Listen to the automated audio version of this article:
London lockdown, again… England is entering its second national lockdown phase today as Coronavirus/Covid-19 cases have risen sharply.
This gives me the opportunity to finally present my London lockdown photography project on YouTube.
Back when I took the photos, I wasn't producing content for my channel yet. So, unfortunately, I didn't film my usual POV footage. However, I did document the empty streets of London in a few eerie images.
I wasn't too keen on showing the London lockdown photos publicly the first time because I didn't want them to encourage people to go out and break the restrictions “for the gram”. I didn't break them myself, as I went shooting the morning just before the restrictions were introduced.
Other photographers (even non-professionals) breached the London lockdown restrictions and… Well, it's just not how I do things, so I didn't want that kind of publicity.
This time is different. The restrictions are a bit looser so it would be OK to take these pictures now. London is not as empty, though. But still quite sad nonetheless.
However, like I said, it's different now. I could even host you in my 1-1 workshops, like the new bite-sized lunch or pre-dinner, or the intense Masterclass. Just no groups while these restrictions are in effect, only one-to-one.
The Video
So, here, you'll hear me talk about the project and see the photos taken around London during peak hours (7:30am- 10:00am).
Except it doesn't look like peak hour at all! Had the world not experienced the effects of this pandemic, this would really look like a made-up scene from a horror or sci-fi film.
By the way, the images are available for editorial licence.
And here's the direct link, in case the embed doesn't work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxXsZlEw-z4
The photos were edited in Lightroom and then refined in Luminar 4. I experimented a lot with Luminar 4 and came up with this style that I found very fitting. I might eventually make this preset public. Perhaps you can let me know if you're interested.
Stay strong and stay safe! See you next time!
