Category Archives: Landmark

London Photowalk with Trey Ratcliff

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I’ve been a fan of Trey Ratcliff‘s work for a few years now, and for those of you not familiar with him, Trey is one of one the leading photographers in HDR photography and has a portfolio on his Stuck in Customs blog which contains some amazing images from around the world. His photographs are definitely an inspiration to me and I’m sure to many people out there.

When I heard that Trey was back in London and planning a photowalk (on Valentines Day) I was really excited and couldn’t think of a better way to spend the day. So, yesterday me and about a hundred other photographers converged outside the National Gallery to meet him and follow him around London, hoping to pick up tips from Trey and each other.

It was a typical British, February day, with grey clouds and low temperatures, with the ever present threat of rain, but everyone was in a great mood so it didn’t dampen any spirits.

The route was planned to take us from South Bank to Westminster and Parliament, around Whitehall then back across the Thames to the London Eye.
The theme and competition for the photowalk was to take an interesting picture of fellow photographers!

As we snaked around London (attracting quite a lot of attention and causing many people to stop and ask what was going on), Trey stopped at various points to show and explain his set ups, frames and what he was looking to convey with each image. One of the nicest things about the walk was just how friendly and warm Trey was, welcoming anyone to come and talk to him and ask him any questions.

Below are some of the photos I managed to take throughout the walk and although I doubt I’ll be winning any prizes, it was really great to meet Trey and I had a really fun experience. I can only hope to improve over time and capture great images like Trey one day.

Here are some fellow photographers

And these are some of my favourite photos from the walk, from late afternoon to early evening, giving us a change in how much natural light was available, and with the cloudy weather we had some amazing skies as a backdrop as the night drew in.

I look forward to seeing Trey’s post of the walk and of the fellow photographers, aka ‘Team Awesome’ (Trey’s name for the group not mine)

Big Ben

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Big Ben

Big Ben is one of the landmarks of London that I haven’t really been able to see close up. I’ve seen it many times from across the River Thames or far off in the distance and I thought it was about time that I got up close to have a proper look.

The tower which holds the clock face is really beautiful, with gold and black engravings, and lots of intricate details carved into the sides. There’s Latin engravings, crowns and shields, all created with steady hands to create a stunning building which is part of the London’s historical landscape. It’s definitely a building that I can imagine visiting again and again.

Boats and ropes

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In my travels around London recently I happened across St Katharine Docks. It seemed hidden away in the centre of London near Tower Bridge and the River Thames. This is one of the things I love about London, there’s so much history and interesting things to discover when you least expect it.
St Katherine Docks was built around the 18th century and although it has been around for almost 200 years it has been well kept with some modern embellishments

The colourful tiles just outside the entrance to the docks display facts of London and of the kings and queens of old. The inside of the entrance has larges panels of colourful tiles depicting different prints and scenes.

The boats that were tied to the docks were quite beautiful; with painted names and adornments added to the exterior, adding colour and personality.

I think what I liked the most though, were the details of the old, used ropes and chains, with lots of textures and colours, and with each one having their own story to tell

I enjoyed seeing something unexpected in the middle of London and I look forward to discovering more hidden gems

Goodbye 2014, Hello 2015

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Well, we’ve reached the end of 2014, and it’s been an interesting one for me, in terms of family related events and photo opportunities, both of which I hope have allowed me to grow in my skills and as a person. I would like to share below my favourite photos from this year, and to also wish you all a happy New Year wherever you are and whatever you decide to do to welcome in 2015. I hope its a happy, healthy adventurous 2015 for all of us

Floating leaf

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floating leaf

I thought this was a nice photo opportunity; to capture a lone floating leaf in clear blue water which fills the fountains in Trafalger Square, London. I really like how the light dances on the surface of the water, creating a sense of movement with the worn tiles on the bottom adding texture and detail.

Buses and bears

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During my visit to London recently I came across these interesting, small(ish) buses that have been painted in different styles by artists. These and many other painted buses can be found scattered across London to encourage walking around the city.

bus

bus

I really like the waterpainted bus with the hazy outlines of famous London landmarks in bright colours. The second one in the style of pop art I also quite like, depicting the Queen’s guards, in a simple but effective way.

I’d also heard about the ‘Paddington trail’ in London so on my travels I kept an eye out for bears too, and to my excitement I found one!

paddington bear

These statues of Paddington bear, like the buses have been scattered around London, each one painted by a celebrity in a different way. The idea behind this one seems to be to celebrate the new Paddington film just out but also raise money for charity when they will be sold early next year. In addition to the statues the London high street seems to be Paddington crazy at the minute with all things Peruvian bear being displayed in windows and posters.

psddington bear

In the past I have encountered painted bright giant eggs, colourful elephants and artsy phone boxes, all of which I am always pleased to find and to me they make a nice addition to the London streets, especially as its always for a good cause. I look forward to seeing what they decide to paint next.

Poppy Day

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Poppy day or Remembrance Day as it is officially known, is marked in the UK to remember the armed forces that died in the line of duty. To mark one hundred years since the first full day of Britain’s involvement in the First World War the Tower of London has installed an art installation called Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red, which is made up of 888,246 ceramic poppies encircling the Tower, each poppy representing a British military fatality during the war. The poppes have been added to the moat of the castle from August with more being added everyday.

As Remembrance Day was drawing near (11th Novemeber, after which the poppies would be removed and sold) I decided to go take a look. I got to the Tower early in the morning and it was already really busy with lots of people. Luckily I was able to get a view from the angles I wanted and I got some pretty good pictures, I would have loved to be able to go down to ground level and see them but that was out of bounds to the public.

Tower london poppies

The poppies together really do look like a sea of red, even more so by the poppies being placed at different heights to create waves and the idea of movement

The poppies filling the moat, surrounded the entire Tower. I found that around the back of the Tower it wasn’t as busy and also the walkways were closer to the ground and allowed to people to get a closer look

poppies

Later volunteers and members of the navy arrived to help to install some more poppies. From 12th November more volunteers will come along to help take out and clean the poppies so they can be sent to members of the public that have bought them

I think the simple idea of using poppies was very striking when all put together, it really brought home just how so many British people had died in the war. It also made me think about all those that had died around the world in the past due to wars and are still continuing to do so.

There were also other installations around London to mark remembrance day, some traditional and long lasting and others temporary and modern. The poppy wreaths are usually found around November, the engraved words I found really sad, which can be seen all year round and speaks about all those that were lost at sea. The most modern installation I came across was in Trafalger Square called ‘Every Man Remembered’, which is based on the Unknown Soldier and has poppies that blow around inside the glass

All of these are really interesting and make you think about how many lives were lost in the wars, what I think is really sad though is how little we seem to learn from history

Egyptian carvings

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I came across these carvings in Harrods recently, in an area called the Egyptian escalator (which did include an actual escalator too) and thought they looked really realistic. There were lots of Egyptian carvings, patterns and statues dotted around, all with lots of detail and intricate patterns.
I hope to go to Egypt one day and see the real tombs and pyramids which are seeped in history, but for now maybe I’ll visit the British Museum and see the Egyptian exhibitions there

Yellow fish

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Yellow fish
I took this photo when I went to London Sea Life recently. It’s so difficult trying to take a decent photo of any of the fish through a tank and all the water, but I think this one looks ok (out of the hundred or so that I took).
This is called a Yellow Tang and it wasn’t whizzing around quite so much compared to the other fish