This feature grabbed my attention on a recent trip to Newcastle and Gateshead in the north-east of England. It’s a street sculpture next to a modern building, seemingly a cluster of large nails artfully positioned on a plain wall. The angles and positioning made it a must-shoot, with different points to focus on. Sometimes it’s the small details that count in photography.
This is an alternative London tourist attraction, which you can find in a dank, badly-lit tunnel which snakes underneath Waterloo rail station.
The Leake Street tunnel is a place where spray paint art is permitted, and has a strong association with renowned street artist Banksy.
It’s plastered in a colourful explosion of graffiti and is living, breathing street art gallery. On the afternoon I ventured down there, several people were busy creating work with spray cans. The tunnel smarts with the tang of solvents and urine – not an environment for the delicate.
For the photographer, it’s a moody, atmospheric place with both light and shadows. You can create some vibrant abstract frames with the colours and textures that bleed off the walls, while it responds well to some HDR editing. This is quite literally the city’s underbelly.
Click first image for the full gallery experience
English seaside resort Margate fared poorly in yesterday’s post – a neglected town of graffiti and misery.
But go past the tawdry amusement arcades and you come to the Old Town, which is small in area but bristling with handsome, sturdy old buildings. There are places to eat, little shops to browse in, and even galleries. It has a feeling of regeneration and life. And a place that has a bustling cupcake shop has really come of age.
It’s a place to explore and led to another discovery. Margate’s most famous daughter is artist Tracey Emin, and a wall is adorned with a piece of street art in homage to her. This leads neatly into the next part of this town’s story, to be published here in the coming days.
