![\"St](\"http:\/\/keyassets.timeincuk.net\/inspirewp\/live\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2011\/07\/Final_copy.jpg\" "\\"St")
\n\nI have lived in London for almost three years, since I
\njoined AP. Before that I was a born and bred country boy, raised in rural North
\nYorkshire, schooled in County Durham and settled – albeit briefly – in
\nTyneside. I didn’t visit London all that much as a child and most of my life
\nhas been spent in the countryside, so moving to the capital was quite a shock
\nto my system.<\/p>\n
I am still amazed at the size of the place, but at the same time
\nI am constantly struck by the concentration of both people and buildings.
\nLondon is home to some of this country’s most iconic architecture, and if I
\nwalk for a mile in any direction from AP’s office I can get to the Palace of
\nWestminster, the Imperial War Museum, Tower Bridge and the Houses of
\nParliament, to name but a few unique and wonderful buildings.<\/p>\n
However, my favourite London landmark has to be St Paul’s
\nCathedral. This fabulous building was the defining masterwork of one of our
\ncountry’s best architects, Sir Christopher Wren, who died in 1723, 13 years
\nafter the cathedral was completed. St Paul’s was built on the site of an older
\nbuilding, destroyed in the Great Fire of London, and took more than 30 years to
\ncomplete. An inscription in Latin marks Wren’s tomb in the crypt: \u2018Lector, si
\nmonumentum requiris, circumspice’. This translates, appropriately, as, \u2018Reader,
\nif you seek his memorial, look about you’.<\/p>\n\n
I have taken a great many photographs of St Paul’s Cathedral
\nover the years, from a great many angles. I’m not aiming to take the definitive
\npicture of St Paul’s – for my money Bill Brandt can claim that honour, when he
\nbraved bombs and unstable masonry to capture the damaged building under
\nmoonlight during the Blitz. All I want to do is to create an image that sums up
\nthis very special place in a way that makes sense to me.<\/p>\n\n
![\"West](\"http:\/\/keyassets.timeincuk.net\/inspirewp\/live\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2011\/07\/West_Elevation_copy.jpg\" "\\"West")
\nImage: This is the west elevation of St Paul’s Cathedral. The shot shows the building’s impressive size, but lacks atmosphere. <\/em><\/p>\n The west elevation of St Paul’s is very grand. Two rows of My first photograph is an attempt to capture the imposing Coming back later in the evening might have helped, but to be Image: I knew this scene had potential, but the crowded bridge and poor lighting make for a dull image <\/em><\/p>\n When I lived in East London, I used to cross the Millennium The problem is that it has become a clich\u00e9. Since the bridge It is a busy thoroughfare, too, and the bridge is almost Image: <\/em>My final shot was taken at dusk, using a 50mm lens wide open at f1.4 for minimal depth of field<\/em><\/p>\n\n Every schoolchild knows that the sun sets in the west, so I This shot was taken during what Working at f\/1.4 on a 50mm lens, I sacrificed Many city dwellers never pay any attention to the buildings that surround them everyday. Barney Britton takes a fresh look at a familiar landmark – London’s St Paul’s Cathedral<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":32,"featured_media":15880,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[375],"tags":[],"product-category":[],"class_list":["post-15879","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-expert_advice"],"yoast_head":"\n
\nRoman pillars stretch up to the sky, and a cascade of steps lead visitors into
\nthe cathedral.<\/p>\n\n
\nsize of St Paul’s Cathedral, and I have tilted the camera to suggest the
\nvertigo-inducing look upwards, from street level. Although the lighting is
\ndecent enough, this photograph lacks the impact that I had intended to convey.
\nThere is almost no colour, and rather than looking dramatic, the composition
\nlooks lopsided.<\/p>\n
\nhonest this isn’t a winning shot. When I first approached St Paul’s from the
\nwest, I had to ask a colleague which building this was. The reason I was
\nconfused is obvious from this photo – from this direction you don’t see the
\ncathedral’s iconic dome.<\/p>\n\nView from the Millennium Bridge<\/h2>\n
![\"Millenium](\"http:\/\/keyassets.timeincuk.net\/inspirewp\/live\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2011\/07\/Bridge_copy.jpg\" "\\"Millenium")
<\/p>\n
\nBridge to Southwark every morning. When I cross the bridge in the opposite
\ndirection, St Paul’s is framed by the metal pylons of the bridge. It is this
\nview, of the cathedral from the South Bank of the Thames over the Millennium
\nBridge, that I have been trying to capture since 2006.<\/p>\n\n
\nwas opened, then closed, fixed and then opened again, tourists from all nations
\nhave taken this shot.<\/p>\n
\nalways crowded with people, even after the sun has gone down. And that’s the
\nmain problem with this photograph (above left): the composition has potential,
\nclearly, but I am too far to the south end of the bridge and it’s the wrong
\ntime of day. The lighting is dull, and the bridge is crowded with people. I
\nneed more space around the edges of the scene to concentrate attention more
\nsquarely on the cathedral’s distinctive dome.<\/p>\n\nGetting the shot right<\/h2>\n
\n
\nthought I could get a better shot of this scene later in the day. Fortunately,
\nworking so close to this view I have the luxury of being able to dash out at
\nshort notice when the light is good.<\/p>\n
\nlandscape photographers know as the \u2018magic time’ just after the sun has set,
\nbut while there is still some light in the sky. Low cloud to the north is
\nreflecting the beautiful golden light of a proper Waterloo Sunset (the sun
\nreally does set over Waterloo) and the final rays of sun still have just enough
\npower to throw a little light on the dome. As a couple walked past me, arm in
\narm, I knew I had my shot.<\/p>\n
\nuniform sharpness for minimal depth of field, throwing them just out of focus.
\nThis also has the effect of drawing attention to the cathedral, which is sharp,
\nand creates the rather appealing vignetting. I shot this scene in raw mode, but
\nthe colours in this photograph are more or less as I saw them at the time.
\nMagic indeed. That’s a nice memorial you got there, Sir Christopher.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"