Grand Union Canal

I walked out one morning in search of grunge. This quest took me to a stretch of London’s Grand Union Canal which is anything but pretty and quaint.

The stretch between Willesden Junction and Kensal Green in the city’s north-west straddles a major railway confluence. It’s heavily industrialised and nature has almost been squeezed out by the excesses of human activity.

Dilapidated warehouses line the banks, along with spray-painted walls and the occasional mound of rubbish. But the area is full of textures and shapes, oddly alluring to the camera.

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In a first I’ve joined forces with another photographer and friend, Richard Cooper-Knight of CK Ponderings.

We took a long walk along London’s Grand Union Canal, starting at Paddington Station and finishing at Ladbroke Grove in the west of the city. It encompassed the contemporary high rises of Paddington Basin, the charm of Little Venice to urban grit – and even a meeting with a photography barge selling pictures.

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Richard takes up the story of two photographers’ first collaboration:

I’d been looking forward to working on a joint photo project with another fellow blogger. After a false start and unexpected change of venue, Mike and I hit Paddington Basin with the weather on our side.

It was interesting to see the different approaches we take to photography. Mike has a studied approach, taking time to work out the framing and set up of each shot, while I tend to go for more quick fire shooting.

There are definite pros and cons to both approaches – I like capturing the moment, while Mike ends up with fewer photographs to process (he had around 40 shots compared to my 200). But it was interesting to see both in action, and I hope you’re pleased with the results!

Click first image for the full gallery experience