I haven’t had much time for pinhole photography in the last few months and was feeling the need for some slow image making. When I had a meeting in London last month I decided to take a camera with me, along with my little table to tripod to document my day. It began at our village station, with a pigeon’s eye view from the platform as my train arrived. Fortunately the train was quiet so I followed that with a slow selfie, with my camera balanced on the seat opposite me.
Having arrived in London I began the 20 minute walk to my meeting, south of the River Thames. Along the way I got sidetracked, popping into the church of St Botolph without Bishopsgate for a four minute photo - if you look carefully you can just see me sitting in one of the pews on the right hand side of the nave.
I needed lunch before my meeting, so I stopped off at the Crosse Keys in Gracechurch Street - and naturally I look a photo as I read my book while eating.
A little further down the street I happened upon a large puddle which captured a reflection of the distant Monument to the Fire of London. My low level tripod was perfect for this, allowing me to catch the wide view of the street, along with the Monument and its reflection, even if I did get some quizzical looks from passersby as I crouched down at the kerbside!
My route took me along the north bank of the Thames, to Southwark Bridge, which looks so elegant spanning the water.
I couldn’t resist taking another photo from on the bridge, looking south, catching a few passing pedestrians too, even if some of them appear only as ghostly collections of legs!
Finally, time for my meeting and naturally I put my camera on the table to capture our discussions, planning the 2025 Recorder Summer School.
Five hours later it was time to retrace my steps, back over Southwark Bridge, looking west towards Tower Bridge in the distance.
My final successful shot of the day came from my walk back up Gracechurch Street, looking towards Tower 42 as the rush hour traffic crawled past me in the falling gloom.
Photos taken 30 September 2024