So on my walk home, I decided to take some photos of cool shadows, that mix it up abit. see what weird shapes I could find, that normally you would just walk past, but with the light being so SICK in the summer, I wanted to use that to my advantage.
Heres a few snaps.
P.s my camera is still broken, I stuck the lens in a bucket of water to take some underwater pictures of crabs and now its got water damage, im hopefully buying a new camera on Saturday,
– the door to get out for my work, the beginning of my walk home –-some alley way near bethnal green road, it looked cool so I stopped for a snap –– I have no idea why I like this, but it does look pretty cool with the orange –
Friday was a sick sick day, firstly I was approved by America for a working visa, so now I can go across to ya’ll across the pond for a catch up. other than that, shoreditch did not disappoint yesterday, everywhere I looked there was just something cool or weird happening, this guy sun bathing and then the guy on the motor bike who pulls up next to him was perfect time, I would love to of know what they said to each other, but I think the photo says enough.
For a friday which is normally about rushing to get home and go crazy, yesterday it seemed like everyone one was in cruise mode, from the motor bikers to the cyclists. everyone was just enjoying the summer.
Heres a few snaps from Friday, enjoy.
– this photo is perfect –– shoreditch street dogz –– took a turning off venice beach and end up on kingsland road –
Ive been back in London this week and its been a bit mental not too mental just a bit, definitely not 9 to 5, leave your work at work. Today is Friday and nothing could make me happier than knowing its the weekend tomorrow! anyway, I thought today would be a good day to show some of the photos Ive put on instagram and not just my blog. do something a bit different ya know! Since instagram started I can safely say that a lot of people put a lot of work into the pages, its just a natural thing, that in turn has developed their style of photos.
one of my weakness or strength’s what ever way you look at it, is I dont really have a style or I havent found it yet. Im just enjoying taking photos and trying to make my latest one look better than the one before that. I just see a photo opportunity and I take it, I dont think about how one photo might be different from the last and don’t want to concentrate on one area of photography more than the other, I just want to take a load of good stills, that I think are sick. im not sure if thats selfish or not, or even the right thing todo to get better, but well see what happens.
So for now, I’m pretty happy just snapping away and developing my none style style.
heres so photos I’ve taken at gigs and stuff, some are on my instgram, and some of the others never made the cut.
if ya wanna see more from my instagram go have a peep – @joshfspear
– the mobos last year –– Bamber band in dalston –– this is LONDON –
Friday, a day where you go out have a drink with your mates and end it with a 3am bagel and can of beer from the 24 hour off licence. back to reality, im was all about packing up camera gear, lenses, tripods and gimbals, then driving back to my parents house at 7 so I could hit the road on Sunday. I literally spent my friday in a room prepping camera gear and it was actaully pretty fun, a bit geeky but fun.
Then my Friday evening was all about trying to get across the blackwell tunnel before it became a traffic jam. That didnt happen. Long story short my friday was all about getting back to my parents home so I could get a decent nights sleep.
all this is happening when every single person I know is in benicassim ( a music festival in spain) sending me photos a videos, my mate frank the tank was even sending me photos of him talking about jacket potatoes and the way to make them, which is wrong frank, its cheese THEN beans. Not the other way round.
Any way heres some photos of my crazy journey home friday night.
-its an alright sunset, I guess –– view from my parents house –– why be in a park when you can see this from the motor way –
Firstly I have to say, the Beetles have a zebra crossing on Abbey Road, the Libertines have a cracked out alley way inbetween Bethnal Green and Hackney, its literally called “up the bracket Alley” it used to be called Grove Passage, but someone stole the road sign and now probably has it hung up their mothers wall. the reason for this is because it was the location of the Up The Bracket Music Video.
Heres a link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0u_g6zNuP_I
This alley has become a shrine to the band, with people writing on the wall about their memories of the band and the impact they had, its actually an amazing alley for that reason, but what makes it even better is the fact it stinks on piss and covered in smashed beer bottles. It kind of makes it that little bit more special. that fact you have to walk through a black cab repairs garage under some dark bridge off of the main road, definitely adds a bit of an uneasy atmosphere to the whole thing.
I was at the gig a few years back where a guy stripped off naked and climbed the lighting rig, for no reason what so ever, accept they are at a libertines gig and thats what happens.
I genuinely don’t think my writing skills are good enough to describe this alley way and what it feels like to walk down it, Ill have to get my friend matt green and his “creative writing degree” to help me out on that one.
but trust me if there is one thing you HAVE todo next time your in London, take the adventure over to “Up the Bracket Alley” and check it out, don’t take your phone or go there after dark though it might not be the same experience.
Heres my photos of Up The Bracket Alley!
– looks just like abbey road –– road signs are over rated anyway, nothing a bit of spray paint cant solve –– below this was a suspicious puddle –– messages from all over the world! –
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.
joshfspear.com 