So here we are with a new website. Thank you for taking the time to visit my new website and have a look at the photos Ive uploaded. This site is something Im particularly proud of as Ive built it all myself. Ive also learnt some HTML coding so I could tweak a few things and make it a bit more personal.
I have the very best intention to keep blogging as I have previously neglected to blog with my previous website. I have decided to put a little bit of time on a Friday morning to blog about what Ive been up to over the last week and just try and keep the site up to date.
So here is the first blog of the new website!
Last Thursday (24th November) I went to London for the day with a photographer friend of mine, Jamie Dodd. We had been talking for a while that we wanted to get up to the capital as there were a few things that we wanted to have a look at with a few photographic ideas in mind. I left Taunton at 6.30 to pick Jamie up from Bristol so we could have a full day in the Big Smoke. Traffic was fairly light and we got to London in good time. First stop was a graffiti tunnel I had found on the internet which we both thought looked good for a portrait shoot. Unfortunately when we got there there was building work going on so we couldn’t have a look at it properly! Still, its on the list for next time.
Next up was a walk over the water and up towards Covent Garden. I always enjoy walking around this area as there is lots going on and you can see some good street performances. By this time Jamie was getting hungry so we decided to get some lunch at Jamie Olivers place in Covent Garden. Pizza was ordered. Drink was consumed and we were on our way again.
We headed towards Fleet Street, a treat in itself for me as I worked in the print trade for 10 years before becoming a full time photographer, and aimed for St Paul’s Cathedral. An amazing building and it fascinates me how they managed to complete the build in October 1708 without the help of modern day tools and techniques! From here we walked through Paternoster Row, past the Paternoster Chop House, famed for being the restaurant in which the Channel 4 show, First Dates, is filmed and headed for 30 St Mary Axe, or the Gherkin as its more commonly known as.
Jamie and I had both been keen on visiting the area around the Gherkin to get some shots of one of Londons newest landmarks. We spent a little time here walking around the glass structure looking for some shots of the building. I grabbed a few handheld photos. Here is one of the images I took:
30 St Mary Axe, The Gherkin
After finishing our shots at the Gherkin we headed back towards the river and to Tower Bridge. I had wanted to get a couple of shots of the famous bridge against a deep blue sky but the lighting wasn’t perfect on the day so I shot more away from the bridge looking towards Londons tallest building, the Shard. I see the Shard every week on TV as I watch the contestants do battle with each other in the BBC’s the apprentice programme and have wanted to photograph it for a while. By the time we finished shooting along the riverside the light had gone and we went for a walk through Chinatown towards Piccadilly Circus and onto Regents Street to see the Christmas lights. By this point we were getting knackered as we had both done a lot of walking during the day and Jamie only has little legs! After getting a quick bite to eat we decided to call it a day and headed back to the tube station to go and get in the car for the journey home.
The Christmas Decorations at Picadilly Circus are amazing! Shot on my iPhone
I checked my Apple Watch on the tube and we had walked nearly 19Km during the day! No mean feat in Chelsea Boots!!
It was a good day full of research, good laughs and we both found some good locations we would like to return to at a later date and shoot some different kinds of photography. I have uploaded some of the photos from the day into my landscapes gallery section of my new website, click here to see them.
Thanks London….until next time.
