Steel City Snapper photography
35mm, medium format and large format film photography (with the odd bit of digital every now and then…)
When I took this picture it was the reflection that attracted me. It was only later, when I scanned the photo, that I realised it looked like a window into the world beneath the ground where the tree’s roots spread otherwise unseen.
Olympus OM-1N, G-Zuiko Auto-W 35mm f/2.8 & Ilford HP5+ (@1600asa). Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 12mins @ 20°
Taken on 29 November 2022.
I generally try to find a Christmassy photo to publish on the big day. The only recent picture I have that fits the bill is this one of the Christmas Tree being erected in Trafalgar Square in London. It didn’t have any lights or decorations affixed when I took the shot.
Each year a tree is gifted to the people of Britain by Norway in thanks for British support during the Second World War. The tree would feature in the British childrens television programme Blue Peter quite frequently at Christmas, when the presenters would assist in it’s felling and transportation from Norway, and it’s erection in Trafalgar Square. Blue Peter is still being shown – it first aired in 1958 – and is the longest running TV show in the world. In 2008 presenter Andy Akinwolere presented the feature on the Christmas Tree and accidentally dropped the star when attempting to fit it to the top of the tree.
Olympus OM-1N, G-Zuiko Auto-W 35mm f/2.8 & Ilford HP5+ (@1600asa). Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 12mins @ 20°
Taken on 29 November 2022.
The Shard was, at the time of its construction, the tallest building in Europe, standing at 308.5 metres in height. It has since been surpassed by a number of buildings, including the Mercury City Tower in Moscow, Russia, and the Varso Tower in Warsaw, Poland. It remains the second tallest structure in the United Kindom although the tallest – the Emley Moor television transmitter – is not a habited building.
On the day I took this picture, The Shard’s pinnacle was lost in a shroud of fog. There’s a viewing gallery up at the top, though it probably represented a lesser experience on this date (unless you really like being in a cloud).
Olympus OM-1N, G-Zuiko Auto-W 35mm f/2.8 & Ilford HP5+ (@1600asa). Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 12mins @ 20°
Taken on 29 November 2022.
Another shot form the grey, overcast day in London. Some interest in the sky would have worked wonders for the picture, I think, but the conditions were what they were.
I have more HP5+ pictures from the day to come, but this second roll was exposed at 1600asa and pushed in development, so I at least got more flexibility in shutter speeds and apertures. Those will start to appear from tomorrow.
I received a surprise today in the shape of a parcel that I’ve been expecting for weeks, but which has been caught up in the Royal Mail industrial action currently affecting us here in the UK. The parcel was sent to my via Special Delivery – a service which “guarantees” next working day delivery by 1pm but which, in this case, has taken a full three weeks to arrive. I honestly wasn’t expecting it to get to me before the New Year so, when it turned up today, it was welcome and a nice Christmas bonus. The parcel contains a new photography related toy which I will start to get to grips with next week. More news to come on this soon, I hope.
Olympus OM-1N, G-Zuiko Auto-W 35mm f/2.8 & Ilford HP5+ (@800asa). Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 8mins @ 20°
Taken on 29 November 2022.
City Hall, London was opened in 2002 and served as the headquarters of the Greater London Authority unttil 20221. It’s unusual shape was designed by achitect Norman Foster.
Olympus OM-1N, G-Zuiko Auto-W 35mm f/2.8 & Ilford HP5+ (@800asa). Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 8mins @ 20°
Taken on 29 November 2022.
Shad Thames is an area of former wharf buildings situated on the south bank of the River Thames in London, immediately east of Tower Bridge.The street which bears the area’s name is cobbled and spanned by historic bridges that formed part of the complex when it was in industrial use, though it’s now an upmarkek residential area. It’s a very dramatic and picturesque street and has featured in numerous film and television programmes (although I remember it most from a 1980s Doctor Who serial featuring the Daleks).
It’s a great location for photography, even in the less than inspiring conditions I had on the day.
Olympus OM-1N, G-Zuiko Auto-W 35mm f/2.8 & Ilford HP5+ (@800asa). Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 8mins @ 20°
Taken on 29 November 2022.
I’d really hoped for better conditions on the day I made all these photos in London. The day before had beencontrasty sunlight, blue skies, and interesting swirls of cloud. The day I was able to do some photography was beset by drab featureless grey skies whose only redeeming feature was that the tops of some of the tall buildings disappeared into the cloudbase in an atmospheric fashion. Still, as a photographer in the UK, thses are conditions to which you must resign yourself because they are likely as not to arise when you least want them.
So here are four pictures shot in the City of London – London’s business and financial district – on a cold, grey morning at the end of November.
Olympus OM-1N, G-Zuiko Auto-W 35mm f/2.8 & Ilford HP5+ (@800asa). Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 8mins @ 20°
Taken on 29 November 2022.
I’ve been to London many times but have never really ventured south of the City – well, except one time when I visited Greenwich, but that was on a river trip, not on foot. As a result, while I’ve seen Tower Bridge in person, I’d never gotten close enough to cross it, so this was a first for me.
The bridge is one that always seems smaller to me than the others on the river for some reason, a perception thing. Perhaps it’s because it’s tall and that somehow makes it feel less wide in its span or something? Whatever the case, it doesn’t feel small once you get up close and its height and span become more readily apparent.
Olympus OM-1N, G-Zuiko Auto-W 35mm f/2.8 & Ilford HP5+ (@800asa). Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 8mins @ 20°
Taken on 29 November 2022.
Even pushing the film a stop, there was not enough light on the morning I took these photos to get fast shutter speeds, and so some camera movement has crept into some shots. Not something I intended, but they actually have a slightly fuzzy look that kinda works I think.
The previous day, when I had to attend a work meeting and had no time to take pictures, the weather was glorious. The day I had the opportunity to do some photography in London, the weather was not far off the worse it could be. Drab, dull, and grey. My usual luck.
Olympus OM-1N, G-Zuiko Auto-W 35mm f/2.8 & Ilford HP5+ (@800asa). Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 8mins @ 20°
Taken on 29 November 2022.
Steel City Snapper photography 