From dull to bright

There is always lots happening at London's South Bank and well worth a visit ... even on a dull day like today!

I took the tube to Waterloo and walked towards the river (Thames) - One can't but help immediately see The London Eye. At a second glance, however, it looked a bit odd today ... hey, one of the capsules was missing ... I wonder how much that cost the company in revenue?!

The main cultural attractions of the South Bank are The Queen Elizabeth Hall, The Royal Festival Hall, The Hayward Gallery and The BFI as they offer a variety of cultural events.

One may be forgiven for not liking the modern architecture of these building but they are bang opposite Big Ben and The Houses of Parliament which means a great view is virtually guaranteed.

I walked around concrete jungle for a while ... admittedly there are some interesting angles from which to get some unusual shots but that grey sky acting as a dull backdrop for these grey buildings just put a creative dampener on it for me.

But as I came round a corner, close to the BFI I saw a young man practicing some free run moves. I immediately got a bit excited and and moved my camera up to my eye to. Fortunately I had my Canon 135mm f2.0L lens on and could get a tight enough image without disturbing the athlete.

I guess it's in my blood and I just love capturing action. This guy was pretty impressive! He must have been there for a while cause after performing three immaculate somersaults ( which I all got!) over a set of stairs he took his bag and moved on.

With those shots on the bag I moved on too.

I wanted more action and got it immediately. Below the Hayward Gallery there is an area for skate boarders and BMX riders.

This time I needed to switch lenses and reverted to my Canon 50mm f.1.4. Good choice as I got all of the action as well as the wonderfully colourful background.

Nothing like finishing on a high note!

Sweet dreams are made of this

Monday, and we are all rushing around again. Mind you, almost all of my days, with the exception of yesterday, remind me of a spinning wheel of events without breaks. Not the slightest breather factored in ... even sending a quick text message to my mother, telling her that I posted a small packet for her, is done while I'm on the phone to organise the Buddhist schedule for next month.

No sooner has the text message left my mobile phone, do I receive a text message back from my mother.

"Thanx, I can see you are in hurry from reading your blog. Afpelstrudel looked good, was it as good as it looked? Did poor Polish woman have a bite of it?"

Amazed (and delighted) about the fact that my Mum (and Dad I suppose) are reading my blog, I quickly replied.

"Wow you are reading my blog!"

"Yes, a sure way of getting your news!"

That made me laugh out loud! Well, it's not as if I didn't call my parents to keep in touch ... but I must confess that as of late my phone calls haven't been as frequent as they used to be ... but we all know what it's like ... busy, busy busy :) Besides, my parents live in Austria. So not just round the corner either!

Ok, you read it here first. I promise to call more often again :)

Time to get on the tube and head into town for my one to one session at the Apple store. I want to know more about putting a blog page on my website using i.Web. The idea being that one can put a lot of info on a blog. Lots of links which makes my site more interactive, more interesting and hopefully more people will find me on the World Wide Web.

Laptop packed and favourite camera and lens at hand I make it to the Tooting Bec tube station in 2 minutes flat.

This time, I thought of keeping an eye out for what's happening on the tube. I wanted to see if I could capture something quirky around people on the tube.

I board the Northern Line up to Stockwell... nothing... At Stockwell I have to change over to the Victoria Line. As I'm walking up and down the platform I see a lady reading a book ... but not just any book! No, the title of the book suggest that she means business.

As I'm deciding on how best I could capture her, the train pulls in. We both get on. I make sure I sit diagonally opposite her so to get a good angle. The train is moving, gathering speed and shaking it's passengers a fair bit around. The lady is engrossed in her book. How am I going to get a good shot of her?

The available light in the carriage is poor to say the least. Up goes the ISA setting. I choose 800. Set my shutter speed to 100/s and am hoping for less movement. It's not happening The Victoria Line must be one of the most uncomfortable ones ;)

But anyway; I wasn't going to give up as easily as that. We are pulling into Vauxhall station. Here is my chance. I've got my camera resting on my knee. Aiming my lens at the immersed lady, I release the shutter. Click. I hope that wasn't too loud. I don't want to draw her attention.

No, I'm OK - she is so ensconced that nothing would phase her. I have another go at the next station. Both shots felt good. But there is no knowing for sure. Now I can't wait to get home to check it out. Yes one can aways check on the review screen of the camera ... but it doesn't compares to seeing it in large.

Walking down Oxford Street after my fantasic i.Web session I get a few more interesting shots.

But, I tell you what. My decision is made. I'm sticking with my "tube lady".

Watch this space because I may very well catch her again some day. This time hopefully accompanied by the real thing :)