London

Canary Wharf London.

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London river Thames canary wharf ponoramic iPhone photography

With recently spending some time at the in-laws waiting for the baby to arrive, i have used the time to head out and about at sunrise 

Above is an iPhone image of my location on the Thames. 

Alarm call for 02:15hrs - and headed out, just a shame the weather did not really play ball, but thats landscape photography for you. 

Below is the image created by the d-slr.

This is certainly a location ill revisit to try and capture an image of more what i had in my mind. 

Thanks

Lee

Canary Wharf London Isle of dogs Thames financial

15 minute exposure using Lee filters big stopper and circular polariser. 

The View at The Shard London photography tips.

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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.

GF1 Adventure.

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Lumix GF1 images Holly statue

Hello,

I wanted to post some images that were recently taken on my Lumix GF1

I am certainly loving this little point and shoot camera. I have a fixed 20mm prime lens for it, which i find to be a great tool on improving your photography. When using a prime lens you are restricted to compose by using...- your feet!

If you want a tighter crop then walk closer, and so it is certainly making me look at things differently.

Having a little point and shoot on your person is great so you don't miss anything when you are out and about conducting your day to day business.

Lumix GF1 images light dark light Cambridge
Lumix GF1 images London train

The Above image is a great example of this, I was out in Cambridge to get a spot for lunch, and walking towards the restaurant we walked past this tiny alleyway. I stopped,

I took a step back and loved how the light was playing a huge part in making the contrast you see. I took a quick shot and off for some grub.

Over time I will be adding some more "snappy" shots that I take with the GF1. I hope that you enjoy it.

Lumix GF1 images London under ground
Lumix GF1 images London alley way bar Lamb and Lion Covent garden
Lumix GF1 images London ale bar beer 
Lumix GF1 images beach stones lake side
Lumix GF1 images Lake district Kendal