The Shard

Infrared Black and White. London

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<img src="Black and white morelondon" alt="lack and white monochrome morelondon infrared hoya R72 filter The Shard vewing gallery town hall Lee Ramsden">

Nikon D800 f8 3min ISO400 24-70mm@28mm

 

Morning, 

Here is a Black and White processed infrared image of London's MoreLondon area, with the town hall and the Shard building. 

My next blog post on Monday i will be showing the out of camera file compared to the processed colour version. And explain why there is a visible hotspot in the centre, due to the choice of Lens. (This won't happen again, i am enjoying the learning curve with these.)

 

Thanks

London early morning.

in
<img src="morelondon" alt="The Shard greater London city ong exposure Lee Ramsden river Thames">

Nikon D800 f14 60sec ISO100 24-70mm@28mm

Good morning, 

An images taken from Tower bridge at 04:35hrs. I shot this purposefully knowing that the sun will rise behind me. Some times shooting towards the sun isn't always the best option. I wanted to illuminate the buildings and not cast them into silhouette. As the sun raised it lit up the buildings perfectly just as i wanted. 

This concludes the two weeks of colour London images. 

I hope that you have enjoyed my colour London photos as i have sharing them with you. 

Next week starts 10 days of Black and white images of London. 

 

Please feel free to share this post on your social media, giving credit to the photographer Lee Ramsden www.leeramsden.com

 

Thanks

First infrared image. London.

in
<img src="Infrared.jpg" alt="London River Thames morelondon Infrared colour processing landscape image IR blocking filter Hoya R72 Lee Ramsden">

Nikon D800 f11 120sec iso200 24-70mm@36mm

Morning, 

Thought i would share this image of the Shard building with you. This is a first for me, using an Infrared filter. I ended up purchasing a Hoya R72 filter and am quite enjoying the outcomes. 

There are somethings i need to take into account, the flaring is becoming an issue and the lens hotspot. But with more practice I'm sure ill find a decent work around. 

I am not posting just yet on how i processed this, with this being my first, id like to shoot a lot more and so have a greater understanding of how they react under different lighting circumstances. 

Once i am happy ill write a post on what photoshop process i go through. 

In the mean time i hope that you enjoy this image, 

 

If you would like to purchase the filter that i used, i would be grateful f you use the following link, it will not cost you anymore, but i get a few pence to help feed my family :)

Please feel free to share this post on your social media, giving credit to the photographer Lee Ramsden www.leeramsden.com

 

Thanks

 

 

 

London Shard building.

in
<img src="Shard colour.jpg" alt="the shard view at the shard viewing gallery hotel office building sunset sunrise dusk dawn london greater lee ramsden">

Nikon D700 F18 0.4 ISO3200 21mm

An image of the Shard building in London, taken from moreLondon's shopping area. If you are taking picture from here watch out for security as they will move you on. Even at 5am and not a sole about... 

This was a frame taken from a timelapse video, foolishly i changed the ISO to a ridiculous 3200 and forgot to change back. Luckily the Nikon D700 can handle the high ISO not too bad and so all not lost. 

 

I am fascinated with the Shard, i think it is a stunning looking building. I took the below image from the viewing gallery near the top. Please check out a couple of posts on the Shard, 

The view at the Shard - How to work around using a tripod

And the importance of a polarising filter - When shooting through the glass windows. 

<img src="London.jpg" alt="London view from the Shad viewing gallery London HMS Belfast greater London UK capital dusk Lee Ramsden">

 

Please feel free to share this post on your social media, giving credit to the photographer Lee Ramsden www.leeramsden.com

 

Thanks

The View at The Shard London photography tips.

in ,

Photographing The Shard Viewing Gallery, London

The Shard is the tallest building in the United Kingdom, standing 309 metres above London Bridge at its tip. Designed by Renzo Piano and completed in 2012, it's become one of the most recognisable additions to the London skyline in a generation. The viewing gallery sits across floors 68 to 72, giving unobstructed 360-degree views across the city.

I visited specifically to shoot the transition from sunset to dark — the window when the city starts to light up while the sky still holds colour. Getting that timing right requires some planning. The booking system lets you choose your time slot, so I researched the sunset time in advance and booked accordingly. The weather cooperated, which after a prolonged cold spell felt like a result in itself....

mobile, iphone, Lee, Ramsden, London, The View From The Shad, Landscape, Photography, Lancashire, HDR

Practical Photography Tips for the Shard Viewing Gallery

A few things that made a genuine difference on this visit:

Tripods are banned, as they are at most tourist viewing platforms. The workaround I used was a Manfrotto magic arm and super clamp, which attaches to the barrier rail and gives a completely stable platform for long exposures. Security observed me using it and raised no objection — it's discreet enough not to interfere with other visitors and doesn't technically break the no-tripod rule.

london View from the Shard HMS Belfast river Thames Tower Bridge

Shooting through glass always risks reflections. A circular polarising filter cuts through most of this.

I was using a Hoya 52mm Pro-1 Digital CPL, which handled the glass cleanly and brought out the contrast in the city lights below. Without it, the reflections from the interior lighting would have competed with the view on every shot.

The Nikon D700 was the body used here — one of the frames in this set was actually pulled from a timelapse sequence. I had changed the ISO to 3200 mid-session and forgotten to reset it, but the D700 handles high ISO well enough that the image was still usable. A lesson in checking your settings between sequences.

Manfrotto G clamp

The Building Itself

From street level and from a distance, the Shard reads as a glass spike — almost impossibly thin against the sky. From inside the viewing gallery you get a different perspective on how it sits within London, with the Thames directly below and the city grid spreading out in every direction. Canary Wharf, St Paul's, the Tate Modern, and Tower Bridge are all visible simultaneously, which gives you a sense of the scale of the city that's hard to get anywhere else.

For more of my London and places photography, visit the Places gallery.