St Pancras

The London album

/ mikeosbornphoto / 23 Comments

I live in London and spend most of my time capturing moments and places around this great capital city.

The London album is a simple notion to make the most of this. It’s a new page which gathers together the photographs and posts about areas and landmarks of the city. Each name on the index – which you can find on the front page – clicks through to images and notes about that place.

Clearly there is a long way to go before I have London covered! Here is just a small sample from the album. Do let me know if you think of any London areas or famous spots which you would like to see added.

You can click here to take a look.

Click first image for the full gallery experience
Waterloo Station
The Shard
Southwark Cathedral
Whitechapel Gallery
St Pancras International
The London Eye

After the Olympics

/ mikeosbornphoto / 10 Comments

The Olympic Games in London are drawing to a close. It’s been a remarkable couple of weeks. Predictions that the city would grind to a halt have not come true, and Great Britain exceeded expectations with some amazing sporting achievements. It was hard to resist its lure and sense there was something special in the air.

Before the games I insisted I wouldn’t get involved, and didn’t even apply for tickets. I didn’t get physically close to the action but wanted my own memories. This included visiting Tower Bridge which became an Olympic beacon, while the buildings beside the River Thames sparkled and shimmered even more than usual. The immense number of tourists taking in the sights was astounding.

And there was Hackney Wick, an area close to the Olympic Stadium which seemed fiercely autonomous in the shadow of the games. Weeks earlier, the massive Olympic rings at St Pancras station were a photographic draw.

Click on the first image to launch the full-size gallery

So what are we going to do with ourselves after the games? Will there be a tide of post-Olympics blues? On 29 August, the Paralympics begin in London. Another chance to absorb the sporting spirit and enjoy the city’s weeks in the spotlight.

St Pancras views

/ mikeosbornphoto / 6 Comments

A collection of images from St Pancras International railway station in London. You can take a Eurostar train to Europe from here, but I recommend staying on the concourse to admire the architecture.

Click on the first image to launch the full-size gallery

See also:

Railway abstract

Olympic Colours

Railway abstract

/ mikeosbornphoto / 4 Comments

A visit to one of London’s vast train stations, and it’s the smaller detail that shifted my gaze through the lens. On a sunny day, St Pancras, with its huge canopy and long concourse is full of colours, shapes and reflections of every hue.

The image above is a jaunty angle on a glass partition and has some fascinating reflections right next to the dark yet illuminated polished metal of a light fixture. And below is  a favourite view of mine – a lengthy, covered arcade stretching into the distance. Maybe a modern version of this image?

Tomorrow (Sunday) I’ll return with a full gallery of shots from St Pancras.

See also:

Curves and colonnades

Olympic colours

Department store

Olympic colours

/ mikeosbornphoto / 2 Comments

The Diamond Jubilee has been and gone, and now attentions in London and the UK turn to the Olympics, just weeks away.

Our travels took us to St Pancras train station, the place to catch a Eurostar train direct to Europe.

It’s a thoroughly modernised travel hub, sat beneath a beautiful Victorian canopy which is an object of desire for architects, engineers and photographers alike.

A vast set of Olympic rings is suspended from the roof and is being photographed crazily.

I did my best to find a slightly offhand angle and perspective for this colourful capture.

But if you click on the thumbnail beneath this large depiction, you will see how the emblem looks to the regular eye.

Like the Union Jack during the Jubilee period, just how often will this Olympic symbol grace images in the coming weeks?