How did it begin part 7.2?
As I said in the last part, I said 2022 could potentially be split into two smaller parts as a lot happened. I am so glad I have split this into two parts as when I was writing part 7 I noticed it was very very lengthy. This part will conclude on 2022 with the last few remaining months. Few more London trips, some nature walks with a new lens, taking pictures of some fast cars and off to the most magical place on earth with a bunch of amazing people (which will feature in a separate part alongside other Disney trips). All of that is to come but first let's carry on…
I was off to London but not really for photography (although it may seem it), i was going to London to go and watch another live orchestra that was playing superhero film scores. it was at the Royal Festival Hall (which i have never been to) i went up a little earlier to go and so a small bit of photography and then head to the show after. This small session i was using the nifty fifty the 50mm ƒ1.8.
Date-3rd September 2022
What i started to do more of was getting lower to the ground because it captures a different perspective such as this one above at the train station waiting for my train to London.
Date-3rd September 2022
While walking along Charing Cross bridge i looked through a gap and saw the London Eye through the bridge structure and made sure that i focused on the London Eye pod.
Date-3rd September 2022
I always seem to capture couples in the moment such as holding hands while in the city.
Date-3rd September 2022
I wanted to place my camera on the raining (yes i was still holding onto it) and followed down the leading line of the bridge but focusing on the public.
Date-3rd September 2022
Embankment station also serves as Charing Cross station. I can’t deny the outside is a bit rundown with the brickwork which also helps with the look of the photo.
Date-3rd September 2022
As we was in the mist of the Platinum Jubilee the city was covered in Union Flags. I got down lower for this photo along the strand while also taking it in a landscape photo. I wanted to get it as centre as possible and i caught that, the lamp post was directly in the middle of the photo.
Date-3rd September 2022
While making my way to Covent Garden i was taking a picture down towards The London Transport Museum and i only realised when i came to editing these that there was a hen do. This lovely lady was not in the photo on purpose.
Date-3rd September 2022
Date-3rd September 2022
Date-3rd September 2022
The beautiful flower arrangement never fails. The colours are vibrant with the red, white and beautiful purple while in a lovely hanging basket.
Date-3rd September 2022
The busy Covent Garden Underground station and i always love the roundel logo in Covent Garden.
Date-3rd September 2022
I was getting lower behind a cart of of flowers which are on the edge of the entrances to Covent Garden. It took me a couple of attempts to get the logo in focus (yes i could have swapped it into manual focus), I then was able to capture this beauty of a photo.
Date-3rd September 2022
The September sun was coming out which made it good lighting for photos through the city. I was just leaving Covent Garden and i wanted to capture the old style brickwork of the station.
Date-3rd September 2022
In the previous part of 2022 i came across this side street with these beautiful flowers above and i wanted capture this again compared the other photo.
Date-3rd September 2022
So back to this spot at Leicester Square Underground Station. This time i tried something different while taking it in a landscape setting, i wanted to focus on the sign while having the bokeh in the back on the Underground logo.
Date-3rd September 2022
China town always is a a fun place to visit doesn’t matter how many times you go. I love looking up because you will always find something new you may not have spotted last time.
Date-3rd September 2022
Date-3rd September 2022
I don’t tend to find that many neon lighting around the city. There is one that i know of which is close to Piccadilly Circus. I came across this neon lighting and captured it from an angle.
Date-3rd September 2022
This is another one of my favourite pictures of the year but also another one of my favourites of all time. There was some traffic in Regents Street and came across this ionic Mini Cooper. I got down to its level and captured this photo. I remember the guy in the mini gave me a thumbs up after and i showed him the photo.
Date-3rd September 2022
Looking down Regents Street where you find the taxi waiting outside of Hamley’s. As i said this session was more about getting lower and getting a different perspective.
Date-3rd September 2022
I edited this photo in a couple ways and one of those was a ‘hint of colour’ which focused on the sign in colour. I decided to put this photo in because i loved the bokeh effect in the background of the photo.
Date-3rd September 2022
While making my way down Regents Street there was some traffic at the traffic lights. I remember this motor cyclist turning around a they looked directly at me and then looked forward, i wasn’t quick enough to capture it but i got this photo instead which i like as i wanted to focus on this motor cyclist.
Date-3rd September 2022
Another low shot of a car and this time it is a beautiful Porsche. I really enjoyed doing these lower down photos. I am all about trying new ideas for photos.
Date-3rd September 2022
I love seeing the old bill walking around the city. Protecting the city and dealing with crime all over the city. I captured this moment when the police officers were walking across the street, I set to a burst mode so i could capture them walking and i picked one which i liked and this was the one.
Date-3rd September 2022
Standing outside the Microsoft store two more old bills just watching the world go by and offering any help to any citizens to help them around the city and being on guard 24/7.
Date-3rd September 2022
I really enjoyed this little photography session before the show. I really enjoyed the show with so many superhero scores which i have listen to. I will say that the John Williams and Hans Zimmer concert i went to back in July was a lot better. A lot of the score from that concert i listen to more on a daily basis compared to the superhero one such as X-MEN 2 theme is one i don’t to. Overall it was a good afternoon/evening in London.
Sadly in the month of September the United Kingdom and the world lost a true queen. Queen Elizabeth ll sadly passed away on the 8th September. She had been on the throne for 70 years, the longest reigning monarch in English history. She was loved by millions around the world and was the head of the Commenwealth. She lived a long life and at the age of 96 she passed away peacefully at Balmoral Castle. Over the week and half until her funeral on the 19th she was brought back to London for her lying in state at Westminster Hall. I will be honest i have never been more passionate to be British during her lying in state and her funeral. I wanted to add this in because it was one of our biggest moments this century.
Rolling onto the end of September where i took another trip to London but this time i went with a couple of friends which was cool. We didn’t have a plan apart from just explore and have a fun day together. This day i will remember for my photography because i achieved some incredible nighttime photos and also i achieved something i just went off a wim with a couple and came out better than expected.
I met my friends at London Paddington Station and then made our way into the centre which our journey took us to Piccadilly Circus. When we left the Underground station it was raining which i have been lucky with the weather each time i have gone. I always wanted it to rain in London to i could get the reflection off puddles, this one i quite liked this one due to the reflection on the puddle with the billboard lighting. I wanted to make this darker while bringing out the colours and making it vibrant.
Date-27th September 2022
Walking through China Town and i noticed a puddle and i thought i would try a reflection shot of the lanterns above while also capturing my friends in photo too.
Date-27th September 2022
I thought i would capture there shoes (I don’t know why) but thought again it would be a different type of photo. This is the first time i have been to London with someone since my ex a few years ago so it felt weird but a good experience and was able to use them in photos.
Date-27th September 2022
I am loving these lower photos and was able to capture this one as we was leaving China town. The darker colours of the buildings while keeping the redness of the lanterns.
Date-27th September 2022
We walked over to Berkley Square as we are all car fans so we wanted to see if we could find some nice cars. We spotted some very nice cars like this one above. This Lamborghini (i think Hurrican) we found located along the street, what was funny is that the car had a parking ticket on the windscreen. The rain had cleared but cars still had rain drops which made it good to editing this photo because i wanted to bring out the rain drops located on the bonnet of the car.
Date-27th September 2022
Walking past Buckingham Palace which all of us paid out respects and standing outside of the palace was one of the King’s guard. I wanted to not maker this a ‘hint of colour’ photo and wanted to keep all the colours in, but i wanted to make the colour red on the guard a bit brighter to make him pop out.
Date-27th September 2022
Date-27th September 2022
Now this was the one i wanted to make as a ‘hint of colour’ i captured this a few times but i wanted to get the guard with his arm swinging and low and behold i captured that photo.
Date-27th September 2022
The sky was really blue when we exploring London compared to how the day started. This statue located outside of Buckingham Palace i wanted to get an upwards shot of it with the sky as the background. It mixes well with the goldness of the statue and blueness of the sky and i wanted to make the sky a little darker.
Date-27th September 2022
Date-27th September 2022
This is one of my favourites of the year, we was walking down towards Parliament Square and caught between the trees Big Ben looking very beautiful September light. I loved editing this photo because i brought out the colours out on Big Ben and wanted to bring the sky out as well by making it darker again.
Date-27th September 2022
Big Ben with the blue backdrop. I looked at this photo and thought could i make this a ‘hint of colour’ and i decided not to because i wanted to keep the colours of Big Ben and the sky. I wanted to make the colours of Big Ben brighter and stick out against the backdrop.
Date-27th September 2022
Date-27th September 2022
We went to Wetherspoons for quite a long time and when we left it was starting to get dark and this was going to be my time to improve my nighttime photography. This was the start, we was walking towards Tower Bridge and actually got my settings right to be be able to get the lighting correct and no blurriness in the photo.
Date-27th September 2022
Date-27th September 2022
This was a combine of two things which was lower light photography and long exposure. I was standing on Tower Bridge and set my shutter speed to 20 seconds and it produced this photo. I did some little editing to this to bring out more colours but when i looked back on it i was in shock with how amazing it came out.
Date-27th September 2022
Once i did one long exposure shot i wanted to do it again but more in the centre of the bridge so i could capture each side of the river. I was using my favourite 24-105mm ƒ4 lens during this trip. I set the shutter speed to 30 seconds which was the lowest it could go and then it came out with this beauty of a photo. This photo is in my top 20 of all time, i just adore all the colours in it from the blues and oranges.
Date-27th September 2022
One more long exposure while on the bridge and this time i faced towards the City of London with the Walkie Talkie as being the focus point. I think i brought up the shutter speed to 20 seconds again. The sunset was perfect for these types of photos. This would lead me into trying to explore more with long exposure photos.
Date-27th September 2022
Looking through the railings towards the Shard, this photo took a while to capture and i wanted to make sure i had the top of the Shard in one of the railings and behold this photo was taken. This photo is also in my top 20 i’ve ever taken. It’s not just the Shard i was able to capture a city cruise in the photo as well.
Date-27th September 2022
Date-27th September 2022
Now leads me onto this photo… this photo isn’t just my favourite of the day but this is my favourite photo i have ever taken. It wasn’t until i got home i realised i captured a perfected photo. I placed my camera on the wall and set my shutter speed to 30 seconds this gave the nice smoothness to the water while keeping the lights on the tower nice and bright. There really was no editing done to this, i cropped a bit of the bottom as it had a bit of wall which i didn’t like, but i boosted a bit of colours but what you see is basically shot for shot without masses of editing. I will never get tired of looking at this photo. This is truly my greatest photo i’ve ever taken and it will be a while till something comes close to this photo.
Date-27th September 2022
Stepping away from the long exposure i went back to my normal settings during this lower light photography and the light was fazing which paved the way to nighttime photography. Capturing the lights of the City of London the orange lights and the blueness of the sky was just perfect combination.
Date-27th September 2022
Looking back towards Tower Bridge and this being one of my favourite shots i have of the bridge. You have probably noticed that this trip has produced some of my favourite photos of all time. This one doesn’t make the cut of top 20 but it’s my favourite i’ve taken of the bridge.
Date-27th September 2022
The night just keeps getting better, we were walking past St Pauls Cathedral and then i captured this photo. At this point it was full on nighttime, it was my time to produce some photos and hopefully they don’t come out bad. Now i will say that some did come out bad but you do have bad photos but this one ticked the box. I caught the cathedral in all its glory with the beautiful lighting around the dome.
Date-27th September 2022
This is my second favourite photo of the day and it again is in my top 20 of all time. I haven’t really done the Millennium Bridge in the dark and taking photos towards St Pauls but this one just took my breath away. I was able to capture this photo in nighttime perfectly. The only editing i did was reduced some noise on the photo as also highlighted the dome to make it pop against the nighttime sky.
Date-27th September 2022
No the London Eye isn’t white at night, it’s actually a pink colour to it for Lastminute.com. When it came to editing i kept everything in colour but just took out the colours i wanted such as the purple and pinks. This then gave me a chance to make the London Eye a bit brighter but i think in the original photo the photo was at a good lighting exposure. One of my favourite photos of the London Eye.
Date-27th September 2022
That trip to London was probably one of my best times i’ve been to the capital. Coming out with some of my favourite photos of all time was something i wasn’t expecting during the trip. To branch into long exposure with nighttime photography was a huge step to improving in that section.
Well, well, well looks like i am back to London but this time i was going with my brother to visit an exhibition at the Imperial War Museum, we also did HMS Belfast which is located on the river and is a battleship that fought in World War l & World War ll. Firstly we made our way into the capital and the Imperial War Museum isn’t that far from London Waterloo train station so we decided to walk there. It was a beautiful walk along the roads leading to the museum. On this trip i was going to use a lens that i don’t use often which is my 16-35mm ƒ4 lens.
Date-16th October 2022
We made our way to the museum and its always good to look up to capture some interesting photos. This one for example of the entrance of the war museum, i really liked the detail and contraction of this place. I used the cinematic preset in the editing process to make it a little more washed out with colours such as the blueness on the sky.
Date-16th October 2022
Probably one of my favourites from the day is this beautiful landscape shot of the full entirety of the museum. Little known fact that the museum was a hospital during World War ll. I loved that i was using my 16-35mm ƒ4 lens because i was able to have a wider angel shot instead of my 24-105mm lens which i use all the time.
Date-16th October 2022
It was all about taking photos upwards over this part of the blog. This was as we was leaving the museum, i wanted to capture one of the rounds that were fired from the massive guns outside of the museum. I did an edit where i made the round a ‘hint of colour’ but i preferred this one.
Date-16th October 2022
Capturing through the two massive guns towards the round tower as the centre piece of the image. i decided to keep out the blue from the sky and just have the colour of the building.
Date-16th October 2022
We walked from the museum to HMS Belfast. We came across a main road that led up to The Shard. I made my way into the central reservation to take this photo. The Shard was going to be my centre piece of the photo and wanted to capture the surrounding buildings leading up to The Shard.
Date-16th October 2022
I took a photo near the beginning of the trip which i really liked but sadly the file was too big to put into the blog. This one is the next best thing, once again i captured at a lower level to get the perspective of the buildings. Sometimes when i look at The Shard i don’t think it’s real and it looks smaller especially with this one above.
Date-16th October 2022
Looking up at The Shard with my the wide angle lens just gives you the perspective on how tall this building is. The light reflection off the glass with the added colour of the blueness from the sky reflecting off the building i always quite enjoy.
Date-16th October 2022
Date-16th October 2022
Now located at the Southbank we was very close to boarding HMS Belfast. The beautiful City of London glistering in the October sun. I didn’t want to make the sky dark blue but just wanted to add some more saturation to the sky.
Date-16th October 2022
Using the 16-35mm lens is very different to the 24-105mm because i was able to capture more in the photos and in 2023 I am going to start using more of the 16-35mm to capture more in my photos especially in the cities.
Date-16th October 2022
The wall where i took my favourite photo, I placed my camera on the wall and took a portrait shot of Tower Bridge. What you will notice is that there is no colour to the sky and that is because i just wanted to keep the lower half in colour and just exclude the sky.
Date-16th October 2022
Date-16th October 2022
Date-16th October 2022
Standing on the edge of HMS Belfast i wanted to capture looking down at the bridge. It has been a while since i was on the water (last time was back in 2020). I decided to make this photo a little darker by adding some vignetting to the other edges of the photo while also adding a bit more contrast.
Date-16th October 2022
HMS Belfast is a great museum but you have to be willing to walk up and down a lot of steep steps. While walking around the outside of the ship i came across this small gally way. I caught this photo when there was no one in it and i liked the style of editing to make the colours darker and adding bit more contrast. This is another one of those photos where i wanted to copy the same grading style as Dunkirk the film.
Date-16th October 2022
The massive guns on the battleship saw a lot of action over the two world wars. I wanted to get the wider angle shot of the captains deck and long range guns located on deck of the ship. This led me to making the colours darker and making it a more cinematic photo.
Date-16th October 2022
Located on the captains deck i sat in the seat and looked out towards the city. I then put into perspective how bad things must have been during the world wars. So much happened while out on sea and it was a dangerous place for the sailors.
Date-16th October 2022
Standing at the top of HMS Belfast i wanted to set the camera to 16mm so i could really get that wider angle of the area. I decided to make this photo a little darker with the different tones and also making the colours dark to create a more cinematic tone.
Date-16th October 2022
To finish the the day off we walked across Waterloo Bridge and noticed to the right of me the London Eye but i also noticed Big Ben through the middle and i said to myself ‘looks like a cool shot’. When it came to editing I wanted to follow suit with HMS Belfast with the editing style, keeping it darker but actually brining out a bit more colour especially with the trees.
Date-16th October 2022
That would be the end of London until the end of the year. Exploring more with the 16-35mm to capture more of that wider angle in the city. Next will be capturing long exposure during the day which i have the ND filter to be able to capture just that.
In October i made a new purchase of a beautiful new lens. I treated myself to the Sigma 150-600mm which was going to be a lens that i use in airshows and nature pictures. This was an investment opportunity so that i could better images at a further distances.
This now leads me onto taking a trip to Mercedes Benz World at Brooklyns. This is a place for where customers can experience a drive of lifetime, They have the option to be driven around the track, drive the car for themselves in a beautiful AMG or go off-roading in a 4x4. I went to Mercedes Benz World to try out this new lens in a fast moving environment with the cars moving at speed.
I found myself planted in a good area to see the track and watching the cars going around. When it came to editing i changed up my preset, i moved away from the cinematic preset to use a more earthy tone which then i am now using for all my photos from now on.
Date-31st October 2022
At the track there is a skid pan where drivers can attempt to try a drift (which some do better than others). On my camera i changed the settings to be ai servo where basically it follows a moving subject such as a car or a plane. This gave me better outcomes on the photos.
Date-31st October 2022
Date-31st October 2022
Date-31st October 2022
The beautiful building of Mercedes Benz World, i love the deign of the building and its modern design (even if this is over 10+ years old). The Mercedes logo spins slowly on-top of the building and i waited till i could capture it at the right time.
Date-31st October 2022
The beautiful SLS AMG (which i have grown to like more) was zooming around the track with its great sounding V8 engine. I knew there would be a couple of photos where i would make a ‘hint of colour’ this one in particular i caught the back end of the car with the tail lights in red.
Date-31st October 2022
This was taken at 600mm (the full length) of the SLS AMG. Out of the 1,300 photos i took over the couple of hours while i was there quite a fair few of them came out perfectly. I set my camera to Tv mode which prioritises the shutter speed so when i slow down the shutter speed it gives the blurriness to the background while keeping the subject in focus.
Date-31st October 2022
There is another skid pan section on the track which i was facing where the cars would drive down while the sprays are on, I set the shutter speed high so i could capture water effects on the car.
Date-31st October 2022
I moved away from my spot and walked down the road to look at the off-roading section. While i was walking down i looked back and got a good look at the beautiful building. I captured this a couple of times so it would not just be the building i wanted to make sure i had a car in the photo.
Date-31st October 2022
Watching the off-road section of the course and i can’t deny that it does look very cool to drive. Where i stood there wasn’t much to capture but there was this small hill where the 4x4 would go up. I captured the 4x4 at the top and with this earthy tone preset brought this photo more to life.
Date-31st October 2022
Date-31st October 2022
So editing didn’t take me that long and was done within the day that i shot these photos. The next day i made a couple of posts to social network with some of these photos, i tagged Mercedes Benz on Twitter and i actually got a reply from then which was insane. It’s all about putting your work out there for anyone to see and hopefully notice, which is my goal for 2023 is to try and grab more attention to people.
Once evening i was driving home from my grandparents and noticed that the moon was out. This was an opportunity to capture the moon with my new lens. This photo us cropped so i could get even closer and the result came out better than I expected.
Date-3rd November 2022
In November the main season at Legoland came to an end and to finish i watched the fireworks. Sadly the files were too big to put them into the blog but they turned out really nicely. I set my camera to burst mode so i could capture the fireworks in all it’s glory. I have been thinking about trying bulb mode which is great for capturing long exposure shots and also cool firework photos. Not much else happened in the month of November apart from a new job with British Airways working under the ground operations crew. This was an exciting new opportunity and sad that i would be leaving Legoland.
The last month rolls around (which has gone quite quickly). In the beginning of the month i took a winter walk over Epsom Downs with my 150-600mm and 16-35mm. This would give me the opportunity to capture the landscape from both lenses. There was this frost layer to the ground which helped with the photos. I got down on the ground a lot to get those closer shots of the flowers and the ground as you will now see…
The famous grand stand at the downs, i was capturing this off my Sigma 150-600mm, i set the aperture to be around ƒ8 so i was able to get more detail into the photo. The birds located on the ground help with this photo as they are chilling on the ground. I used the earthy tone preset for this photo which brought out the green colour on the ground.
Date-8th December 2022
I swapped over to the 16-35mm to capture this wider angle shot and what i did during the editing process was just highlighting the main stand and also the fence line of the racecourse.
Date-8th December 2022
Using the wide angle to capture this beautiful landscape photo. The earthy preset really brought out the beauty in the photo with the variety of colours such as the beautiful blue sky and the you can see the frost on the ground in-between the greens on the hill.
Date-8th December 2022
One of my most beautiful photos of the year, i captured this with the 16-35mm and while on the ground. I couldn’t be more pleased with how this photo came out, the fact i captured the detail off the flower with the small bits of frost was amazing. I only added a bit more colour to the photo in editing and added some more texture to bring out the flower.
Date-8th December 2022
Date-8th December 2022
I kept using the 16-35mm because to capture the full landscape a wide angle lens definitely does help to get all the details in the photo. This one for example was set at the widest angle of 16mm but i wanted to focus on this post as the main subject and having the grand stand as the background.
Date-8th December 2022
I came across a few flowers while on my walk and i always watched my step so i didn’t tread on the flowers. I thought i would try a top down photo of these beautiful flowers. The winter sunlight does help with these photos and i captured it so that the sunlight would light up the flowers.
Date-8th December 2022
Date-8th December 2022
I got to the top of the downs and walk through a small woodlands, when i got out i noticed that the sun hadn’t hit the ground because the sun didn’t get to this part of the racecourse. You can see the frost on the ground and not much came to editing this photo as when i took it i quite liked how it was, i just touched up on the colours such as the blues and added some more saturation.
Date-8th December 2022
Date-8th December 2022
Squatting down between the racecourse fence line and the fence line for the crown. It’s like a contrast of old (left) and new (right). I made sure i was as centered as possible for this photo.
Date-8th December 2022
One of the only nature walks i did this year compared to the other years before hand but i can’t wait to try more with the 150-600mm lens in a nature environment. I will be taking a trip to Richmond Park and hopefully capturing the wildlife and nature in the park.
In mid December i took a trip to Disneyland Paris with a group of friends (which was very exciting). We took the Eurotunnel and drove to Disneyland Paris. In this segment i am not going to include the pictures from Disneyland Paris as i am saving a separate part dedicated to Disney photography. In this part i am going to included the journey that we took down through the beauty of France. My friends dad and I was in the front and i was able to capture so much on the trip over. There was some truly beautiful areas we went through. I edited the photos each day i was there in the evening and on the journey back i spent my time editing the whole road trip editing the last day of Disney.
Funny story we was actually stuck on the train due to technical issues with opening the train. I think we was sat there for another extra 20 minuets which was quite entertaining. The ‘hint of colour’ was used to capture the operators in high-vis jackets.
Date-16th December 2022
While leaving the train station i love signage especially in different countries and i had two edits of this photo and this one i wanted to use to have a ‘hint of colour’ and just focus on the orange
There was a lot of rolling roads through hills which was perfect to capture. The sun was out which i loved for the photos especially the cold winter weather that France had over the last few days before we arrived. There was parts on the journey where there was frost on the ground.
Date-16th December 2022
With it being winter means that the leaves have fallen off the trees. I just pictured in my mind what i would be like if the trees had leaves and how green it would be. There are some of these photos where you think i am standing on the road and not in a moving car but all these photos were taken while on the move.
Date-16th December 2022
We came across this beautiful open area. Where we was driving through you felt the presence of World War l & World War ll. You could sense there was trenches that were built here during the great war. I used the earthy preset to bring out the ground of colours such as this greeny/orange. The winter sky was blue but i decided to bring back the blue and not make it over powering.
Date-16th December 2022
Date-16th December 2022
This area we was driving through was where the famous Battle of the Somme took place. One of the most horrific battles during World War l. You could feel something when you drove through here. I do love my history in both wars and loved learning about it in school.
Date-16th December 2022
I kid you not i saw so many wind turbines while on our journey, i lost count with how many i spotted. Every corner you turned you would find at least one wind turbine.
Date-16th December 2022
Date-16th December 2022
There wasn’t much traffic along this road which made it perfect for photos like this. As i explained earlier there are photos where you think i am standing on the road but again this photo was us driving. I love the sweeping road with the beautiful open fields.
Date-16th December 2022
There was a lot of open straight pieces of road which i love capturing. Sometimes having drivers on the road helps with photos such as this one above.
Date-16th December 2022
We was getting closer to the destination and I noticed that the sunset was coming through the clouds which looked incredible. I have never properly captured a sunset properly and this is still isn’t like 10/10 photo but it is slowly getting there.
Date-16th December 2022
The sunset was just beautiful to look at and when we got to a top of the hill there was this nice orange glow in the sky. When it came to editing not much was done but i added a bit more contrast to the photo such as the orange colour.
Date-16th December 2022
I call these the ‘cat’ electricity pylon as a child i always thought they looked like cats and still to this day i still think it. The sun had now set and left this beautiful blue sky.
Date-16th December 2022
We was staying at Centre Parc’s and located here is where the indoor swimming pool was located and every-time i look at this i think its something from a James Bond movie. Also located at the bottom is a lake and part of it was frozen over due to it being so cold.
Date-17th December 2022
Date-18th December 2022
I woke up on the second to last day and saw that the sun was rising, but i will say it was really cold as the temperature was -5 degrees. The beautiful sun light was perfect in the morning.
Date-18th December 2022
Date-18th December 2022
The moon was just above my apartment and quite liked the moon on the dark blue background.
Date-18th December 2022
Date-18th December 2022
The sun was rising and it had this really orange glow and being -5 degrees you can see how frozen over the lake is.
Date-18th December 2022
We move into the part of this incredible year, i took one final year into London as i hadn’t seen the Christmas lights all December so i journeyed up to the capital on the 30th December a day before New Years and went for a little wonder. This wouldn’t be a long long day in London and i wouldn’t be walking miles. On this trip i took three lenses
50mm ƒ1.8
16-35mm ƒ4
24-105mm ƒ4
I only used the 16-35mm a couple of times which was the beginning of the session. I then used my awesome 24-105mm most of the time while I was in London and then changed to the 50mm during the nighttime but resorted back to the 24-105mm to then capture some truly amazing photos to finish the day and also the year. This is what happened during the day…
As always i start by making my way towards the London Eye, that never really changes when i go to London. I started by walking past these apartments which were built a few years ago and using my wide angle lens i was able to capture the full scale of these buildings.
One thing i will note is that i actually took a lot of photos in landscape than in portrait (i am not sure why that was) but i wanted to try and capture as much in photos.
Date-30th December 2022
Walking toward the massive wheel i noticed that they were setting up for the big night for New Years Eve. I was starting to use my 16-35mm lens a little bit more and i wanted to be able capture photos like the one above. I would like to re-visit but without the equipment in the way so i could get a clear image.
With it being winter luckily there are no leaves so i was able to see most of the London Eye.
Date-30th December 2022
I think we’ve seen this photo a few times over the last few years since going to London on my own. The famous Palace of Westminster with Big Ben in all it’s glory. It was quite a gloomy day to begin with so the clouds made it a good background piece.
Date-30th December 2022
Date-30th December 2022
I have seen this photo opportunity on many instagram posts and photography pages. There is an archway which you can look through and you’ll be able to see Big Ben. Now this is a place you need to get to really early so you don’t get anyone in the picture but its okay to have people in the photo. I am happy that i was able to capture through the archway.
Date-30th December 2022
Walking across Westminster Bridge towards Parliament Square and once again i got down low so i could be down at street level for my photos (which you will see more of through this session). I always love capturing a London bus on the bridge and i stuck with the new preset which was the earthy tones but this one i wanted to bring back the cinematic look and i achieved it with the darker tones and bringing in darker blues to make the sky a bit darker.
Date-30th December 2022
It rained during the night and in the morning so there was plenty of water on the surfaces. I was now using my 24-105mm lens to capture all these next photos. My aperture was around ƒ5.6-ƒ6.0 so i was able to capture more details in the photo.
Date-30th December 2022
Date-30th December 2022
Can’t beat an old route master bus. They were the workhorse during the olden times in 20th century. They still run on the city roads which is always a beautiful sight to see.
Date-30th December 2022
Looking up at the clock face tower of Big Ben with it’s beautiful goldenness around the clock face. It is so good to see the tower out of it’s scaffolding after its restoration project.
Date-30th December 2022
Date-30th December 2022
Date-30th December 2022
Date-30th December 2022
Date-30th December 2022
Looking through the railings to one of the entrances to Westminster Underground station. I thought i would make this photo in a cinematic style, keeping the darker tones and colours where they are and not adding too much saturation.
Date-30th December 2022
Walking down Whitehall towards Trafalgar Square. Making my way past the Cenotaph which I always pay my respects when i walk on by. I wanted to capture a landscape shot with the Cenotaph as the main focus in the image.
Date-30th December 2022
Date-30th December 2022
I wanted to focus on the redness of the standards on the Cenotaph and there was a small breeze which was blowing the Union Flag around.
Date-30th December 2022
I got down low to the ground to take this shot. I wanted to make this as a landscape shot so was able to capture the surrounding buildings but really focusing on the main memorial in the middle which i was able to achieve.
Date-30th December 2022
Found another route master bus along Whitehall. I cropped the photo so I only had the route master as the main focus on the image. I was going to to make this a ‘hint of colour’ but I decided to make this full colour.
Date-30th December 2022
I only really highlighted the reds in this photo as I captured the two differences between old and new. The old route master bus compared to the new buses you see around the city.
Date-30th December 2022
This bus appeared in 2021 photos with this cute route master afternoon tea on the city streets. It is a fun way to go around the city while having a traditional afternoon tea.
Date-30th December 2022
Date-30th December 2022
Capturing the fountains at The National Portrait Gallery. I was quite surprised that the fountains were running over winter. I know it wasn’t freezing but i do love a water effect and water flowing. In 2023 i am going to try more long exposure flowing water.
Date-30th December 2022
Looking down towards Whitehall towards Houses of Parliament. I liked how i captured the Union flag and also Ukrainian flag as well, which we are still praying for the people in Ukraine.
Date-30th December 2022
Date-30th December 2022
I love looking down Whitehall and seeing Big Ben. I made this edit so it would be darker at the bottom and then getting lighter to the top with more colour.
Date-30th December 2022
I made my way towards to China town as i really like walking through this district. One of the main archways leading into the town is always beautiful to look at.
Date-30th December 2022
Date-30th December 2022
I wanted to capture looking up at the Chinese writing (not sure what it stands for) but i thought this would look cool and focus on only some of the writing.
Date-30th December 2022
I will always look up to find some of those awesome photo opportunities. This one for example capturing the lanterns and street name. It is about getting the good angles in the photos.
Date-30th December 2022
I took a similar photo like this in September time but i wanted to try and capture this photo again with the festive lights around it. I love neon signing as you can do some creative things with it.
Date-30th December 2022
Date-30th December 2022
Looking on where to go next?? looks like these people were trying to find there destination. I liked how this photo came out as it looks like they have come out of the Underground station going to find there arrival point.
Date-30th December 2022
Date-30th December 2022
There is only one thing you do in Regents Street and that is to walk down the middle of the street. The lights weren’t on at this point (for obvious reasons). At this point i was putting my camera on the ground to get the lower perspective.
Date-30th December 2022
The standard Hamley’s photo was going to be included in this part of the blog. I waited for the moment where a taxi was going by to be able to capture this moment. It is slightly cropped to the left side because i had a car in the photo which i didn’t want in there.
Date-30th December 2022
Probably my second favourite photo of the day. I really liked how i captured this photo. What i didn’t notice when i took this photo was the Union flag in the grill of the taxi. When i came to editing i wanted to try and bring out the colours in the grill. The fact is that i also captured both a taxi and London red bus to either side just shows how British this could be.
Date-30th December 2022
I took my first journey on the new Elizabeth line which i will say was absolutely incredible. I recently got a book which was about photography on the London Underground and i wanted to try and capture similar photos.
Date-30th December 2022
Date-30th December 2022
The station platform was huge! i think it’s because it was very wide compared to standard London Underground stations. It was very beautiful to stand on this station and the design was incredible with its curvature.
Date-30th December 2022
You can see how well designed this station is and most other stations are designed a little different but i could sit on this station and watch the world go by.
Date-30th December 2022
Date-30th December 2022
Yes ‘hint of colour’ was back in this photo and focusing on the purple colour of the Elizabeth Line station. I think the purple works really well on the line and just wanted that to be the main focus in the photo.
Date-30th December 2022
A Star Wars ship?? nope this is inside the Elizabeth Line train. It felt very futuristic and love that you are able to walk through the whole train. This was one of the photos that was in the book i got and this photo came out better than expected.
Date-30th December 2022
I knew i would have to capture one of the station names up close. I also did a similar photo at this station in 2021. This time around i captured the Elizabeth Line station name. I wanted to add more saturation to the station name to make it more purple.
Date-30th December 2022
Date-30th December 2022
Little known TV fact, this is where they filmed scenes for the Star Wars show Andor. I love visiting locations where films and tv shows are filmed. This photo and style of the editing i wanted to make it a one to one look. I got the photo but the editing grading i didn’t copy exact but gave it my best try.
Date-30th December 2022
The tall tower of Canary Wharf, i was able to capture the full tower and the name underneath which was Canada Place (which is a shopping centre). I always admire this building and think back to the Dr Who episode where it was based around Canary Wharf.
Date-30th December 2022
Date-30th December 2022
I came across these lightbulbs in a line between different eateries. I thought I would focus on a couple of the light bulbs which then gave the other light bulbs a bokeh effect.
Date-30th December 2022
I then decided to zoom in on one of the light bulbs and as you can see the detail inside of the light bulb. I wanted to just make the middle of the light in colour and making everything in the background washed out.
Date-30th December 2022
I came across a small bridge and these posts that would stop certain vehicles driving on the bridge. I noticed there was small little puddles on the post and thought i would make that the main focus in the photo which gave this shot.
Date-30th December 2022
Looking back towards where Canary Wharf Elizabeth line is, there was this massive rubber duck located in the river. It was just floating there. This made this photo seem out of the blue and you’ll think why is there a rubber duck in the middle of Canary Wharf??
Date-30th December 2022
Getting in between the railings on the bridge to capture this calming photo. The sun was just appearing through the clouds which gave this sunset light.
Date-30th December 2022
The sun came out the perfect time and reflected off Canary Wharf very nicely. I wanted to highlight the sun colours off the building and keeping the sky colour quite neutral and didn’t add too much saturation.
Date-30th December 2022
Date-30th December 2022
The three towers located all near each other, Canary Wharf (middle), HSBC bank building (left) and the Citi building (right). I quite liked the landscape shot to capture all three buildings standing tall against the sky.
Date-30th December 2022
This was a better shot of all three buildings and its one of my favourites from the day as well. There was this reflection pool located in the middle of this square so i wanted to follow along the reflection while looking up towards the buildings. I just added some highlights and some contrast but didn’t do too much else with the photo.
Date-30th December 2022
Date-30th December 2022
Located near Canary Wharf underground station is this waterway that has the DLR bridge crossing over the top. I took this photo in portrait shot and also a landscape shot, this one i preferred because i was able to capture the full extent of what was infront of me. I used the earthy preset tone to make the image a little dark but keeping the colours in the photo.
Date-30th December 2022
I don’t think i need to say anymore…
Date-30th December 2022
This was a photo i saw in the book which was capturing the escalators at Canary Wharf Underground station. This was my second attempt as i got lower down to the floor so i could capture more in the photo. I would like to go back and use my 16-35mm lens to get a wider aspect.
Date-30th December 2022
Date-30th December 2022
So i only went one stop on the Jubilee line as the Underground was very packed. I got off at Canada Water and then took the number 1 bus to the centre. I was lucky that i got to sit at the front so i was able to capture the following photos. I was now using my 50mm ƒ1.8 lens.
Date-30th December 2022
We was getting close to Waterloo Station and came across the Old Vic. I noticed there was a neon sign located on the outside, so i decided to bring down the highlights to make it a bit darker but also brining out the redness on the sign to make that the centre part of the photo.
Date-30th December 2022
This was a really quick photo take, i noticed the sun was setting through the London Eye and also Big Ben. When it came to editing i wanted to just have everything as a silhouette in the photo while also having the orange sunset.
Date-30th December 2022
Luckily stopped at a bus stop when i was able to capture this photo. Again i wanted to make everything a silhouette so you could get the outline of the London Eye and Big Ben. With the sunset and the dark clouds i look at this as the year coming to an end.
Date-30th December 2022
Date-30th December 2022
The Strand has some really nice lights along the street. The baubles to me look like the Disney Pixar ball that you find in the films.
Date-30th December 2022
The famous Savoy hotel with a very beautiful Christmas tree located near the entrance. I loved the lighting of this area with the redness and orange. Nearly got ran over by a taxi while taking this photo but i wanted to capture it down the middle.
Date-30th December 2022
Covent Garden is the best Christmas tree in London. It has very beautiful decorations all over the tree. I wanted to visit this tree when it was getting darker so i could capture the red lights on the tree.
Date-30th December 2022
Date-30th December 2022
Date-30th December 2022
Date-30th December 2022
Date-30th December 2022
After walking through the main part of Covent Garden i found myself close to the tree. I found this gap which i was able to capture the tree as the main subject while also capturing one of the lamps to help with the composition of the photo.
Date-30th December 2022
Using the 50mm lens to capture these close up photos with good amount of detail such the the tree branch, lights and bauble. When it came to editing i added a bit more texture and contrast to bring out a bit more of the detail.
Date-30th December 2022
Date-30th December 2022
A similar photo i took in 2021 with the Maxwell’s logo of the restaurant, this time there was some festive lighting in the windows. My main focus was on the Maxwell’s sign.
Date-30th December 2022
I ended up walking down a side street and came across some Christmas trees i wanted to get up and close and focus on some of the lights on the tree. I wanted to make the photo warm and vibrant.
Date-30th December 2022
I love the lighting on theatre shows entrances such as the light bulbs lining the edge. I wanted to focus on the lighting and make it warmer on the bottom and cooler above.
Date-30th December 2022
I came across another neon sign and i thought it had a really cool and funky design. I took a couple of pictures of this because people kept walking through. Then this woman came and stood next to the sign and it was one of those photos that happened at the right place and at the right time.
Date-30th December 2022
I saw somethings on Facebook with these lights located near Soho. I thought they were very pretty especially with the mixture of pink and orange lights against the blue backdrop.
Date-30th December 2022
Date-30th December 2022
After i had something to eat i changed back to the 24-105mm so i was able to capture wider side and a zoomed photos as well. I started with the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. I wanted to focus on the purple and orange colours of the building.
Date-30th December 2022
Date-30th December 2022
I noticed another entrance for a theatre show and it was on the corner so i found a perspective to look up and captured the corners of the theatre building.
Date-30th December 2022
I didn’t know where Moulin Rouge was located until now. I tried a couple of photos for this location a portrait shot and landscape shot. The portrait shot took it and then i just wanted to focus on the reds of the theatre building.
Date-30th December 2022
Now coming back to Regents Street to see the lights all lit up. They have been like this for many years and i don’t think it is going to change anytime soon. There wasn’t much editing needed for the lights but i just added some more saturation to make it pop a bit more.
Date-30th December 2022
Looking down Regents Street and my focus was capturing the lights and traffic below. I kept the photo warm with colours but also adding a couple of cool colours such as blues from the headlights.
Date-30th December 2022
I decided to put my camera on the floor and try a 20 second long exposure and this was the first result. I have always seen nighttime long exposures with traffic and i thought I would give it a try.
Date-30th December 2022
Date-30th December 2022
I then decided to sit on the edge of the walk way and do some long exposure shots i went from 20 seconds exposure times to 30 seconds. I really liked experimenting with the long exposure times and being able to capture the light trails.
Date-30th December 2022
Date-30th December 2022
Date-30th December 2022
I was able to capture a still image of a London bus while also capturing a long exposure as well. There was not much editing that took place in these long exposures. I added a bit more red saturation to the photo from the back end of the cars going past on my left.
Date-30th December 2022
I made my way back through Trafalgar Square and captured a ‘hint of colour’ with the London Underground logo. I decided to make the area dark but wanted to really brighten up the logo in the photo and make it more saturated.
Date-30th December 2022
I made my way back past the Savoy Hotel and wanted to capture it a night with the lights. I got down low and took this photo. I wanted to focus on the red saturation and make that stand out in the photo, the redness bloomed onto the building which kind of brought a Star Wars Sith vibe.
Date-30th December 2022
Date-30th December 2022
Date-30th December 2022
I was making my way across Waterloo Bridge and it started to rain but i came across these barriers where i could place my camera on there to capture more long exposure shots. I set it to 30 seconds and captured this really awesome light effect of the cars and busses that went by.
Date-30th December 2022
I turned the camera around to face the other way so i could capture the break lights of the cars. When i came to editing the photo i wanted to make this a ‘hint of colour’ and focus on the red. I made this more saturated to bring out the red in the photo.
Date-30th December 2022
Finishing not just off the day but the last photo of the year. I decided to try a very cool photo with long exposure. i zoomed into St Pauls so that it would be in focus and the setting the shutter speed to 30 seconds to be able to capture the trails going by. This photo couldn’t have come out better. When i edited this photo i focused on the trail colours and made them more vibrant and saturated.
Date-30th December 2022
That ladies and gentlemen is 2022 wrapped. 2022 has been one of the most incredible years for photography and i know 2023 is going to be a bigger year! We have been to London a few times over the course of the year, i have visited a city i have dreamed about (yes you haven’t seen the photos yet). Going to RIAT again and capturing so many photos at the airshow. Taking pictures at a beautiful wedding which i will never forget. To going to Disneyland Paris and capturing the magic all around. 2022 has been a truly incredible year for both my photography and website.
This leads me onto saying thank you one and all for sticking with me through all of this, from when i first started writing my blog to the most recent posts. Following me on my journey of how i got to where i am today through the improvements of my photography. I have been incredibly proud of myself writing this (because i am not the best at writing) it has been incredible to write these blog posts and 2023 will bring so much more adventures and photos.
The next part will be dedicated to New York (which has been slowly started) and you will see why i am so passionate about that city when i visited. Thank you for your time and support through it all over the last 6-7 months. It means a lot to me. I am looking forward to writing things that happen in 2023.
Feel free to follow my instagram to follow more of my photos at:
Photography- @mr_agh_photography