London Underground

[Simon Clarkson]

Are you supposed to have a permit to photograph on the underground?

I went to London on Monday to collect my camera after having its sensor cleaned..

As I returned home I decided to take a few snaps..

I'am very pleased with the results... It would have been a tad better if I had a tripod with me.

1/4
F10
400 ISO
27mm





Your c+c would great.

Hoping to come to the camera club tonight!

Regards

[Simon Clarkson]

I have another picture but its the wrong size for this page..

Regards

[davidc]

If you host on flickr you can link through to a range of different image sizes. Also means you can show portraits too, normally the max heigh 768 means you can't.

I like the top one, the sense of movement is good and the Holborn visible through the train is a nice touch. Also considering it's 1/4 of a second it's remarkably free of camera shake and iso 400 is astonishing - the noise is very good. Not sure I could handhold that!

The vertical wall on the left is slightly off kilter, not sure if that's perspective distortion from it being at a fairly wide angle though? Mono conversion works well too though I'd be curious to see the colour, I wonder if the strong colours of the train would look impressive while blurred.

You are technically allowed to shoot on the underground, just not with flash.

Tonight will be a good one to come to, it's the monochrome trophy evening so plenty of images to get stuck into! I'm hoping work co-operates and I get out on time too.

[Simon Clarkson]

Unfortunately I have reached my upload Limit on flickr. I don't seem to have had many visits there, so I cant justify splashing out for the pro membership..

Heres the one you mention in colour..



And the other resized.



Regards

[Mike Farley]

Simon

David has already said the things I would have commented on for the first image and I do not have anything to add other than to say well done. You have a remarkably steady hand.

TfL is remarkably reticent on its website to say whether amateur photography is allowed, but I did see some tourists being warned while taking a snap a couple of months ago during the Paralympics. The offence was using flash rather than the photography itself, so there does seem to be a common sense approach by at least some staff members. Or was that a concession during London's summer of sport? As I have found for myself elsewhere, there is no guarantee that some transport employees will not make up their own erroneous rules about what is and is not allowed, so if doing an extended shoot it would be worthwhile getting in touch with TfL first.

As a publicly owned and funded body, I would like to see TfL issue a statement along the lines of this one, which is similar to the policy stated on the Network Rail website:

http://www.southernrailway.com/your-journey/customer-services/photography-at-southern-stations/

It remains unclear whether TfL's official position has changed in any substantial way since this story was published in 2009:

http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk/photo-news/536720/photography-crackdown-on-london-underground

Looking forward to meeting you this evening.

[Mike Farley]

I am not sure that colour adds anything to the first image and in some ways it distracts, particularly the light area at bottom left. In fact, now I have seen it, I wonder whether it should be toned down in the mono version as well.

I like the second image, with the line of the platform and the train leading the eye towards the mouth of the tunnel being very strong, although its position is a bit too central in my view. Maybe a crop at the top of the image where not much is happening would resolve this?

[davidc]

Agree mono is the correct direction to take it, curiosity satisfied

The flash thing I remember being on the news because some tourists snapped a train as it arrived, startled a driver and he overshot the platform. That has a tendency to screw up the service a bit. Common sense rules the day I think.

[Mike Farley]

I fully understand the prohibition of flash and tripods will be a no no as well, I would imagine.