Tag Archives: britain

As I Was Going to St. Ives


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St Ives Bridge is a 15th century bridge crossing the River Great Ouse. It is one of only 4 bridges in England with a built-in chapel; the other 3 are in Rotherham, Wakefield and Bradford-upon-Avon. The structure not only served as a chapel but was at different times a tollhouse, an inn, a notorious public house, and a doctor's surgery house.

St. Ives is a small little-known town in Cambridgeshire which I’m sure not many of you have either visited or seen pictures of, as I have not until last night. But I’m pretty sure you’ve heard of it. The name St. Ives has been popularized in the famous riddle or song.

St. Ives is not much of a photographic town either and not many landmarks to speak of, but there’s a bridge there that intrigued me and I wanted to give it a shot. It is the second bridge with a built-in chapel that I’ve visited this year; I believe there are only 4 of its kind here in England. The other bridge I’ve visited was in Bradford-upon-Avon. [...Wait, there's more...]


Cambridge in the Dark


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Where during the day, light is not usually a problem in taking photos, at night time, LIGHT – be it ambient or artificial, is a big factor in capturing successful images.  In my case where 90% of time I shoot during twilight, and shoot mostly cityscapes, much of my photography depends on the last remaining light of the day plus sufficient artificial lights in my surroundings. In large urban and industrialized cities, that’s not usually a problem, because there is enough light and even light pollution coming from high-rises and office buildings, and even from popular tourist landmarks. In smaller and more laid-back cities where the city center and businesses close down early, and there are no well-lit buildings to speak of at night, producing a usable image is a challenge.

The historic city of Cambridge, being a university town, has most of its famous landmarks – including beautiful churches and bridges – contained within the school campuses. Although its prestigious colleges are open to tourists for most of the day, they still close down at sundown, or sometimes even earlier.

It’s no wonder that there are not very many images of Cambridge at night, and only maybe a handful of twilight images, if at all. Inspite of that, I still wanted to give it a try, and have even tried a couple of times in the past months only to retreat before twilight because I was not convinced with the light. Knowing that I have to do this sooner or later, this time I made sure I stuck around long enough to see what I can come up with in this sleepy town.

Punts are a popular way of seeing the sights in Cambridge, while winding down the river Cam. These punts can be found by Magdalene bridge at the Quayside. Magdalene College can be seen across the river. 30 sec @ F/16, ISO 100.

The Quayside is one of the few areas lit at night, but even this place is still quite dark after sundown, so I made sure I captured it early into twilight where there's still enough light in the sky. The long exposure also helped in "brightening up" the scene. 20 seconds @ F/16. ISO 100, EV +.33.

The Round Church or the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Even with moonlight (though partially covered with clouds), this area was very dark at blue hour. This just shows you what long exposure and some EV adjustment can do to save the day. 30 sec @ F/11, ISO 100, +1 EV.

Two of my favorite shots of the night are of the red phone box I found on Bridge Street. There were quite a few of these on this road, but I chose this one because it was the only one with the TELEPHONE light on. 15 sec @ F/11, ISO 100.

Same phone box as above but facing the opposite side of the street. The buses moved really slow but in a steady flow, which worked to my advantage as it gave me a smooth trail. The bright trails worked as an additional and much-needed light source. Part of St. John's College, bathed in the dark, can be seen across the street. 13 sec @ F/9, ISO 100.


The Tree in Trafalgar Square


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You’ve probably watched or read the news about the student protests in London the other day, which turned pretty violent, even putting Prince Charles and Camilla in harm’s way as they drove down Regent Street. Students rallied the streets hours after the House of Commons announced a triple tuition hike in universities. They even set fire to the Christmas tree in Trafalgar Square which fortunately police had stopped before it completely burned down. See: Student protesters set fire to Trafalgar Square Christmas Tree

I had planned on shooting the tree at Trafalgar Square the same night, and had been looking forward to it since the lighting ceremony last week, but decided to do it the next day. Reading the news that night, I was worried that the tree would not be there anymore, but still went to see it anyway. Getting there the next day, clean-up crew and repairmen were on the scene fixing the lights on the Christmas tree while I patiently waited. Even with a back-up plan, I still had my mind set on this. Fortunately, they had the tree back to normal in time for twilight, which was just before 4 p.m. Inspite of that, I still found it challenging to shoot there as there were many distractions: scaffolding on the left side of the National Gallery, the work crew had not left yet, and some news reporters and carolers were on one side of the tree setting up stage. Not to mention, the light in the sky was not ideal. But I did manage somehow.

The Trafalgar Square tree is typically a 50 to 60-year old Norwegian spruce and stands about 20 meters tall. It is an annual gift of Norway as a token of gratitude to the people of London for their assistance during World War ll.

At the base of the tree stands a plaque, bearing the words: "This tree is given by the city of Oslo as a token of Norwegian gratitude to the people of London for their assistance during the years 1940-45. A tree has been given annually since 1947."

The famous fountains of Trafalgar Square were originally constructed to commemorate the Battle of Trafalgar against Napoleon. The two fountains feature mermen and mermaids alongside dolphins, sculpted in bronze.

Looking down to Big Ben from the steps of the National Gallery.


My Security Pals


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Another visit to London on a cold wintry day. Temperature was 27 °F  (-2 °C)  with a windchill of 26 °F  (-3 °C). Snow flurries danced their way around the city around noon, but they fizzled away quickly. I was hoping I’d get enough snow on the ground for a better winter scene but that means I’d be colder, so I guess it was just fine the way it was, for now.

It’s no secret that London is tight on security and not very photographer-friendly, but I did not know it was going to be this irksome especially if you come 80 miles away only to be told to pack up and go. I’ve never had to watch my back all the time while shooting – except maybe when I was in Manila Bay at dusk, surrounded by curious bums and squatters, but that’s another story. Taking pictures is starting to feel like a crime around here.

I did not expect to have 3 brushes with security within the next 24 hours. Sometimes it just doesn’t make any sense but there’s nothing one can do, except sneak in a couple of shots when no one’s looking.

Anyway, here are my latest conversations with my security pals:

In Somerset House–

It was still about half an hour before twilight and I was doing test shots handheld at the ice rink when I was approached by female security.

“Ma’am, what’s that for?” She was referring to the GND filter I had in front of my lens.

“It’s a filter,” I replied.

“Yeah, but what does it do?”

I was a little confused about why she was interested, but I explained, “It just balances the light, that’s all.”

“What are you going to do with the pictures?” She asked.  With the tone in her voice, I now know where this was going.

“They’re just tourist shots, that’s all,” I reasoned. “It’s just a hobby.”

“I need to talk to my manager,” she said. “You’re not allowed to use professional cameras here.”

And off she went to get her manager while in the meantime, I sneaked in a couple more shots until the big boss came and just further emphasized what the other woman just told me.

So off to Westminter at twilight–

There were a few tripod-huggers at the promenade by London Eye up  to the steps of Westminster bridge, but of course I had to be the one spotted right away.

“You’re not allowed to use that here,” he pointed to the tripod I had already set up. “But,” he continued very reassuringly, ” you can take shots on the bridge if you want.”

It was only about 20 steps to the bridge from where I was, so is it me or, I find no logic in that?

Anyway, that was it for my rendezvous with my new friends in London, but the following day at the mall in Bluewater 20 miles outside of London, I was taking shots of the Winter Wonderland scene when I got another visit.

“Can I see your press pass, please?” my new friend asked.

Press pass - I thought to myself – that’s a pick-up line I haven’t heard before. “I’m sorry what?” I asked. I had just taken 6 shots of the scene.

She repeated herself and I innocently replied, “Oh, I’m sorry, I don’t have one.”

“You’re not allowed to take photos here,” she said, “We have our own media people doing that.”

“I didn’t know, sorry.” And I said, with what’s becoming my new alibi-of-the-day, “It’s just a hobby.”

“Can I see what you’ve just taken?” She asked.

I turned my camera on and pressed playback. I showed her the last photo I took, “Just that one, is that okay?”  I lied, then I turned my camera off.

“I want to see you put your camera away,” she then said. A little bit too harsh, don’t you think?

So I put my camera back in the bag while she watched, folded up my tripod, and sulked.

Poor me :(

Taken early afternoon with heavy clouds and freezing temperature. There's no shortage of double-deckers in London so it's always fun to do this. I took this handheld at CH (burst) mode, 5fps. 1/8 sec @ f/20, ISO 200.

Classic Westminster bridge and Houses of Parliament scene. It was not allowed to use a tripod from where I stood here, but it's okay on the bridge.

Dreary, cold and gray afternoon in the city.

At Bluewater. Poorly-composed shot I know, but I was just getting started when I was interrupted. This is the kind of blue hour I thrive for - nice, rich, cold winter blue. The cone-shaped tree on top changes color every few seconds. There was more of this Winter Wonderland but I never got the chance to shoot it.


Holiday Winter Scenes


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Hope everyone’s enjoying the holiday season and staying warm. Today’s temperature here is 28.9 °F  (-1.7 °C)  with  a windchill of 25 °F (-4 °C). If it’s colder where you are, I feel bad for you.

Just a few images here to get you into the spirit.

Winter Wonderland at Bluewater Shopping Center - Greenhithe, Kent.

Somerset House Ice Rink - London.

Angel Hill Christmas Tree - Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk.


A Shot in the Dark in Cold Burrrrrr-y


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[...Bury St. Edmunds, England...]

The Christmas Fayre – that’s how they spell it here – is going on in the charming town of Bury St. Edmunds. It’s only a 3-day affair but judging from the amount of visitors, it’s one of the most successful fairs in England. I’ve been to quite a number of these in Germany – there they call it Christkindlmarkt or Christmas market, and they’re a good way of getting into the spirit of the season.

I had looked forward to this event not because of the fair, but because it’s probably the only time out of the year that the grounds of St. Edmundsbury Cathedral and the Abbey Ruins are open past dusk. I’ve wanted to shoot here at twilight since the summer, but like I said, they close down the gates before that. Much to my dismay, it wasn’t much of a spectacle after dark seeing that there were hardly any lights on in the Cathedral, and I had to fumble my way around the dark ruins on the slippery ground. It was so dark that the ruins were merely indiscernible silhouettes and focusing was a lot of guesswork and a bit of luck.

So there I was far away from the maddening crowd of the fair and in the middle of darkness by the ruins, when I saw two neon yellow figures walk towards me in opposite directions. One flashed his light briefly behind me, and asked,”Did someone run by you just now?”

I looked up behind me, put my frozen numb hands back into my coat pockets, and as I replied, white puffs of air billowed from my mouth. It’s a biting cold night, nothing that I wore tonight seemed to protect me one bit.

“No. Why?” I asked.

At this time, the other security – a female, had just inched towards us but said nothing.

“We received a report of a shadowy figure, dressed in black, running down here. Did you see anyone?” The man asked casually, as if trying not to alarm me.

No matter, I was still alarmed. I guess it didn’t help that not too long ago, I was just thinking about the Ipswich serial murders. I was in Ipswich on Wednesday night and was reading about the city this morning when I came across that article. I know that walking in the dark by yourself is never a good thing. That, and watching too much crime TV.

“Oh no, should I be worried?” I asked.

“No no no, we were just checking. Did you just get here?”

“I’ve been here about 5 minutes.”

“Were you down there earlier?” he was pointing further down at a different direction of the ruins.

“Yes I was.”

“So I guess it might be you then.”

“I guess it was,” I said, feeling much better with that thought. “I’m just taking pictures though, is that okay?”

“Oh no, you’re fine,” he said. “Carry on.”

And with that, they both left me alone in complete darkness for another minute or so of exposure that felt like forever.

The Georgian-style town square of Bury with the tree lit up in Angel Hill. Last year, the Christmas Fayre of Bury attracted over 70,000 visitors in 3 days.

This scene probably looks better in my shot than in real life, thanks to high ISO I was able to squeeze out every bit of light coming from the cathedral. My lens could not find anything to focus on in the darkness, so I moved the focus point around until it found something. I could've done it manually but it was too cold I could not think straight. Pictured here is the St. Edmundsbury Cathedral (more info at http://www.stedscathedral.co.uk). 25 seconds @ F/9, ISO 320.

Not much of a shot, but I just wanted to show the front of the Abbey Gate and part of the Cathedral on the right. The Abbey Gate was built vastly out of scale with the gardens and modest cathedral of St. Edmundsbury. It was damaged during the rioting in 1327 but it was rebuilt later in the 14th century.

Part of the Abbey Ruins where I met the 2 security fellows. Hard to believe by looking at this image that it was actually dark when I took this shot with only a faint light in the sky. The ruins itself was not lit up, so I used a high ISO to get something out of it plus a a little exposure adjustment in post processing. 30 seconds @ f/9, +.05 EV, ISO 320.


Scenes from Golden Jubilee Bridge


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The world's famous clock needs no further introduction.

Light trails at Victoria Embankment from Golden Jubilee bridge.

Crescent moon hovers over the Thames and London's famous icons, the Palace of Westminster on the north bank and London Eye on the south.

The Golden Jubilee Bridges were officially opened in summer 2003 and became a great new landmark for London.


Red Poppies at Trafalgar Square Fountains


Posted by Yen Baet

Yet another rainy day in London. There was some promise of sunlight for a few minutes in the afternoon but that simmered down to false hope as dusk was drawing near. You knew there was a storm coming – in fact, they had issued a gale warning today – if you look in the sky and follow where the clouds were headed to. Although the sunset brought in some colors with it, it was cloudy and eery for the most part. At sunset, I took some shots in Trafalgar Square and  headed down to the nearby Golden Jubilee Bridges at which time the rain fell hard. Luckily, it stopped after a few minutes, and I picked up where I had left off.

Despite the nasty weather, I’m still glad I went to Trafalgar Square today. It’s probably only once a year I’d get a shot like this with the poppies. Today, England celebrates Armistice Day. The entire week, I’ve been seeing people wearing poppy ribbons on their lapels, and today at Trafalgar Square, paper poppy wreaths and flowers are strewn into the fountains. In several parts of London, at the “eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month” people stopped for a couple of minutes for a moment of silence. Even in the always busy streets of Trafalgar Square, cars, buses and cabs hushed to a stop when traffic lights turned red.

Here’s my take on this solemn occasion, with a little help from the poppies and the weather.

For more than 90 years Britons have fallen silent at 11a.m. every Armistice Day in remembrance of the day that marks the anniversary of the end of the WWI. The First World War armistice came into effect at 11a.m. on 11 November 1918, the "eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month". Armistice or Remembrance Day is also known as Poppy Day. The poppy is a symbol of remembrance which is said to have started during WWI when Flanders, the western part of Beligum saw the most concentrated and bloodiest fighting. There was complete devastation and a lot of lives lost and the only living thing that survived were the poppies. The poppies - flowering each year with the coming of warm weather brought life and hope to those still fighting.


Holy Nikon


Posted by Yen Baet

I had just posted a couple of images of this scene on Flickr and was saying how blessed my camera is now having dipped it in the holy water of Salisbury Cathedral. I have been to many churches/cathedrals here in Europe but never had any sort of reflections of it from the inside. So this intrigued me.

You must know that Salisbury England is most famous for the Stonehenge, but unlike most, I was more excited to see the church mainly because there was water, and water means reflections. The Stonehenge is just a bunch of rocks in the middle of a great big lawn :-) Of course, Stonehenge has more historical origins and has existed way before Christ, that’s why it’s more popular.

The water is actually a full-immersion baptismal font measuring 3-meters wide and holds 3,000 liters of water. It sits at the opposite end of the altar, and you’ll see it just as you enter the church. The challenge for me was how to tackle the wide dynamic range of the scene – the church was illuminated by intense afternoon sunlight and the water vessel was very dark compared to it. HDR photographers would handle this by taking multiple exposures and blend them in post processing, but I’m a straightforward single-exposure photographer. So I used an ND grad to even out the light, but my problem then would be loss of light (2 stops), and although it wasn’t too dark inside the church, it still was not bright enough. Tripods are not allowed in churches, so it was time to test the D700′s noise-handling ability as I cranked up my ISO, going from 1600 to 4000. My comfort level for unsupported handheld shots is about 1/30 to 1/40 sec, so I kept it around that speed.

I’m fairly pleased with my shots, considering the situation and difficult lighting. I like how I kept the details on the arches and pillars and was easy on the highlights on this shot.

Salisbury Cathedral - Reflections on the baptismal font. 1/40 sec, ISO 3200, with 2-stop ND grad filter, water-filled vessel as a tripod.


The Bridges of Avon River


Posted by Yen Baet

I have just found out the name Avon is of Welsh origin and means “river”, so the River Avon literally means “River River”, that explains why many English rivers are named Avon. The Avon river that runs in Southwest England crosses the cities of Bristol, Bath and Bradford-on-Avon, which I’ve had the pleasure of visiting this past weekend.

Don’t let the blue skies fool you, because it actually rained a lot during my time there. I was merely lucky I had some “divine intervention” during twilight – that 20 to 30-minute window of clear skies was all I needed to do my shots. What can I say? I have friends in high places. :-)

BRISTOL - Clifton Suspension Bridge, taken from the Leigh Woods Observatory. What a view! not only do you get the Avon river, but also the gorge and a sweeping view of the city.

BATH - The three-arched Palladian Pulteney Bridge of Roman origins can be seen just down the river. According to Wikipedia, it is one of only surviving 4 bridges that has shops spanning the whole bridge. I've been to 3 of them: the Pulteney bridge in Bath, the Rialto in Venice, and Ponte Vecchio in Florence. I don't know what the other bridge is, do you?

BRADFORD ON AVON - The Town Bridge of Bradford on Avon. It was actually a sunny afternoon during my visit here.The city was named so because it crosses the "broad ford" of the river Avon. It's interesting to note that the small house at the end of the bridge used to be a prison for town drunks and troublemakers during the 18th century.

BRISTOL - Down Bristol Harbour is where one will find Pero's bridge, also known as the Horny bridge. It was named after Pero Jones, a merchant's slave who lived and died in Bristol. Bristol was built, in large part, on the slave and tobacco trade during the early centuries.