London : Brought to you by CCTV

Today got off to a rough start. I was trying and failing to find a hostel to stay at in Paris for a few days before I met up with Julie. It seems almost impossible to find a decent one that is also affordable. The cheap ones all had terrible reviews and the ones that did look promising didn't have any rooms available during the time I needed. I gave up. It was only one thing on my list of chores before shooting.

I set out for the nearest STA Travel to book myself a train ticket to Paris. It took me a little while to find the place but at least, $130 later, I had accomplished something. Finally, I could shoot. But where were we off to today? My legs ached and my feet begged for a break, but not today. I needed to clear my head of the morning's frustration and decided that a (seemingly) short walk to Piccadilly Circus might be fun.

Eventually the pain in my feet subsided and I was able to walk without a limp--pathetic I know.

As I walked, it was impossible for me not to notice the multitude of CCTV cameras that were stuck to every upright structure imaginable. Light posts, buildings, fences, even trees weren't safe from Big Brother's all seeing eyes. 

I decided to find some stats on just how intense the surveillance is in this city:

"According to the latest studies, Britain has a staggering 4.2million CCTV cameras - one for every 14 people in the country - and 20 per cent of cameras globally. It has been calculated that each person is caught on camera an average of 300 times daily."

Take the cameras and cops, mix in a few crazy drivers, cook with some left side of the street driving and you get a recipe for paranoia that was firmly set in me by the time I reached Piccadilly.

I was in a strange mood today, I just wasn't in the right mind to go out and shoot. There was too much floating around in my mind, unsettled, unfocused. I continued on with my walk, hoping these feelings would eventually subside. 

Piccadilly Circus and all streets leading into and out of it are well, insane. Like a mini Times Square, it teemed with tourists from around the globe posing in front of the historic landmarks. This was the last place I wanted to be. I snuck into a Tesco to grab some snickers bars to snack on before heading home.

Overall it was a less than satisfying afternoon of shooting, hopefully to be made up for tomorrow. I think I'm done seeing sights, I need to get away from the crowds and the cameras for awhile...