Boats, Buses, and Taxis

Our focus today was on photographing London transportation. The main assignment was in Trafalgar Square, which besides being a tourist destination for the Statue of Admiral Lord Nelson and the National Gallery, has several main London roads feeding into the square: Whitehall, Northumberland, Strand, Charing Cross, Pall Mall. The streets of London do not follow any consistent planning pattern, so there is always a bit of chaos with unexpected one-way streets, bikes, taxis, and double-decker buses trying to share the road, and a constant flow of pedestrians. Pedestrians are allowed to cross wherever they want (no fines for jay walking) at their own risk, and risk it they do. I have questioned my own sanity after dashing across the street before a double-decker bus.

However, if you cross at designated points, there is help at your feet.

Our main assignment was to capture motion, either by blurring the mode of transportation or by blurring the background. I worked on the movement of the transport, which took me a while. The opposite approach will have to wait for another time.

I have included some other shots of London transportation, also from Trafalgar Square. Red double-decker buses, a London icon known the world over, and black taxis are seen everywhere you look.

Waterloo Bridge with St. Paul's Cathedral

Today we used another means of travel on our way down the Thames to Greenwich. Boats abound on the Thames, and it is a fascinating river to watch. Wharfs and warehouses from years past still line both sides of the river, now turned into upscale living spaces and shops, but retaining some of the old features and character.

The Thames is crossed by many bridges, the most famous being Tower Bridge.

Detail on Top Span of the Bridge

And here we stood on the Prime Meridian in Greenwich.