Millennium Bridge

St Paul’s selfies

/ mikeosbornphoto / 41 Comments

Tate selfie

When I see a mirror, my instinct isn’t usually to point my camera at it. But this was an exception. I was on the upper viewing platform of London’s Tate Modern gallery, with the iconic St Paul’s Cathedral gloriously in shot.

These similar photographs turned out very differently. Above, I’m (unfortunately) in full view, while the couple perched behind point at the view, which has been dazzled out of existence.

Just seconds later and a drastic dialling down of exposure, the three of us have become silhouettes, and St Paul’s, a slither of the Millennium Bridge and other buildings are visible.

These are not strictly speaking selfies. But which version do you favour? High key or silhouetted?

St Paul's selfie

North London vista (2)

Lovelocks

/ mikeosbornphoto / 12 Comments

N loves RAfter a recent visit to London’s Tate Modern art gallery, I took the walk across the Millennium Bridge towards St Paul’s Cathedral.

It wasn’t the views across the Thames or swarms of tourists that caught my eye, but a number of little metal objects dangling from the cables of the bridge.

Padlocks. Locked up and left to their fate, many of them carrying messages of love and probably youthful union. Lovelocks.

I haven’t seen them in London before, although in other places around the world they’re commonplace. The Pont des Arts in Paris is groaning under the weight of thousands of locks, prompting a campaign to ban the practice.

There are just a handful on this bridge, little tokens of unbreakable relationships which are probably forgotten soon after they’ve been fixed to the spot.

Vandalism or litter they might be, but small human moments that are a pleasure to capture.

North London vista (2)

Click first image to launch the gallery

Millennium Bridge

/ mikeosbornphoto / 6 Comments

London’s Millennium Bridge shimmers at night with the glory of St Paul’s Cathedral above it. While I was pleased with the outcome of this shot, it’s a view which has been photographed again and again.

That evening a group of photographers had gathered on the bridge and were clicking wildly, while a man practically pushed me out of the way to get his shot.

So here ends a trio of bridge posts for the Jubilee weekend, starting with Hammersmith Bridge bedecked in a big Union Jack, to the unloved curves of industrial, neglected Barnes Bridge. It’s a personal fascination that I’ll come back to again.

But does a shot that has been captured so many times take the shine off your own effort?…