BLOG - Special Projects

A few images from the latest OOH Advertising campaign I photographed over London this week, featuring Everlast & boxer Conor Benn, activating around his fight this weekend with Chris Eubank Jr in Tottenham.

Campaign photo: Tom Cockram

Street Photography Edition of Amateur Photographer Magazine

I'm thrilled to be part of this street photography special, premium issue of Amateur Photographer magazine on sale today! 😊 In it, I reveal some of my top tips & techniques in shooting for success in the streets. This issue also includes features on Nick Turpin of iN-PUBLIC, articles written by Peter Dench and advice on th best cameras to use for street photography, as well as advise on discreet smartphone candid photos! Pick yourself up a copy - out now in all good newsagents or order online.


Click here for larger view

Ed's Diner - Soho, London, UK

I'm pleased to be featured in a brand new hardback book publication 'Women Street Photographers' in celebration of 100 international, contemporary professional and amateur woman photographers.

"...Curated by the visual connections between pictures, the images are variously joyful, intriguing and unexpected, offering a kaleidoscopic view of what happens when women across the world are behind the camera"



This is an amazing collection of street photographs, some of which I have never seen before so genuinely thrilled at the high quality of images to muse over in this medium sized coffee-table, hardback book.



Thanks to curator & editor Gulnara Samoilova for putting this together. The book is out this week by Prestel Publishing and is available to order worldwide, from all good bookshops & online via Amazon:

UK - http://amzn.to/30jJf8M
USA - https://amzn.to/30ldZpU
(*Currently trending at #1 in New Releases!) *6th March

Notting Hill - London Lock Down - Corona Virus Part 4

Check out Notting Hill London Lockdown series Part 3

Check out Notting Hill London Lockdown series Part 2

Check out Notting Hill London Lockdown series Part 1

I am visually documenting the effects that the coronavirus is having on my neighbourhood in West London. The UK lockdown has meant the temporary closure of a major tourist area around Notting Hill and Portobello Road Market. Each time I go out for one of my daily walks I have been taking my iPhone out with me and taking snapshots that reflect the sign of the times around Notting Hill.
I will keep on adding new pics as I take them.













I have unfortunately had to put all my scheduled street photography workshops, photo tours, commercial jobs, etc on hold unfortunately. But I am hoping that things can get back to normal sometime in the not too distant future when it is safe to do so.

For the last few weeks we have been easing out of lockdown in London. On July 4th 2020 most businesses will officially re-open for business. I am still working from home and taking care of photography print orders that come through from my online store on Etsy. Thank you to all of those who have ordered prints! You are helping to support the many small businesses and freelancers like me who have put their regular work on hold.

FYI, I currently have put a sale on (10% off) on all prints if you wish to make a quarantine purchase!

Thanks and see you on the other side!

Linda

Check out Notting Hill London Lockdown series Part 3

Check out Notting Hill London Lockdown series Part 2

Check out Notting Hill London Lockdown series Part 1

Electric Cinema - Portobello

Notting Hill - London Lock Down - Corona Virus Part 3

Check out Notting Hill London Lockdown series Part 2

Check out Notting Hill London Lockdown series Part 1

I am visually documenting the effects that the coronavirus is having on my neighbourhood in West London. The UK lockdown has meant the temporary closure of a major tourist area around Notting Hill and Portobello Road Market. Each time I go out for one of my daily walks I have been taking my iPhone out with me and taking snapshots that reflect the sign of the times for residents, visitors and local businesses to Notting Hill. I will keep on adding new pics as I take them.



This part 3 series of pics is dedicated to all the amazing NHS staff and key workers who have been working hard during the London locklown. Your tireless work has not gone unnoticed and is truly appreciated, as shown by the creative window displays, esp. the Rainbows of Hope illustrations of Notting Hill homes.






Some more supportive messages for the NHS and us to 'Keep Britain Going' via advertising billboards around Notting Hill....





Oh, you may have noticed your Royal Mail has a been a little slow or 'lost' at the moment. I am told these long delays have been caused by ill or self isolating postal staff, social distancing restrictions in the Royal Mail delivery offices, reduced opening times, priority given to medical and safety deliveries etc, all of which has unfortunately resulted in a back up of millions of pieces of regular mail being delivered on time across the UK. Its frustrating, esp. if you run a business, but what you do.



I hope that you are all keeping well in this very much unprecedented time. It is a little scary and overwhelming at times, but we will get through this. We all need to work together, be responsible, be respectful and be kind by social distancing when out in public and make others safe as well as protect yourself. Wear a face mask if you want to, like me in this Portobello Road selfie!



I have unfortunately had to put all my scheduled street photography workshops, photo tours, commercial jobs, etc on hold unfortunately. But I am hoping that things can get back to normal sometime in the not too distant future when it is safe to do so.

I am still self-quarantine at home, but still taking care of photography print orders that come through from my online store on Etsy. Thank you to all of those who have ordered prints! You are helping to support the many small businesses and freelancers like me who have put their regular work on hold.

FYI, I currently have put a sale on (10% off) on all prints if you wish to make a quarantine purchase!

Thanks and see you on the other side!

Linda



Check out Notting Hill London Lockdown series Part 4

Check out Notting Hill London Lockdown series Part 2

Check out Notting Hill London Lockdown series Part 1

Notting Hill - London Lock Down - CoronaVirus Part 2
Check out Notting Hill London Lockdown series Part 1

I am visually documenting the effects that the coronavirus is having on my neighbourhood in West London. The UK lockdown has meant the temporary closure of a major tourist area around Notting Hill and Portobello Road Market. Each time I go out for one of my daily walks I have been taking my iPhone out with me and taking snapshots that reflect the sign of the times for residents, visitors and local businesses to Notting Hill. I will keep on adding new pics as I take them.



This part 2 series of pics focuses on the writing on the walls - mainly witty political or poetic street graffiti seen around Notting Hill. On the more commercial side of things, the customer notices put up by local businesses such as restaurants and cafes who have been forced to temporarily close while the lockdown is in place.




Most signs were hopeful and upbeat, but you obviously can feel the frustration and sadness in the tone of words. I know many of these closed shop fronts are independent businesses, and not corporate chains so people's livlihoods are at stake unfortunately. But this is the reality right now for many self employed and sole traders in the UK.



That being said, I hope that you are all keeping well in this very much unprecedented time. It is a little scary and overwhelming at times, but we will get through this. We all need to work together, be responsible, be respectful and be kind. Please self-isolating as much as possible, by staying home and only going out for walks and essential shopping as advised.



I have unfortunately had to put all my scheduled street photography workshops, photo tours, commercial jobs, etc on hold unfortunately. But I am hoping that things can get back to normal sometime in the not too distant future when it is safe to do so.

I am self isolating at home, but still taking care of photography print orders that come through from my online store on Etsy.
FYI, I currently have put a sale on (20% off) on all prints if you wish to make a quarantine purchase!

Thanks and see you on the other side!

Linda

Check out Notting Hill London Lockdown series Part 1

Check out Notting Hill London Lockdown series Part 3

Check out Notting Hill London Lockdown series Part 4

Notting Hill - London LockDown - CoronaVirus Part 1

I am visually documenting the effects that the coronavirus is having on my neighbourhood in West London. The UK lockdown has meant the temporary closure of a major tourist area around Notting Hill and Portobello Road Market. Each time I go out for one of my essential 'walks' I have been taking my iPhone out with me and taking snapshots that reflect the sign of the times for residents, visitors and local businesses to Notting Hill. I will keep on adding new pics as I get them, so please bookmark this page to see additional shots.



Portobello Road Market is usually swarming with 1000s of tourists and locals out browsing the busy market stalls and antique shops, hanging out in coffee shops, watching street performers, etc was very much deserted over the last fortnight since the lockdown was announced by the PM.



Virtually all the 'non essential' shops and retailers were closed, no market itself of course, just a a couple fruit & veg stall sellers and supermarkets open since the lock down was announced by the PM at the start of the week. Though a little eerie to witness, it is a good thing for the safety of all those who have to live and work in the area.



That being said, I hope that you are all keeping well in this very much unprecedented time. It is a little scary and overwhelming at times, but we will get through this. We all need to work together, be responsible, be respectful and be kind. Please self-isolating as much as possible, by staying home and only going out for walks and essential shopping as advised.



I have unfortunately had to put all my scheduled street photography workshops, photo tours, commercial jobs, etc on hold unfortunately. But I am hoping that things can get back to normal sometime in the not too distant future when it is safe to do so.

I am self isolating at home, but still taking care of photography print orders that come through from my online store on Etsy.
FYI, I currently have put a sale on (20% off) on all prints.

See you on the other side!

Take care,
Linda

Check out: Notting Hill - London LockDown - CoronaVirus Part 2

Cats! Love 'em or hate 'em, they have taken over social media! Anyone who knows me, knows I am quite partial to cats, cat memes, cat videos. Throw anything cat at me (not literally) and I will probably approve!

My love of cats definitely started from when I was a young kid. I grew up with pet cats always in the family household, so I am a tad biased about them! One of my earliest memories I can remember is using my mum's Kodak Instamatic camera to take photos of two of our tabby cats. Some of these old Kodak pics are somewhere among the old family albums!





Since taking up street photography, I've recently built up a small collection of 'street cat' photos. All of these were taken around London or on my international travels. Cats are such characters and usually do whatever the heck they want! So capturing them in interesting compositions, in an urban environment can be quite a challenge! The friendly, charismatic ones are usually the best though.

This cat collection wasn't really supposed to be a photography project of sorts, but it kind of developed into one over the years! That's how some great projects start - by accident! Anyway, I found some of my favourite street feline photos and thought I'd share some of them in a little blog post today on International Cat Day!

Let me know your favourite shot(s) in the comments!

All images shown are available as prints.

Message me if you have any cat photography projects that need a photographer!

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU! Wishing you health, happiness and success in 2019.



I had celebratory New Year's Eve drinks with friends in a 5-Star London hotel/Grade II listed building. I had been meaning to visit this particular hotel all year, but anyway finally ended up going on the last day of the year (as you do).

The reason being is that earlier this year I found out some good news from my Art Consultants based in Paris, that this hotel, the Kimpton Fitzroy London which was formally known as Principal London, purchased five of my images. It was several months before I was officially told the exact hotel, as prior to the relaunch in April 2018, the hotel was still undergoing a £85m refurbishment.



I was so excited to visit this hotel at last - but first port of call was NYE drinks in their exquisite Fitz's bar! Then I had a little wander this vast but exquisite hotel. I found one of my framed prints on displayed on a wall, near the main lobby stairwell! As I was with friends I didn't want to leave them too long, wandering around, so I asked one of the super helpful receptionists if she could possibly help me on my unusual request mission to find my remaining four framed photos which I was told were in communal areas of the hotel! She obliged in my quest to accompany around to locations she thought they may be hanging, but we couldn't find the rest of them! I was advised to get in touch with the hotel interior designers who hung them and that they would help me locate them. So I will do that in the new year! I was just happy to find this one for now! What a great honour. Happy New Year!

I've got an interview feature in the Jessops winter magazine 'IMAGE', currently available in all Jessops stores.
Go grab yourselves a free copy!

Congratulations to everyone who made the shortlist, and to this year’s winner, Andy Allchurch!

On Wednesday 5 December, Clear Channel held a Pop Up on Baker Street in London to celebrate this year’s shortlisted entries, and to announce this year’s winning entry in the MyTownPhotography competition.

There was a selection of images from the competition on display throughout the day, including the shortlisted photos and images from our judges, renowned street photographers Dougie Wallace, Ronya Galka & myself.

HND Photography student Andy Allchurch who won the My Town Photography Competition with his shot "Do Not Feed The Gulls"!

Speaking of his win with his entry ‘Do Not Feed The Gulls’, taken in Liverpool, he said:

“It’s all a bit surreal, but it’s amazing to have won. My intention was just to get a photograph of the man who looked slightly strange feeding these seagulls so much bread. As I went to take the photo the seagull flew past his face, with its faced stuffed. In all honesty, it was a complete fluke, which is an aspect I really like about street photography. But it’s a beautiful fluke! I love that the image is a bit of fun too – kind of channelling that Scouser sense of humour.”

Andy entered the competition after seeing MyTown promoted on Clear Channel screen, and his image will join all other shortlisted images featured as part of the UK’s biggest outdoor exhibition of street photography. He was also rewarded with a FujifilmX100F camera, which he received at the MyTown pop-up, and a UK city break of his choosing.

(Click image to view MyTown photo gallery in new window)

The shortlisted winners of the MyTown contest hosted by ClearChannel were announced this week. Congratulations if you were selected!

As one of the three appointed judges, I/we had the painstaking task of chosen my final 12 out of 100s of images, before meeting all judges and deciding on our final selection. I think the resulting 12 shortlist winners look pretty good together.

The contest has received good coverage from the online news press. Here are the links to a few sites;
The Guardian
Metro News
Daily Mail

There will be a Pop Up event on 5th December. Details below shared from the MyTown website:

On Wednesday 5 December, we’ll be announcing this year’s winner at a pop-up gallery in London.

There will be a selection of images from the competition on display throughout the day, including the shortlisted photos and images from our judges, renowned street photographers Dougie Wallace, Ronya Galka & Linda Wisdom.

The gallery is open to the public, so you can pop along anytime from 11am to 11pm. There is no entrance fee.

Spaces may be more limited in the later part of the day when the winner will be announced.

Wednesday, December 5th 2018

Carousel Next Door, 35 Baker Street, London, W1U 8EN

11:00am – Gallery opens
6:00pm – Winner announced*
11:00pm – Gallery closes


It should be a good day/night. See you there!

The latest issue (#207) of Digital Photographer magazine is now out. Check out my page feature on Photography Contest Judging in the Go Pro section!

Digital Photographer magazine is available for digital download.

I am pleased to be announced as a judge for ClearChannel UK's MyTown street photography competition.

The MyTown street photography contest celebrates the uniqueness of towns and cities across the UK and the people who live in them.

The very best images will be shown on Clear Channel digital advertising screens in towns and cities right across the country later in the year, as part of the UK’s biggest outdoor exhibition of street photography! There are also some great prizes for the winner!

On Wednesday, December 5th 2018, Clear Channel will be announcing the competition winner, and displaying the shortlisted photos at a pop-up gallery event, alongside images from the judges.

There will be a Pop-Up Gallery event on 5th December. The gallery is open all day to the public, so you can pop along from 11am. To register your interest in the evening event, visit the registration page.

There's still time to enter the MyTown contest as entries must be received by 11.59pm on Sunday 11th November 2018. Good luck!

I am looking forward to hosting these forthcoming Lumix Photo Walks around the UK:

29 September, Cardiff
13 October, Liverpool
14 October, Nottingham
3rd November, Bromley

Sign up and bring along any camera, or even just your smartphone as we visit some interesting locations in each city chosen. We’ve teamed up with Panasonic Lumix and Jessops to showcase some of the best UK photo locations, with top photo spots to point your lens at. Whether you’re shooting with your phone or a great camera like the brand new Panasonic Lumix GX9, you’ll find some inspiration.

I will be on hand to offer you photography guidance if you want it. Learn how to take the very best photos whilst you explore the hidden gems of the city. Following the walk, which will last for approximately two hours, you will have the opportunity to print your favourite picture free of charge at the hosted Jessops store.

The best images from all the entries from each city will win a Panasonic Lumix GX9 camera. They’ll also be printed on canvas and displayed in the local Jessops store!

To secure your space on a walk, email: events@jessops.com with your name, contact details, and the subject heading [City Name] Lumix Hidden Cities Walk.

I have a 5-page spread feature in the latest issue of Digital Photographer magazine. The main topic of interest is 'The Decisive Moment', where I reveal some in-depth tips and tricks into how I make, take and edit my street photography shots and a whole lot more!

Issue #203 is available to purchase online for just £5.00 includes shipping.

My work will be featured in the Art On a Postcard Urban Art vs Street Photography themed Secret Auction at The Other Art Fair in Bristol. All of the pieces will be on show from 26-29 July, The Passenger Shed, Bristol, BS1 6QH. You can bid for the works at the fair and online via the Art on a Postcard website.

Art on a Postcard raises money for The Hepatitis C Trust. All the funds raised go towards its campaign
to eliminate hepatitis C in the UK by the year 2025.

Happy bidding!

I am pleased to announce that I have been selected as a judge for this years British Life Photography Awards.

Back in 2014, when the BLPA was first founded, I won in the Street Life category of this photography competition. See winners page: https://blpawards.org/winners2014 The winners' exhibition was held at the Mall Galleries and images printed in the official winners' book.





I entered again in 2017 and won a commendation for one of my images, which was subsequently printed on the front cover of the official book. An exhibition was held for 3 months at the Royal Festival Hall, London.

So this year, I am delighted to have been chosen as one of the judges for this year's competition. Unfortunately, this means I can't enter myself! However, if you wish to enter, please visit the official British Life Photography Awards website for full details. You never know, you may become a winner!

Check out an interview I did recently with Londnr Magazine, to coincide with my concurrent 3 month 'Photographer in Residence' feature on their Instagram & Facebook social media pages.

What a great space for an exhibition!



What an amazing day in Paternoster Square! We had a successful first ever Photo City London 2017 exhibition! A whooping 7,000 of you came along to this one day special photography event which was situated in the heart of St. Paul's, City of London!

Thanks to my good friend Matt Hart for inviting me to take part in such a special exhibition event in the first place. A big thank you also to Alan Raw, a brilliant curator who organised the show so professionally. And great work from fellow exhibitors: Christian Cross, Robert Bentley, Matt Hart & Paul Sanders.


(left) Matt Hart, Paul Sanders, Linda Wisdom, Christian Cross, Robert Bentley

Christian Cross, Linda Wisdom, Matt Hart

Also thank you to the Fujifilm UK team, the Paternoster Square team, CameraWorld, Genesis Imaging, Snapperstuff to name but a few. Thank you also to all my friends, Twitter & Instagram fam and the lovely people who took time out to pop down to meet & chat with us and check out the photography on display! Cheers for your kind comments, see you again soon!


© Snapperstuff

© Özlem Mehmet

© John Hughes

Incase you were unfortunate to miss it, you can see a sample of the London street photos that were on display from this Evening Standard article about the exhibition.



© Matt Hart

© Matt Hart

#photocityLondon