Today I spent the afternoon chopping/editing some footage I collected on my GoPro on Saturday. It was a video of my walk to the shops that I posted about here. Usually this isn’t the most exciting thing to capture on film, but during a pandemic this might be footage I show to my grandkids in decades to come. I was going for groceries and made a couple of stops, so it was allowed.
I have marked Old Street on the map below, so you can get an idea of where I am in London. Very central on the border of the boroughs of Hackney and Islington. From my starting point I face south and head down beneath the roundabout, then turning west and coming back up onto Old Street Road. The whole walk pretty much takes place in the little highlighted circle below.
At the start of the video I walk through Old Street Underground station, it is almost empty. Over 20 million people head through the ticket barriers annually, however in the video it looks more like an abandoned station. An announcement can be heard advising those that aren’t key workers to stay at home, and all the businesses that trade down there are closed. A simple message of Stay Home, Don’t Travel, Save Lives. A huge contrast to how it looked when I took this shot earlier in the year.
I head a little further, you will notice I say a few words to those I engage with on the walk. Yes, I do speak sometimes!! For anyone curious as to what I sound like, here it is. I speak to two homeless people, a couple of shoppers and the shop assistants. One day I may do a video where I speak to viewers directly, however I am still way too shy for that. And also this video was made purely to document what London is currently like during this lockdown.
I hope you like the footage, it was filmed on a GoPro Hero 7 Silver in 4K. I am so new to uploading videos (this is only my second upload on my YouTube channel) I have no idea how to upload with the best quality. The same during editing. So this is practice more than anything… it isn’t as crisp right now, but maybe it is still processing. We shall see.
I thought this would be my blog post for today, a little insight as to where I live and what London life is currently like.
I hope you enjoy!
Due to the Coronavirus outbreak I am somewhat limited as to what I can do in London, but I aim to post as much as I can during this time. I promise to have some great posts coming your way once this is all over as I continue to explore London.
Stay home, stay safe and happy blogging!
Sam
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It’s all so surreal seeing London so quiet and un-peopley. Thank you for sharing.
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Love the term ‘un-peopley’!! The station felt so strange without people. Thanks for watching, I appreciate it Marla 🙂
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It’s eerily quiet compared to how I would assume it normally would be. I thought the video was done well everything is clear to me. Lol at shy, I can relate to that as well I don’t even like to take pics. 😁
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I still feel strange uploading selfies haha, glad you can relate! Thank you for the kind feedback, I tried to walk as slowly as possible to give a clear view. It was certainly quieter than usual.
Thanks again!
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Funnily enough my GoPro should arrive in the next few days so I can record my cycle rides around the lovely quiet Edinburgh
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Fantastic!! That will be great as GoPro’s are perfect for this as I am sure you know. Edinburgh is beautiful, if any city deserved to be filmed it is this one 🙂
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Surreal to see London this way. Thank you for sharing.
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It is isn’t it, especially the station for me. So different to the normal rush. Thank you so much for watching 🙂
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I’ve also been thinking about how to explain lockdown to people who didn’t experience it. Not sure there are words, but images paint the picture perfectly!
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There is some great footage online from drones etc, maybe this is the best way to describe it… through videos 🙂
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Whoever thought we’d see so little activity in a large city? And by the way……I’d like 3 of those Fixodents near your mouthwash please.
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Yeah it is quiet Pat… and you should have said before I went! Next time :p
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Hahahaha….will do!
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It’s funny how someone can share so much of themselves in writing but still be camera/video shy. If you ever decide to go for it, maybe I will too (probably not) 🙂
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I guess I don’t have to be in front of a camera when I write, maybe that’s why! I do love sharing my stories and experiences and trying to be better at showing my face.
You should go for it regardless! 😀
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Going on camera is definitely daunting, but if I have an opportunity to share a video at some point, I’ll try to be brave 🙂
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