My fifth blog outlining the stories behind my ‘Pictures of the Day’. For this week’s review, I travel to the ends of the Bakerloo, District, DLR, Emirates Air Line, Northern, Tfl Rail and London Tram from mid November 2018 and creeping into the New Year.
The winter months unsurprisingly brings all weather conditions and my resolve was tested a few times in the dank mists of Elmer’s End and rainswept Harrow. But this is all part of the entertainment my self-imposed sojourn has brought. In all honesty, it’s all been good fun, and this week’s portfolio seems to concentrate predominantly on design and architecture. Not intended, just the serendipitous way it’s panned out.
Please tell me which is your favourite picture, and why through any of my social media platforms. So here goes for week 5. Please let me know what you think?
#29: Emirates Greenwich Peninsula – ‘Hidden Gondolas’
12/11/2018 – If you have visited the Greenwich Peninsula, you’ll be familiar with an unusual steel sculpture created by Antony Gormley celebrating the millennium entitled Quantum Cloud. If you haven’t, then this alone is worth a look even only for it’s provocativeness in asking ‘what’s it all about?’ Nevertheless, an interesting curiosity near the Greenwich Pier offering a bespoke backdrop to the gondolas crossing the river.
A bright clear sky helps to create an almost silhouette effect; and I’ve tried framing the sculpture with several gondolas from the overhead cable car which pass by at regular intervals. This shot captures two just passing each other in the top right hand corner, and are complemented by another two almost hidden in the shot.
The puff of cloud in the bottom left corner also helps to balance the picture against the gondolas in the opposite corner and helps with the silhouette effect too.
Settings: Camera – Canon EOS 200D; Aperture – ƒ7.1; Shutter Speed – 1/640; Focal Length – 155mm; Film Speed – ISO100; Google Photo Filter – None
#30: Harrow & Wealdstone – ‘Purple Rain’
19/11/2018 – Having walked around Harrow during the daytime, I decided to wait for nightfall which in the middle of November is about 4.00pm so not too long to wait. And I’m drawn to the Christmas lights in St Anne’s Road which is now a pedestrian precinct.
It’s been raining and the prospect of capturing a reflective shot of the brightly coloured street lanterns was quite appealing. This one is taken towards the end of the shopping day with shoppers still milling around and the overall effect is enhanced with a Bazaar filter to heighten the lanter’s colours as they reflect on the pavement.
Settings: Camera – Canon EOS 200D; Aperture – ƒ5.6; Shutter Speed – 1/60; Focal Length – 55mm; Film Speed – ISO6400; Google Photo Filter – None
#31: Elmers End – ‘I Hate Ironing…!’
26/11/2018 – It was a cold, dank and miserable winter’s day in Elmers End, and to be honest there was nothing inspirational about the area…
BUT, this made me smile.. a laundry service with a catchy web address emblazoned across a delivery van ihateironing.com – the name says it all really and a brief chat with the van driver reveals he gets quite a few smiles from drivers when he’s stuck in queues.
No particular photographic technique used here, it’s a simple point and shoot, but the picture does help to remind me of the day out at the terminus of one of London Tram’s lines.
Settings: Camera – Canon EOS 200D; Aperture – ƒ6.3; Shutter Speed – 1/200; Focal Length – 41mm; Film Speed – ISO61600; Google Photo Filter – Auto
#32: Morden – ‘A Study in Circles’
04/12/2018 – The station is typically 20’s/30’s in design and as I’m leaving the station, I stop to admire the Underground Roundel above a cavernous entrance hall which is sympathetically offset by an elaborate circular light fitting.
I’ve slightly cropped the picture to balance the roundel with the light fitting, and transformed it into black and white applying a ‘vista’ filter within Google Photos. I think the individual lights on the hanging light display complements the light through the high window as your eye is drawn up to the reversed ‘DnuorgrednU’ sign.
Settings: Camera – Canon EOS 200D; Aperture – ƒ6.3; Shutter Speed – 1/250; Focal Length – 35mm; Film Speed – ISO100; Google Photo Filter – Vista
#33: Heathrow T4 – ‘Spotted Ceiling’
19/12/2018 – For me, the simplicity and symmetry of the roof space in Terminal 4 has an attractive quality that helps define the space. Passengers seem oblivious to the effort made to create this effect as their focus is on ensuring they are in the right zone. The roof is offset by an expanse of glass bringing the outside light in and draws the eye away from this spectacle above.
I hope you enjoy it?
Settings: Camera – Canon EOS 200D; Aperture – ƒ3.5; Shutter Speed – 1/60; Focal Length – 20mm; Film Speed – ISO800; Google Photo Filter – Bazaar
#34: Stratford – ‘Tunnel Vision’
28/12/2018 – Just south of the Bobby Moore Academy, the road meanders under The Greenway, one of the original East London sewers still used, and from the 1990’s covered over to create a footpath to encourage walkers and wildlife. I’ve taken this picture through the wide footpath that’s adjacent to the road that goes under The Greenway
It’s a moody shot and despite the footpath’s location, it’s surprisingly clean, albeit having a dank and dismal feel. But I suspect it’s relatively well maintained as it acts as a cut through from Pudding Mill DLR station and the London Stadium, the home of West Ham United Football Club.
I’ve tried to portray the old arch brickwork, dimly lit by the neon lighting and in the foreground, a shard of light streaming through a gap between the arches and a new concrete bridge. An atmospheric shot I think and somewhat symbolic of the area represented in its immediate surroundings.
Settings: Camera – Canon EOS 200D; Aperture – ƒ4.5; Shutter Speed – 1/100; Focal Length – 29mm; Film Speed – ISO500; Google Photo Filter – Vista
#35: High Street Kensington – ‘User’
03/01/2019 – I’m inside the Design Museum looking up at this rolling display and it reminds me of my time with the Government Digital Service (GDS) where the ‘user’s needs’ became the successful mantra on how to design public services. And because of that I am instantly drawn to the display and its flamboyant use of colour.
Settings: Camera – Canon EOS 200D; Aperture – ƒ4.5; Shutter Speed – 1/100; Focal Length – 27mm; Film Speed – ISO2000; Google Photo Filter – Vista
