Making my way from point to point underground in New York City, I always keep my Lumix at the ready.
Back in the 1970s and 1980s, I made black & white photos of the subway with my old Leica, so I’ve been at this a while.
The mix of old tiles, modern signs and the continual rush of humanity makes for lots of photographic possibilities.
For ease of exposure I set the Lumix to ‘A’ mode for aperture; wind the lens open to about f1.4/f2; set the white balance to ‘auto’, and release the shutter from below eye level (as required).
Tracking the Light presents new material every day!
Digital photography has made photography of the London Underground vastly easier than with film.
ISO 400 too slow? Notch it up to 1000, or 1600, or higher.
In the old days with film I’d rarely experiment with any lens longer than 100mm underground. Not only were my longer lenses relatively slow, but trying to keep them steady at low shutter speeds was impractical.
Today, I push up the ISO and snap away.
The adjustable rear screen on my FujiFilm X-T1 is a great tool for photographing from the hip. Back in the old days, I’d take the prism off my Nikon F3T for a similar technique, but this made focusing difficult.
I made these photos in Early May 2016. For me the Underground is more than just photos of the trains and tunnels.
Which is your favorite?
Lumix LX7 photo.Lumix LX7 photo at West Brompton.Telephoto view at Embankment with my Fuji X-T1.I like a bit of subtle humor or irony in my photos. FujiFilm X-T1 photo.FujiFilm X-T1 photo. Auto white balance is a blessing when working with artificial light.View of the Circle Line at Embankment.Some of the Tube is well below the surface.Bond Street Station at Oxford Street.
My Lumix LX7 with its f1.4 Leica Vario Summicron lens is another fun tool for making photos in the subway. It sure beats my ancient old Leica 3A hands down.
Park Street Station was bright enough so that even back in film days I could get passable photos of paused PCCs in black & white. But these days with the LX7 I can make very publishable handheld views in color.
Using the digital camera in the subway allows me virtually instantaneous feedback. I can check color balance, sharpness, exposure and composition on site. No longer do I need to unfurl wet negatives from stainless steel tanks to find out that I missed my exposure by half a stop.
Of course while instant feedback allows me to make adjustments to the exposure on-site, it does take away some of the thrill of anticipation.
I’ve found that subway images, like most night photos, require a manual exposure override of about a 1/3 to 2/3rds of a stop to compensate for specular highlights (caused by overhead lights and the reflections of same off shiny surfaces such as metal encased columns and enameled station signs).
Red Line station at Park Street in Boston. Exposed using a Lumix LX7 digital camera. ISO 200 f1.5 at 1/50th of a second.
In other words, I’ll set the Lumix to the ‘A’ (aperture) mode, then dial in + 2/3 overexposure with the toggle wheel. When I don’t make this correction the images appear too dark coming out of the camera. While I can adjust for this in post processing, I’d rather optimize my exposure to allow for the most amount of detail in the RAW file.
Does all that sound too complicated? By making this nominal exposure compensation to lighten my photos in camera, the resulting images will ultimately require less work on the computer and should be easier to use on the printed page.
The photos display in this post have not received post-processing, except for scaling necessary for internet presentation. Here: I have not modified exposure, color balance, contrasts or sharpness.
MBTA ticket machines at Harvard Square. The glint off the metallic surfaces and screens can result in underexposure. Exposed using a Lumix LX7 digital camera.Green Line station at Park Street in Boston. Exposed with a Panasonic Lumix LX7.The mix of filtered skylight and artificial lights would have posed a difficult color-balance situation with film. No problem for the LX7, just use the ‘auto white balance’ feature. Ashmont Station.Station sign at Ashmont. Lumix LX7 photo.
Historic Vehicles on Display at Covent Garden, London.
The London Transport Museum offers interpretive display of old transit vehicles. It is popular with kids and tourists. Lumix LX3
I’ve visited the London Transport Museum on several occasions, owing to its convenient location at Covent Garden in central London, and my general interest in transport.
Central to the public displays are a variety of historic conveyances ranging from horse-draw omni buses and horse cars to tube trains, buses, a double deck tram and a lone trolley bus.
Old double deck buses on display. I found it remarkable how small these buses are in comparison with those working London’s streets today. Lumix LX3
Perhaps more important than the equipment is the context the museum offers. London is one of the most transit friendly cities in the world and has a long history of offering public transport.
This year the London Underground is celebrating its 150th anniversary. As part of the city celebrations, the London Transport Museum has a display of Underground posters.
On my July 2013 visit, I made a few photos of the equipment on display at the museum using my Lumix LX3.
Vintage London Tube car on display at the London Transport Museum. Lumix LX3 photo.This Victorian-era tube train displays a relative dearth of windows. Lumix LX3 photo.Looking down a set of stairs on a double deck tram. How was the use of steps regulated when the tram operator was at the front of the car? Anyone? Lumix LX3 photo.
As a follow up to yesterday’s post London Underground July 2013—Part 1, I’ve assembled some of my favorite images from last week’s exploration in London.
The classically tiled Underground Station at Covent Garden is easily identified. Lumix LX3 photo.
The Underground cleverly blends transport and style. In my experience it is one of the world’s most popular public transportation systems. Phrases like ‘Mind the Gap’ appear on mugs and T-shirts, while many shops sell stylized maps of the Underground network.
There’s a lesson here.
Charing Cross Underground station is the preferred way to access The National Gallery and other nearby museums. Lumix LX3 photo.The National Gallery and Trafalgar Square are among London’s largest tourist attractions. This poster describes Victorian interest in art and places photography in period context. Lumix LX3 photo.A passenger prepares to board as a Piccadilly Line tube train glides into the Kings Cross St Pancras Underground station. July 2013 photo exposed with a Lumix LX3.By placing the camera against the ceiling of the tube train, I secured an unusual angle, minimized vibration to allow for a long exposure, while momentarily attracting the interest of fellow passengers. Lumix LX3 photo.Historic Underground signs recall the fear from sky-bourne warfare. Canon EOS 7D photo.
Caledonian Road Tube Station on the London‘s Piccadilly Line, April 19, 2013.
During 2013, London’s Underground network has been celebrating 150 years of service. This milestone is marked by posters and artwork around the network. For me the Underground is both a convenience and a subject for photography.
London Transport Poster celebrating 150 years of service on the Underground. Lumix LX-3 photo, exposed at Bank station on Sunday April 21, 2013.
The Underground is one of the world’s most complex and extensive railway rapid transit networks, and is well integrated with the rest of London transport.
Photographing on the Underground has its challenges. Space is often constrained, it tends to be dimly lit underground, and trains and platforms are nearly always crowded. The system boasts that it carries more than 1 Billion passengers annually! At times it seems that each and every one of these billion are in the way. Yet, the passengers are the reason for the system and often make for the most interesting images.
I’ve included a small selection of photos of the London Underground that I exposed over the last week. Most were made with my Lumix LX-3, which owing to its compact size and ease of use makes it my choice camera for making Underground images. Use of flash is prohibited; a tripod is impractical, so all of my images were made handheld with existing light.
Highbury&Islington Tube Station on the Piccadilly Line, April 19, 2013.London Underground Station at Leicester Square on April 22, 2013.Classic Underground mosiac on the wall of the Tube. Lumix LX-3 photo.
