Even though I haven't done an update on this project I’ve been actively working on it, each time I'm in London I try to spend at least an hour (maybe more) photographing the London taxis. I found myself spending a lot more time in Piccadilly Circus, especially at night.
The new LED screens on the side of the buildings are up and running and when you're there at night it looks like daytime it's so bright, mix the light with the colours and my lord it really does add something special to my street photos.
I'm going to be spending my evenings here working on my project. When I'm shooting at night I like to keep my ISO low, so I'm always looking for ways to do this, I'll use shop windows, street lights etc it's about making the most of your surroundings, in the end, you must make them work for you. I’ve been finding this easy because I’ve been shooting the project with Fujifilm’s 56mm lens which has a fast F1.2 aperture allowing more light and of course allowing me to separate my subjects from the surroundings.
This area of London is perfect for being able to keep my shutter speed fast which allows me to capture the taxis moving at speed around Piccadilly Circus and trust me when I say they are fast. Having the extra light is also perfect for the camera's autofocus. I’m planning on spending most of May shooting this project with Fujifilm’s 200mm F2 lens, my hope is that it will end up giving me something different, I know it will allow me to get in closer to the taxi’s in the middle of the road, only time will tell if this focal length works for the project.
There are so many benefits for shooting around Piccadilly, for any project its all about finding the right place to shoot and I believe I found this in Piccadilly Circus, I know it’s going to work well with my London cabbies project.
