Westminster nightfall

The Palace of Westminster. Arguably the most recognisable London landmark topped off by Big Ben, the capital’s timekeeper. It’s taken me a number of years to visit the stretch of the south bank of the Thames between Westminster and Lambeth bridges, which offers this view.

I set up my tripod in one spot as dusk rapidly turned to autumnal darkness. Each is a separate long exposure shot, two have monochrome finishes. What I couldn’t master was capturing the detail of the clock face, which is the brightest point of the composition. And the building is undergoing some repair work, meaning scaffold and a covered section are unavoidably part of the photographs. But two pleasure boats obliged to create the light trails in the main photo.

There is little to beat the transition from day to night in a big city – especially if you have your camera ready to catch it.

Tags: Big Ben, blue hour, dusk photography, London, London Eye, long exposure, night shots, Palace of Westminster, photography, River Thames

16 thoughts on “Westminster nightfall”

Sebastia jove rius on October 11, 2015 at 20:39 said:

Congrats Mike for your awesome album .

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- mikeosbornphoto on October 11, 2015 at 20:42 said:
  
  Thanks so much, Sebastia :) Next stop Barcelona, maybe?!
  
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Claire Edwards on October 11, 2015 at 19:23 said:

Fantastic shots Mike, it’s great to see a subject in such different lighting, just shows how much mood can be created by visiting the same subject at different times of day and year. Out of all of them I’m drawn to the relaxing colours of the dusk one, beautiful.

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- mikeosbornphoto on October 11, 2015 at 19:31 said:
  
  Hello Claire and thanks so much for your feedback. This was over the course of about half an hour I guess – that crucial period between the last of daylight and darkness. It’s good to have that view in the bag at last :)
  
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Norma (Through My Eyes) on October 11, 2015 at 13:06 said:

All stunning images :)

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- mikeosbornphoto on October 11, 2015 at 13:14 said:
  
  Many thanks, Norma. It’s taken me a lifetime to capture that view, so took my time :)
  
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ckponderings on October 11, 2015 at 10:18 said:

It’s amazing how much the orange glow of the city affects lighting! Lovely images, Mike, really evocative! :)

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- mikeosbornphoto on October 11, 2015 at 13:15 said:
  
  Thanks Richard. Bothery Big Ben, though, which loses its detail in long exposure.
  
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Laura Bloomsbury on October 11, 2015 at 09:47 said:

Fabulous landmark vistas Mike and the glassy thames makes an almost fairy tale setting for this gothic pile – p.s. I’d be interested in knowing your technical settings for these p.p.s.am still too self-conscious to take my tripod out and about – somehow feel I need to justify it with better level of photography to begin with – cart before the horse thinking really.

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- mikeosbornphoto on October 11, 2015 at 09:54 said:
  
  Thank you as always, Laura. Hmmm, shame about the lumps of scaffold on the old girl, although I quite like some of the silhouettes and shapes it creates. I can mail you the setting if you’d like – it’s usually a bit of trial and error, and with these shots I couldn’t avoid the face of Big Ben overexposing. As for venturing out with your tripod, I know, it makes me self-conscious too, but take it out for a spin! That’s the only way to practice and get experience :)
  
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  - Laura Bloomsbury on October 11, 2015 at 10:25 said:
    
    only if you have time Mike – I can then take tripod for spin at night and not be seen!
    laura52 at tiscali dot co dot uk
    
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    - mikeosbornphoto on October 11, 2015 at 10:30 said:
      
      I used to display them on the blog, until some film photography posts totally confused it! I’ll send them your way – each shot differed.
      
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      - Laura Bloomsbury on October 11, 2015 at 10:32 said:
        
        just one or two then Mike please so that I know where to begin!
        
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        mikeosbornphoto on October 11, 2015 at 10:36 said:
        
        Of course it all depends on how dark it is, the light emanating from your target. A nice low ISO means you can extend the exposure time and pick up more reflections and colours. These were subtle compared to some I’ve done – Parliament is not that brightly lit.
        
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Herman van Bon Photography on October 11, 2015 at 09:11 said:

Reblogged this on My Choice.

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- mikeosbornphoto on October 11, 2015 at 09:18 said:
  
  Thank you for sharing, Herman :)
  
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