Tagged: architecture
Folder one
Last week, I completed the best 7×5 inch prints from my first ring bound folder of negatives since I returned to the darkroom late last year. That is: film processing; contact sheets; test prints; and best prints, using a sequence of techniques and choices to make prints that I aim to share in some fashion.
Starting back at the darkroom has been enormously enjoyable: I’ve learned so much and it’s been a pleasure to get to know my fellow darkroom practitioners. Making time for developing prints has been a luxury, but enormously fulfilling.
The contents of folder one are of different types of images (family, locality, architecture), of film emulsions and brands, of techniques in printing. I’ve changed enlargers at least once (from condensers to diffusers and back again). I’ve learned and relearned processes regarding print grading and will probably learn more in future. The films themselves aren’t in order: I decided that I would order them on the time they entered the darkroom for printing contact sheets for the first time; but roughly they stretch from just before lockdown to the years that followed, a weird hotchpotch of time that I’m unsure we’ve worked out the full impact of, even as we rush into the future.
I will continue using these new printing techniques into folder two. Folder three will have recently exposed negatives, And the cycle of making and learning will grow ever wider.
London
Over the years, I’ve taken many images of my home city. I’ve sampled a few here as I build up my portfolio.
On landscapes
A large amount of my photography is of landscapes. I have images of nature in parks, rivers and valleys, but also of man-made landscapes depicting bridges, roads and architecture.
I wonder sometimes, considering the subjects depicted, if the only thing that could be described as “landscape” is the frame, but I think that landscape can apply to every feature in our cities, towns and open spaces.
Landscapes feature on my website and in my stock photography. As I upload more, I may differentiate between landscapes of nature, cities and streets, but for now I’ll continue building the section and interpreting the term.
Skylight
For a long weekend this mid-January, central London was taken over by light installations from Lumiere London, an arts event arranged by Artichoke. The event was attended by one million pedestrians over the four nights, which was probably why it was so hard for us to get around and see stuff, but I got a few photos in the end.
Les Luminéoles by Porté par le vent on Regent Street
Although I’m used to London’s road traffic, there’s always something refreshingly different about areas being taken over by pedestrians: the Notting Hill Carnival; New Year’s Day; football and music events. That said, it can be absolute hell to get by on the diversions. Still, to walk down Regent Street to see a hologram of an elephant in the Air Street arch is quite a treat.
Elephantastic!
We walked on, pushed along by crowds and later I thought that visiting over several days may have been a better way to go about things, but no matter: the west end streets turned into light-jewelled paths for one night was enough for me to feast on until the next Lumiere festival.
Piccadilly
Architectural dreams
One rainy Tuesday morning, I cycled between appointments to the Royal Academy to see their Sensing Spaces exhibition.
Herein, seven architects were commissioned to create installations that responded to the Royal Academy’s main galleries. They did this with light and structures that were a delight to see, walk around and interact with.
For some reason, I left my regular camera at home, so I relied on my mobile phone for photos of some pieces.
Li Xiaodong formed a labyrinth of branches, timber and pebbles to create and environment to sense as much as walk through.
Grafton Architects (Shelly McNamara and Yvonne Farrell) built a suspended concrete structure, which light passed through to make spaces on the ground as well as tone the stone above.
Pezo von Ellrichshausen (Maurice Pezo and Sofia von Ellrichshausen) constructed a magnificent four columned platform, with a viewing gallery on top, accessible by both stairs and sloping walkway.
Kengo Kuma used light and wire to create this patterned space.
I finished my tour with Diébédo Francis Kéré’s interactive structure: an arch made of porous material, through which one was encouraged to insert coloured straws however one saw fit, making an ever changing structure. My contribution, a dark green straw bent into a triangle, is near the top of the last picture.
Lights in the water
I had no idea that Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design had moved to Granary Square near London’s King’s Cross in 2011. Embarrassing. I found out earlier this month when I met a friend there to plan an excursion.
There it was: an impressive, restored structure by Stanton Williams Architects; cafes and amenities therein; and this gorgeous fountain area outside.
Apparently, some parts of the building are open to the public, so I’ll come back for a closer look in future.
Left to right
I am a big fan of taking photo walks. Getting lost somewhere new or familiar and taking a lot of photos with my camera is a great way to get to know an area; a good walk enhanced.
Occasionally, I may pass an area by car, bus or tube; a little too fast to take a considered photo. On buying a new camera recently, I decided to break it in by photographing one or two of these particular areas that I’d seen across London on something of an epic photo walk, which took me from west to east London.
I started near Westbourne Park, home of the Trellick Tower, designed by architect Erno Goldfinger. I’d heard a lot about this building; its prized flats and its grade II listed status, but I’d only seen it from afar.
Approaching the tube station nearby, I glanced across the road at the bus depot. I’d always been a big fan of large, cavernous spaces (possibly a hangover from seeing Ken Adams magnificent set designs, especially in the Bond movies). After asking permission from a couple of Transport for London operatives standing nearby (“No problem, mate: do what you want…”) I took an image.
Getting off at Edgware Road, I walked to a nearby park in the Paddington area. Despite an old friend living here for some years, I had hardly explored the area. Intrigued by a green expanse north of the A501 road, I walked to Paddington Green conservation area, where I was entranced by the entrance to the local Church of St. Mary. Nestled among the leaves, the bright sunlight dappled pleasantly over it.
Next, I wanted to look at some big ceilings. I had photographed Lord Foster‘s glass-roofed Great Court before, but I wanted to see how my camera’s 50mm lens would take it.
I also took this view of the columns at the entrance on my way out. I’ve always loved this classical architecture; my early drawings as a preteen were full of them, maybe from being a fan of the Thames television logo, or from early, half-remembered family journeys around London as a child. I’ll be attempting more views on return visits.
A short bus ride took me to King’s Cross railway station; particularly to the semi-circular departures concourse designed by John McAslan. Magnificent stuff, which my lens couldn’t really take in entirely. This view from Wikipedia does it more justice: I’ll return there sometime and try photographing it again.
The last part of the journey took me from north central to east London. I stopped at Mile End, where its attractive park straddles a bridge over the A11 road. I had previously taken a view of the Canary Wharf development, framed by the undulating park, but this was with a zoom lens at its longest end: not do-able here. I had to settle for this different view: the financial oasis, framed by local buildings.
Journey’s end came at Blackwall, in particular, the junction of the A13 East India Dock Road and the A12 Blackwall Tunnel Northern Approach. I find the hardened, industrial aspect to this area exciting and love photographing it. On a car journey, I remembered seeing an odd hoarding about lifestyles. Was it a trick of the light? No, it really was there: graffiti artist Banksy was up to his tricks again.
I quite liked juxtaposing it with a closer view of Canary Wharf: lavish lifestyles out of stock? Who’d have thought it?
On top of the city
I find that I hardly ever look up when I’m walking around in London. In a foreign city, my eyes will glance everywhere, around buildings, shops, windows and people, but in my home city, I focus on getting to my destination and precious little else. I must miss a fair amount.
While I am lucky enough to work in a tall building with terrific views, a lot of this city’s tall buildings are security guarded; we can look at them but can enter no further than the reception. While one can make a journey on the London Eye or make a trip up the Shard, the views are from above the city, staring down at an angled map, rather than looking at the city’s peaks and troughs.
This is why I appreciate places like the Portrait Restaurant at the National Portrait Gallery. Situated on the gallery’s third floor, it boasts views that skim the roofs of the National Gallery, across Trafalgar Square towards Parliament Square; an entirely refreshing view of London.
While my friend and I sipped our wine, I saw others take advantage of the beautiful afternoon light to get an untypical image of the city: not looking up at, or looking down to, but looking over. I had to do the same.
Somerset House
A friend and I visited Somerset House near the Aldwych on a sunny evening. The courtyard was filled with water fountains; in the winter, an ice rink takes their place. The exhibitions there are always entertaining (we went to see the Sony World Photography exhibition) and the cafe / bar is a delight. And the building itself? Most impressive!
Burning Details 
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