After the rain in London - # 137/2011

This one looks rather good in B&W but the colours are so attractive I decided to stay with colour.

We've jumped back from Richmond and Twickenham in November, and are revisiting Central London in August.  The weather is (it seems to me) a bit better now than it was then - well sort of, plus a few "Ah, well, Yes, if that's what you want to says" thrown in.

Anyway; a nice touristical snap showing from right to left, the Ministry of Defence, Old Scotland Yard (the Police HQ before they built New Scotland Yard) the new parliamentary office buildings and then of course Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament themselves. 

The wide angle lens has given it all a bit of a curve, but who cares!

Standing figures - # 107/10

Another shot from my "very cold day out" on Friday 26th Nov: looking at Big Ben from the South Bank near the London Eye.

Westminster meltdown - # 104/10

Did I mention how perishingly cold it was last Friday? It really dampens one's enthusiasm for waiting for the "right" moment.  Finally I could wait no longer and snapped the Houses of Parliament at sundown in this way.

The result looks as if a nuclear explosion is developing nicely inside the chamber of the House of Commons, and the central spire, on the extreme left, between the Lords (out of shot) and the Commons has already developed a nasty lean-in towards the structure already weakened by the first stages of the catastrophe.

However, in the centre background, the square tower of Westminster Abbey (flying its little flag) built almost 1,000 years ago by William the Conqueror, is standing solid, and the ultra-secure brand new Portcullis House  (On the right with the chimneys) full of MP's offices etc will probably survive.

This shot is a good example of "learning by doing".  Meaning that afterwards I was well and truly done in.

London from Richmond Park- # 08/33

Richmond Park is high on a plateau and London sits down in the London Basin. I thought you would like to see this classic view from one of the favourite vantage points in the park. The extreme telephoto setting scrunches it all together - we a looking across about 13 miles/20 km distant. You can see the "London Eye", the big wheel which is in the West End (the City of Westminster) opposite the Houses of Parliament, and behind (almost as if they are close by) you can see the already "iconic" Gherkin tower and the mass that makes up the the City of London (the financial district). There's more to the left and right. I'm trying to get a decent night time wide angle shot, but weather conditions must be perfect.