What is a LCPW?

A LCPW is a photowalk that is organized by a member of the London Community. This not only includes the people who live in the London community but the ones that visit it frequently etc. etc. A LCPW will be posted on our blog by that member and it’s easy I will instruct you how further down in this post.

Where did this idea come from?

If you have read Kevin (the original brain child of the London Photowalk)’s post on where he has been the last photowalks you will know that over the year we have been running these photowalks more and more “sub” photowalks have been popping up with ppl looking to explore more of London more often than once a month. Opening up photowalking to the community is of course not new, but we are offering our blog to post those walks and get more attention to them and great a larger photographic and arts community in London, Ontario.

How do I find the LCPW’s I can Attend?

Well this is the simple part, just click the Community Walks link in the top navigation. You can also look for post in the Community Walks category and prefixed with LCPW:

Ok so How DO I DO IT ALREADY!?

Ok ok anxious photowalk leader! This is what we need from you to get your photowalk posted on the blog:

1. Register on our blog. Link in the sidebar near the bottom (if your already registered skip this step)
2. Log In – Here you will see in the left column the Posts section. Here you can write you post for the blog. We will get into the details of that post in a few.
3. Hit Send for Review. Everyone who registers on our blog is registered as a contributor. This means that you can write your own posts and send them to the Admins and have them posted!

We are working on an automated process to the photowalk posting process. But until that day comes this will work just fine. I would like to point out that the post having to be approved is NOT us sending your walk through and approval process BUT a way for us to do the behind the scenes work of getting that post in the right spot, making the robots like it, and getting is sent out to Twitter.

Conditions of your Blog Post

We already have one LCPW posted and another one in the ques. This is what we would like to see in your post.

A little blurb about where you are going to go, what your going to go, points of interested etc. Then we would like you to use this format for the Details:

When: DATE
Time: TIME
Route: ROUTE MAY BE A LINK TO A GOOGLE MAP
Meeting Location: MEETING LOCATION
Afterwards: (optional but a great way to talk more about photography after)

And then any other detail you would like to include. Such as contact information, registration links if you’d like etc. By posting through the blog we will send you a notification when someone comments on your post so that you can respond accordingly.

Pheeew!

That was a lot of reading (and writing on my part ;) We really hope that you enjoy this new feature and that it gets used lots! As mentioned above it will be improved over time to become more automated and faster.

Thanks for reading!

Signed
James Wilkinson ;)

Jim is the groundskeeper at the University of Western Ontario and has been fascinated with the photowalk and the photos that have come out of previous photowalks near the UWO campus. Jim was going to guide us through our Mothers Day walk but unavailable and Donna has been talking with him and they have arranged a Community Photowalk to happen! So here are all the nitty gritty details:

When: Saturday August 21st
Time: 10AM-Noon
Route: Guided tour of UWO grounds with possibilities of secret gardens and tower tours!
Meeting Spot: TBA
Afterwards: TBA

We hope to see you out at this Community Photowalk!

In the past month’s I have been very busy and have been neglecting the photo walk, not by choice but by necessity.  Things such as helping family members move, other community projects (ChangeCamp and Nuit Blanche and PARK(ing) Day) and personal issues have kept me away from the photo walks.

On the one hand I have really missed planning and taking part in the walks as they offer a great opportunity to explore London and meet up with so many great people. However, on the other hand, missing the walks has helped to push the London Photo Walk in the right direction.

Where We Are Going (I Hope)

With myself not being available (and James not being available on occasion) the walks still have continued.  Thanks to the dedication of some of the photo walkers in London, the walks have continued and have been as successful as ever.  Two examples are the Watson Park Walk, which I attended but did not organized. This walk has been one of my favourites over the past year.  The other example is today’s World Wide Photo Walk. Because of personal items, both myself and James have been unable to plan or attend today’s evening walk, no worries as Chris Baldwin and Donnie Currie have taken control.

These two examples are just a small hint as to where I believe the London Photo Walk should be going.

There is no doubt that I sill plan on organizing and participating in a monthly walk, but the intentions are, over the coming months, that the London Photo Walk website will be fully open to have people suggest/organize walks that they would like to lead and that this information can post automatically, there by essentially allowing photo walks to happen, any time and any place.

When I first suggested having a photo walk I did so out of a very selfish manner. As many know, I had just purchased my first digital camera and wanted to learn from other people how to use it. Quickly the Photo Walk developed to a great community event that presents the opportunity for anyone to come out and explore the city with other members of the public in a relaxed environment.  Although planning the photo walks has been great, the logical next step is to give the London Photo Walk to community and let them run with it. More details will be coming over the next couple of months.

I’m excited as where this can take us.

The London Photowalk Group is back again this year for another World Wide Photowalk! This year we will be exploring the beautiful Gibbons park and surroundings during the golden hours. This is a very large park so we will have lots of room for our 50+ participants (if we count on last years numbers).

Gibbons park is situated on the edge of the thames with a beautiful walking bridge, shore side access, lots of trees, a splash pad and pool, and of course many geese and ducks ready to be photographed!

So here are the details!

Gibbons Park World Wide Photo Walk
Date: Saturday July 24th
Time: 7:00PM – 9:00PM
Where: Gibbons Park Splash Pad Parking Lot
Route: Walking through the park with a stint into a historic neighborhood then back down through the north end of the park. See RED on map.

You need to register to be a part of the Wordl Wide Photowalk, and it is open to 50 ppl. However just as we did last year we do not limit the amount of ppl who can come. So come anyways if you dont get registered. However if you do get registered you are entered into the World Wide Photo Walk photo contest!

So we hope to see all of you out, and dont forget to Register!

Here was the wining photo for London, Ontario from last years WWPW by Jason Parreira:

Beginning in Watson Park, off of Wellington Road at the Thames River, we headed East along the multi-use pathways, North on Adelaide Street and then back West passing by the South Street hospital. From the moment we started at 8am until when we finished around 10am the morning fog was out and made for some great shots.

I really enjoyed this walk as it was one that I probably wouldn’t have thought of on my own. I passed the area off as being ‘boring’ and typical, but having Chris Baldwin organize the walk in this area helped me to remember that all areas of London have something to offer, and the London Photo Walk is about exploring and celebrating these areas.

On this walk I was able to find an elevated train crossing, the location to where Flagswipe Paintball moved to years ago, some abandoned buildings and other fun stuff. I even managed to find a Red Chair before the walk began.

The people that came out for this walk were great as usual and the morning couldn’t have been better for a leisurely stroll along the Thames River.

It is the “low key” walks such as this one that I find the most rewarding. I am not sure why this is the case but when I return from them I always feel like I have a better appreciation for the Photo Walk, the people who I am with and London, Ontario in general.

Remember to check out the next scheduled photo walk in the Huron Woods.

Huron Woods Photowalk

Date:  June 19th, 2010

Time: 6PM-8PM

Meeting Spot: Kings College Parking Lot, just beside and back from the seminary.

Route: Through the seminary yard down the nature trail and back on the walking path.

Parking: Paid parking located at Kings College meeting spot, as well as free parking along the side of the street.

The last two Photo Walks that the London Photo Walk has put together have been in and around the University of Western Ontario. With students now gone and some flowers starting to bloom many photo walkers have been able to capture some fantastic images.

The first of these photo walks was back on May 2nd, 2010 in conjunction with Jane’s Walk London. Although only a small number of people came out for this walk (primarily due to the poor weather forecast and short notice) a good time was had by all and some interesting shots resulted.

We ended up heading into the forest behind Bresica University College, a place where I had never been before, and experienced nature it all of it’s glory right inside London, Ontario. Some hills, a few Trilliums and a whole lot of trees, this walk was a calming and peaceful one and helped each of us to get re-acquainted with mother nature.

I very much enjoyed this walk.

The second of our walks at the University was on Mother’s Day May 9th, 2010, in conjunction with PodCamp London.

Worried about the cold weather (which I did not dress properly for) and it being Mother’s Day we were unsure about who would be able to attend but we were not disappointed with the showing. Roughly 20 people showed up, many new-comers to the London Photo Walk and many came with their mothers and daughters, which was a nice sight to see.

Although we called it quits after slightly more than an hour (the cold was too much to bear for those of us who did not dress properly) everyone seemed to have a good time and get some great shots while out in the cold.

We hope to return to the University later in the year, perhaps when the weather is a little warmer, a few more flowers are out and perhaps with a tour guide.

Thanks to everyone for coming out for these past walks and stay tuned for information regarding the upcoming June walk.

Date: May 23rd, 2010

Time: 8AM

Location: Parking lot of the park at Front St and Wellington near the Thames River.

Contact Chris Baldwin for more information.

One year has come and past much quicker than I ever thought it would and without a doubt I have to say that each walk we have had has been enjoyable.

A couple of weeks ago we headed out for our 1 year anniversary walk and returned to the site of the first London Photo Walk, the Old East Village.

Although the turnout may have not been as large as I thought it would be (some citing the ‘early’ start time) I have to say that I was happy to see about 15 people out, many new faces.

We toured from one end of the Village to the other, seeing what had appeared, disappeared and changed over the past year. Some new businesses are in the village, others are no longer present, but one thing we all agreed on; there was more life in the village this year than we saw last year and things are moving in a positive direction!

We had an opportunity to meet some new local photographers, meet the families of another and meet the companion (‘Mosley’) of yet another. This past walk is definite proof that the London Photo Walk isn’t about photography, rather, it’s about community and the act of getting out and celebrating the city.

One thing that should be noted is that we were invited in to the London Potters Guild to see not only the great art work that is created there on a daily basis but the fantastic building which has been restored. I was blown away by the working space that is located in the heart of the Old East Village, and upon hearing of the plans to renovate the upper portion of the building I had a smile on my face. I am glad that we went back to the village for our anniversary walk otherwise I may have never had such an easy and great opportunity to check out the guild.

May Photo Walks

Scheduled for May are two walks, both in conjunction with separate local London, Ontario events.

On May 2nd (tomorrow) we have a heritage forest walk that is in partnership with Jane’s Walk London. Check out the details of the walk here.

On May 9th our walk is being held at the University of Western Ontario in conjunction with PodCamp London. Check out the details of the walk here.