Christmas Lights of Hyde Park

Christmas + Hyde Park = Winter Wonderland. It looks like a fairytale from the distance, and from the closer look, too. Hence, it seemed to be a good idea to bring a visiting friend. And indeed,  these lights are charming.

And upon the closer look, and higher exposure - a fascinating queue :) Night photography is always fun!

Camera: Canon 6D, Lens: Canon 50mm f1.8 L

Christmas Lights on Regent Street 2013

The idea of Christmas lights - 2012 for London's noble Regent Street was so beautiful that London is repeating it again. The difference is in the change of the Olympic-2012 theme to the cartoons, making it more Christmassy. Old ideas work well sometimes - the reflections in the windows of the shops, taxis and busses just want you to stop and watch...

Central London Streets Awaiting Christmas

The Oxford Street of London has lit up its lights and awaiting for Christmas. If you walk down the street or take a step off it, you can spot the festive mystery in the surrounding areas. 

St' Chrisropher's Place is also all about the snowballs and snowflakes.

And some lovely sounds of music

Oh, watch out! They are looking into your store!

Central Boots wishes Merry Christmas.

Only in London...

Camera: Canon-6D, Lens: Canon 24-105mm f4 L

We Will Rock You this Christmas

London is getting ready for the Christmas, and London theatres are obviously, too. Photo of today is for London Dominion. Freddie Mercury would have loved his Christmas image. 

Camera: Canon-650D, Lens: Canon EF 28-200mm f3.5/5.6 USM

Corfe Castle Catches the Moon

A rare view should not be missed. Dramatical ruins of the Corfe castle, Dorset are lit by the warm sunset ray, but look, the moon is already there, almost full and clearly seen in the sky!

Unwrap Underground

This photo was taken out of the curiosity. It is easy to hide a sign by just wrapping it in a day light. But hey, in the night it shines through the wrap! :)

Back to 2012

As the New 2013 Year is quickly approaching, it may be nice to look back at some moments left in the year 2012. Somewhere in the second middle of 2012 I have started this blog. Not that much of experience yet and not really promoting, only shared with my family and friends. But even to make this possible, greatest thank you to someone who made one of the best Birthday gifts ever, my lovely Canon, and who inspired me for everything created, and is inspiring even more ;)

A lot of good material is still not added, as so much to learn yet, and swept-out me is still trying to battle with some oceanic size waves of the photo material. Nevertheless, was so nice to discover that it is a hard job to choose twelve posts of the leaving year.

The blog start has happened just before the Olympic 2012 started in London. So, obviously being in Olympic London was a good opportunity to share the spirit of the world's most awaited  sport competition. I was lucky enough to have the Olympic Torch Relay passing by my offices before the Games.

And the Team GB full of medals parading on 21 floats afterwards.

   

Both the Olympics and Paralympics were not missed either. Not only I followed the Paralympics tightly and even tried myself in the sport journalism with conducting the interviews with Paralympic athletes and coaches, but also was cheering for the athletes at the Olympic events such as thriathlon, cycling, female football, foil fencing finalle:

and archery. Here, btw, the only one qualified Iraqi (and female!) athlete of the Games 2012, Al-Mashhadani Rand  as participated. And despite the results was maybe the most cheered and warmly supported athlete of the Games by the visitors:

My personal warmest memories were filled with some really sweet people (is that is why the country called Sweden?) including one little but incredibly cute, smart and independent creature...

If not the Battle of Hastings of 1066 and dedicated to it scenes from the Saxon rural life of those times, I would not know how many people like history and reading... If not the love to the cute babies in general and Alexandra in particular, this article would be the most read for the entire time of my blog.

Another thing mastered in the past year was the night photography. I even entered some dodgy photocompetition with a bit crazy London Eye. With more lights, less light, shining in blue, white, red and yellow, now, I love the nights in my camera!

It was also fun to have a different experience of the urban photography.

What is good about London - there is always something on, and often in your area and unexpected, like ice-cream festival at King's Cross St. Pancras, or a Christmas Market in Jamie's Oliver restaurant Fifteen. The most surprise for me was probably the feather snow just at the end of Paralympic: never before have I seen so many adults with absolutely marvellous childish happiness!

After several years living in London, I finally managed going to musicals. The unforgettable experience has started with brilliant Chicago. Well done was the timing - it appeared to be the last day of the performance of 25 years of the Chicago on London stage.

The second part of the 2012 was also the the good time to travel around England. Never before have I seen so much of English countryside. There are collections of English beauty on the way but one of the interesting events attended and published was the Fish Festival held on the last summer day in the small Cornwall fishing village Newlyn.

Sometimes while travelling I saw really funny things:

And I hope to find even more, and to share them... as I see them through my lens ;)

Happy New Year to my friends!

Lights on Mont Street

I am having a very nice couple visiting for the New Year. And though they are starving for breakfast, they kindly decided to wait for some time when I upload today's photos. So, short today: the lovely passage near Oxford Street in Bond Street are, called Mont Street looks so beautiful with lights that one needs to spend an evening for a decent photo - everyone stops there!!! Enjoy more Christmas wonder :)

Soho Lights On

Seven routes. Seven choices. Seven directions. These Christmas days, the Seven Dial place in Covent Garden / Soho area looks mysterious...

Christmas on the Oxford Street

The First Day of Christmas in England means everyone is at home and the cities are 'dead'. No public transport (no no at all, trains, buses, tubes - what is it?); no shops, no restaurants, no entertainment. So I have decided to check how the busiest London street is feeling on this special day. Well, London is London. Oxford Street was completely dead but you definitely can breath and even see the air!

Never seen so few people at this time of the day at the Oxford Circus.

John Lewis can see more lights than people.

The most popular public transport is obviously Barckley's bikes.

All turns into magic with the darkness and the lights on.

Selfridges are so ready for the Boxing day combat!

Oxford Street and Marmite wish Merry Christmas 2012 to everoone.

Though oopss... Sometimes it doesn't go well even to Santa. But hey! Dear Santa, maybe that was not Marmite but some too happy family has warmed you up you with some vodka? ;)

Christmas Lights on the Regent Street

A few no-tripod shots from of the beautiful Regent Street in London covered into the Christmas magic. The streets are so busy these days that one needs to be up late to have a decent shot!

The Twelve Days of Christmas is the topic of the Regent Street lights dance.

The light around looks really like a miracle making it hard no to nake the objective...

Majestic architecture on the both sides of the Regent steer winkles you back :)

And the last glimpse...

Photography Competition. London Eye Goes Disco

My first photo in a local photography competition arranged by the photography group in a expat community in London. A bit of London Eye, a bit of lights, a bit of night, a bit of twist...