Saturday saw the successful completion of my Shoot Experience Documentary Photography workshop, and offered me an opportunity to show off my photos from the Michael Jackson mass moonwalk event the day before. While the first day of the course saw me out and about in Shoreditch snapping photos of unwitting bystanders, the second and final segment of the workshop gave us a chance to edit each other’s photos into a final documentary.
The class had originally included six students but one, tellingly, didn’t make it back to the second day of the course and called in sick while another had broken his camera during the previous two weeks so didn’t have any photos to share. Of the four of us remaining, the documentary subjects covered were mass moonwalking (my contribution of course), F1 racing, dilapidated buildings in Dalston and empty public spaces at night.
After the first day of the course, I had the sense that I would have gotten more out of the workshop had I known more about photography and photojournalism prior to attending and this feeling continued through the second day. I don’t know if it was the heat in the small room where our course took place or the fact that I didn’t have the same background in photography as some of the others but the five and a half hours seemed to drag by with a lot more looking at bad photos than learning about how to take good ones. There didn’t seem to be quite enough instructor feedback to help settle issues of order and editing as well – three of the four photographers (myself included) looked at the edits their peers had made in horror, stating flat out that those not only weren’t the pictures they would have chosen but that the rest of the group completely misunderstood the subject of their intended photo documentary. While of course such an editing process is highly subjective, it does seem a bit like we may have missed the point of the lesson if such wildly different interpretations, without a real understanding for the other’s perspective, were really the end result of our hours of work.
I’m very grateful I had the opportunity to attend the Shoot London Documentary Photography class and feel I did pick up some useful knowledge, particularly as to what types of photographs are generally included in a photo documentary. Unfortunately, I also feel I should have learned a lot more, especially related to how to approach people to ask permission to take their pictures. Although we were told this is a skill you learn over time, I would have liked to talk about the best ways to start such a conversation, what to do to make the person feel more comfortable, how to direct the shot, and what to do afterwards.
My experience with the Shoot Experience workshop was definitely mixed and not necessarily something I would repeat. As I have said, much of my ambivalence to the course could have been due to my lack of photography background and a student with a stronger understanding of the skills needed to take solid photographs may have gotten a lot more out of it. I am, however, very much looking forward to the next Shoot Experience event, Shoot Shoreditch (similar to Shoot London) in July which I highly recommend you attend if you can.
Shoot Experience is an experiential photography organisation. They host instructional workshops, photo treasure hunts, corporate events and have an online photo library containing selected photos from the Shoot Experience archive of events and competitions.
Seems I’m not the only one loving Top Floor Flat life - I was so flattered to be featured in the Londonist, a fantastic London-wide weblog. If you’re particularly curious as to my favourite post on the blog, what up and coming London blog I’ve got my eye on, whether I’ve ever been sick on the London underground and other important questions, then check out The London Blogger Interviews #21: The Top Floor Flat on the Londonist.
I have to admit, my attention was initially caught by the cake. Yes, the sailor hats and flags around the outside of the shop were festive and certainly enticing. The objects in the shop were alluring as well – jewel encrusted skulls, pearl pendents, owl wings, beaded masks and sparkling frocks hung from the walls and shelves. But in all honesty it was the cake that first drew me into Luna & Curious yesterday afternoon during their 3rd birthday party. To be fair, it was quite delicious-looking cake.
Luna & Curious, located on the north end of Brick Lane, is a shop of the most attractive curious London has to offer. From jewelery to clothing to household objects (if one might consider a jeweled skull a household object), its offerings are unique, beautiful, and more than a little odd. I had noticed the shop before while on Brick Lane but as it was closed at the time I hadn’t had the opportunity to explore the shop. On it’s third birthday, however, the doors were wide open inviting anyone passing by to come in for a look at their strange offerings, a sip of ginger beer and a bite of cake. How could one resist?
Luna & Curious is only open Thursday through Sunday, noon to 6pm but if you are in the area, they are certainly worth a look.
It’s been quite a fortnight for Twitter. First, it proved a degree of usefulness and worth when the recent conflict in Iran saw many Iranians using the microblogging tool as their primary means of communication with the outside world. Last night, I got word of Michael Jackson’s death over an hour before the BBC announced the news. And today, I saw Twitter mobilize hundreds of Londoners for a flash moonwalk mob, organised in honour of the late King of Pop. The Mass Moonwalk took place on 26 June at 6pm in London’s Liverpool Street Station. The event was organised by Milo Yiannopoulos, a local tech writer and twitter/online celebrity who managed to spread the word, find a sound system, coordinate with police, get shed loads of press and pull off a successful event in half a day.
I’ll do a more thorough post, as well as post some videos, over the weekend but I was right at the centre of the action for the event are here are some photos from the mass London Moonwalk.
The headlines of every newspaper featured MJ - this was a particularly interesting headline, right next to the thousands of Londoners out to pay their respects.
Reporters, cameras and news crews were on hand to cover the event which was featured in every piece of London press from the Guardian to Spoonfed.
Milo Yiannopoulos, the organiser of the event, was the centre of attention throughout the event.
Hundreds of people were on hand to pay their respects to Michael Jackson, waving newspapers with full-page images of the star, doning white gloves, and hiding themselves behind black umbrellas.
Although the moonwalk tribute marks Jacko's death, the mood was decidedly upbeat and attempted moonwalking quickly turned into a joyous dance party to MJ anthems.
Dozens of police were on hand to make sure things didn't get out of control - but the crowd behaved themselves throughout the event.
Overall it was a sad catalyst for a spontaneous and enjoyable event.
Last night I had the opportunity to see some amazing improv theatre at the Canal Cafe Theatre in Paddington. It’s been a while since I’ve reviewed anything for Spoonfed so glad to get something new on the site. Take a look:
The life of a Spooner can be hectic – what with so many great London events every week. So it seems appropriate that tonight I’m winding down the post-work day with a classic film and some mates. We’ve checked the titles, weighed the options and now viewing the trailers for Roulette Slaughter – you know, the romantic horror set in a Casino; Sand in Your Pants which, as you remember, is the costumed drama set in the Sahara Desert; and TERMINUS, that sci-fi classic about a pair attendants from Tooting Beck Bus Depot who get abducted by aliens.
Not ringing any bells? Hardly surprising as these films are from the infinite collection of imagined movies provided the Scat Pack who welcome us to the Canal Cafe Theatre tonight for their Lights, Camera, Improvise comedy show.
I might be missing in blogging action over the next two weeks. No cause for alarm, I’ll just be glued to the radio and television for most daylight hours. I’d like to say that it’s political conscious, paying attention to the turmoil in Iran but the truth is far less political, though equally global. You see, Wimbledon has descended upon London and I, like every other tennis fan, am caught up with Wimbledon fever.
Last year’s memorable final between Nadal and Federer is bittersweet for me. While on the one hand I watched it in the comfort of my new London flat, eating the Wimbledon snack of choice, strawberries and crème, I still regret not visiting the Wimbledon grounds during the tournament. At the time, I thought that I wouldn’t have another chance. Now, a year later and still in London, I’m not going to make the same mistake twice. I’ll be making my way down to the the tournament grounds and while the centre court tickets (at £72 a pop starting next Monday and only a tenner less later this week) might be a bit out of my price range, I plan on being in the crowd on the lawn for the finals, even if it means camping out to get tickets.
So if you don’t hear from me, tune in to ESPN or BBC sports to watch the Wimbledon matches. You might just see me cheering in the crowd.
I’m standing outside Regents Park next to a chef, a policeman and a journalist. While this might sound like the setup for a joke, it seems the joke’s on us – and the other hundreds of Londoners waiting to get into Taste of London, the annual gathering of foodies where London’s top restaurants offer up sample plates of their choice dishes – for a fee of course. There’s significantly less tasting, however, and quite a bit more tisking as the queue grows and the festival area, meant to have opened more than an hour earlier, remains disappointingly empty.
Finally there’s a cheer, a sudden rush of movement, and the gates open. An announcer comes over the loudspeaker to apologise for the excessive delay. “Er… it seems we’ve had a bit of a security threat this evening… a bomb threat for the fair.” The poor man sounds just as confused as the rest of us as to why someone might want to blow up a park full of delicious food. Maybe it was the vegans. “In any case, the police took it seriously,” he continues. “But they have given us the all clear.” Wow. As Emril would say, BAM. Not to be put off by trifles like terrorist threats, however, I push my way towards the front of the queue and aim for the food.
The biggest problem with the delay, which affected the chefs as well as the patrons, is that a number of the restaurants are severely delayed in their food prep. My group eyes a thick steak only to be told that the specialty needs at least 45 minutes of slow grilling before it will be ready. We wander off in search of a quicker fix for our food cravings.
The Taste of London is an amazing opportunity to sample food from London’s, and in fact the world’s, most famous and Michelin starred restaurants so as you might imagine it’s not an inexpensive outing. After the £25+ just for entry, Taste of London banks are waiting to provide you with “crowns,” the official spending money of the event. With 2 crowns per £1 and most dishes in the 6-10 crown range, you might find yourself shelling out £5 for a single scallop; a delicious scallop but a pricey one none the less.
That said, there are some dishes that are worth every crown and more. Roast Aberdeen Angus beef fillet with a tarragon mousse from Launceston Place, a choice piece of meat so well prepared that it cuts like butter and explodes with flavour. The classic duck burger from Croque Gascon, served with a spicey jalapeño chutney and French fries with crazy salt. The to-die-for chocolate cake from Theo Randall, a dense, dark chocolate pudding of soufflé consistency with a generous dollop of crema di marcarpone. I am nearly overwhelmed by the tastes and smells that surround me.
In addition to the restaurants on display, speciality food vendors are on hand to show off everything from homemade mustard to gourmet fudge. While desserts seemed to be especially popular, including Gü Brownies and Almondy, savoury treats including curries and sausages held their own with an aroma that permeated the whole park.
I end my evening with a wine tasting session hosted by wine expert and reviewer Will Lyons who takes us through four different summer wines, including the unique an syrupy sweet dessert wine made from grapes affected by noble rot. As we drain the last drops, the final closing call for Taste is announced over the speakers. Will looks around quickly and says, “I have something special for the last group of the night!” Out comes a bottle of champagne for the half dozen or so of us who have ended the night in his tent. “How much would you pay for this?” he asks as we toast the bubbly. Various numbers are tossed out. “£45,” he grins, clearly pleased with the present he has shared.
As am I. I’m wined, dined, and haven’t been blown up – three things that always contribute to a good evening. Taste of London has been an amazing opportunity to explore the flavours of the city and I look forward to the day when I can revisit these restaurants for a full meal.
For Londoners, the Taste of London event runs through the weekend and I highly encourage you stop by Regents Park to visit the event before it closes 21 June.
It has been an exceptionally busy week, so busy in fact that I had to regretfully skip a night of free drinks, networking and the lovely people of the London tech scene yesterday to attempt to squeeze in a few extra hours of sleep. Tonight I’m off to Taste of London in Regents Park – an opportunity to sample foods from some of London’s top restaurants – and tomorrow it’s a fancy dress club night with a whole lotta blues, jazz and sultry sound called Voodoo Hoodoo.
In the meantime, I took an (abysmally poor quality because I moved too fast) video from the building where MoMo London was hosted – we were 10 stories above ground, directly overlooking the Tate Modern (the giant brick chimney attached to the large blocky building). Behind the Tate you can just make out St. Paul’s dome, the river and the financial district. If the view doesn’t make you ill, I hope this gives a bit of a taste of the view of London from above.
Last night I had the chance to attend Mobile Monday London and wrote a review, Opinion: Mobile Monday London Showcases Mobile Industry Challenges -
It’s a typically rainy London summer evening and ten stories above ground, in a conference room overlooking the Thames, Tate Modern, St. Pauls and the London financial district, a mobile developer is having technology troubles.
He shouldn’t feel badly, it’s been a fairly rough night for some of the presenters at Mobile Monday London, or MoMoLo if you’re someone who likes to throw the world dongle around in casual conversation….
Were you in Shoreditch yesterday? You may have unwittingly have been a model for me as I trolled the area looking for victi… er, subjects during my Shoot Experience Documentary Photography workshop. From Old Street to Brick Lane, my camera confused, creeped out and occasionally complimented various tourists and locals as I attempted to get the perfect shot.
Saturday was day one of the two day workshop and we began bright and early, the seven of us around a table in a sunny Shoreditch loft to talk about what makes appealing photographs. Soon, however, it was time to put the theoretical to the test and we each embarked on an individual field trip to practice approaching individuals in the street and asking to take their photo. Now imagine for a moment that you’re walking down the street, minding your own business, and someone stops you to ask if they can take your photo. What are the immediate thoughts that run through your mind? Stalker, pervert and sub-par blogger are all possibilities. Fortunately Shoreditch is a particularly trendy area of London so I imagine most people’s reaction was closer too “ooh I look pretty today” but it was hard to shake what would have been my initial reaction and reconcile that with what I was out doing. Of course, the idea of the workshop was to practice the skills needed to become an better photojournalist and by the end of the exercise I was feeling slightly more confident (or feeling the pressure of running out of time without getting my shots). Here are some of the individuals I met that day:
After looking at each other’s photos, lunch and a discussion about the types of shots that make up a photographic documentary piece, we then left as a group to explore Brick Lane and view the famous area as if we were shooting for a food photo documentary piece. Out in the field, we discussed examples of opening shots, details, portraits and more while getting very, very hungry. Here are some of my favourite snaps from the afternoon.
Delicious Brick Lane: Man Carving Cured Meat
Deicious Brick Lane: Open Wide for the Paella
Deicious Brick Lane: Gluten Free Goodness
Of course what academic pursuit would be complete without some homework? Our assignment before the next class in two weeks is to decide on our own subject for a photo documentary and capture shots that can then be edited by the others in the group when we return. While awaiting inspiration, I’ll be increasingly snap happy as I travel through London to get the most out of the second half of the workshop.
Shoot Experience has a number of workshops for photographers as well as photo scavenger hunts for locals or tourists. Check out all of their upcoming events at the Shoot Experience website.
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