Greenwich by The Blonde

I had a great day out shooting in Greenwich, there is so much to see and do, and as ever for me, as much as I enjoy composing and shooting the subject I have come to photograph, I also really love people watching and capturing other people enjoying the same place. This shot was taken in the National Maritime Museum in one of the covered walkways between buildings. It was one of those places that has that timeless feel about it, you can imagine the people before you, that have walked on the steps and along the worn flagstones for the last few hundred years wearing them to a soft shiny appearance. It was quite a warm day and tourists were taking the opportunity of a little shade and some benches for a little chillax time, and then this guy walked past me with his bicyle, and it just struck me as really great composition to lead the eye into the photo, it wouldn’t have been half as good without him. In processing I converted to B&W and added a “Holga – ish” effect from Picasa, which increased the contrast and gave me a slight vignette effect which again helps draw the viewers eye into the shot and along the pathway. I am really pleased with it, I hope it’s one of those shots that makes you start to think “where is that guy going? Who is he?” and the little kid on the bench on the left kicking their legs out adds a pleasing detail and emphasises the relaxed weekend atmosphere.

Others from our day I liked are below. There is a lot of temporary building work going on in the grounds of the museum ready for the Olympics, and I liked the view of the stands against the blue sky. The middle shot is a purposefully distorted wide angle shot of the museum, and the last a close up of a gilded lion on a royal barge in one of the displays. I actually love this one, but not sure that on its own it really says “Greenwich”.