Tin Soldier

As all the pensioners were eating or sleeping, I had to make do with this gentleman for a portrait:

The Royal Hospital Chelsea

Another lunch-time walk, and I stumbled across home to the Chelsea Pensioners. I knew this famous hospital was near to where I work, but I didn't realise that you could visit and explore. Although my lunch-time coincides with the time the pensioners are due to have their lunches and afternoon naps. As a result, I shouldn't really be there.

Bentalls Centre

Still in Kingston, is the Bentalls Centre. I'm not too sure how old the centre is, but know it wasn't there 25 years ago, when I last was there. When I was at school, I had a Saturday job there. Today, the centre looks rather strange from the outside, nestled between older buildings that are centuries old. Inside its a mecca of consumerism. Its a very bright and airy place. The only colour is the blue and yellow glass that is at the front of the centre.


That blue theme, seems to have struck again!!!

Peppers

On a trip to Kingston-Upon-Thames, a visit to the market place, provided an opportunity to shoot pictures full of colour. I chose the peppers because of the blocks of colour:


However, looking at the above picture, I thought I could get away with a close up:

Tulips

No, this is not Amsterdam, but Kingston, Surrey. I love the colour of this scene. I've boosted the contrast a little to get the colours to pop.

Little Bicycle

Walking around the side streets of Chelsea, you come across some interesting sights. Here we have a place to park and change your bicycles. Its located outside a primary school. So you shouldn't be surprised to see a child's bike chained to it. However, it did seem rather odd to see the only bike there, was one with the training wheels still in place.

It was calling out for a picture to be taken. When I opened the image on the computer, the picture lacked a little punch. I thought about making the blue pop out of the picture. So, firstly I adjusted the levels on the blue channel. Then, after playing with the colour curves, and mainly tweaking the contrast, I ended with the picture you see here.

I'm not too sure if you have noticed a blue theme running through the last couple of pictures, but it has kind of given me an idea for a project.

Toilets have a patron Saint?

I was enjoying a lovely walk in the sunshine at lunch, when I came across this street. From a distance I thought it might have been subject to some graffiti, but as I got closer, it was a real sign.

Packed Train

This picture is really a snapshot I took on a really busy train on the way to football (notice the blue Chelsea shirt?).

The picture itself, I felt was rather bland. So I decided to use "colour curves" in Elements 6.0 to add more contrast. I think its added something to the finished picture.

Then it was time to crop. I'm not too sure if you have noticed that all my pictures are cropped 10" x 8". There were two ways to crop this picture; One was to make the man on the right be the main subject. This meant, that the yellow pole on the right was lost, and the face on the left hand side would be lost. The second option, and the one I chose, includes the yellow pole. I prefer this version, as I like the idea of the hands, that are holding on to the pole. They seem to be trying to staying the picture, rather than escaping from it.

A Flower

I just love this picture. I think its the colour. I have cropped this picture, as in the original, the flower is dead centre. However, as I looked at it, the colours reminded me of the sun. So I decided to give the picture this crop. I just remember pictures that kids draw, with the sun in one of the top corners of the picture.

First Photo From My New Mobile Phone

For my birthday last week I was lucky enough to get a new mobile phone. I now have a new Samsung SBH-600 phone. It has an impressive 5 megapixel camera. So now, I will always have a camera with me.

So armed with my new toy, at lunch today I went for a walk along the River Thames, and snapped this photograph:

This is from the Albert Embankment, with Chelsea Bridge and Battersea Power Station in the background.

Colourful Hen

Another picture from the last few months. It's amazing what pictures are hidding on the computer. I can honestly say, "I don't remember taking this". However, I know it was taken at Colchester Zoo on the same day as the Lion picture. I think I must have had a good day, that day!!!!

Latest Fire Pictures

Thankfully it appears that the roof is the only thing that has been totally destroyed.

Looking at the pictures, there's a lot of work to be done to clear the wreckage. It's such a shame as the two floors immediately below the roof have only cosmeic damage.

The fire investigation team are still working on theories, and it will be interesting to see their findings.

Lion

I think this is the best picture I have ever taken at Colchester Zoo. I have tried many times to get a good picture of this lion, and finally, it seems I've succeeded.

Cows

One of my new year's rsolutions is to take my camera out and about and shoot more. However, there are pictures on my computer that I have never looked at. The first images I came across were the cows from Denham.




The plan on the day these were taken was to walk Toby from Debden to Flatford Mill and back again. However, we never made it to Flatford, as while we were taking pictures of these cows,Toby found a cow-pat to roll in.

Fire Video

Thank goodness I uploaded my video to youtube. The fire investigation team were very pleased with what I had captured. A copy of the video is now with them, and until the investigation is over, I have removed it from youtube. I hope to reinstate the video when the investigation is over.

My Video of the Fire

I can’t believe that my video made the front page of the UK youtube news section. I seem to have got more viewers than the BBC’s coverage.

I also got an e-mail from the fire investigation team asking me to contact them about the video. That’s something I will have to do tomorrow morning.

Fire at the Royal Marsden Hospital

There I was sitting at my desk, eating my steak and cheese subway, when there was a faint BBQ smell. However, the smell got stronger, and then when I looked out the window, I saw this…..



At first, I didn’t realise how bad things were going to become, and also, I didn’t realise that we were just about to be involved in the top news story of the day. The evacuation was so calm, and in a way, you felt quite distant from what was going on, just metres from where we were walking.


It wasn’t until we were outside, and we could see reflections of the flames in the windows of buildings around the hospital. In the end it took over 100 fire-fighters to put out the blaze, and the building where the fire started is now without a roof. I just hope the damage is not as bad as it looks on the television. I am sure we will find out in the next couple of days.