Posted on

Bridge at Salford Quays

Bridge at Salford Quays

This is the second of the two good photos I managed to capture on Saturday afternoon. I wasn’t sure which to publish online but decided to post both in the end. This image was taken from the opposite side of the bridge to the previous, and as a result the sun was behind me. It was however an hour or two earlier so the light is a little more intense. I like this area and have taken it many times before, I find the design in the bridge and buildings pleasant to look at. Although the Lowry Centre, just behind the bridge is very shiny and reflective thus making it difficult to get a correctly exposed photograph of the whole area. So far this is the best image I have managed to capture of Salford Quays but I am still looking for that perfect sunset behind these interesting buildings.

Posted on

Sunset behind Bridge in Salford Quays

Sunset behind Bridge in Salford Quays

Any professional photographer will tell you that the best landscape and / or outdoor photography is done around sunrise or sunset, and its true to a certain extent. I really wanted to go further away from Manchester today but in the end I choose to explore the Salford Quays area. We have both been here many times and the weather and lighting today were surprisingly good, although the wind coming off the water was extremely strong and bitterly cold. Once I had taken about a hundred photos we had a look around the Lowry Shopping Centre, and for a Saturday afternoon I was very surprised at how empty it was. When we came out from shopping this was the view that I saw and I couldn’t help but get a couple of photos. I love this style of photography and think that sunsets are very beautiful. This is a classic candidate for some HDR (high dynamic range) photographic techniques. I wished to digitally combine this photo with another taken where the bridge structure has light on it rather than being silhouetted like it is in this image. This photo will have to be taken one morning in the future, but from exactly the same view point. Then I will try to combine the two pictures into an even more interesting (if not a little fake) photograph.

Posted on

London’s Tower Bridge on the River Thames

London's Tower Bridge on the River Thames

Second and final photo shot for this past weekend in London took me to the Tower of London and Tower Bridge (pictured above). Probably one of the most photographed bridges in the world and definitely a recognisable landmark for London. I must admit there is some Photoshop work on this image. When I photograph something as famous as this I like to study the little details, for example, the two flags on the top of the bridge make a big difference to the overall professional look to the photo, only one of them was real, the other is a copy, but can you spot which is which? (Feel free to comment on this). Waiting for the cruise boat to get into the right position in the water also makes a huge difference without these two little details this photograph wouldn’t be half as good. Again shame about the weather but for a quick look at London I don’t think I did too badly this weekend, more photos will follow soon.

Posted on

London’s Westminster Bridge with Big Ben

London's Westminster Bridge with Big Ben

I am spending this weekend in London for a family wedding. Most of us are staying in a hotel in the Docklands area, but we decided to go down a day early and make a weekend of it. We wanted to get out with our cameras (that is my dad and I did). This afternoon after we had checked into our hotel we got the Docklands Light Railway and then the Tube to Westminster. It was raining slightly when I took this photograph. The light wasn’t great but using a monopod to keep the camera steady really helped. I am planning to revisit this same spot later in the year. I can just see this photo now with a gorgeous blue sky.