#shootGR_London

The GR Cities project is to build a community of photographers using the RICOH GR. The concept is quite simple – when uploading image, just add the relevant hashtag for example #shootGR_London, #shootGR_Paris, #shootGR_Belin – and creating new ones if they’ve not been added yet. This gives an indication of the community in that city, and when the number of hashtags exceeds 1000, we can start to think about organising an event there. 
 
So far we’ve held events in Paris, Berlin and Madrid and if you didn’t get a chance to make it on the day, you can check out the videos on our YouTube channel.  

With #shootGR_London being the most used hashtag on Instagram, finally it was time to organise an event with GR community in London. At the end of October, over 50 GR photographers met to exchange ideas and share their experience with photography and on arrival, already had a lot to talk about over a coffee and a light bite.  

 
The first item on the agenda were two very interesting talks by special guests Samuel Hopf and Sean Tucker. Both GR photographers, they took the audience on their very personal and individual journeys, during which the GR took on the important role of documenting different aspects of their lives. 
 

During lunch, it became clear this topic struck a chord with the photographers who each had their own personal story with their camera. It gave us an insight into an entire range of photography genres that the GR was being used for - from underground music clubs to red carpet events.  

 
Whilst we could have talked about these experiences all day, next on the agenda was the photowalk. Everyone split into three groups, all following their own route through Shoreditch – arguably the capital of street art in the UK. And since many photographers were local to the area, the location around Brick Lane and Old Spitalfields Market was perfect for capturing some interesting scenes.  
Time flew by and after returning to the venue the in-depth conversations continued at the venue, with some continuing long into the night.  

From Ricoh’s point of view, this meetup with the London community was a complete success, as many photographers met to exchange experiences, philosophise about photography and take pictures together. 
We were pleased with the enthusiasm and interest, which motivate us to continue to organise these kind of events in the future. It’s clear that many photographers like to meet to exchange ideas and explore different areas together – and will hopefully meet up again in the future.  So if you want to organise your own meetup with other GR photographer in your city, let us know and we will be happy to publish it and hopefully motivate other photographers in your area to join.  

If you didn’t get a chance to attend on the day you can check out the video here on RICOH GR Photography YouTube channel