Press Briefings and Transit

I had the unlucky fortune of getting a nasty little sinus infection last weekend and didn't get to go out shooting as I planned. I did have the pleasure of having a nice experience with the NHS over here in England. I do applaud the quality of the NHS Direct phone service, it was much better than calling the doctor on call back home. The first person you speak to is knowledge and decides whether or not the 'on call' doctor or nurse needs to speak with the patient.

When I was feeling that tickle in my throat of the oncoming illness, a helicopter crashed near the Vauxhall tube and bus stations and was only a short 3-400 yards from MI6 headquarters. The pilot and another man on the ground died following the crash.

I arrived on the scene about 90 minutes after the crash and was stuck behind the media cordon. The police offered any media with a proper UK Press Card access at the site for a limited amount of time. Since I don't have a proper card yet, I had to stay put and the first two images are my best from that set.

The remaining photos were taken on various trips I have made using the public transit system in London which is amazing. And I thought Chicago had a good transit system..

Emergency crews responded to a helicopter crash in Vauxhall on January 16, 2013.

Met Police commander Neil Basu addresses the media following a helicopter crash in Vauxhall on January 16, 2013.

A view of the main escalators at the Holborn tube station on January 13, 2013.

A train arrives at the Finsbury Park station on January 13, 2013.

A double decker bus passes through a pedestrian crosswalk on Peckham Road in Camberwell on January 22, 2013.

The Gunners

Today, since I love football, I took an adventure to Emirates Stadium before the Manchester City vs Arsenal match to take some photos of the exterior. I didn't have a ticket, so I went searching for a pub. I found this place called The Gunners (notice the logo in the first photo) which is designed for standing room only, with the game projected on a screen for all to see.

The ceiling of the pub is hard to miss (photo below) and everyone's pure, drunken hatred of the opposing team was pretty obvious. 9 minutes into the game, Arsenal's Laurent Koscielny took out City's Edin Dzeko in the area. Referee Mike Dean quickly pointed to the spot and pulled out his handy red card. The pub erupted in screaming the most diverse variety of obscenities I have ever heard. This continued any time there was a close up shot of the referee or of Dzeko.

I didn't take out my camera until the second half, when I was able to sneak into some space right in the front of the group, giving me a nice scenic look of the pub. Arsenal struggled to get back in the game, making for some very frustrating fans at the pub.

Next week Arsenal play at Chelsea, and I will find my way into another pub.

I wonder what he has in the briefcase..

This is the ceiling of The Gunners Pub

Welcome to London

To start my new blog off, here are a few photos from my first week London. I'm studying abroad at the London College of Communication in the photojournalism course through the end of June.

This is my first time in London, so I had to find get some photos of Big Ben

Two things that make you think, London.

A couple walking across Westminster Bridge during a rare break in the traffic.

A general view of M&M's World, I could not believe this place existed!

I pulled out the iPhone to get this detail shot.