London is an ideal place for urban photography as it offers so many different places that offer variety. There are several large-scale cityscape vistas which sit with the smaller scale scenes taking in street art and street photography. The start of my recent photo walk with colleague Peter Thompson was the Angel, Islington and from here we accessed the Regent’s canal. A link to this part of my photo walk is below. Leaving the canal we moved around Shoreditch taking in some of the street art and catching people interacting with their urban surroundings. Architecture was another focus of my lens. Finally we finished off at Horizon22 which is also covered in a separate blog entry. So sit back and be prepared for a roller coaster of pictures from my walk in Shoreditch. (All pictures taken on my Fujifilm x100v)
Two is company, three is a crowd. (Street scene in Islington)Street Market, Islington.Love those old Toby jugs.Telephone boxesBroken telephone boxesInside a telephone box.Street art with human interaction.Transport catches up.Taking time out.Scary.Conversation at the traffic lights.Bull in a China shop.I do like this one!Powerful street art.Incredible architecture.Little Red Riding Hood.Light and shadows by Liverpool Street station.A lone figure in Liverpool Street station.BishopsgateMore views of Bishopsgate.Decisions, decisions.Reflections and a selfie.Happy hour.Icing sugar window.Cash only.Street art.Street car.Elephants.Where does it all go?Not happy.Black and White Cityscape.Colourful buildings.Colourful railings.Watching.Sunglasses in Brick lane.Picture perfect.Pictures on a wall.
You made it to here and your reward are links to my other recent London Times postings.
I have been up the Shard and visited the Monument. Both buildings have their charm and give unparalleled views of the London skyline. I have seen Westminster and beyond from the London Eye where your excitement builds as the wheel slowly turns. Eeventually when you reach the pinnacle of the journey, you have a super view of the Houses of Parliament and the Southbank where cars and trains move around like they are part of a model village. There are many others that I have been fortunate to visit over the years and all provide an assortment of bird eye views of London. Do I need to visit another high-rise viewing platform?
It is a long way down.Diagonal lines created by the sun streaming into the viewing area.Walking away from the view.
My recent visit to London was to undertake a planned photowalk organised by my photo-colleague Peter Thompson, that would take in the Regent’s canal and Shoreditch. We covered most of the itinerary during the day. We were nearing the finish and about to reward ourselves with a cup of tea before heading off for our trains home. We had walked the streets and towpaths of London and my feet were hurting. I was weary. Peter Thmpson suggested Horizon 42 as our final place to visit before that much needed cup of tea. I was not sure what to expect from another high rise viewing platform. Visiting the viewing platform is free but demand for tickets on the Internet is high. Arriving at the entrance door to the building, the sign display indicated that tickets were available. A quick visit of the Horizon42 web site on my iPhone followed by downloading of the tickets, and we were through security and taking the ear popping lift to the summit.
The view with the Shard and the walkie talkie building.The view westLooking east – Canary Wharf.
The Horizon22 viewing platform is simple but effectively designed. There are split level floors and there is little to no décor on the white painted walls. This maximises the light reflections and creates few distractions when taking and reviewing your picture taking. Looking down from the upper platform, I noticed how the sun streams into the area creating shadows. People are free to move around the spacious area and interact with the large windows that are present. The day I went the weather was clear and the London landmarks were easy to spot. The viewing platform looks out over Tower Bridge and the Shard. I was able to see Canary Wharf and other places quite clearly. I had my polarising lens cover on my Fujifilm x100v which minimised but did not completely eliminate the reflections in the glass from the strong sunlight. In spite of this my pictures turned out well and I appreciated the view in between using my camera.
Looking East – Tower Bridge.
I enjoyed my visit to Horizon22, the experience was good and I found the attendants to be pleasant and helpful. I was not allowed to take my mini tripod up to the top but the security ensured that it was carefully looked after and I picked it up on my exit.
There is a photography bonus in the plaza as you exit the building. You are able to look up to the top of the building which makes for a good picture composition.
Looking up at Horizon22Talking skyscrapersTaking time out for a phone call.
Would I recommend going up Horizon22? Definitely! The skyscraper is probably a better experience than the Shard which requires the purchase of tickets. In comparison Horizon22 is completely free and a link to the website is below.
Emerging from a tunnel under Islington, the Regent’s canal begins its journey through Shoreditch. The canal is wide with a spacious towpath. Many runners and pedestrians take advantage of the scenic waterway as it passes through the east of London. There are many narrowboats along the way each with their interesting names and individual colours.
Joining the Regent’s Canal from Colebrooke rowPedestrians on the towpathTravelling towards the tunnel under Islington
Several roads pass over the canal allowing views up and down the waterway. Iron arched bridges spanning the canal, rumble as commuter trains pass over them. Old industrial buildings sit on either side of the canal and many are converted to city living whilst others wait for progress to overtake them. There are cafes, pubs and restaurants with people sitting at outside tables taking advantage of the mild spring weather. Along the way there are small recesses around the bridges that have been made into communal gardens. I particularly liked the bird boxes put up on the canal bridge wall. For the photographer there are lines, reflections and opportunities for street photography. The buildings offer a range of architectural styles and the boats often spring surprises with the way that people have either painted them or the objects that they have collected on their travels.
On the look out.A building and a boat.Typical view of this section of the Regent’s Canal.Colourful Graffiti on the buildings.
Hope you find what you are looking for.Beware of the dog.Beware of the leg!Canal bridges provide reflections and shapes.The Bird boxes look very cosy.
Yellow was a theme of my walk. I just seemed to find lots of yellow objects as you will see. They were either single, in twos or multiple!
The yellow let’s you know where you are.Two yellows I hope you are counting how many yellows there are.I did well with this one getting three yellow’s into the picture ( or are there more?)
My walk started at the Colebrooke Row entrance in Islington and finished at Queensbrooke Road turning around to go back to the A10. There were so many pictures and here is a final finish to my pictures featuring one or two of the eating establishments on this stretch of the canal.
Table with a viewOld buildings, new beginnings.Food preparations.More bridge picture funBoats, boards, lines, geometric shapes and colours.
This is just one of many photographic walks that I have taken on the Regent’s canal in London. I have mapped different sections of the canal as it leaves Paddington basin on its long journey across north London to Lime House Basin. There are many parts still to discover whilst revisiting those that have already been photographed. I have added some further links below and I wish to thank Peter Thompson for showing me this part of the canal. Please visit Peter’s Website for some amazing travel photography.
Looking back on my photographic year, 2023 was an exciting one and there were several achievements including making the Landscape Photographer of the Year book. Two pictures were featured and these are described in my blog. Therefore I decide to choose four pictures that summed up my activity over the year. I love sunrises and sunsets in the golden hour. I have included a few of my favourite locations including Moor Street Station, Digbeth (including the Custard factory), Normandy Hill in Houlton near Rugby and the Lake District. My photographs have strong themes in the areas of Cityscapes and Street Photography. I do like a good reflection and trying to be different with my pictures. Let us take a look at my selection of photographs.
Sunrise at Birmingham Moor Street offers many street photography opportunities. Arriving early to take a picture of the sunrise, I looked around for a good view. The first London train was about to leave and another commuter train was just leaving. This scene made me think of the KLF song ‘Train to Trancentral’. The man pushing the button to release the doors, the sunrise and the golden train in the distance all came together at once. A very fortunate capture at Moor Street Train Station. (Taken with my iPhone 15)
All aboard, all aboard, whoa.
Normandy Hill is near Houlton in Rugby. The area of Hillmorton is nearby and the canal runs along the foot of the hill. The place used to have wireless masts for Rugby radio. The masts have been removed and the remnants of the bases are all that remain. When the conditions are right the hill has spectacular sunrises and sunsets. There are also views of the surrounding Warwickshire countryside. On a barmy night in July, I set up my travel tripod for my Fujifilm X100V. My camera settings were f/11, s 1/250 ISO 160. The sun was setting low and was just on the horizon. I pressed the button and realised that I had capture three people and their dog passing through the picture. The result was pleasing with the line up of the men and the sun outlining the shaggy coat of the dog. The rays of the sun were captured too. The atmosphere of the shot provides a permanent reminder of all the pictures that I have taken on Normandy Hill.
The last rays of summer sun on Normandy Hill.
Our family summer holiday was at Lowfield House in Little Langdale. Arguably, this spot is the heart of the Lake District and is the starting point for several walks. A place I wished to visit was Cathedral Cave, which is a short 45 minute walk from Lowfield House. Cathedral Cave is an impressive chamber. As a former slate quary, the cave is atmospheric with an open window in the wall allowing light into the cavern. There is a large slate cylinder that appears to be supporting the ceiling. There is a pool of water to the back of the cave which provided many reflections allowing one to appreciate the grand space of the cavern. Needless to say, I, like many photographers who visit this place, just wanted to take lots of pictures. The picture of Jim, my son-in-law, at the mouth of the cave proved to be a popular post on Instagram. Taken with the iPhone13.
Jim standing at the entrance to Cathedral Cave. The surface water provided suitable reflections.
I spent a delightful Sunday afternoon wandering around Digbeth, Birmingham and came across @mr_h0spitalflip and his friends on the side steps of the Custard Factory. They kindly let me sit in and take a few pictures whilst they were skateboarding on the steps. I knew this was the best picture as soon as I viewed the result on the back of the camera. I was not using a burst on the shutter. Just one picture and I caught the skateboarder in the light doing the “Custard flip”. Taken with the Fujifilm X100v, ƒ/5.6, s 1/500, ISO 640.
The Custard flip
I also found my Top nine from Instagram and these show my most popular posts by the number of likes. The two UKLPOTY pictures feature heavily. There is a picture of Sandy and me. I was also pleased to see the blossom in Oozells square and my trip to the States feature in the high scores. All good fun!
My Top 9 Instagram posts in 2023.
Links to my Top 4 photographs of 2023. I realise that I do not have a blog about Normandy Hill and I shall write one up in 2024. I have also included my Top 4 ion 2022 for comparison.
London Times is a short series of photographic blogs that record a recent visit to London. See more links at the end of the blog.
Someone left a chair outside the Cheapside Road entrance to St Paul’s Tube station. I had already had a bit of fun doing some pictures on the approach to the Tube station when I came across this discarded chair. I assume it had been left or transported from one of the nearby restaurants. The chair was ignored by all the commuters entering or leaving the underground station. I had a wonderful 10 minutes just taking pictures of people who studiously went out of their way to ignore the chair that was in their way.
A lone chair sits outside on the pavement.People know the chair is there but do their best to avoid it.It was great to see how people just did not react.No matter how busy the station became, the chair just sat out the rush.The chair does not seem to mind the fact that it is being ignored.One of my earlier pictures as I was walking towards the tube station.
So this ends my brief tour of “London Times”. If you missed any of the others then here is the full list.
I had a couple of days in London and this provided a wonderful opportunity to take pictures around the Capitol when there was downtime between meetings. I have created a series of blogs for you to enjoy which contain my photographic journey.
Looking towards the end of the canal and the heart of the area.
Before booking into the hotel, I went to Paddington station to see my highly commended picture of Floodgate Street in Digbeth. The picture was part of the travelling exhibition of selected pictures from the UK Landscape Photographer of the Year Competition. Paddington is adjacent to the canal basin and provides photographic opportunities of people, boats and buildings.
Boats moving on the Canal.
There were a few boats moving on the canal and people were leaving work. Several canal boats are now floating restaurants and as the sun was going down colourful neon lights were being turned on. The canal is familiar territory to me and I looked for new opportunities and the Paddington Central footbridge provided them. The bridge links with the Venice Walk via brightly lit tunnels. Always a good place for a camera.
Pedestrian Tunnel on Venice Walk.Another view of the Pedestrian Tunnel.Bridges – Paddington Central FootbridgeBridges – The Point Footbridge.Bridges – the Rolling Bridge.Bridges – under the A4206
I also ventured into Sheldon Square as the flash of colour caught my eye. The line of coloured panels provide a super background as people walk by, hurrying home after a long day’s work or taking time to reflect.
Reflecting after a long day at the office.
As dusk becomes firmly entrenched, the lights from the office buildings surrounding the canal provide numerous reflections on the water. The weather was cold but there was no wind and the water was very still. Many people are moving around, crossing bridges and their silhouettes contrast with the bright lights. The point bridge and rolling bridge are other places for good photographs. Soon it was time to move on as I had a dinner date to attend.
Skyscrapers around the basin.Close up of boats and offices.Christmas tree
You may be wondering about my visit to Paddington Station. I was delighted to find that I am in the travelling exhibition with my highly commended picture of Floodgate Street. Here I am besides my photograph.
Paddington Station with my picture from UKLPOTY
London Times is a short series of photographic blogs that record a recent visit to London. Please visit my other links
The window dressing at Selfridges is always amazing and in October the windows were designed around phrases and images. The phrases were very catchy and if you placed people in front of them then they made for some fun street photography. As I was taking photographs, people did not look at me but rather the windows that were the subject of my pictures. Therefore I was able to take some candid photographs of people as they walked past. Enjoy this selection of the windows of Selfridges in Oxford Street.
Smell the streetsSheer wonder – certainly this lad thinks so.Unidentified Fashion Object.Ride on to the sunset. This guy is thinking about it.Too many mobile phones.Watching the buses.
Queen Mary University of London is on the Mile End Road and adjacent to the Regent’s canal. Part of the campus borders the canal and there is easy access from the University entrance. I was at QMUL for a conference but took the opportunity to explore the tow path. My first tow path walk was in the early morning and took me down to Limehouse basin and onto the river Thames. My second walk was northwards up to Victoria Park and took place in the late afternoon. Both walks allowed me to photograph people, boats, wildlife and buildings along the way. This is my photographic account from those walks.
Underneath Mile End road running northwards.
From QMUL to Victoria Park.
There was a break between presentations and the evening dinner which gave me the opportunity of exploring the northern part of Regent’s Canal from the Mile End Road to Victoria Park. This was another busy stretch of the towpath and Mile End Park is also adjacent to the towpath. The first interesting feature was what is known as a portrait bench which features three well known figures. The statues are in cast metal that then rusts giving an authentic look to the artwork. There was a casting of Ledley King, a professional footballer who grew up in the area and spent his entire playing career at Tottenham Hotspur FC. Nearby is a statue to Sylvia Pankhurst, the suffragette campaigner who worked on improving living conditions for destitute mothers. Finally there was a canal horse commemorating the animals that towed boats along the towpath. The park was lit up in patches as the sun broke through gaps of the high living flats on the other side of the canal. There was more art work with the Bow Bottle and fish tail sculptures further along in the park. These random pieces of work are intriguing and add to the charm of the canal.
A working canal horse.Sylvia Pankhurst and Ledley King in the background.The Bow bottle
There was an interesting cut called the Hertford Union Canal. This short canal links up to the Lee Navigation in Tower Hamlets. The start of the canal looked attractive but my walk was to carry me past this canal to the nearby Old Ford Lock.
The canal on a late September afternoonThe Hertford Union Canal CutPeace at last on the canal.The Old Ford lockBoats and reflections.
The area has been renovated and with the low sunlight highlighted the beauty of the place. I then encountered Victoria Park where many people were enjoying the sunshine on this hot September Day. Although I only touched briefly on the park, I came across the bridge at Bonner gate. The bright blue painting of the iron work contrasted with the greens and darker colours of the canal which was in the shade. Other interesting features I saw were the Dogs of Alcibiades and have a fascinating history. The statues were donated by Lady Regnart in 1912. I got lost in the history of the dogs that were described on the accompanying board. Victoria Park looked inviting but time pressed on and there was a conference dinner to attend. The park was also full of police as they searched for an escaped prisoner and so I left the beauty and the noise retracing my steps to QMUL.
Lazy sunny afternoon in Victoria Park.Sun rays and railings.Bridge details near Bonner Gate.Canal in the shade.One of the Dogs of Alcibiades, Victoria Park.Enjoying the towpath.
To follow up this blog, please read my earlier accounts of my walks along the Regent’s Canal.
The great fire of London has captured my granddaughter Lily’s imagination. We have been discussing the fire as she was learning about the historical events in history. As I would have some free time in London, I decided that I must go and visit the Monument near to London Bridge. In all my time in London, the Monument is a place that I have never visited. The Monument commemorates the Great Fire of London in 1666. Having stayed overnight in London, I wanted to see the sunrise from the Tower of London. As I was in the area, my next stop was St Katherine’s dock for breakfast and then a walk on the North Bank of the Thames to the Monument.
Anahita, the artist performing steps dressed in climbing gear,
When I arrived at the monument, I was able to walk straight in but before going up I was informed that there was a performance taking place and hoped that this would not impact on my experience. Quite the opposite, I was pleased that not only would I be climbing the 311 steps up to the top but that there was the chance to experience something different. At the bottom of the monument there was a wheel chair which gave a clue to what was happening higher up the stairs.
Leaving the wheelchair behind.
Two thirds of the way up, I met Anahita who was shuffling up the stairs. She was dressed in climbing gear and was moving up the stairs back first. I asked Anahita how she was getting on and whether she minded me taking her picture.
The going is steady but tough for AnahitaWhichever way you look at it, the spiral of steps is immense,Determination to reach the top.
This brave and inspirational woman explained that she was performing ‘STEPS’, a never-seen-before performance. Anahita is a British Iranian artist who is a wheelchair user. Her performance was being live streamed. After passing by, I reached the top of the monument and enjoyed the amazing views. I even recorded a video for the grandchildren to let them know that I had been to the top. On the way back down, I encountered Anahita again who was nearly at the top. I wished her well and continued down the steps to the bottom. She left a big impression and congratulations on her strength and determination.
Views from the top of the Monument.Tower Bridge and the Thames.London’s burning
Here are a few links about Anahita and her work to bring recognition to Wheelchair users.
I was fortunate that I was in London during Christmas week. My reason for being there was to undertake a photographic assignment for the British Dental Association Museum. Once I had completed my task then I set off for the Christmas lights. I walked from Wimpole Street along Oxford Circus taking in Bond Street, New Bond Street and Piccadilly. Whilst I took many photographs on this journey, my main destination was Regent Street. The Angels were strung across the street and were a beautiful feature of the Christmas lights. The theme was the ‘The Spirit of Christmas’and covered both Regent Street and St James’s neighbourhoods.
Under the arch leading to Regent Street.Angels, London Buses and shoppers.
The place was very busy with people on both sides of the road and in the central reservation taking pictures of the Angels. My x100v was set up with a high ISO3200 and an aperture of f/4. The shutter speed was set at 1/125. I brought along my travel tripod to help me. However I did forget that the ISO was on high for some of the motion shots. It was difficult to think with being in such a dangerous position in the middle of the road and so many people around you. Whilst the pictures do look pretty, there are many obstacles around the area such as the shoppers and traffic. I kept my wits about me and did not look for pictures that may have put me in danger.
An Angel of Regent StreetTake the bus to see the lights.Oxford Circus
I came away with a story as there were a few couples in the pictures and the story looks as if I have followed one couple up from Piccadilly to Oxford Circus. I enjoyed seeing the lights and experiencing the atmosphere of Christmas Shopping.
Making your way back home on the tube.
London is a wonderful city to photograph and you may wish to see my other Blog entries on photographing the UK capitol.
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