london: central zone

The temperature here in Krakow is finally back to normal (below freezing at night, warmer daytime.) Meanwhile, I'm trying to advocate for sustainable transportation in the City. There is a discussion these days in Krakow, whether to introduce a fee for driving into the city. I hope that we can learn from good examples other cities, such as London set. Here, London's Central Zone markings on Kensington High Street. Since its introduction in 2003, London's Congestion Charge has improved traffic safety, transit efficiency and resulted in decrease in pollution.

siberia in krakow

Now that the temperature hits zero Fahrenheit every night (!), the City has put those coal heaters, just like they used to almost thirty years ago, during the "state of war" introduced by the communist government to calm the political opposition. This winter has been particularly severe, especially for the homeless. Although one may oppose the heaters in terms of the impact on the environment, they work beautifully.

Metropolises from the Backyard - exibition

Ever since I started to take photographs various cities have often been subjects of my works. Whether I take pictures in my hometown, Krakow, or during my journeys, urban photography always seemed perfect and inspiring for me. A natural environment for humankind nowadays, the city has many aspects that are not always available to everyone. Thousands of photographers – professional and amateur – compete to show cities the way they see them or the way they would like to remember them, each their own way. I also try to gain from different aspects and sides of urban life myself. The most important thing though, is to be able to show something that is hard to spot during our daily errands around town. Also, the clue here is to somehow blend into the crowd, enter the city through the back door, from the backyard. The locals can help to accomplish that, likewise a trip to the last subway station, a turn into an alley, or – if need be – seeking inspiration on the Internet. “Metropolises from the Backyard” is a collection of fifteen works created from 2007 to 2009. Choosing the pictures, I focused on showing the least known sides of the cities that we all know well. However, sometimes one can spot recognizable elements, such as the Eiffel Tower in the background of the picture from Paris. The set of urban photographs is not only the documentation of reality, but also a creation of a subjective view of a city that appeared before my eyes. The exhibition is available everyday in Zaczek club, 5 al. 3 Maja in Krakow.

I met Jonathan at 'trix', a Tuesday nite fixed gear event at the top of the multi-storey parking lot in London's City. He also takes remarkable photographs, check out his site and some of the pictures of other fixed gear riders at 'trix' on his flickr page.

london is colorful sometimes ..

I've always considered London a gray city. I don't know why, since most of the buildings (especially in residential neighborhoods) are built with bricks. Though, London is gray for me. Fortunately, sometimes there are colors that wonderfully contrast with the grayness of the city center. That particular one spotted by St. Paul's Cathedral.

london: the meeting place, shot no.2

Another shot from the Picadilly Circus, the place where I had spent a lot of time waiting for whoever I was meeting with over there. Also, that's an anniversary post: the first one in 2010 and the 200th one I've ever posted here since I started the blog back in February 2008. Happy New Year!