First post on Flickr

This was my first post on Flickr in August 2009, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes playing in Victoria Park, East London, on day of the launch of their first album in the UK.

Van in East London

Tokyo Rain by Dan Kitchener, photo by Cybermyth13.

So you are on your way to work and you see a face looking down the road at you. First I thought it was a large mural on the side of a house but then I realised it was on the side of a van. It is called "Tokyo Rain" and is by graffiti artist Dan Kitchener (DanK).

  

Graffiti need not be ugly

On the back of the van is Airborne Mark and his paper planes:

 

Handley Road, Kingshold Estate, Hackney, London E9

In 1993 Handley Road, Hackney, London E9 looked like this:

In 2012 Handley Road looks like this:

Handley Road, Kingshold Estate, London E9, March 2012, by Cybermyth13.

The concrete blocks have gone to be replace by low-rise terraces. The tree in the middle survived the deomlition of the old estate.

Other pictures of the Kingshold Estate and its redevelopment from the 1990s can be seen in my set on Flickr.

Graffiti need not be ugly, Banksy in Pollard Street

Banksy Pollard Street yellow flower, by Cybermyth13.

Graffiti need not be ugly but can easily lead to a mess. This Banksy in Pollard Street, Bethnal Green, has gradually been vandalised.

The flower is an extension of the double yellow lines on the road.

Snow photos, East London, Feb 2012

Snow always makes for some good photos if you can get the exposure right.

The new Pogoda is being built in Victoria Park as part of the restoration work. It is not finished but it looks good in the snow:

Even the pigeons seem to be finding it cold:

Victoria Park, East London

For other snow pics, see my Snow pics in 2012 set in Flickr

G is for Giant

Giant Squirrel by ROA - 2, by Cybermyth13.

Giant Squirrel by street artist ROA, near Bethnal Green Road, Tower Hamlets, East London.

S is for Snow

Snow in Victoria Park , East London, Dec. 2010 - 9, by Cybermyth13.

Snow creates a special atmosphere, especially in a park. In December 2010, the snow settled not only in the ground but also in the trees. With the low light of late afternoon, it looked magical.

S in Conor's A-Z

V is for Victoria Park

Foggy Day, Victoria Park, London, England, 1987, by Cybermyth13.

A foggy day in Victoria Park, East London, in October 1987.

V in Conor's A-Z.

X is for X

Contrails and blue sky forming the Scottish flag, by Cybermyth13.

Contrails in the sky form an X in the sky over Hackney on a Sunday afternoon in October 2010. It resembles the Scottish flag.

X in Conor's A-Z.

Photo of the week - White Christmas at Lovelace House, Haggerston Estate, E8

White Christmas at Lovelace House, Haggerston Estate, E8, by Cybermyth13.

The peacefulness of a construction site on Christmas Day provides a contrast to the usual urban bustle. This is the last remaining part of Lovelace House on Haggerston Estate, Hackney, in the snow on Christmas Day. The old blocks are being knocked down to be replaced by new blocks designed by architects PRP (Phippen Randall & Parkes), see PRP website.

Snow in Victoria Park , East London, Dec. 2010

Snow in Victoria Park , East London, Dec. 2010 - 1, by Cybermyth13.

I went for a walk in the fresh snow this afternoon and took some pictures in Victoria Park. When I posted some of them to Flickr, I had loads of views the same evening. Obviously some people stayed in and spent time on their computer today. Many of the views, over 750, came from simple searches within Flickr for "UK snow". It shows how much we care about the weather.

See my December 2010 snow pictures in Flickr

Saturday Evening, 2009 Serpentine pavilion, London, England

Sometimes it is difficult to know at what angle to display a photo. Personally I prefer the photo as above but in order to make sense of the picture you need the photo as it was taken below.

Saturday Evening, Serpentine pavilion, London, England, originally uploaded by Cybermyth13.

The photo was taken on a Saturday evening at the 2009 Serpentine Gallery Summer Pavilion, designed by Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa of the architecture firm SANAA. More pictures of the pavilion can be seen in Flickr here and in my other blog here.

Why I started on Flickr - Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, originally uploaded by Cybermyth13.

I was listening to the radio one evening in August 2009 and heard a bamd Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros playing some songs live in the studio. They mentioned that they would be playing in Victoria Park, London, on Friday afternoon. The park is not often used as a music venue, particularly on a Friday afternoon, so I checked online to find the details. It was to be an acoustic set at the bandstand starting at 2pm.

So I turned up at 2pm in Victoria Park and there were some people waiting around but not much sign of the band. Eventually some vehicles appeared with the band members (about 10 of them) and a piano emerged from a small van. By the time they had set up, a reasonable crowd had formed. I had my camera with me so while they played I took some pictures, as did several others.

A few days later I went online to see what pictures other people have posted online of the performance. The best selection was on Flickr so I decided to post some pictures on Flickr and see what happens.

Initially they did not seem to be much interest in my Edward Sharpe pictures. However I then got some viewings through images.yahoo.com . Gradually the photo worked its way to first entry on any search for Edward Sharpe on images.yahoo.com . I think people were clicking on it because it looked so unusual and because people were clicking on it, it moved up the search results.

The band has gone on to have success in America, including appearing on the Letterman show and several festivals, so the picture got lots of views. Eventually it was surplanted in the search by more recent photos of the band but it has been one of my more successful photos in terms of views, thanks to yahoo.