Thames

2014 moments #4

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I would like to share my 10 most memorable photographs of the year over the coming days with you. These are shots that I am particularly proud of, while each evokes a sense of place and meaning from 2014.

Content without water

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A cluster of boats appear to lie stranded on the mud on the Thames waterfront at Leigh-on-Sea in Essex. It’s a blazing, high key shot taken on an autumn day when the sun veered between hiding behind clouds and blasting through them. This scene is a souvenir of an enjoyable trip outside London and the joys of my home county.

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Three bridges

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This is the story of a long walk along London’s Chelsea Embankment by the River Thames.

It’s a winter’s evening and dusk begins to fall early, while the weather is comfortably mild. Perfect conditions to watch darkness rapidly fall and see three bridges take on their night-time guise.

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Chelsea Bridge at dusk. It subtly twinkles but doesn’t want to impress too much. A charred stump of Battersea Power Station looms large on the right.

Albert BridgeFurther along the embankment, and the dark has taken hold. This is when Albert Bridge shines majestically, truly showing off against the sky. In the background, the full might of Battersea Power Station can be seen.

Battersea BridgeAnd to Battersea Bridge, which is barely illuminated. A long exposure is needed to tease out the gold of its graceful arches. The pagoda-like tower of exclusive Chelsea Harbour looks like it sits on the third bridge.

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After the Olympics

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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.

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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.

London’s Olympic lights

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A pleasant evening along the Thames in London just a day after the Olympics spectacular opening ceremony. The river’s South Bank is thronging with people, mostly tourists. The centre of the capital seems brighter, more illuminated than usual. I’ve never seen so many cameras, so many photographs being taken – there is even a bristling of tripods.

A bridge is dazzlingly lit up orange and blue, turning the Thames into a rich, glittering sheet of water in the presence of St Paul’s Cathedral.

The Olympic shot everyone has been taking. Tower Bridge shimmers, with the Olympic rings as its centrepiece.

Across the river from Tower Bridge, it’s business as usual for the skyscrapers of Docklands, which are amply lit. I didn’t have the chance to take this shot before, so this was the night to do it. London’s lights are hard to resist at any time.

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Pretty in pink

London behind the landmarks

/ mikeosbornphoto / 6 Comments

London is a city full of famous sights and sweeping views, ripe to be clicked, all for the taking. The big picture isn’t everything here in the capital, though. Here is a trio of shots taken in the heart of this metropolis – but they do little to give this away.

A wooden barrier dappled with lichen with crafts on the River Thames beyond. This spot is close to Tower Bridge, The Shard and London’s iconic waterside.

Sunlight floods through a glass and wooden skylight. This is at Leadenhall Market, an old trading area which is now filled with shops and eateries. It sits right in the heart of the city’s financial district.

This is not just near a London landmark – it is part of one. The graceful coloured metalwork is part of Tower Bridge, much better recognised for its twin towers. It’s now graced with a set of Olympic rings to mark the imminent arrival of the games in the capital.

The joy of living in a world-renowned city is to have the chance to explore it at length and take photographs of its less obvious side. There is a lifetime of those captures just waiting to be found.