Night Train

An empty train waiting to depart at Paddington Station late one night. Nothing special about that, except that Paddington, of all London stations, is always a thrill to visit –a true and vast cathedral to rail travel. And it's so spacious that one never feels crowded there, except perhaps when busy commuter trains spill out their passengers of a morning. At night, it's quieter (but never still) and in places a little bit ghostly, but I love to walk along the platforms and imagine the many destinations the trains standing there will pass through. The lighting is alluring -in places, such as against the huge curved ceilings it is blue, like a nightclub. You only see a tiny bit of it here, but I like this picture because it seems to catch something of the essence of what makes train stations so alluring and romantic (at least for me!) I like the variety of lines and the mix of light and shadow and particularly the long stretch of windows along the sleek side of the empty train. All aboard!

Location: London, England

Tower Bridge

This is probably not only the most photographed bridge in the world, but one of the most photographed man-made motives of any kind, and no prizes for guessing that we are in London. For some reason, many people insist on calling this London Bridge –for few things symbolise London more (well.. Big ben, The London Eye, Nelson's Column...). BUT, of course this label is wrong; for this is TOWER Bridge –named for its proximity to the Tower of London and for its two distinctive towers. It's one of the most distinctive bridges anywhere and it was a true delight to fulfil recently a little dream I've had of walking across it. But it's perhaps best seen from a distance from the one of the riverbanks, and if you're very lucky you might see it with the two halves of the bridge's road raised. Here, however, I have captured the bridge –as I try to do with all London bridges– with a bright red double-decker smack in the middle! On a purely technical level I realize I should have captured more of the sky above the bridge to make this picture more balanced, but sadly I was too awe-struck by the sight of the bridge itself that all my composition knowledge went for a burton. Sorry!

Location: London, England

Lunch for Two

Things that look similar or identical are often fascinating subjects for a photograph; people too, which is why twins invariable work well in pictures, whatever the circumstances. Whether these two workmen on their lunch-break are twins is unclear, but they could certainly be brothers; there's something tremendously satisfying about the similarity of their posture, the identical plastic bags between their legs and the same Hi-Vis vests. The location is, of course, the base of the Eros statue in Piccadilly Circus -itself probably the most photographed spot in London. Against the dark base these two light up, enjoying a few minutes repose before returning to work. I liked the sense of "moment" and the somehow rather sweet pairing.

Location: London, England

Southbank

Big Ben is currently surrounded by scaffolding and undergoing necessary repairs, but this picture is from before the time when this work started and thus the palace of Westminster is uncluttered and Big Ben itself magnificent and proud in the early evening. We're on London's Southbank looking across the Thames. I've always adored the ornate lampposts that line the embankment on each side of the river. Here they have not yet been lit and are in the shade of the overhanging bridge so the decorative dolphins that enwrap each post cannot be seen but they are as much a part of London's landscape as Big Ben itself. I just liked this picture because it captured for me a moment and a mood and so much of what makes me love London.

Location: London, England

Police Post

Here's quite an interesting piece of street furniture that I came across in London. I don't know if it's the only one of it's kind, but it's a post or bollard marking the site of a former police station, in this case the one in Gerald Road near Victoria. The garage doors behind were once those of the station. First opened in 1846, the police station closed in 1993 when the new Belgravia station was built. It is now a private residence. But at least a couple of reminders of its law enforcement past remain, including a blue plaque and a (once) blue lamp of the kind traditionally found above the entrances to police stations. But te real treat is this little constable –no more than a foot in height. I have taken the photograph from below deliberately because I felt it suited the authority of the memorial, but many people probably pass it without realising what it is. Some wit has drawn eyes and a mouth on the formerly blank silver face, but they've got the expression spot on. He seems to be regarding the world with a certain grim suspicion, enough to induce apprehension in any potential wrongdoers, but there's also a solidness to him that inspires trust.Even though he has no arms! I love quirky little things like this that one finds on the streets of cities around the world.

Location: London, England

Italian Gardens

Right at the north end of Kensington Gardens in London you'll find this fabulous feature, an Italian Garden in the heart of London. You may be heading deeper into the park but it is tempting to stop here and go no further for though just moments away from a busy road you are in tranquil surroundings and feel yourself somehow stepping back in time as you walk around these beds and basins. The gradens were originally set out in the 1860s by Prince Albert, designed by James Pennethorne and based on the gardens at Osborune House on the Isle of Wight. The gardens were fully restored in 2011. This picture is taken towards the end of spring, early one morning when I had an hour to kill after leaving my hotel and before my onward connection left. I stumbled quite by accident into the park and was enchanted by its genteel beauty. Later, there would no doubt be more colour in the flowerbeds but the grass was green and the sound of the fountains mixed with an impressive amount of birdsong were ample substitutes. I tried to capture the atmosphere of slightly heightened wonder and magical mystery that I experienced here; the big dark trees on the left seem to have turned their backs on the serenity below, yet they too form part of the whole. Essentially, I find the image a very peaceful one.

Location: London, England

Escalator

I was fiddling with my camera, having just taken some fairly ordinary pictures of trains on the London Underground, and was returning up the escalator at Kilburn Park where I was staying at the time, when I was struck by the way the false light of the underground world is replaced by the real light of the outside world shining through a glass dome on top of the station hall. Then there were these golden ceiling lights that seemed in both illumination and style to belong a earlier age, giving a kind of welcoming warmth as one came up the stairs –and are a stark contrast to the functional strip lighting tubes below. Rather than making everything nice and straight and balanced, I wanted the angles to define the picture. Here, the dark lower ceiling cuts across diagonally at the top of the picture while the shadowy stairwells creates a sort of jagged effect below. These two elements create a nice frame for the lights, the destination. I liked the breaking up of composition and the dynamic quality of the various lines we see and I, at least, find the photograph quite exciting!

Location: London, England

Lambeth Bridge

One of my casual ongoing projects is to photograph all 33 bridges that cross the River Thames in Greater London. I'm around halfway there now, and you may have some of the earlier posts featuring those bridges I have so far covered. Here's a new one –the often forgotten Lambeth Bridge, so often overlooked by its more illustrious neighbour a little further down the river (Westminster Bridge. But Lambeth Bridge is as equally an essential crossing and has charms of its own, not least the views of the Palace of Westminster from the other side, and a good deal fewer tourists. It's also a good place to cross over to explore the quieter end of the South Bank, excellent for a good walk either along the riverside or down into Lambeth itself. Interestingly, the red colour on the bridge is meant to refer to the colour of the seats in the House of Lords, which is closest to the bridge, whereas the more green Westminster Bridge refers to the colour of seats in the House of Commons, which is closest to that bridge! Though there's been a bridge here since 1862 (and before that a ferry crossing at this point), the present structure opened in 1932. It has some nice features, like the lamps seen here, and the bridge has now been listed and therefore protected. As is my usual whim, I have photographed the bridge with a red double decker halfway across –for few things symbolise London to me more.

Location: London, England

West End in the Rain

I've a thing about London in the rain, and looking back on photographs I have taken there I realise that so many of them have been taken under wet conditions that one could be forgiven for thinking that it always rains in London – but that, of course, is not true, and one day I promise to prove it by sharing some pictures taken while it's sunny. But in the meantime here's another one in the rain! There's something about reflections in puddles and on shiny pavements that awakes a sort of romanticism as well as creating interesting textures and pattens of fractured colour and light. Here we are in the heart of theatre-land, alongside the Noël Coward Theatre, which used to be the Albery Theatre, and before that the New Theatre. It is an area seeping qwith theatrical history and it is one of my favourite areas of London; the absence of cars here makes it doubly interesting, and at the end of the lane is a favourite actor's pub –The Salisbury, and across the road, on the corner of the lane leading to Covent Garden, is another: The Angel & Crown, both nearing closing time as the clock says 11, but there may still be time for one quick drink if you hurry... Location: London, England

Beneath Westminster Bridge

The terrible events of last week that brought terror to the very heart of London shocked and upset me enormously, as I am sure they did many others. Sadly, similar occurrences and far worse take place all over the world on occasion, and seemingly more so these days tan before, but it is always particularly hard when the place that is struck is close to one's heart. London is my favourite city, its streets are my cherished haunts, and as an inveterate walker I feel I know every corner and feel a personal bond with the history and culture inherent in every cobblestone –which is perhaps odd as I have never lived in London, merely returned to it again and again like an old friend; and it never disappoints. But it hurts when bad things occur there. When these things occur in places my own footsteps have crossed it hurts even more. Westminster Bridge is one such place.I photographed it from many angles a couple of years ago, but this shot taken from below is my favourite because it shows the two "states" of any bridge –that of the world above and that of the world below. The graceful sweep of one of its archways is at the same time impressive and friendly, it doesn't swell over and dominate you completely like many other bridges. Above,on the pavement, people walk by; some look over the side, others are occupied with their telephone. I imagine the scene was much like this before the crazed motorist screeched onto the pavement and mowed down innocent pedestrians last week. Though the bridge itself remains essentially the same, the scars from last week's events will sadly give it a new kind of significance every time I am close to it. Like so many other places. Location: London, England

Telephone Box Line-up

Telephone boxes are rapidly becoming obsolete in many parts of the world now that almost everyone seems to have a mobile telephone. In many cases they seem to have more of a nostalgic than a practical value, and none so than the iconic British red telephone box, no less than five of which are pictured here. Coming across so many boxes in one place was a bit of a photographer's treat, for things in groups are often more interesting subjects that single examples. There is something essentially British about these gorgeous constructions, with their comforting solidity and bright colour. London has been particularly good about retaining large numbers of its telephone boxes, realising no doubt their value as visitor attractions –as recognisable as double-decker buses and Buckingham Palace. It's been a long time since I myself used one of these boxes, but I have photographed them a great deal over the years. Attempts at modernising the exteriors by creating one large window on either side failed miserably; there's something special about all those little panes that gives an illusion of privacy yet still allows those inside to see out and, back in the day, those impatiently queuing outside to glare in! There are no queues here now, only a pigeon debating whether to make a call... Location: London, England

Merry Christmas !

A couple of years ago, close to Christmas, the famous statue of Eros on Piccadilly Circus was encased in this magical transparent globe, which, at regular intervals dispersed "snow" like one of those fascinating table-top trinkets that used to be so popular (perhaps they still are, somewhere?). Now this effect was both delightful and seasonal, and proved to be very popular with tourists and anyone else who passed by; it was an iconic landmark given a cheerful little makeover to mark the season of goodwill in a city that doesn't experience snow all that often. What it does experience, however, is wind, and hereby hangs a tale. For, shortly after this picture was taken, this globe was no more. A very troublesome little storm brewed in the West End, and a vicious gust of wind ripped a tear in the fabric of the globe, thus causing it to collapse like a deflated balloon. But not, however, before the thousands of plastic snowflakes swirling inside had been dispersed gleefully over much of Piccadilly Circus, and got into all sorts of places for days afterwards. But perhaps such is Christmas itself -a bubble that is there for a short time only; beautiful while it lasts but gone all too quickly. May I wish you a Happy Christmas, free of strife, worry and bursting globes. Location: London, England

View of a City

I shall shortly be traveling to one of my favourite cities – that grand metropolis, dear old London. And, as always, I am looking forward to it immensely as its fascination is endless, and I never tire of it. And I tend to use my camera a lot there, for there is something of interest at every corner, and every cobblestone seems to exude masses of history. And it's a modern city too, of course, with a skyline that changes a little every time I get up high to observe what's new. One of the best views of London (and the City of London as opposed to the City of Westminster) is from St.Paul's Cathedral where this picture was taken, here looking up the Thames toward Westminster. Unlike some of the other popular high-up observation spots in London, here you are actually outside, on a rather narrow balcony that encircles the tower on the top of the famous dome. You're exposed to the wind and cold, and it's a long climb up inside the dome to get there, but what a thrill when you step out and see the magnificent city sprawled all around you, the majesty of the cathedral itself directly below, and the busy silver river beside you. Breathtaking. And no single picture really does it justice; you have to be up there to experience it for real. However,this didn't stop me from shooting away like mad in all directions as I recognised landmarks and buildings and saw the busy city going about its business. For though you are high up, you are still essentially part of the city, and its sounds waft up towards you; so the experience is much more visceral and immediate than for instance seeing a city from a plane window, or an enclosed observation deck. And when you get back down on the ground again, you will always look up at St. Paul's with greater familiarity, proudly saying to yourself every time you see it "I've been up there!" Location: London, England

Goal for the Year

I'm kicking off the new year with a picture that expresses my wish for the new year. I was walking about in London one afternoon in a rather gloomy sort of mood, thinking about this and that with my eyes cast a little more down than usual, when I suddenly came across this –"A sign!" I said to myself, dramatically (being an actor) and I was immediately put in a better frame of mind. Sometimes it is the most mundane things that may be the most profound. A simple instruction painted on the street, but with the arrow and direction there is an emphasis that I find uplifting -there is forever a road before us stretching out, and on it bravely we fare! Have a great year, everybody. Location: London, England

Putney Bridge

Another entry in my series depicting bridges over the River Thames – one day I'll hopefully have photographed them all. This is Putney Bridge –perhaps not as well known as some of the other bridges further downstream, but rather a nice one – with its gentle slope, wide, graceful arches and ornate lamps. The picture was taken at low tide, and numerous birds are feasting on the rich, wet banks –but these birds are good at disguise, and only a few can be seen. If you are a careful observer of my pictures you will recognize the trademark double-decker bus that appears on most of my bridge pictures from London. In this case I had to wait a long time for a bus to come along, without it being blocked by other large vehicles on the bridge. Once I had taken the picture, however, a whole fleet of double-deckerss came along –which is typical. The sky is a bit moody and there's a brisk wind, but I find the image to be quite peaceful, and evocative of this charming part of the capital. Location: London, England

"He was not of an age, but for all time..."

It's William Shakespeare's 451st birthday today, so it is fitting that today's picture celebrates him. I took the picture around Christmas, when there was a fairground in Leicester Square where this statue stands. The coloured lights of the fair and on the trees seemed to my mind to frame the statue in a celebratory way. I am sure many who pass by on a daily basis never look up and read or think about the meaningful quote – "There is no darkness but ignorance" (from Act IV of Twelfth Night), but I think they should. Any number of other Shakespeare quotes could, of course, be placed here too; we all have our favourites. The one that forms the title of this entry though is not by Shakespeare, but about him – written by his friend Ben Jonson in the preface to the collected plays of the bard, published after his death. It is a fine tribute and, I think, a very true one. Certainly he lives on for me and continues to fascinate, inspire, uplift, express and surprise through his words, characters, poetry and creativity. Happy birthday, Sir!

Rear Window

One of my all time favourite films – Alfred Hitchock's Rear Window – happens to be on TV tonight. It concerns a photographer, stuck in a wheelchair with a broken leg, who spends his days staring out of his window, idly observing the goings on of his neighbours (and discovering that a crime has been committed). The whole story is seen from the flat of the photographer and the film set bears some resemblance to this picture. However, this is London whereas the film is set in New York. But Hitchcock drew on something that was familiar to people everywhere – the curiosity about neighbours and the potential drama that is before us every time we look out of our window. This is the view from a hotel room I was occupying in London, and though there is little drama to be seen here the picture does hold a special significance, lending some inspiration perhaps to Rear Window itself: for one of the upper flats we see the windows of here is the former home of none other than... Alfred Hitchcock! Location: London, England

London Street at Night After Rain

Ok, so it's a little bit blurred; my camera is not the best at taking night shots, but I had a go when I saw the coloured lights reflected in the puddle. Wet surfaces always appeal to me, and uneven pavements with lots of detail make for interesting viewing. Also, as this is a pedestrian-street, there are no cars, giving the view more of a timeless quality. It's also my favourite street in London – Cecil Court, home of numerous niche bookshops and treasure-houses of prints, memorabilia, old maps, coins and more. The coloured lights were up for Christmas and along with the other lights from shops and lamps merge in a washed-out effect, almost like a painting. It's also rather moody, which I like. Location: London, England

Under London

I've always had a fascination for London Underground and consider it not only one of the world's great engineering feats, but one of most iconic and exciting examples of urban design. I know many people regard the whole system with frustration, or find it simply a means of getting from A to B, but I find any journey through the maze of tunnels and levels that worm beneath the ground to be uplifting and wondrous. During rush hour crowds make it somewhat stressful, but when things are quieter it is endlessly fascinating. I think the genius of the whole system is the use of curves –tubes are always so much more fun than regular straight walls. Then there's the widespread use of colour-coding, making it impossible to get lost when changing lines, adding brightness to the white or cream tiling. This is a connecting tunnel between lines. There's an element of science-fiction about the picture, 2001 maybe, and I loved the way the lines and curves create almost a fish-eye effect as the tunnel rather soothingly beckons us forward. Location: London, England

Snow Bubble at Piccadilly Circus

Another one from London and one of its iconic landmarks –the statue of Eros and its marvellous plinth on Piccadilly Circus. The plinth is hidden here, and Eros appears to be floating in the middle of a huge bubble set up over the statue for Christmas. It even features snow at regular intervals, resembling a gigantic version of one of those fascinating snow toys you often find in gift shops. This one went a bit wrong soon after the photograph was taken as high winds caused the plastic bubble to rip and collapse, spreading large quantities of artificial snow all over Piccadilly, but here the effect is tranquil and rather pretty. I was quite pleased with the light, both in the background and bubble and on the figures in front. Sepia seemed right, too. Location: London, England