As a software developer that regularly speaks at conferences, I'm fortunate in that I get to travel fairly frequently. Most of the time the conferences where I speak aren't more than a few hours from my home in Indianapolis, Indiana but occasionally I find myself venturing a bit further. In May of 2022 I was honored to speak at NDC London. This was my second time speaking at this event with the previous one being in early 2017.
The first time I was there I really fell in love with the city. My family was with me for part of that trip and we really focused on doing more of the "touristy" stuff. This time the scheduling (and rescheduling!) didn't really allow for my family to accompany me but my schedule did afford me a full day to explore the city on my own and at my leisure before the conference began. This was a schedule I certainly wanted to take advantage of and take advantage of it I did!
Over the course of the day I wandered from Westminster to Lambeth and South Bank. From there I took a taxi to Whitechapel for an amazing Indian lunch at Tayyabs. After lunch I walked all the way to the City of London to see the Gherkin and stumbled upon Leadenhall Market and the Monument to the Great Fire. I walked along the Thames to the Tower of London and crossed Tower Bridge then took the DLR out to Canary Wharf. From Canary Wharf I jumped back on to the DLR and ventured down to Greenwich where I caught the sunset from the Royal Observatory lawn where I captured one of my all-time favorite images before grabbing some dinner and an Uber back to the hotel.
In all, I spent nearly 12 hours roaming around central London that day taking in as many sights and smells as I could. I'm going to try not waiting another 5 years to return.
Read on to see some highlights from my little adventure and learn some of the stories behind the images. Many of the images that follow are available for purchase in the gallery. If you see one here that's not in the gallery let me know and I'll be sure to add it!
Westminster, Lambeth, and South Bank
My day began at the conference hotel - the Westminster London. It's just a few minutes walk to attractions such as Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, and the London Eye. The room was nice but what really caught my eye was how the room numbers were presented in a recessed, lit casing.
The hallway was rather narrow so it was a bit tricky to capture this image even with my Nikkor 24-70 but I loved the shadows so I contorted myself with my camera to get the numbers and handle in frame.
Morton's Tower Lantern
Morton's Tower is the gateway to Lambeth Palace. As is the case for many of my images the shadows cast on the building really caught my eye.
Cleland House
This building is next door to the Westminster London hotel. Google Maps tells me that it's a condominium complex. I'll take its word for that. All I know is that I loved its lines and curves!
London Marriott Hotel Passage
As I walked near Westminster Bridge I found this corridor leading to the London Marriott Hotel entrance. The pathway had a storybook quality to it especially with the courtyard centerpiece right in front of the hotel entrance.
London Marriott Hotel
Just inside the corridor to the London Marriott hotel entrance a shadow appeared to slice the building.
The London Eye
The London Eye has long been one of those iconic structures seen in the typical skyline images. When we visited London in 2017 the Eye was closed for maintenance, so we weren't able to experience it. That made it one of the top items on my to do list for this visit. Prior to purchasing a ticket I walked around a bit looking for a nice symmetrical view and ended up here.
I'm normally a bit apprehensive about heights so I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous about the 440' wheel but I was amazed at how natural it felt. The motion was so smooth and the pod was spacious enough to freely move around that it was really quite relaxing. I unfortunately wasn't happy with most of the shots I took from within the pod but it was definitely a memorable experience nonetheless.
The London Eye at Night
I didn't shoot this on my tour day but rather on the next night after a conference event. I shot this one on the opposite side of the Thames and timed it for the purple lights which I thought were the prettiest.
City of London
Reaching for the Sky
I have no idea what these buildings are. All I know is that they had great lines and reflections against the clear blue sky.
Lloyds Bank and The Gherkin
After leaving Tayyabs Indian restaurant I wasn't really sure where to head next. As I looked up the road I saw another iconic London skyline element - The Gherkin. It was a bit further away than I thought but the walk was totally worth it.
I don't generally like to shoot cliche shots like this one but the contrast between the old architecture of Lloyd's Bank and the modern architecture of The Gherkin. However, had I not crossed the street for this shot I'd likely not have stumbled across Leadenhall Market.
Lloyd's of London
The Lloyd's of London building is one of the most unique buildings I've ever seen. Had I not walked over to The Gherkin I'd likely not have encountered it. I distinctly remember gazing upon it and wondering aloud "What is that?!" as I crossed the street.
It was so neat seeing this building which I can only describe as inside out. There are so many interesting lines and curves that I had no idea where to look.
Leadenhall Market
Walking around Lloyds led me to another chance discovery... Leadenhall Market. I'd never even seen pictures of this place before. Like so many things in the City of London, Leadenhall Square has a ton of character. I especially loved the chandelier in the middle of the space. There were quite a few people with cameras wandering the area but it was disappointing how few people looked up at the intricate ceiling.
Leadenhall Market
Right at the foot of the Lloyd's building is this charming marketplace. This 3-exposure HDR captures the colors and character. I didn't do any shopping here or try any of the pubs/restaurants/cafe's but I was tempted to grab a pint! This is a spot I'd definitely like to revisit sometime.
Chandelier & Ceiling
In the middle of Leadenhall Market is this amazing chandelier. I loved the symmetry and how the giant lights glowed gently over the blue and gold background.
Tower Bridge
In 2017 we only observed Tower Bridge from a distance, getting no closer than the Tower of London. It was tempting to walk across but that day was a typical mid-January day in London so it was cold and rainy. This visit was much better being a warm, clear, day in May.
Walking across this iconic landmark was surreal. I've seen images of this bridge my whole life but never had a true appreciation for its size. The towers were far taller than I'd realized and I loved seeing the carvings and detail in the stone work.
(I was a bit disappointed that Spider-man wasn't there but given what Mysterio did that's probably a good thing!)
The Shard
Across the Thames from the City of London is another iconic landmark - The Shard. I didn't walk to it to get a full sense of its scale but given how it towers over everything else I didn't think it particularly necessary. I would like to stand at its base someday, though.
Here I captured a 3-exposure HDR image of The Shard as a jet passed behind it.
Canary Wharf and Greenwich
Latte at Scarpetta
This is what happens when you talk to the locals. While visiting Canary Wharf I found myself chatting with a security guard and a guy who worked nearby. The conversation was all over the place including movies that had been filmed nearby, the best times to visit the observatory, and coffee! I was directed to Scarpetta, a nearby restaurant they said had some of the best coffee in the area. At this point I'd been wandering for around 9 hours, so I ventured the two blocks and sat down to sip on this latte. It did not disappoint!
Inside Adams Place Bridge
I had seen some pictures of the Adams Place Bridge before my trip. The colors and design were both pretty trippy, so I wanted to see it for myself. This permanent art exhibit was installed on the existing bridge back in 2020.
Canary Wharf DLR Station
My last stop in Canary Wharf and my gateway to my last stop of the day - Greenwich. I loved how bright everything in this area was.
SUNSET AT THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY
When I set out from the hotel that morning I had a general plan of what I wanted to do and see. With few exceptions I stuck to that plan. I wanted to end the day at the Prime Meridian. Unfortunately I'd spent too much time on other parts of the adventure to get in to the Royal Observatory and see the marker but what I experienced instead was so much better. I couldn't have planned this and certainly never expected what I would experience and ultimately capture as one of my all-time favorite images.
By the time I reached the Royal Observatory it had closed. This gave me an opportunity to wander around the grounds a bit more than I likely would have otherwise. As the evening progressed I noticed that a small crowd was gathering on the northern hill but I didn't initially pay it much attention. Eventually I joined them and watched the crowd a bit. There were a few friendly soccer matches going on, dogs looking for food and attention, and the distinct aroma of cigaweed filling the air.
As I looked around I realized that the sun was going to set somewhere behind the Central London skyline. I thought it would look really neat if there were some rays cast between the buildings as the sun dipped behind them so I set up my tripod, switched the lens from my 24-70 to my 70-300, set up my remote release (SnapBridge), and waited. I'd centered The Shard within the frame and zoomed to capture St. Paul's Cathedral on the right. From this angle the skyline formed a subtle arch disrupted by cranes and The Shard rising high above everything else.
It wasn't long after setting the scene that I realized the sun was going to set right behind The Shard. I started getting excited for what I was about to witness. As the sunset progressed it became clear that the sun wasn't actually going to set behind The Shard but rather pass right behind its peak!
I watched the liveview intently. As the sun passed behind the tip of The Shard I quickly fired off three bracketed frames hoping that I could merge them into an HDR image or at least one would turn out well enough to use.
Having witnessed such an unexpected and amazing sight I packed up, found some dinner from a nearby fish & chips place. Content with how I'd spent the day I found an Uber for a ride back to the hotel where I met up with some friends for some drinks and turned my attention to the conference.
Much to my delight the HDR turned out splendidly! I ordered a 36x24" print and have it mounted in my home.
