A little bit of colour in your life…
It’s no secret that I adore black and white photography. It can give a timeless otherworldly quality to a shot that I adore. That said, there is nothing wrong with a bit of colour in your life. I came across this stall at Portobello Road Market in London and while it might not exactly be the red, white and blue of the Union Jack, it certainly made me think of it.
What the ghost was watching…
Remember the portrait I did of myself as a ghost here? Well I thought you might be interested in what the ‘ghost’ was watching.
Yeah I know it’s a tourist shot – but I like it…
The London Eye a night with the London Aquarium.
On a recent photowalk round London at night it was hard to stop me being attracted to pretty lights. So as we walked along the Thames this was an obvious shot for me. Yes, yes, yes I know it’s a very tourist scene and it’s been photographed a million times – but I like it….
Unfortunately I didn’t actually enjoy taking this shot. Why? Well I was bouncing up and down in need of the loo. However, it was about half one in the morning and there wasn’t one nearby. Gentlemen you have no idea how lucky you are in regards to plumbing late at night. So it was a quick bounce bounce, click, bounce bounce (while the exposure ran on the tripod, bounce, bounce), head for a loo….. So I’m rather pleased with the result all things considered.
Troll hunt by the Thames
Usually when you walk along by the Thames all the little gates leading down to the water are closed. Locked even. So when we discovered one that was actually open, well we just had to go on a troll hunt under Westminster Bridge. I mean how could we not – the trolls might have left it open just for us! Ok that’s a creepy though but you get what I mean……
The Thames is tidal at this point and was very low. So it took quite a bit of care to get down the seriously slippery steps. There was much squishing about and trying not to think of what we might be treading in. Down by the water we set up our tripods as close to the edge as we dared since no one fancied a soggy camera. This was the view under the bridge facing east, I’ve looked carefully but I can’t see any trolls. Maybe the security services have chased them all away…
Eerie…
This is St Pauls Cathedral in London. The view from the front is well known around the world and it’s one of London’s most famous landmarks with many books written about it’s history. I love the architecture of old Cathedrals but St Pauls doesn’t really fit into the Norman or Gothic styles you normally find around England being much younger. However I still wanted to visit to photograph it. Unfortunately I was politely informed that photography was no longer allowed inside. Perhaps if I’d been trying to sneak a mobile phone or a compact in I’d have stood a chance but no way with a tripod! There were no limitations on the outside though and while the most recognisable shots are from the front I knew there were other viewpoints. I had to wait quite a while to get a shot without loads of tourists in but I think it was worth the wait. Eerie for me is practically always black and white and that was the feel I was going for in this shot. I even used an unsuspecting tourist to create a ghost – can you spot her?
I’d been itching to visit for a ground shot ever since I photographed the landmark from almost 400ft up giving rise to the image below. I shall have to plan and plot my next foray now hehe…
Both of these shots are available to buy as prints. Just click on the image…
Blast Beach
This is Blast Beach just south of Seaham Harbour in County Durham, named for the blast furnaces which used to be here in the 19th century. Later it was used as a dumping ground for waste from the nearby collieries but mother nature and a clean up project are returning some of the lost beauty. The cliffs are magnesium limestone and ironically the spoil from the pits which caused such problems for the local marine life has helped to preserve the land from erosion. More recently it was used as one of the locations for the film Alien 3 as the surface of the planet.
I visited in the late afternoon after spending some time down in the harbour. The wind was somewhat stronger than I would’ve liked when perched up on the edge of a cliff, but it did help give these great waves. The picture perfect clouds up in a beautiful blue sky were zipping along as the wind howled and threatened to blow my tripod over the edge. So once I had this shot I decided to beat a hasty retreat, figuring I’d tempted fate enough for one day.
Ready for the Storm
Earlier this week the north of England and Scotland was hit by a sting in the tail from the departing winter. Snow, hail, high winds, the whole lot battered the country. Being right on the coast we usually escape the worst of the weather snow wise although I did have to fight my way through a blizzard into the shops. One thing that high winds, from the right direction, can do it whip up the sea. So when I was able to get a couple of hours to myself I headed down to Seaham Harbour.
For obvious reasons I wasn’t allowed out onto the pier, but to be honest even I’m not that daft just to get a photo. I was able to get down onto the sand between the inner and outer harbour walls which is where this shot was taken. The workers from the marina currently being built did point out that they wouldn’t be coming to my rescue if I got into trouble. I don’t really blame them as the wind was howling and truly bitter, for the first time ever I was genuinely worried that my tripod might get blown away. Sea Spray was everywhere and I spent as much time trying to clean my lenses as actually taking shots. I don’t know what it is about harbours, piers and lighthouses, but I can’t get enough of photographing them.