night shots

My night view

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basin-viewThis is my new perspective on the world. Welcome to the neighbourhood of Castlefield,  a short hop away from Manchester city centre. My balcony after dark takes in the arched pedestrian bridge which links both sides of the Bridgewater canal. The lights of bars and buildings opposite glow brightly. And above, a tram breezes along the viaduct. The skyscape is dominated by the city’s tallest building, the Beetham Tower, peppered with the lights of both the Hilton Hotel and loftily perched residential dwellings above.

It was a freezing, frosty night. Even a trip out onto the balcony was a chilly stretch…

from-slate-wharf

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Westminster nightfall

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Pleasure boat trails

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.

Lighting up time

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Northern lights

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My trip to the bold, handsome northerly city of Newcastle upon Tyne was partly fuelled by nostalgia. I lived there in 1997 and was curious to find out what I recognised and what had changed.

The mind plays tricks on you. What was in my mind wasn’t quite there. And the city has moved on a great deal since those days. I went out one evening to drink in the lights of the city and capture them on film. With two beautiful bridges in the city centre and a calm, still river that absorbs reflection, this was a satisfying and new experience in Newcastle.

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Strand shadows

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Strand shadowsStrand bus

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A murky winter’s night in central London. Standing inside the entrance to the palatial Somerset House, it’s still and calm. Shadows from the railings sweep across the well-worn flagstones. The light comes from the clamour of The Strand, a busy city thoroughfare. It appears frenetic and muddled where the pedestrians and buses are going at a different pace. It’s hazy in both smoky black and white and all the colour such a night can offer up. These are London moments captured from the calm edges.

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Moon over Shepherds Bush

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Moon over Shepherds Bush

A dark night outside our window. The frame is dominated by the silhouettes of neighbourhood trees and an aerial on a rooftop. But the slender crescent of the moon with its delicate luminescence takes centre stage, poised in a dark blue sky.

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