This covers a three-week period, and I didn't attend any events until New Year’s Eve. Before Christmas, I had to cancel six events because I got the flu that was circulating.
My first visit was to the Omnibus Theatre, where I attended an incredible rehearsal of Mountains and Seas with lots of LED lights, music, and spoken word. It's definitely worth seeing if they tour around the country.
Next, I attended the Christmas tree switch-on in Trafalgar Square. I forgot to request a press pass, but still managed to get close to the front. I believe it was better than staying in the press area because it wasn’t high enough to see over the crowds. Luckily, the event avoided the rain. This autumn has been quite rainy, so I haven’t had many opportunities for outdoor shooting.
After that, there was a Christmas Model Shoot in Mayfair with my London Photography Group, and I will be adding more events in March when it gets a bit warmer and there are more light evenings. The final two events for this period were the amazing Santacon and a December nature walk in the woods. You can read more about them below; the numbers in brackets are the number of photos I took.
Mountains and Seas – Song of Today 山海 · 今日之歌, is inspired by the rich narrative of the 4th-century BCE text The Classic of Mountains and Seas and its fantastical compilation of myths, beasts, heroes, folklore and landscapes. Using this connection between myth, nature and scientific thought as its inspiration, the show explores 21st-century issues of climate crisis, activism and rising global fascism, on at the Omnibus Theatre in Clapham from 2nd to 6th December 2026.
This year marks the 78th anniversary of Oslo’s gift of a Christmas tree to London, a gesture of thanks for Britain’s support for Norway during WWII. Crowds gathered to see the switch-on, with Westminster's Lord Mayor, Councillor Paul Dimoldenberg, Oslo's Mayor, Anne Lindboe, and London's Mayor, Sir Sadiq Khan, in attendance.
Although it rained last evening, we mostly avoided the heaviest downpour. Valentina performed wonderfully despite the chilly weather. Our route took in the Ritz, Royal Arcade, New Bond Street, and St James Street near Regent Street. We took multiple photos alongside a few other photographers. The model changed outfits twice during the shoot, which is one of my regular monthly photo shoots.
More Photos - Flickr
On Saturday, 6 December, hundreds of Santas roamed across London, spreading cheer and ho ho ho from Camden to Trafalgar Square. Known as Santacon, the event takes place annually before Christmas and is London’s biggest gathering of Lapland gift-bringers.
Technically a Santa pub crawl, we started at Camden Lock and went along the Regent's Canal to various pubs. Lots of people turned up, and it was fun to capture people's reactions to a load of Santas going through the streets, bringing plenty of cheer. I spent eight hours with them and ended up in Trafalgar Square. You can find plenty of pictures on the links below.
My monthly nature walk in Cassiobury Park during deep winter has been affected this year by unusually wet conditions, with no snow. By early December, we experienced a few frosts, but they arrived close to Christmas. Thanks to everyone who came on the walk.
More Photos - Flickr
That’s it for this week. I have nearly caught up with this weekly journal. The Substack membership is now open and includes a calendar of 2026 events; more guides will be added each month. These resources, coming soon, include a standard model release form for you to copy, a guide to my process for exporting and editing photos for News Agencies, and more. You can see a list of upcoming articles here.
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