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My Top 3 |
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Before I start, I finally finished putting together a “12 of 12 of 12″ - a best of from last year’s 12 of 12 posts, as I completed the whole year. You can see it here!
Given the last few 12 of 12s have been on work days, and I felt a bit stifled as a result (well each month was get up, dark, commute, work, commute, dark, eat… not much variety in photos, and so I wasn’t as happy with their quality), this month, I took the 12th off.
We’ve had a lot of grey, overcast days and even fog recently. Yesterday was a lovely blue sky and even a bit sunny. Typically, today it was grey and rainy. I know why this is. It’s because I went to Westminster. Honestly, it always rains when I go there. I hadn’t even planned on going there right away - I’d meant to get the Central line up to around Notting Hill Gate, then walk down through Kensington Gardens, down to the Natural History Museum maybe, then over to Green Park, down to St. James’ Park, Westminster and maybe over to Leicester Square.
Only I went on autopilot, and got the Jubilee line. I remembered I had today off OK - I just forgot I didn’t have to get the Jubilee today, which I normally get to work… [doh]. So, change of plan. Get off at Westminster and do a different route. Poke my head out of the station and find it’s drizzling rain. Balls. So, off to the Natural History Museum.
As always, credit goes to the lovely Chad, who is Awesome. And you can see everyone else’s 12s here.
1) 11:15am - Westminster Tube station, London
Going up the escalator, and trying to keep my balance while fishing my camera out of my bag, switching it on and changing settings, and a little blur due to movement. But I like it - it’s a little ghost-like.
2) 11:44am - Natural History Museum, London
Grey, rainy weather - but some people are still on the outdoor ice rink at the Natural History Museum.
3) 11:54am - Natural History Museum, London
Poor dodo… he does not look impressed with how his lot turned out.
4) 12:05pm - Natural History Museum, London
Up in the primates/evolution section, there were all these monkey skeletons suspended in the air. Go on now, who else has “Defying Gravity” in their heads? Hah, you do now 
5) 12:09pm - Natural History Museum, London
Monkey detail from one of the columns by the stairs on an upper level. I gave this a touch of sharpening in Elements - the colour version of this was slightly sharper, but I preferred the black and white photo I took as well.
6) 12:16pm - Natural History Museum, London
The inside of the main hall of the museum is beautiful, architecture-wise. Remember this photo, one of my favourites I’ve ever taken? Well that was from the corner of the top level, by the Giant Sequoia Tree. This one is taken from halfway down to the level below (with the primates and evolution), and in the middle. I’ve included a close up of the ceiling, which is pretty and I like the colours:
7) 12:23pm - Natural History Museum, London
I saw a few guys sketching the architecture in the museum (and I’d see plenty of people sketching the sculptures in the V&A Museum, next). It was only because I couldn’t see his face, that I took the photo. I liked that people would go specifically to draw the museum’s beautiful design.
 12:40pm - Natural History Museum, London
Oh. Oh my. I actually did a double take when I first saw this. I’m not a total spelling and grammar maven, but this did make me wince. It’s in the Natural History Museum of all places, you’d think they could check the spelling.
Oddly enough, they had the same message running on two screens. The left hand one had it spelled correctly. I will tell you, I came *this* close to actually stopping a member of staff and pointing it out.
But I decided it’s one thing to be a grammar nut. Stopping someone might make them think I’m a real nut…
9) 1:25pm - V&A (Victoria & Albert) Museum, London
I had been playing around more with the Manual setting on the camera today (you can see the results especially in photos 4 (the flying monkey), 5 (monkey detail) and 6 (the roof photos), which I think were all Manuals. I learnt a little about adjusting the settings more for light. And this one took some doing, more from a framing perspective than anything else.
I wanted the cropping to come just above the dark statue’s head, but for the white statue to be visible in the background, to give a contrast of light and dark. Overall, I think it worked! Another shot got the white statue slightly more visible (I must have stood another inch or two to the left), but someone was standing behind the dark statue, blocking the gap between his legs. This seemed the slightly better photo.
10) 1:30pm - V&A (Victoria & Albert) Museum, London
Female head busts all in a row. More fun with the Manual settings!
11) 1:58pm - V&A (Victoria & Albert) Museum, London
I’ve seen a few of these now. Some in the Atlanta Botanical Gardens, when I visited there. Someone posted some in their 12 of 12 last month. It’s beautiful, but I’m afraid my mind keeps being… distracted. I’d have put that slightly more openly, but I know of at least one work colleague (well, former colleague) who reads this…!!
(on that note, I might end up linking this to current colleagues, so please keep comments safe for work!)
12) 2:39pm - Canteen Cafe, Leicester Square, London
I had an idea for this shot, and that (plus wanting cheap, cheerful and hot food) made me seek out this cafe. I found it one night before seeing Avenue Q, which plays just round the corner from this cafe. When I went back to see the show again with Simon, Andy and Helen W, I took them to the cafe as well. The walls are plastered with black and white photos. But I had the idea for someone sitting at a table in front of the window, off in their own little world. I’d thought about something similar but using Starbucks, but that didn’t happen.
BONUS) 3:18pm - Leicester Square, London
I checked the Prince Charles cinema to see if Quantum of Solace was playing there yet. The Prince Charles is a second run cinema, meaning that they only show a film when it has finished playing in all the other local cinemas - this means the licence to show it is cheaper, and therefore tickets are cheaper too. For non-members, it’s £3.50 for a matinee, £5 evenings and weekends. For members, it’s £1.50/£4.00 (membership is £10 a year). But it’s not on there yet - a walk down to Leicester Square showed that it’s still on at one of the Odeons, along with another Daniel Craig film, giving me the shot here, with two Daniel Craig film posters on the cinema facade. I wonder how many other times there have been with both posters showing the same actor?
And that’s your lot for this month! I’m aiming for my best lot of 12 of 12s this year… amazing to think I’ve done 2.5 years of this challenge now! I started in June 2006… wow. But yes - I’m aiming to be more creative, more adventurous and all round better at taking photos this year, so stay tuned!
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