The World Naked Bike Ride is in several ways an interesting event, and certainly causes quite a stir as it goes through London, Passing as it does through major tourist traps including Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square, Parliament Square and Oxford St, guarantees it a huge audience, and almost all of those seem to be holding cameras and camera phones.
Most of those taking part also seem to be taking photos – often even when cycling around, which can be rather tricky, but certainly at the numerous pauses on the 10km route. There’s even a Flickr pool for images, with around 700 online when I looked, mainly taken by riders.
The World Naked Bike Ride is a high profile public event in a very public place – and nobody can have any expectation of privacy. Everyone taking part knows they will be photographed and most seem pretty happy about it. Many smiled and waved as I took their pictures (including some who know me, but many more who don’t) and a few quite clearly tried to attract my attention.
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Perhaps the most surprising aspect of the whole ride was the notice that one cyclist chose to carry on his bicycle:
It reads:’This photo was taken without permission.’ Well of course, as no permission was needed – either to take it or to publish it as news, nor was it feasible to ask for permission at the time. And so far as the law is concerned, as I mentioned recently, wityh regard to the European Convention on Human Rights, “It is no surprise that the mere taking of someones photograph in a public street has been consistently held to be no interference with privacy.”
What is even more ridiculous is that the gentleman in the picture – actually a crop of around 1/8 of the full image – is actually apparently taking pictures himself, in circumstances where it would clearly be impossible for him to have the permission of all those who are in his pictures.
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It’s perhaps a pity the the WNBR seems overall a little confused as to what it is about, and certainly those watching find it hard to understand. I’ve written in earlier years that it it would be better to have more clarity, and in particular to make it much more clearly an environmental rather than a naturist event. It would be good to see everyone taking part carrying a relevant message on their bike or person.
And yet again I have to ask why can’t Nikon make a decent lens hood, with a bayonet fitting that isn’t easily knocked out of place? I didn’t take many pictures before I noticed, but one is too many. I’ve just bought another Sigma lens, the new 24-70 mm f2.8, for use with the full-frame D700, and the lens hood – like that on other Sigma lenses – is so much firmer and more firmly fixed. Most days when I’m out using the Nikon 18-200 I’ll have to pick it up at least once from the ground after it’s been knocked off the lens.
More on the new Sigma 24-70 mm f2.8, when I’ve used it in anger a few times. But it certainly impresses in feeling solid and well built. As you might expect it isn’t a light lens, but shorter and lighter than the major competition (not that I could use the Canon in any case.)
Canon 83.2mm x 123.5mm, 950g
Nikon 83 x 133 mm, 900g
Sigma 88.6mm X 94.7mm, 790g
Most modern lenses can of course perform at the highest level, giving results that will satisfy practical photographic needs. Mostly any differences only become noticeable when photographing test charts!
More pictures from the World Naked Bike Ride in London on My London Diary, where there is the obvious warning – don’t click on the link if pictures of naked men and women might offend you.
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