Geometry in Iron

Repeating shapes always make for interesting visual exercises, and this is mid-Victorian ironwork—Brunel’s masterpiece, Paddington Station, in London. After booking into my hotel on Sunday, October 31^st, 2010, I walked back round to the station to play with imagery, and this one was taken from a footbridge spanning the tracks. In the 1850s (Paddington opened in 1854), British railway engineering was a boom industry, and cast iron was the masterstroke of the age, making possible shapes and sizes of structure previously unknown. Here, thousands of tons of iron create an airy, arched pavilion large enough to accommodate the smoke of steam trains without choking the commuters, and to this day it is one of the busiest railway terminals in London. A simple shot, it took advantage of the topography, creating an almost organic feel. Minor enhancement only—just contrast and colour. Fuji FinePix S5600. Image by Mike

 

Halloween in the Graveyard

Click image to view at 800 pixels wide

An English deciduous woodland scene, with the autumn colours rich, the leaves falling in crackling carpets... Days growing short, chill winds stirring the thinning boughs. Then along comes All Hallows Eve and the time when the dead walk among us. I found myself in this 1850s cemetery on Halloween, 2007: it's Welford Rd Cemetery in Leicester, across the road from the University, and the rich colours of evening, the lowering sun full on this group of elaborate monuments from the late Gothic Revival period, had a remarkable atmosphere. The camera captured the flavour of the moment superbly, this image is barely enhanced for publication, simply sharpened. The exposure in the shadow areas is very pleasing, while the contrast areas are a perfect duplication of the warm light of the moment. It was a bit creepy to find myself wandering among the tombs as the daylight faded, and this image brings thoughts of Dickens and Victorian ghost stories, as well as memories of bonfires and fireworks: Guy Fawkes' Night was just five days later. Fuji FinePix S5600, automatic. Image by Mike.