London Street Photography with Ready Steady Pro and The Guild of Photographers
This weekend; Saturday 24th October, was the 3rd annual installment of the London Photo Walk, which I arrange and host for The Guild of Photographers and Ready Steady Pro Communities (If you're not a member of either of these groups, you ought to join at least one of them! More information is included at the bottom of this post).
If you know me you will know my feelings for The City of London: I find the English Capital a feast for the eyes and as a photographer, that makes it a playground! Eccentric characters, alternative culture and a blend of cultures from all around the world condensed in to one city give it a completely unique feel. Of course, underpinning all of that is also that typically British Architecture and character from the locals too. Despite what people may say, London is a friendly and charming place!
The Photo Walk
Each year the route and format changes slightly so that we can keep things fresh and also to provide something of a tourist opportunity for those in the group who have traveled from slightly further afield. This year our walk started in Camden, taking in Camden Market and Locke. From there we used the Tube to get back to the very center of London; Leicester Square. From this point onward we ambled to China Town, Soho, Piccadilly Circus and then to Covent Garden. We finished the evening with 13 of us enjoying the fantastic food on offer at Thai Square, located just a minute from Nelson's Column. (Thanks Tony Jones for the recommendation - the food was superb!)
London was busy, as usual, but somewhat busier than usual. Looking around it seemed there were a few events going on that day as well, which added to the congestion but also gave us more to photograph.
Here are my photographs from the day. I've even kept some in colour!
Share your shots!
Did you come with us on the walk? Share a link to your photographs in the comments section below.
Want to join us on a walk?
All our walks are free and are updated regularly. If you want to come and join us on a walk simply subscribe to the mailing list today to be among the first to know when a new walk has been put together. The next walk will be in April and then another next October. We schedule walks throughout the year as well. So stay tuned!
Ready Steady Pro and The Guild of Photographers
Ready Steady Pro is a completely free community of photographers, specifically aimed at those with a business-in-the-making. Whether you're just starting your business or whether you're already there, The RSP community, blog and podcast exists to pull together information and resources to help you on the way. The community on Facebook takes on a buddying approach. There isn't the usualy back-biting you'll find in many other communities either. Come and join today and stay up to date with future events
The Guild of Photographers is a paid-for member Association. It's the fastest growing photography association in the UK and for good reason too! Guild Members receive numerous discounts on training AND products from all the leading brands in the UK (and Globally too) inlcuding Photography Insurance, The ICE Light and more. More than that The Guild offer
Steller Stories
If you've been following me for a while, you may have seen me share my top 3 inspirational photographers. My list included landscape photographer Steve Gosling, street photographer Thomas Leuthard and of course, outstanding portrait photographer Neil Buchan-Grant.
Not so long ago Neil started sharing stories on a new platform (well, new to me at least) called Steller, and I've been captivated ever since. It's a superb way of sharing photographs that tell a story. Effectively it's setup for telling visually-led stories with short paragraphs and quotes to guide and narrate the reader through the story. Neil Buchan-Grant has - as you would expect - has put together some great stories on Steller. Including this beautiful story called 'Frida's Story' and also a number of stories about his fashion and portrait work (which, I'm sure you'll agree is out of this world!).
So, this has inspired me to give it a go as well.
It's something I've been meaning to do for the longest of times, but the way that Steller works is that all stories are created from your mobile device. This of course requires you to have the content on your phone to put into your story. One thing I'm terrible at is making good use of being an all-Apple setup at home and Syncing my portfolio's from my iMac to my iPhone. But once I sat down to do this I had all the ingredients I needed to create my first story, which i titled 'Venetian Memories'.
One of the great things about Steller is that they allow you to grab the code and embed your stories on your website too:
I was very pleased with the response and the feedback and the comments I received from the wider community, as well as Steller and so I've been spurred on to put together some more stories:
A few drafts in the works over on Steller
Are you on Steller?
If you're on Steller come and follow me and I'll be sure to follow you back. So far the quality of a majority of the stories told on Steller are very good indeed - I would love to see yours too!
Free Resources & 2016 Portrait Project
I've had a bit of re-jig over at MichaelRammell.com and I have some great news and updates I wanted to share with you all.
There hasn't been a major overhaul or anything like that, but I have made it far, far easier to get to all of the great FREE resources that I offer, such as FREE hi-res wallpapers, tutorial videos and even access to older blog posts that you may find useful. I'll also be re-launching my portrait project and putting dates in the diary for 2016!
Read on to find out more:
The Portrait Project (Let's try that again!)
I launched my portrait project back in 2013 with the aim of photographing 50 portraits of fellow photographers and friends that I've met through Social Media and the Internet. I received well over 30 applications from people wanting to take part and come to meet me to have their portrait made, but I couldn't get the project off the ground with other commitments limiting the time I had available for the project (moving house again, second child on the way and changing jobs) but now life is somewhat settled again I'm keen to finally kick this off and start making photographs of those people that applied and also to fill the final 20 or so remaining spaces!
If you applied the first time round I will be reaching out to you via email in the coming days and weeks to get things moving again and hopefully to arrange a date with you to make this happen. Of course there is no obligation at all to take part if you have previously applied.
If this is news to you and you weren't aware of the portrait project from the first time round then you can head on over to the portrait project page and apply now. Your name will go into my portrait project mailing list and I'll get in touch to arrange a date with you that suits us both.
Please note that if you're local I'll meet you halfway, however those slightly further afield from Virginia Water in Surrey where I live will likely have to travel to me. But I promise tea and good fun! (and of course, I hope, a great photograph or two!). I'll be at lots of events in 2016, including The Photography Show as well. If you're going to be there, or if you're coming along to one of my Photo Walks, we could even arrange to make your portrait then.
All of the details as to why I am doing this project, what I'll do with the photographs and more are included over on the launch page for the project along with details for who to apply.
Wallpapers
As a subscriber to this blog (If you're not already a subscriber you can sign up here!) you may have seen me release a series of photographs for download as desktop wallpapers throughout 2015. It's something I plan on doing much more, especially as I travel more around the world and the UK. It's my way of saying thanks to all those who subscribe, visit the website and interact with me online (and at photo walks as well!).
You can now find all of the wallpapers I make available in one place over on the wallpapers page. I've set this page to update itself automatically, so whenever I publish a new blog post with new wallpapers they will appear over on the wallpaper page. Available wallpapers include some breathtaking photographs from the Scottish Highlands, memories from Venice and also some photographs I shot recently during quite possibly the most amazing golden hour at Richmond Park (UK).
Tutorial & How To Videos
Not many people know this - mostly because I haven't promoted or advertised that I actually produce them - I have a small but growing series of videos available for you to view for FREE online. The videos mostly refer to how to do certain things in Light Room, such as using the adjustment brush to full effect, creating effective smart collections and generally the way I edit and post-process my own photographs to create my look.
What's more if you have a question about Light Room or my post processing that you want to ask you can complete the form over on the Tutorial Videos page and I'll produce a video showing you exactly how I do it.
Access to the Blog Archives
On a regular basis I get asked questions about photography, my approach and Olympus cameras. Often, I'll write a full reply (like I have done previously for Gavin Hall) but on occassion it may be that I have already written an article on a subject or given my thoughts on a topic and so I'll link to that instead. To make older blog posts easier to find I have created a page that shows older blog posts all in one place. You can take a look at the Blog Archive right here, or of course you can scroll to the bottom of any page on my website and click the 'Blog Archive' link.
I hope that these changes and adjustments will make the content and resources I put together easier to find and easier to access.
My Gear for Street Photography
I've been asked numerous times what it is I shoot with when I'm on the street. Both by email and also when I'm on photo walks with fellow photographs.
So, if you're reading this it could be because I've linked you here in response to the question or it could be because you're a subscriber to the blog and this landed in your inbox. (Thanks for subscribing by the way!)
Well my street kit is simple:
FREE Photo Walk: London - October 24th!
Before I dive into the details of my camera bag, I just wanted to remind you that my next FREE photo walk is in London on October 24th. All the details are over on the events page: http://www.michaelrammell.com/calendar/london-october24-2015
The Camera
I shoot with the Olympus OM-D E-M1. When shooting on the street I remove the HL-D7 vertical grip. As much as I like it for the extra balance it brings to the camera and the additional grip it offers your hand, I much prefer the smallest, lightest camera possible when waking the streets. I also don't want to look like a serious photographer of any kind. Looking more like a tourist certainly helps when you're up close with someone and photographing. They feel less threatened or suspicious.
One thing I don't like about the E-M1 for street however is that the shutter isn't silent. Although, this will be remedied with the release of firmware version 4.00 for the OM-D E-M1, due late November 2015. This update will, among other new features, include completely silent shooting!
The Lens
My lens of choice for street work is the Olympus M.Zuiko 17mm f/1.8. Again it's small, compact and light weight. Instead of the Official Olympus Lens Hood however I've opted for a 3rd party alternative from JJC - who's cheap and cheerful camera accessories can be found on Amazon. The reason I've stuck with this lens hood over Olympus' own though is simply because it's better! It's all-metal, more durable and, let's be honest, looks excellent with the screw on top that keeps the hood clamped to the lens. The 17mm is also splash and dust proof, so if there is a little rain (I live in England!) then I don't have to stop shooting.
On occasion I may be found using the Olympus M.Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8 PRO, however I invariably end up shooting at the wider focal ranges between 12-25mm anyway (24-50mm effective) and so the zoom doesn't offer me that much extra value. So it stays at home more often than not.
I also own the superb Olympus M.Zuiko 25mm f/1.8. Although there is absolutely nothing wrong with this lens (really, there isn't - you should see the sharpness!) I simply prefer the wider field of view offered by the 17mm f/1.8.
Batteries & Cards
I pack 3 batteries including the one in the camera, but rarely use all 3 during a day. I have one spare that I would expect to use and another as a 'just incase' battery because at some stage during the day, particularly if I'm on a photowalk and am showing others what I've captured or how it is I shoot, I'll use the LCD and this will drain the battery. I would hate to drop my fresh battery as I'm changing it and break the battery and then have to put the camera away.
I shoot with a 32Gb Lexar Professional Class 10 SD Card's, writing at 600x (90Mb/s). I don't usually take extra's with me, but when I do they sit snug inside my card pouch, which is the Think Tank Pixel Pocket Rocket. It holds a business card, as well as 10 SD or CF cards. It alos has a lanyard to attach to a bag to keep it safe as well. Which is an added bonus
Camera Strap
For the longest time I didn't used a camera strap. I didn't like them. But on one London photo walk another photographer was using a very simple, minimal and non-intrusive wrist strap that I really liked! It was the Joby DSLR Wrist Strap, but it's perfect for smaller cameras I picked up one for each of my cameras immediately and they've not been taken off the cameras since. For me they're perfect.
Camera Bag
My bag is a Lowepro Retrospective 30. I have mine in Pine Green. It's one of the best made bags I've ever owned and very well thought out too. I find the shoulder strap very wide, which after a long day is ideal as it doesn't cut in to your shoulder. Furthermore the should strap has rubber underneath it to prevent it slipping from your shoulder. It has 3 main compartments inside for lenses and camera bodies, with two additional pouches on the front. The bag comes with a rain-proof cover as well. It's very much what I call my TARDIS bag: it can be small and light when you put just a few things in it, but if you really want to load it up you can. It just seems to hold all the gear you can throw at it!
I always carry my little Joby Gorillapod with me, which is great for impromptu HDR's, time lapses or long exposures.
Other goodies & Accessories
London Tube Map, Chewing Gum, A few coins to give to buskers, small notepad & pen, business cards, very lightweight gloves (in my bag I have the North Face E-Tip gloves), Sunglasses, iPhone battery charger (I have the Anker Powercore, it's amazing!)
Are you coming along to London on October 24th? Be sure to head on over to the events page and register your place!
Also, don't forget to share the contents of your camera bag below!