London 2012 Tower Bridge

It's not everyday you get to see the famous five Olympic rings suspended from London's Tower Bridge.

This shot I took on the penultimate day of the games and can be found as an editorial submission in my istockphoto portfolio.

London's Tower Bridge with Olympic rings

A Trip to London

Yesterday, my wife and I spent the day in the hustle and bustle which is London. A trip to the National Gallery was in order as my wife had bought tickets for a matinee showing of Saturday Night, Sunday Morning, a great '60s kitchen sink movie!

Being St Georges Day, Trafalgar Square was taken over by St Georges Day Festival.  

There was plenty of activity going on in Trafalgar Square, from street entertainers such as St George on stilts to the Green Lady!

St George

   

Green Lady

Trafalgar Square Fountain

Spring Bluebells in the Chilterns

A Bluebell Wood in the Chilterns

Spring is one of my favourite seasons. Its when dormant flora reawakens into the most delicate blooms. Have you ever walked through a bluebell wood? The striking blue colour is only surpassed by the intense perfume from such a fragile flower.

The shot to left is one I took a couple years ago in a woodland not too far from where I live in the Chilterns and is one of a number I have uploaded to a lightbox within my Istockphoto portfolio.

The secret to taking a great bluebell shot is to take the picture either early morning or better still during the golden hour. Not only will you have the wood to youself, but most importantly you'll have the time to setup a great shot!

A walk in the Chilterns

Its been a fantastic day today for a walk, so I decided to put on my wellies and go for a stroll around an area of the Chilterns. Again, I was inspired to take some pics from driving along my route to work and this area has an abundance of stunning countryside. Wendover is a quaint village within the Chilterns, an area of outstanding natural beauty.

 

This shot was taken in a field very close to where the High Speed railway line (HS2) will run. I like the contrast between nature and modernity and this shot of the yellow oil seed rape field and the ubiquitous pylon makes for a stunning shot!

The proposed HS2 route has blighted many homes along its length from London to Birmingham and feelings are running high especially in Wendover. The link below takes you to the proposed route through village of Wendover.

http://assets.dft.gov.uk/publications/hs2-maps-20120110/hs2arp00drrw05009issue3.pdf

Organisations such as Wendover HS2 are an action group with the aim of preventing HS2 destroying the Chilterns. Here's their link for more info.

http://www.wendoverhs2.org/about-wendover-hs2





The above posters were on display at The Shoulder of Mutton a local pub situated very close to where the proposed line will pass by.



The HS2 will pass through this field from the bottom righthand corner.

I plan to take more pictures of the Chilterns and the local surrounds over the coming years, just to have a record for posterity.

If you like my images you can view my Chilterns photography portfolio on istockphoto.com


or alternatively contact me via philipjamestoy@gmail.com