For all you Anglophiles...

[Herr Professor Doktor Doom]

Here'a a random set of photos from my most recent trip to London...
 
 http://www.flickr.com/photos/alexdc/sets/72057594110873715/

[Jaguar]

Wow! These are really nice. I know that I've probably asked you this before but what camera are you using? You've got really nice resolution. Also, are these shots as is direct from the camera or did you play around with any of them afterwards?

[Herr Professor Doktor Doom]

thanks!  Most of those were done with a Nikon digital SLR, and for a couple of them I used my girlfriend's Elph.  I usually do a little cropping on each image to get the composition the way I like it, and I'll also mess around with contrast and saturation.  But I try to keep that light, I'm generally not a huge fan of photos that have been blatantly photoshopped.

[Jaguar]

Originally posted by Doomter Doc:
  Nikon digital SLR

No wonder.
 
 Still, you have a great eye for this stuff.
 
 Digital cameras frustrate me so much because of all of the pixalation. They are nowhere as clean and clear as a good old film camera. Personally, I would love to have a nice 2 and a quarter Hasselblad. B&Ws with those are incredible!
 
 But digitals are just so much more practical nowadays unless you are going full on out for the art thing.

[Herr Professor Doktor Doom]

Originally posted by Jaguar:
     

Originally posted by Doomter Doc:
  Nikon digital SLR

No wonder.
 
 Still, you have a great eye for this stuff.
 
 Digital cameras frustrate me so much because of all of the pixalation. They are nowhere as clean and clear as a good old film camera. Personally, I would love to have a nice 2 and a quarter Hasselblad. B&Ws with those are incredible!
 
 But digitals are just so much more practical nowadays unless you are going full on out for the art thing. [/b]

I think film is great in theory, but unless you've got the time and space to do your own processing, you're surrendering a huge part of the creative process to some anonymous commercial outfit.  So digital is a lifesaver in this regard.  And if you have a camera with decent resolution (3 or more megapixels), it shouldn't be an issue.  Those photos you remember from Doomlink of the fireworks were shot with just a simple 3 megapixel Coolpix.

[Jaguar]

Originally posted by Doomter Doc:
  I think film is great in theory, but unless you've got the time and space to do your own processing, you're surrendering a huge part of the creative process to some anonymous commercial outfit.  So digital is a lifesaver in this regard.  And if you have a camera with decent resolution (3 or more megapixels), it shouldn't be an issue.  Those photos you remember from Doomlink of the fireworks were shot with just a simple 3 megapixel Coolpix.

Fully agree with most of what you are saying but I'd never go below 5 MPXs. Even then, for some formats, you can still see a lot of crap. I've found digitals tend to look better online or on a computer monitor than they do in print. And if you want to blow them up somehow, you better use a better camera. There's still a certain pureness or richness that is often missing with digitals compared to a good film camera. But, that all leads back to requiring all of the access to good hands on artistry which, again, make the digitals so much more convenient and practical.

[Reechard D Taylor]

Awesome pics Doc! I'm planning on going to London before the end of the year. I've never been...

[blinksaar]

nice pictures I really like them. London is my favorite city.

[you be betty]

very cool

[Herr Professor Doktor Doom]

I forgot how cool London was, it had been a while since I'd been there.  It makes even NYC seem tame.
 
 And thanks for the compliments all.  

[bigyellow100]

what do you guys do in london for fun?  i was just there about 4 mos ago for 5 days, and was bored out of my mind.  i guess it was just cause i did a lot of unimaginative tourist-y things, and because i am poor.  yet a lot of it was my fault for not researching beforehand; going to london was quite spontaneous (i was studying in lille, france).  though i must say highburry was sick.  i wish i couldve seen a football match, but there were none going on; i'm a huge premiership fan.  however, im thinking about going back this summer because i'll be in lyon, france for the summer.  any suggestions?

[Uptoeleven]

I imagine London is a real pain in the arse for the tourist, a city that really doesn't like to share its secrets. I wouldn't actually reccommend it as a destination unless you have a Londoner to show you around and maybe let you in on a few of 'em. I'm moving back there for the Summer, bidding DC and 9:30 Club farewell, and hopefully will rediscover the old place again. I still think London is awesome if you stay away from Oxford Street/Picadilly Circus/Leicester Square and delve into its little villages further afield. Other than that Tate Modern, National Gallery the river and the royal parks are the best things about London.

[Herr Professor Doktor Doom]

I agree, the times I've had the most fun in London was when I met up with Brits, or at least a Yank who knows the ropes.  This time nobody I knew was around.  I agree that staying away from Oxford Street/Picadilly Circus/Leicester Square is a good move (just as a seasoned Washingtonian knows to stay away from Adams-Morgan on a Saturday night).  But the museums are awesome, and it's just a great city for finding little neighborhoods to walk around in and explore.  If you're interested in the roots of Modernism right now is a good time to go between the Tate Modern's exhibit on Albers and Moholy-Nagy, and a broader Modernism exhibit at the Victoria and Albert.  Cool as it is the V&A exhibit also shows the excesses that Modernism could lead to, including a chilling flick where Le Corboisier sketches out his plan for central Paris which basically involved razing a huge portion of the city and putting up tower blocks.   Thankfully it never happened.  I lived in London for a short time as a kid in 1978-79, so there's an added nostalgia trip quality for me... I always find myself drawn to the neighborhood I used to live in.

[Arthwys]

I lived in London from this past september to january, and it blew my mind.  There was something to do every single night, if I only had money for it.  There was at least 1 if not 3 or 4 concerts a week that I was interested in, and about 10 indie-rock nights of the type like Liberation Dance Party, or Mousetrap to choose from.  Any day of the week too.  I quite liked Panic!  At the Roxy just off Oxford Street.  They made the best Long Island Ice tea for cheap (7 quid for a pitcher).  The museums are amazing, tate britain, british museum, and the national gallery being my top picks.  Parks are great, I frequented Primrose hill and Hampstead Heath mostly as I lived in Camden Town.  Which is amazing for the markets and cheap good food.  Def go to any football match, it's the basic British experience.  Pubbing is a must, for trying all the different real ales can be extremely rewarding.  Plus, from London you can catch a coach for extremely cheap to many areas quite far from the big smoke itself, Oxford is a fiver away.

[Arthwys]

Forgot to mention that it helps to be on bands' mailing lists.  I was able to get to see two amazing free shows.  Editors for free on a rooftop overlooking the stables market at Camden Lock, and The Duke Spirit in a tiny tiny underground (literally) pub that makes Fletcher's stage look huge.  I am pleased to report that I was so close to Leila that she smacked me in the head with the mic in the middle of Lion Rip.  After the song, she took my head in her hands and asked if i were ok, then explained to the crowd that there had been a bit of a "baptism by mic" down the front.