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On the tourist trail
2009.01.09
One of the lions guarding Nelson in Traflgar Square
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I wonder what he was thinking as I thrust my camera under his nose!
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Ben Ben from a jaunty angle
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The London Eye
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Leadenhall Market
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Tower Bridge just after sunset
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I had the day off today so I decided to go to London to see the Annie Leibovitz exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery before it closes at the end of the month. It was well worth the visit and it got me in the mood for some serious photography afterwards.
It’s rare for me to have a day in London purely for pleasure so I became a tourist for the day and visited all the popular sights. After a spot of lunch I visited Trafalgar Square and then wandered down Whitehall (stopping on the way to watch the changing of the guard) to the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben. From there I walked across the River Thames to the London Eye where I made the most of my wide angle lens to capture the wheel from some unusual angles. After that I caught the tube to Monument and had anther bash at catching a good shot of the Gherkin. Even with a 10mm lens I still couldn’t get a shot I was really happy with. I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s just a very difficult building to photograph well! From there I walked across London Bridge taking some photos of Leadenhall Market on the way. It’s a lovely old market which I used to come to as a student to visit the great record shop that used to be here. They’ve managed to keep the old fashioned feel very well, making the modern shops inside keep the period shop fronts. I used a slow shutter speed to blur the people working through the market.
From London Bridge I walked along the bank of the Thames to Tower Bridge where I captured the final shot I’ve posted here. After a warming hot chocolate I caught the tube to St. Paul’s Cathedral with the intention of taking some shots there but I found I couldn’t take any inside and my first choice of external angles was covered in scaffolding! I can see I’ll be returning here at a later date. I had a great day today, although very cold. I realised on the train home that I’d crossed the River Thames four times on foot during the course of the day, using four different bridges! No wonder my feet ache now…
PS As my Dad quite rightly pointed out to me, after I'd made this post, the third picture here is actually of St. Stephen's Tower - only the bell inside is called Big Ben. I did know this but couldn't remember the name of the tower at the time!
It’s rare for me to have a day in London purely for pleasure so I became a tourist for the day and visited all the popular sights. After a spot of lunch I visited Trafalgar Square and then wandered down Whitehall (stopping on the way to watch the changing of the guard) to the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben. From there I walked across the River Thames to the London Eye where I made the most of my wide angle lens to capture the wheel from some unusual angles. After that I caught the tube to Monument and had anther bash at catching a good shot of the Gherkin. Even with a 10mm lens I still couldn’t get a shot I was really happy with. I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s just a very difficult building to photograph well! From there I walked across London Bridge taking some photos of Leadenhall Market on the way. It’s a lovely old market which I used to come to as a student to visit the great record shop that used to be here. They’ve managed to keep the old fashioned feel very well, making the modern shops inside keep the period shop fronts. I used a slow shutter speed to blur the people working through the market.
From London Bridge I walked along the bank of the Thames to Tower Bridge where I captured the final shot I’ve posted here. After a warming hot chocolate I caught the tube to St. Paul’s Cathedral with the intention of taking some shots there but I found I couldn’t take any inside and my first choice of external angles was covered in scaffolding! I can see I’ll be returning here at a later date. I had a great day today, although very cold. I realised on the train home that I’d crossed the River Thames four times on foot during the course of the day, using four different bridges! No wonder my feet ache now…
PS As my Dad quite rightly pointed out to me, after I'd made this post, the third picture here is actually of St. Stephen's Tower - only the bell inside is called Big Ben. I did know this but couldn't remember the name of the tower at the time!
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#4 is great
monika1983 · 2009-01-09: 18:51
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Thank you for the "guided visit"! Never been in London! Got to go there! :)
ppinho · 2009-01-09: 19:22
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You had a busy day! Gorgeous shots - nice colors with great angles!!
lookagain · 2009-01-09: 22:23
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great angles especially of big ben
????? · 2009-01-10: 09:38
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Majestic! Thanks for sharing!
davidcardona · 2009-01-10: 15:00
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I like these pictures because although they are of 'touristy' places you have taken them at an 'untouristy' angle! There are starting to be some great new buildings with interesting modern architecture being built in London now.
busybee36 · 2009-01-11: 03:10
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