Tourist For A Day.......... — Steve Chivers Photography

Back in the day we lived and worked in London, (well way back in the day actually, bearing in mind Mrs. C was (a) a child bride and (b) is still basking in the twenty years that all women experience between the age of 39 and 40).

Somehow familiarity leads to a non-appreciation of what you have on your doorstep and its only when you return as a tourist that you realize what a beautiful capital city we have and just how much there is to see and do.

So, given that we now have some time on our hands, we decided to pay a visit to London and combine dinner with the kids with being tourists for the day.

As usual we like to start our day in Covent Garden and this visit we breakfasted at Pain Quotidien. Hot porridge followed by a butter croissant and a steamy coffee helped mobilize calories, fortify the arteries and stimulate the shutter finger, whilst motivating me to start embracing the shadows from the get go.

Embracing the Shadows at Pain Quotidien Covent Garden

On the photographic front I have continued with my creative challenge for the months of June and July of seeing the world from a 28 mm perspective. You see I naturally gravitate to 50mm and my favorite combo is the Leica SL2 paired with the 50mm Noctilux F0.95. This provides me with a sort of fusion which I describe as Jimi Hendrix meets Van Gough.

So I am trying to broaden my photographic outlook and try and capture the world, at least during June and July, from a much wider perspective.

Rather than achieving this with my M10P and 28mm Elmarit, I decided to go with the Leica Q Type 116 and its wonderfull 28mm F1.7 lens. A number of photographer friends have asked me why I have not upgraded this to the new Q3. My answer is in the images it produces. It produced super imagers back in 2015 when it was released and in my humble opinion still produces wonderful imagery (or is it me that frames the images and presses the shutter!).. Indeed, the original Q is an ideal street and travel set-up and the wonderful F1.7 lens helped me out on numerous occasions and in a variety of challenging lighting situations.

Now I admit that we were in London as tourists and according to Mrs. C. we were there to do a bit of sightseeing, co-mingled with eating and drinking and it was not to be a photography field trip. Yeah right! :-)

Of course, I am king of my own particular castle but for the sake of expediency and good health, mainly mine, I decided to take this advice on board. However, even though I would be “encouraged” to reign-in my photographic aspirations, I do like to have some sort of photographic objective whenever we are out and about and for this day, it was to try and take a series of images of St.Pauls Cathedral.

So, we set off from Covent Garden and walked along the Strand. The light was very contrasty and with all the tall buildings gave lots of shadows and interesting perspectives.

As we walked along Fleet Street memories of our time living and working in London started to flood back. Unfortunately some of them were still rather hazy as London in the eighties was a party town; all about big hair, shoulder pads, dubious fashion, food and of course the odd drink or three (so I am told).

Just as I saw St. Pauls in the distance we came across another famous landmark, the Central Criminal Courts, or to you and me, “The Old Baily”. With those fabled scales of Justice reminding everyone about the difference between right and wrong it reminded me of that wonderful TV series “Rumpole of the Baily” in which Horace W. Rumple was an “old Baily Hack” (played by Leo Mackern), with his domineering wife, known as “She Who Must be Obeyed!” and of course his beautiful colleague “Portia”. Anyway. I digress, but it is well worth looking up the book or repeats of the TV series. So a quick detour was in order as I tried to capture this building that one only wants to see from the outside as a visitor!

The Old Bailey - From a 28mm perspective.

Following our detour and in a rather roundabout fashion we eventually came to St. Pauls and indeed, I did manage to capture a series of images which I believe depict this wonderful landmark, which amazingly has graced the London skyline for over three hundred years, from a number of interesting perspectives. However, you the reader must be the judge of that.

St Pauls - Layered - From the Millenium Bridge

St. Pauls - From the South Bank - Could this really be central London?

I was really pleased with my set of images and from my perspective job done.

We then found ourselves at another Iconic building, The Tate Modern Gallery. Mrs. C. had been angling for a visit for some time so as she disappeared off to look at the art created by other people, I set about using this wonderful environment to try and create some of my own.

The Turbine Hall - My Industrial interpretation.

Embracing the Shadows - I called this one “Stairway to Heaven”

We could have spent all day at the Tate Modern but we were 15,000 steps in to our London expedition and still lots to see.

As we walked along the South Bank we came across an artist in full flow. He was totally absorbed in his painting and didn’t seem to mind me taking images of him.

I really would have liked to have been good at art. However, as a young man I was quite a good sportsman and so any artistic bent that I may of had was well and truly subdued in favour of football, rugby, cricket, tennis and golf. You get the picture.

In later life I did try my hand at pen and ink drawing. I bought a book by Betty Edwards called Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain. Betty explained that everyone can draw but what inhibits most people is the way they see things. After reading this book and putting some of her recommendations in to action, I did achieve a modicum of success. Then again isn’t it the same with photography? We can all press the shutter but its not what you see but how you see it. Anyways its well worth a read.

As we walked along the embankment I was amazed at how, over a period of 30 years, everything could change so dramatically. It would be fair to say that this part of South London would have been deemed “a bit rough” back in the day. Today it is no longer the case. It has been re-devloped with smart new apartments and lots of bustling restaurants and oozed new money.

We then came to HMS Belfast. Another blast from the past as it is moored opposite the old Billingsgate Fish Market. I used to work next door in St Magnus House for the old Midland Bank (showing my age now). Anyways the light was great so I grabbed an image for prosterity.

We were approaching the zenith of our day out and Londons famous Tower Bridge lay ahead.

After 28,000 weary but very enjoyable steps later, our day as a tourist came to an end. We hopped on the tube at Tower Bridge Station and as we travelled back to our hotel we both agreed that we had barely scratched the surface. So, more blogs to come as I continue my 28 mm experiment!

Warmest regards from Plymouth.