Hi, Hola, Bonjour , Ciao , مرحبا, 您好, bok, hei and welcome.

My name is James Murray and I live in London, England but love to go exploring in foreign climates. Coming from a design background I look at photography as an extension of this, recording the lifestyles and architecture that make up are world.

My passion for photography started when I first picked up a film camera (wow I miss the darkroom), capturing the moments of my accident filled childhood. I transferred this passion into my studies mixing in all of my design influences to create my own style.

Architecture and photography are the perfect blend each complementing the other. As a HDR (High Dynamic Range) enthuiast, I use this technique to enrich my images.

I have worked as a photographer since 2010, taking photos of the enviroment that I lived in around London, selling images as artworks and to companies. In 2011 I worked for Disney on their cruise ships with the big mouse himself. Onboard I worked as a portrait and wedding photographer, learning new techniques and feeding my travel bug.

Every photo is a memory; there is no better way to capture it then how you see it, not how the camera sees it.

 

Stacky Theme by Andrew

The not so Secret Intelligence Service http://bit.ly/xaQbQT

An (un)crowded Tower Bridge http://bit.ly/wNjR1T

Right in the Centre Point

The tall building that goes out of view on the left is a landmark to us Londoners known as Centre Point. Being the buildings name and written in lights on the top, its an obvious choice for a name. It lies on the just ion that links two of the most famous roads in London. Tottenham Court Road and Oxford Street.

Only one more photo left for this week. I’m gonna try and find a goodun’.

Speak to you all tomorrow.

Rugby

I walk past this shop in Covent Garden every day to get to work (although as you can tell by the christmas trees) this was taken before I started working here. Its probably a shop that I will never step in, unless I win the lottery or marry someone really really rich (I am fine with either of those by the way).

It is of course the Ralf Lauren shop in Covent Garden, placed right next door to the Apple store there. I used Nik Software’s HDR Efex Pro to process this image for a change. I never used to like using it due to the fact that it was very very slow on my old computer but it works great on my Mac. It gives a very different effect to Photomatix so I will have to keep on using it of I want to know the settings. Perhaps one day.

Hungry for an apple on Regent Street

As promised here is the bonus photo for this week. Since loosing my iPhone I bought the new Nokia Lumia 800 Windows phone. I love it to bits but I do miss the iPhone. Windows phone is great and I would recommend it to anyone if they were looking for a simple great phone to use but for me there isn’t enough apps. Granted there is everything you need (or something similar to what you would get on the iPhone) but it just isn’t the same. When the new one come out in the summer (so they say) I will be straight there to get it. Its lucky that I work very close by.

Anyway enjoy the weekend.

The horse with no body to love

Todays photo is linked to the fountain in yesterdays. Both were put there to attract tourists but I think (and I guess that you probably agree) that this is the more unusual of the two. Generally known and the horse head it is actually meant to be of a horse drinking but the fact that it basically is of a decapitated horse trumps this idea.

Looking through my Lightroom library I realise that I am very rubbish in naming my photos. I think of one for the daily photo but thats about it and never record them. I have set myself the task over the weekend to go through and name most of my photos, although to to them all would take weeks do I will just do my favourites.

As promised (and because I was rubbish last week) I will be posting an extra photo on Saturday. This will probably later in the day as today is PAYDAY!!! and will probably need a lie in. See you all tomorrow.

Through the Structure

A week ago I posted a picture of the tall wheel that was at the Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park, London over christmas. This is the same wheel but taken from the bottom of the structure. Its great that you can see the structure through the movement of the wheel. I added some photo tools filters to my photoshop edit to give it a more grungy look.

This week has been great for me. A new job up London will allow me to get out and around taken lots of photos. After I settle in there I will go out about twice a week. My photo valet is getting bare so I need to take some decent photos that I am happy with.

Thin wheel

I have promised myself that at some point this week I will go out in and around London again for a photo walk. My reserves are running low in the pre-processed photo department so I need to either choose some of my rejects to process (this can actually uncover some hidden gems) or go out and take some new ones. I will be busy with a new job from next week so don’t know how much time I will actually have, but I will take every chance I can to keep on posting.

This is a photo from Hyde Park during the christmas period. A huge christmas fair and market names Winter Wonderland is set up. There is a huge big wheel (okay not as big as the London Eye but still pretty massive) temporarily erected. It is the largest freestanding wheel in the world, I think. This is a side on view of said wheel.

Countdown

Well I still have a backlog of Christmas images to post so I hope you don’t mind but here is another. Ok it has another theme aswell. Now it is 2012 London is going on a massive high for the olympics, especially recently where tickets went up for sale for different events. Naturally none got what they wanted and no I didn’t get any but I will be in London this summer and perhaps will stalk the Olympic village for photos. 

With the christmas tree in Trafalgar square was (and still is) the countdown clock to the olympics. You can work out when this photo was taken by looking at the countdown or you could cheat and look at the name of the photos, but thats no fun.

Christmas Still?

Is it too late to still post christmas photos? I’m gonna say that its never too late. Does Covent Garden still have their decorations up? I guess they have until the 6th January until their bad luck sets in. 

Its so easy to take good christmas photos in London. Everything looks so christmassy (if thats even a work). These giant ball balls reflect the light so well and turn into huge disco balls. All you need is some club music and the night is sorted.