Albert Bridge

This was taken an hour or so after the previous 'Battersea Power

Station' shot. I would have preferred the clouds to have stayed to

make a more interesting shot but there you are.

 

Albert Bridge is usually thought to be London's prettiest bridge but

is so delicate it has had a middle support added and heavy traffic

is not allowed. There are notices at each end instructing marching

soldiers to break step while on the bridge (Chelsea Barracks is not

far away). I like the little pepperpot huts at each end and had to

get one in to the foreground.

 

All comments welcome!

The delicate design of the bridge is well portrayed. I don't mind at all the sky. Its almost pure blue serves well as a tapestry for the whiteness of the bridge's structure. The only minor flaw I find is the lack of contrast in the stonework in the foreground.

Colin,maybe i should wait until others give their opinion,but you all sleep now and i am still awake. Something special came in from you.I am going back and forth with the sepia. This i saw first,and i am still more attached to it. even the other seems to be more succesful. I don't judge it by value. But the way you described it ,as known as the most prettiest bridge,that i find here.The color of pink and gold and blue has charm. Besides that,great perspective,how light the lines swing way to the open arch.The pepperpots you call them, also fit to the playful colors.A royal bridge and how neat you took care of it,the light on the water,done with respect and care. Perfect.

Alberto, thank you. glad you like the sky - I have found my lost polariser as you see! The stonework was in shadow so not much detail.

 

Alix, thanks for your kind comment. I was going to upload just the colour version on its own but then decided (yes, quite late here in UK!) to do a sepia type version and see how that did. I was quite surprised how many ratings the sepia version got - about 15 whereas the colour version got 8 - still respectable but not the same interest. I wonder if it is simply the colour version is a fairly straightforward colour photo whereas the sepia is a bit different, less usual, so stands out more?

I like this one as well, Colin, but if I HAVE to choose, The sepia is my favorit....

The sky are too dark for my taste, the bridge form is better accentuated there.

Pretty bridge, indeed, with so brittish colours. ;) And finally, the lack of clouds and the blue sky works probably better with it. I like me too the "pepper pot" you have placed in the foreground. Is it the real name or is it you which name it like this ?

Thanks Pnina and Henri!

 

Henri, I see the colours as 'Municipal Artistic' :-). Pepperpot is the word sometimes used for small eight-sided buildings such as the one shown.

The array of colors is so attractive here, I would definitively vote for the color version if I had to chose. In sepia, water and sky are not enough separated, IMO. In color, the bridge then connects water and sky. Fantastic scenery, no clouds garniture necessary here ;-)

Carsten thanks. I also thought that clouds would blur the outlines of the structure and so liked the plain blue backdrop. Purely as it happened though. I have a shipwreck shot in mind and am waiting for the right conditions - tide and clouds to coincide. Clouds essential for that shot!

Yes, waiting for the perfect clouds... Sometimes I have a nice cloudscape and go to the fitting locations nearby, but then they are not in the right direction :-( Maybe I should note the orientation of my favourite places to be prepared in case of emerging clouds

Interesting subject. Nice angle of view. I like the blue sky and pastel colors. The small building to the right works very well. Very good composition. Well seen and done.

Probably the clouds would have competed with the fine lines of this elegant bridge. This way, it has all the attention it deserves. Though I like the sobriety of the sepia version, I prefer this colorful one.

Colin,

 

I think I very much prefer the colour version of this photo, the sky really is the kicker for me, it's such a wonderful deep azure.

 

The dissapointing thing about the scene is the Thames, it's not anything you did wrong, it's always such a dour miserable colour: something which is quite bizarre given the nature of the city.

 

If I were to try anything with this, rather than sepia, it would be a platinum type effect, with ink black sky and perhaps seperate the lower right abutment from the water by burning it in (this would also balnce the sky in a nice diagonal to help draw the eye over the bridge), I think the silvery hues of the suspension wires/stanchions would be a very nice counterpoint.

 

Compositionally I really rather like this, even the 'tilt' of the river works here - it's just a crying shame about the colour of the water :/ I want my cake and eat it too!

Carsten, a few years ago I did some building photoraphy for a national website. It became second nature to think of when the building would look best - time of day, time of year, trees, clouds / clear sky etc.

 

Thanks Baldur, Paula and Ben! I am glad you like the colour. I am quite fond of it myself.

 

Ben, the colour is a bit off-putting but the Thames is that colour because of the mud and sediment it carries rather than anything deeply unpleasant - although the old Victorian sewers can overflow after heavy rain!

 

Very nice. The color is great!

Aunque ambas son excelentes, me quedo con esta por lo fino del color. Saludos

Thanks for the description of the bridge. It is a pretty bridge. "Pretty" is not a word I usually use, but it really applies to this. The colors are great. It's very interesting.