What makes a professional photographer in London ?

What makes a professional photographer in London ? Well the answer may surprise you, apparently you just need a three legged friend ! At least that is what two different security staff told me.
Join me as i attempt to get some Sunset photography done around London Southbank towards Tower Bridge.
Music in this video from Thematic
Music by sunshine blvd. - Ocean Blue - thmatc.co/?l=DE1AEB7D
Music by WABI SABI - snowflake - thmatc.co/?l=F277FF4E
Music by MYSM - Spirits In The Field - thmatc.co/?l=81DC50D0
Music by MYSM - Clearly - thmatc.co/?l=F02687EA
Check out Ben Finch here / photosbyfinch
Harry has a Instagram Account here / harryjroth

[@bryanellis2927]

What I love about your vlogs is that they are what it's like in the real world You don't have the time to keep going back to make the video perfect Great photos Lee

[@LeePelling]

Thanks Bryan, glad you enjoy them , and thanks for commenting , always nice to hear when someone enjoyed a vlog , i think its important to keep things as they were , its all to easy to think its possible to get stunning images every time we go out, in reality its not. I remember someone saying if you can get 12 good images a year then thats doing well . All you can do is try and make the best of whats in front of you , i hope i do that, most of the time when im out. Thanks again, take care.

[@paulcookphotography]

That was a great video mate! How nice to run into Ben! Small world in a city of 8 million+! I had the same experience in London on both of my visits with the security. I did find going out early in the morning and late at night though, no one seemed to care, which to me is the best time to photograph there. So nice to walk around a megacity and not worry about getting mugged, or worse, like over here. Brilliant photo of the Shard but the shot of the day for me was the one of Tower Bridge at 13:30. One of the best angles I've seen of it with the apartments lining the right side of the image. Great stuff Lee, really enjoyed this one!!!

[@LeePelling]

Thanks Paul , i was pretty happy with the Tower Bridge shot, i got there maybe a little bit later than i would have liked as i was loosing the ambient light rapidly , but yes its a nice composition this time of year , although i did feel maybe the foreground was a little cluttered , but it was the best angle i could find. Nice to run into Ben and have a brief chat with him and his mate Harry. Thanks for your continued support mate , i hope both of you are well , take care mate !

[@LetsClickPhotography]

Some great images in this Lee - I thought your shard shot was great and that shot of Tower Bridge towards the end was excellent. I’ve had loads of run ins with security, ultimately just doing their job and a lot of the time they have no idea why they can’t allow tripods….but it’s likely to do with insurance purposes and risk assessments. It creates a hazard and once they have noted it it becomes their responsibility to remove….if an accident occurs any insurance claim could be made against the property owner rather than the tog (who probably scarpered 😂). That or the property owners want the rights to themselves to be able to sell the unique view (which is what the national trust do for example - hence why they don’t allow ‘professional’ pictures)

[@LeePelling]

Thanks Dave, i think its more likely the latter reason, a tripod footprint is no more an issue than many other tripping hazards people actually carry with them or groups of people themselves, every security Guard i have ever spoken with is friendly and almost apologetic as they have no answers as to the reasons why. Especially as they always seem to let you get the shot anyway lol ! I think the lack of people in the area really didnt help, the guy in the cctv office was just after something to do . Still such a great place to shoot Pro or otherwise !

[@james3547]

My old stomping ground Lee, great to see on one of your vlogs 😁. Loved the tower bridge shot. I recommend getting around the outskirts of canary wharf. There are plenty of potential comps to get the creative juices flowing, old cranes from the dockyard days a few WORKING water features between a sets of buildings with good views on sunrise and sunset. Aim for Cross Harbour on the DLR and have a wonder.

[@LeePelling]

Thanks James , i was pleased with that particular shot, think i arrived a few minuets to late as the ambient light had dropped a fair bit but still liked the image in the end. Been to Canary wharf area a few years ago now so maybe its time to return , thanks for the tips ill certainly take a look at the are . Thanks for watching mate !

[@AndrewWaltonPhotography]

Great shots throughout Lee, I'm a sucker for the night shots though and the light trail image was particularly nice. I've not been to London in years (not even in this millennium 😄) but it certainly is full of photo opportunities. Amazing that in a city of that size you managed to bump into Ben.

[@LeePelling]

Certainly was a suprise bumping into Ben , I do like to get to London as there is so much photographic opportunities. I was pretty happy with a couple of the images , thanks for watching mate .

[@DanielWretham]

You’re a braver man than me Lee ! I can’t stand london as it’s so busy ! You got some great pics though, love the processing of the shard image, very effective ! The city lit up looked fantastic too ! Really good Vlog mate, nice one

[@LeePelling]

Thanks Daniel, was actually pretty quiet for London , that's why I stood out more to the security staff I think !

[@kendickson7321]

I must have followed in your footsteps Lee - I did the exact same walk last Friday except I went into Victoria then got the underground to Waterloo then kept to the Southbank until Tower Bridge - my target was the square mile just as it lit up as the sun went down.

[@LeePelling]

Its a great part of the city with so many iconic photo opportunities along the way, thanks for watching , hope you got some great images from your day

[@Robert-Bishop]

I never knew that about tripods - bizarre! Presumably if a professional takes a shot without one, they cease to be professional. You got some great images though. Really liked the one of Big Ben looking through the archway at 2:18 and all the long exposures at the end were superb. How funny that you bumped into Ben! Small world indeed. 😁

[@LeePelling]

Thanks Robert, if I knew that about tripods I would of brought a better one years ago lol !

[@Robert-Bishop]

@@LeePelling 😂

[@paulkennedycreativemedia]

Pro footballer. Love it. I got that a few times too when I used to walk around London then I stopped bring my tripod. Fantastic images you got. Nice work.

[@LeePelling]

Thanks Paul , I was happy with some of the images , long day but enjoyable . The security staff were fine they were really at a loss as much as I was to be honest ni real reason they could give .

[@thevalleywalker]

Great selection of images Lee, good watch. I have watched a couple of Ben's videos in the past. atb Al

[@LeePelling]

Thanks Alan , just about recovered now 11 hour day door to door , getting to old to carry all that gear round , still got a couple images I was happy with.

[@JeremyPayne]

First of all well done talking to a vlogging camera in a busy city, i know i couldn't do it!. As for the tripod rule in the city seems a bit silly but hey rules are rules. The b&w of the shard look fantastic mate but i loved the Tower bridge the most mate. Great vlog champ.

[@LeePelling]

Thanks Jeremy , i am happy with the Tower Bridge , made the long day worth while in the end , was feeling like it was not going to well again till the sun actually set .

[@DarrenJSpoonley]

Super video Ronaldinio :-) crazy rules but fantastic shots Pal

[@LeePelling]

LOL i dont think he really understood what i was getting at as he asked " Your a footballer ? " erm " No , nor am i a professional photographer " He was pretty tall but still went over his head. Great place to shoot cityscapes though, so many iconic images , London is so big moving around the city does take time even on the underground, so you have to really pick your desired location for sunset or sunrise and move towards , that was the plan , I was pretty happy with a couple of those images in the end. Thanks mate, take care

[@luckysmiler]

Very nice Blog Lee ,try Battersea Power Station next time ,and when u are visiting give us a call

[@LeePelling]

Thanks Alan , was thinking about Battersea at some point now the area has been done up !

[@RobOutenPhotography]

This is something that I've been meaning to try but never really fancied vlogging it. Like you I've been told off for using a Tripod and taking images and that's put me off from doing it. Shame really as you've shown that there is some good images to be had. I really like the image of Canary Whalf and Tower Bridge, 👌. Cheers for sharing Mate and take care, 👍 📸

[@LeePelling]

Hi Rob, i would not let the security staff put you off, i dont normally have much trouble at all and when i do have interactions with them they are always nice and friendly , mostly wrong , but friendly . Some people can get a bit confrontational with them but i find if you are nice and friendly generally they are too. Tower bridge image turned out pretty well so was happy with that, made the day worth while , take care mate

[@RobOutenPhotography]

@@LeePelling yeah your right, I need to give it another go. I need to re-think my vlogging setup as its not very urban ready! 🤣🤣

[@billrankin]

Good video mate enjoyed it, the security on the south bank are a pain in the arse had a few encounters with them in my time

[@LeePelling]

Thanks Bill , they were friendly enough and clearly individually they did not want to stop me or anyone from taking images , the company they work for clearly tasks them with doing it for no consistent reason that i have ever been told. Thanks for the comment mate, appreciate it.

[@billrankin]

@@LeePelling there jobs worth, taking a few pics don’t harm anyone. I’m up early as off to the coast for a sunrise shoot once I drank me coffee 👍🍺

[@mikeosbourne]

Great vid!! I had the same problem with security’s at this location

[@LeePelling]

Think the problem was the lack of public and the guys just wanted something to do and i must of stood out like a sore thumb !

[@PhotosByFinch]

If I'm holding a paintbrush does that make me Leonardo Da Vinci..? haha absolutely brilliant. I've worked corporate security and can say with a little insider knowledge it is all bollocks. I would just make it look like I was telling a photographer to stop but actually, I was just asking them what camera and lens they are using! Some brilliant images all around but the one that stands out is 05:34, definitely never seen that angle of The Shard before would love to know where you took that from mate.

[@LeePelling]

Hi mate , thanks , was pretty happy in the end how a few of the images came out , the shard one was taken from Montague close , www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.5066811,-0.0898812,3a,75y,144.89h,104.18t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sUC2_rys5sN5uwH1l_yWe4A!2e0!7i16384!8i8192 , that a google map location i hope.

[@andynewtonphotography4167]

You had some bad luck mate but you got some great images,

[@LeePelling]

Hi Andy thanks mate , didnt feel like it at the time but yes i was pretty pleased in the end with some of the images, thanks for watching :-)

[@scotty4418]

Guess I must be a pro too Lee the amount of times I was yellow carded for using my tripod when down in London recently. I know it won't be ideal in every situation but was thinking of buying a platypod before I head down to London again and see what reaction I would get then. Can understand if the place is busy, fair enough tripods can be seen a hazard but when there is no one about, can't see the harm. The "pro' reason is just crazy as I could stand there with a pro camera and a pro lens and take an image hand held without any issue (im not a pro by the way).

[@LeePelling]

Does seem ridiculous, platypod or gorilla pod I'm sure would be fine , I put my tripod legs right out and sat it on the wall for one image , nobody said anything. Thanks for watching mate