Home Corpus Photographica 외국인 (Foreigner) Pibayitan (Birthplace) Journal Biography Buy Metal Prints

© Hansel Ong, 2025. All rights reserved.

Edinburgh and London

October 9, 2025

We planned visiting Europe as tourists for awhile now, untethered by any work obligations. So after doing our homework, our plans landed us in the United Kingdom, the birthplace of William Shakespeare, one of the greatest poets in human history, the burial place of T.S. Eliot, personally my favorite poet of all time, the birthplace of William Tyndale, whose translation of the Bible, the English Standard Version, nourishes my spiritual life, and finally, the origin of Peppa Pig, whose mysterious existence fills our living room from day to day.

Part I: Edinburgh, Scotland

Our visit to the UK began after we landed Heathrow airport and on-boarded the Caledonian Sleeper to Edinburgh, Scotland. As soon as we got off our station, we were mesmerized by the beauty of the architecture, enhanced by the cloudy weather and soft light. Edinburgh felt otherworldly, a scene out of a movie, but better. The weather cooperated as well, in fact, it was nothing short of perfect. But what’s really noteworthy was the way we were treated. Perhaps in my mind, I would imagine every worst possible circumstance that locals would do to tourists, and none of it happened. People for the most part were courteous and helpful, and for that, I am very grateful.

Street Photography, Nikon Z, 28mm, 50mm 1.8S, London, Edinburgh, Hansel, Ong, Photography, Black and White, Color Street Photography, Nikon Z, 28mm, 50mm 1.8S, London, Edinburgh, Hansel, Ong, Photography, Black and White, Color Street Photography, Nikon Z, 28mm, 50mm 1.8S, London, Edinburgh, Hansel, Ong, Photography, Black and White, Color Street Photography, Nikon Z, 28mm, 50mm 1.8S, London, Edinburgh, Hansel, Ong, Photography, Black and White, Color Street Photography, Nikon Z, 28mm, 50mm 1.8S, London, Edinburgh, Hansel, Ong, Photography, Black and White, Color Street Photography, Nikon Z, 28mm, 50mm 1.8S, London, Edinburgh, Hansel, Ong, Photography, Black and White, Color Street Photography, Nikon Z, 28mm, 50mm 1.8S, London, Edinburgh, Hansel, Ong, Photography, Black and White, Color Street Photography, Nikon Z, 28mm, 50mm 1.8S, London, Edinburgh, Hansel, Ong, Photography, Black and White, Color Street Photography, Nikon Z, 28mm, 50mm 1.8S, London, Edinburgh, Hansel, Ong, Photography, Black and White, Color Street Photography, Nikon Z, 28mm, 50mm 1.8S, London, Edinburgh, Hansel, Ong, Photography, Black and White, Color Street Photography, Nikon Z, 28mm, 50mm 1.8S, London, Edinburgh, Hansel, Ong, Photography, Black and White, Color Street Photography, Nikon Z, 28mm, 50mm 1.8S, London, Edinburgh, Hansel, Ong, Photography, Black and White, Color Street Photography, Nikon Z, 28mm, 50mm 1.8S, London, Edinburgh, Hansel, Ong, Photography, Black and White, Color Street Photography, Nikon Z, 28mm, 50mm 1.8S, London, Edinburgh, Hansel, Ong, Photography, Black and White, Color Street Photography, Nikon Z, 28mm, 50mm 1.8S, London, Edinburgh, Hansel, Ong, Photography, Black and White, Color Street Photography, Nikon Z, 28mm, 50mm 1.8S, London, Edinburgh, Hansel, Ong, Photography, Black and White, Color Street Photography, Nikon Z, 28mm, 50mm 1.8S, London, Edinburgh, Hansel, Ong, Photography, Black and White, Color Street Photography, Nikon Z, 28mm, 50mm 1.8S, London, Edinburgh, Hansel, Ong, Photography, Black and White, Color Street Photography, Nikon Z, 28mm, 50mm 1.8S, London, Edinburgh, Hansel, Ong, Photography, Black and White, Color Street Photography, Nikon Z, 28mm, 50mm 1.8S, London, Edinburgh, Hansel, Ong, Photography, Black and White, Color Street Photography, Nikon Z, 28mm, 50mm 1.8S, London, Edinburgh, Hansel, Ong, Photography, Black and White, Color

Part II: London, England

After our time in Edinburgh, we hopped back to the Caledonian Sleeper to enjoy the rest of our holiday in London. Unsurprisingly, we did not get to see or do everything this 1,978 years old city has to offer. There is simply too much stops for my little loved ones to handle. But with the few days we had, we stopped by the Natural History Museum, the National Gallery, Trafalgar, Buckingham, Westminster Abbey, and sightseeing along the London Eye and Parliament area. Yes, all of this is possible, if you are willing to put in some leg work and skip the transport. Surprisingly, it is faster getting to your location on foot than on bus, train, or cab. But there is one good reason to ride the bus, but only one bus in particular: the Peppa Pig bus tour, which was really the highlight of our trip. If you have any opportunity at all as a parent to do this tour, I say do it. The children might fall asleep for half of it, but you will certainly enjoy it as only a parent would. 

Before I fail to mention it, nothing negative I imagined happened to us, by the grace of God. The Londoners were courteous, polite.  But as my taxicab driver in Edinburgh said, Londoners are nice, they just don’t have time for you. I did not take the fast-paced lifestyle of the locals insulting. In fact, I kind of admired it.

Street Photography, Nikon Z, 28mm, 50mm 1.8S, London, Edinburgh, Hansel, Ong, Photography, Black and White, Color Street Photography, Nikon Z, 28mm, 50mm 1.8S, London, Edinburgh, Hansel, Ong, Photography, Black and White, Color Street Photography, Nikon Z, 28mm, 50mm 1.8S, London, Edinburgh, Hansel, Ong, Photography, Black and White, Color Street Photography, Nikon Z, 28mm, 50mm 1.8S, London, Edinburgh, Hansel, Ong, Photography, Black and White, Color Street Photography, Nikon Z, 28mm, 50mm 1.8S, London, Edinburgh, Hansel, Ong, Photography, Black and White, Color Street Photography, Nikon Z, 28mm, 50mm 1.8S, London, Edinburgh, Hansel, Ong, Photography, Black and White, Color Street Photography, Nikon Z, 28mm, 50mm 1.8S, London, Edinburgh, Hansel, Ong, Photography, Black and White, Color Street Photography, Nikon Z, 28mm, 50mm 1.8S, London, Edinburgh, Hansel, Ong, Photography, Black and White, Color Street Photography, Nikon Z, 28mm, 50mm 1.8S, London, Edinburgh, Hansel, Ong, Photography, Black and White, Color Street Photography, Nikon Z, 28mm, 50mm 1.8S, London, Edinburgh, Hansel, Ong, Photography, Black and White, Color Street Photography, Nikon Z, 28mm, 50mm 1.8S, London, Edinburgh, Hansel, Ong, Photography, Black and White, Color Street Photography, Nikon Z, 28mm, 50mm 1.8S, London, Edinburgh, Hansel, Ong, Photography, Black and White, Color Street Photography, Nikon Z, 28mm, 50mm 1.8S, London, Edinburgh, Hansel, Ong, Photography, Black and White, Color Street Photography, Nikon Z, 28mm, 50mm 1.8S, London, Edinburgh, Hansel, Ong, Photography, Black and White, Color Street Photography, Nikon Z, 28mm, 50mm 1.8S, London, Edinburgh, Hansel, Ong, Photography, Black and White, Color Street Photography, Nikon Z, 28mm, 50mm 1.8S, London, Edinburgh, Hansel, Ong, Photography, Black and White, Color Street Photography, Nikon Z, 28mm, 50mm 1.8S, London, Edinburgh, Hansel, Ong, Photography, Black and White, Color Street Photography, Nikon Z, 28mm, 50mm 1.8S, London, Edinburgh, Hansel, Ong, Photography, Black and White, Color Street Photography, Nikon Z, 28mm, 50mm 1.8S, London, Edinburgh, Hansel, Ong, Photography, Black and White, Color

Photography Nerd Notes

For a couple of weeks, I broke off from the practice of film photography and switched to digital during my short visit in the UK. This was an easy decision to make. I cannot be bothered to think too much about limitations and technical processes while I savor my holiday with the people who mattered most. Besides, I am happy to shoot digital when the occasion is right: I learned photography using digital SLRs, most of my client work is digital, and I still admire the intense (although unorganic) clarity I produce using this format.

For this event, I struggled to pick which lens I would bring. Obviously, I wanted a lens that is wide enough to capture any scene in front of me. But I also wanted something tight, with a wide aperture to capture beautiful portraits of my wife and children. Next, I wanted something small enough that will not be in the way of our day-to-day itinerary. Perhaps a 15-58mm f/1.8 that is no more than 2 inches tall would be perfect, but alas, one cannot have it all. This imaginary lens does not even exist yet, so begs the question–what is the point of mirrorless cameras if lenses end up being humongous? This ordeal was closed after I decided to bring my Nikon 28mm 2.8 and 50mm 1.8s for my Nikon Z6 II. I have to make some compromises, but in the end I could not be any happier.

The 28mm is a surprisingly amazing lens, granted I did not abuse the 2.8 aperture and kept my expectations realistic. I shot mostly at f/11, with some at f/8 or very rarely f/16. For a sub-$200 lens (I got mine from Nikon USA refurbished at $170), this tiny thing packs a might punch. See below:

As for the 50mm 1.8s, I couldn’t be any more surprised. Everybody and their mamas already knew this was an extremely good lens, the best of its class:

Mind Your Head

As I write this blog, I am reminded how much of a lousy blogger I am. Partly because I want to write something reflective, all the while maintaining my authenticity and honesty. For this blog, I focused mainly on my experience visiting these two lovely cities, skipping the reflective part. Maybe I am still overwhelmed by the whole experience and opportunity to do this. Maybe there’s just too much to reflect on: my favorite poets are English, and so a lot of protestant reformers. English is the language I am using to write this blog, although I speak two other languages. Maybe it’s the beauty of the centuries-old churches, and how it creates a certain reverence in me. Maybe it’s the people, maybe it’s Peppa Pig. Maybe this, maybe that…  I may update this blog in the future, but for now, I am grateful to God that we were able to do this holiday and come home safe. Soli Deo Gloria. 

Using Format