Changing Skyline

Just one picture today as I leave London and head back home, tired and with sore feet (I have walked miles).

This view was taken looking east from Waterloo Bridge and shows the changing skyline with the historic St Paul's cathedral and other more modern office blocks  and skyscrapers including 20 Fenchurch St, The Cheese grater or the Leadenhall Building and of course the Shard.

Just up he road from where I took this shot is the famous Lyceum Theatre where the Lion King musical is performed. I remember visiting the Lyceum back in 1982 with a group of friends from college when we went to see the Kinks perform. It was a great night.

The city has changed such a lot since then.

Bright Lights, Big City

I want to avoid posting typical tourist shots of famous landmarks although there are plenty of great landmarks all around this amazing city. Instead I wanted to find some more unusual sites and at night the illuminations in the shops and offices can be pretty interesting and that is what we have here.
It's a pretty wet and miserable evening here to be honest and I'm feeling the effects of a cold so probably shouldn't have ventured out. But instead of stopping in my hotel room with the TV and room service snacks I set out for a brisk walk in the rain. On my way out to get some tea I had spotted these illuminations and determined that I would photograph them on my return journey.

The first four images are of the same lighting structure above the doorway to some offices and every few seconds they changed colour, I can't decide which colour I like best so posted all four and you can pick your own favourite.

The final image is of a light fixture in the atrium to another large glass fronted office/apartment building, it has a cold sparkle which I rather like and I like the contrasting straight lines and angles behind the ball of light.

London Nights

So as I said yesterday I am in London for the week and as this is a work trip I decided to leave my camera at home since there will be limited opportunity to do any serious photography. That being said I can't pass up the chance to get a few shots even if they're not the best on my somewhat limited phone's camera.

The second image is of the building where I am working this week, can you work out where it is?

The second is a panoramic shot taken from the Victoria Embankment. I like the colours of the winter evening sky and the lights reflected in the Thames.

By the time I leave work it is already dark so it is likely that the majority of pictures I will share this week will be night time images unless I get out a bit early and snap a few on my walk to... work (Leave a comment if you think you know where it is, and don't say London)

Under The Bridge

I had a bit of extra time today soon my walk from my hotel to my place of work I took a walk along the embankment and I passed under a number of bridges. I can't remember which one is in the first picture, but the second is the Blackfriars Road Bridge and the last two shots are of the Millennium footbridge which is by St Paul's Cathedral. I like the different structures and I like the perspective particularly looking across the river in the first and third images.bri

Mystery fish

So what is going on with today's blog?
Well, rather than post some predictable pictures of London's iconic landmarks I thought I'd go some quirky images and so I thought I would take some random pictures of window displays and came across these little gems.

The first is of a machine in a Chinese bakery it moulds and bakes little fish shaped pastries which are filled with a hot cream filling.

Having seen this I recalled having seen the fish sculptures displayed in a gallery window on Shaftesbury Avenue so on my way back to my hotel I took a couple of shots to keep the fishy theme going.

The final picture of a bicycle suspended in a shop window clearly doesn't fit the theme but I couldn't resist it. I thought that one or two friends who are cyclists might also appreciate the alternative drinks bottle carrier.

Bright Lights, Big City

On Friday night I had one of the best night's ever as I camped out in a field in Cumbria. It was a cold night but the sky was clear and I sat transfixed by the mass of stars. Of course I took loads of photos and sooner or later I will get around to sorting through them and posting them here in my blog.

By contrast tonight I am in London and for the next three days I will be here for work.  Having got here in the early evening I went for a walk and I snapped a couple of photos.

Picture one is of the lights inside the foyer of an office building on Long Acre just round the corner from Drury Lane.

Picture two is of an old street lamp in Aldwych opposite The Royal Courts of Justice on The Strand.

Picture three is of the market stalls at Covent Garden as the traders are packing away.

I love the city and I'm sure over the next few days I'll have some more great pictures to share. But I'm also sure that I will be ready to get back to the quiet life when this job is over.

London Landmarks

Following from yesterday here are a few more shots of familiar London landmarks taken from interesting perspectives...  I have chosen black and white for added effect.

I think the second picture is my favourite, which one is yours?  Feel free to leave a comment below.

Capital Views

For today here are a few shots from London.  The first two are of St Paul's Cathedral and the third is a view of the Guards Division Memorial through the archway to Horse Guards Parade.

Although there will be many pictures of these sights I have tried to show them from a different perspective.  I hope you will agree that they are interesting pictures.

Capital Sculpture

In May 2011 I had to go down to London for a couple of days for work.  I took my camera of course and went for a walk around the city taking pictures of some of the usual sites but also some more random and less obvious things, like for example the statues shown above which were in some out of the way spots.  

I had intended to show all monochrome images today but the dragons in the third picture definitely work better in colour with the rich red and gold.

Let me know what you think in the comments below.