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City Lights

22/1/2012

2 Comments

 
Picture
London Bridge, London, UK
As a photographer, I find myself drawn to light as well as shadows. I often explore light and shadow with black and white film.

During winter, I often notice the city lights more than I would during other times of the year. The short days and long nights highlights the amount of light cities use. They also allow the use of light creatively to offset the bleakness of the time of year.

Much of the city lights are often unnoticed in some ways as they are always there. However, I started noticing the light as I left to and from work. There is a side street that passes under London Bridge’s train tracks. It caught my eye recently as it was light up with purple light. One could easily pass by the side street and miss the purple light – it’s there, but subtly.

I snapped a few shots of it in colour as it lent itself to colour. I am sure that a black and white image would be stunning, but in an entirely different way. What I found important was the colour. It wasn’t simply white light, but purple. I was also interested in how it interacted with its environment. It seemed to contrast against the yellowish light given off by the streetlights, buildings and cars. I did wonder how many people noticed it.

What also caught my eye as I wondered around the Thames nearby was the use of light on the buildings and structures across the river in the City of London. 

Picture
City of London, UK
It was the different colours and where the lights were placed that gave the built environment a certain character. 
Picture
City of London, UK
Night photography is something I enjoy, and don’t do enough of. However, winter does provide me with some more dark time to work with, and I hope to take some more photos of lights and shadows. 
2 Comments
george martin
21/1/2012 11:37:18 pm

I appreciate your observations and reflections on city night-scapes. This is the time of year and the season to enjoy city lights. I believe cooler night temperatures add to the quality of the observation and the resulting image. Thanks for sharing thoughts and photos.

Reply
RoseMarie Morris
23/1/2012 10:09:17 pm

I am struck by the beauty of these cityscapes at night. All of them. A side syreet under railway tracks inundated with a purple glow. What an interesting blog.

Reply



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    Heather Martin is a London based photographer who specialises in architectural, event and B&W film photography.

    For more info, please to the About page.

    **Heather Martin owns the copyright to all the photographs and text within this blog, unless otherwise stated.

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