New Year’s Day London Parade

The participants at the New Year’s Day London Parade came from many countries. There were more than a thousand, maybe two thousand or more.

As things would have it, I chanced upon it last year, when Tamara and I had only been living in London for a month. This year I came specifically to see the parade and to photograph people.

Shot with a Fuji X-T50 with 55-200mm lens. This is the second time I have been out with this lens, and it is a fraught experience that makes better results that I expect. The body is very light and the lens extends as you increase focal length.

At longer focal lengths the focus point in the viewfinder weaves about, and I feel like a drunken man trying to pin the donkey. But somehow the camera makes up for my deficiencies in keeping the lens still.

Out of the 160 shots, very few were misses. But still the experience is not pleasant at the moment of shooting. A heavier body would help. And a different lens, one that didn’t get longer as you zoom to maximum focal length, or telescope or trombone, as it is sometimes called, would also help.

I arrived early so I could see people getting ready because it’s always at least as interesting to see the participants getting ready for the parade as it is to see them when they are walking and performing in the parade.