It turned out to be a 'flat white' kind of a day in London, fuelled by several cups of my favoured coffee... and determined to get a few photos, despite the unpromising dull, flat light and blank, grey skies. In some ways a diffused light is easier for architecture and suits the pale Portland stone buildings, like Somerset House (above) - yet you do really need a bit of sparkle to enliven a photo... and there was none.
I like the little 'wedding cake' churches scattered through the city, like St Mary-le-Strand below, now marooned in the middle of the busy thoroughfare that is the modern-day Strand, with St Clement Danes, equally marooned, a little distance beyond. They are known as 'island churches', for obvious reasons. Built in the early 1700s, I guess its location would have looked very different when it was first used but it is still a functioning church, and acts as the home church for the Women's Royal Naval Service.
On such a day, it was better, perhaps, to focus on close-ups. The magnolia trees in front of the church were in blossom, their colour and chaos forming an interesting foil to the church's Baroque ornamentation.
I sometimes think we photographers are as hard to please as farmers; the weather is seldom what we want. While I found myself despairing of that flat, white light in recent weeks, yesterday I had too much contrast and a heat haze to deal with Life's tough when you're retired and have nothing better to do than wander about and look at things! :)
ReplyDeleteI really like your pic of the church with the pops of red, Jenny!
ReplyDeleteSpectacular architecture, which you expect.
ReplyDelete