Tag Archives: Great Britain

The Tower of London Baboons

Posted on March 9th, 2015 by

Royal Zoo

At one time in England’s history, the Tower of London doubled as the Royal Menagerie. Court can be a truly dull affair, so one king brought in animals, another used them as specials having various creatures unnaturally fight to the death. Oh the cruelty of the bored. What I loved most about tower…ok…that was the jewels, so what I loved second best about tower was the wonderfully wire animal sculptures. Since real animals cant just roam around, someone did a WONDERFUL job of creating these wire-frame residents of the tower.

The Tower of London Baboons
The Tower of London Baboons

Photo Technical Info

Victoria Memorial, London, England

Posted on February 2nd, 2015 by

Sun in London!

We had a pretty lucky trip to London, England. In the midst of September, somehow we found sun! We didn’t have much in the way of the stariotypical cold, cloudy, foggy weather just a bunch wonderfully crisp fall sunny days.

Visit Early

We ended up at Buckingham Palace sometime in the early afternoon. The sun was strong and the tourists were out in full force on the plaza to gawk at the Queen’s Guard in all their sternness. I don’t like it when people mess with the guard…it’s so terribly disrespectful (plus I am pretty sure those guys can break pretty much anyone they needed to in half). I made my way to the Victoria Memorial and it was covered with tourists soaking all the strong sun. I looked up and thought what a better backlight for Victoria then the Sun itself.

Happy Ground Hog Day everyone! Let’s hope for a cloudy day in PA today!

Victoria Memorial, London, England
Victoria Memorial, London, England

Photo Technical Info

Red Telephone Box London, England

Posted on January 22nd, 2015 by

London Calling

When Pamela and I decided to go to London, I will admin, I was specifically excited to get a photo of two things. The first was Big Ben and Parliament at sunset. The second was this photo of one of the red telephone boxes that are all over London. I have no idea who uses these today with the ubiquity of mobile communication devices, but I am glad this icon is still around!

Red Telephone Box London, England
Red Telephone Box London, England

Photo Technical Info

The Queen’s Lock

Posted on December 30th, 2013 by

Outside Buckingham Palace

Across the street from Buckingham Palace is the Queen’s Gate. It shuts the entrance of Green Park, though honestly I am not sure to whom. The gate is easy enough to walk around, but it’s barred with heavy chains to keep the aforementioned trespassers from committing their most egregious of crime. What I most noticed was the wonderful lock that makes all of this possible. It seemed a very old lock, but the perfect mechanism for the task.

The Queen's Lock
The Queen’s Lock by W. Brian Duncan

The Great Sequoia

Posted on December 16th, 2013 by

Giant Specimen

One of my favorite places in London is the Natural History Museum. It looks like something out of a movie and it have one of the most spectacular collections of the natural world that I have seen! One of my favorite parts was a cross section of a giant sequoia from the USA. Though it saddens me to see even a part of one of these ancient spirits no longer standing…I am glad the world can see of of America’s greatest treasures. This particular tree was around 1300 years old when it was felled.

The Great Sequoia
The Great Sequoia by W. Brian Duncan

The Cupola Room Fireplace Clock

Posted on December 9th, 2013 by

Kensington Palace

If I am being honest, British architecture is generally an underwhelming experience for me. The British just don’t have the panache of the French. I have the same problem with colonial American architecture…there is too much sensibility and little in the way of the madness of impractical beauty. One place I was pleasantly surprised was in the Cupola Room at Kensington Palace. The Palace has recently seen a bit of a renovation and this particular room is spectacular. This particular time piece is an insert for one of the palace fireplaces. I found it to be a wonderful bit of detail.

The Cupola Room Fireplace Clock
The Cupola Room Fireplace Clock by W. Brian Duncan

Millennium Bridge London

Posted on October 21st, 2013 by

Walking In London

This is one of those must get photos when you visit London. I tried a number of angles, but this one was my favorite. We got up early to shoot the bridge and we wanted to get the St Paul’s Cathedral for opening time. The Thames, the bridge, the low level skyline of the city of London, St. Paul’s in the backdrop…what is there not to love about London.

Millennium Bridge London
Millennium Bridge London by W. Brian Duncan

The Glory of Sanctus

Posted on October 14th, 2013 by

Heavenly Light

No Photography. It’s a sign I see all over while traveling. I generally pay heed to these signs, even when others do not. Often they serve a protective factor as at the National Archives in Washington DC. Perhaps it makes sense that places with massive numbers of tourists like Notre Dame in Paris would not allow tripods so other gawking guests don’t trip on your sticks.

What these signs, or rather the people who install them, don’t understand is photography is how I see. Photography is how I remember events in my life. I recall places as pictures in my mind and far too often I fail to remember; my photography reminds me how I spent my time on this Earth. They in many ways are my life.

When I visited St Paul’s in London and came to the alter. I saw this scene. It was like the heavens opened up to show me its glory. All the beauty man can create is nothing compared to nature. No signs matter.

The Glory of Sanctus
The Glory of Sanctus by W. Brian Duncan

The Natural History Museum London

Posted on September 26th, 2013 by

Old Bones

I love natural history museums…they usually feel old and the Natural History Museum in London is a treat. It’s a beautiful and honestly HUGE museum. I was familiar with the great hall in today’s photo, but I was not at all familiar that you could go on and on through the rooms and endless exhibits. Pamela and I had limited time here and missed two entire sections of the complex, but still it was one of my favorite places we visited while in England.

HDR Photography
The Natural History Museum London by W. Brian Duncan

Tower Bridge in a Field of Sunflowers

Posted on September 19th, 2013 by

Unexpected Pleasures

One of the things I truly love about travel is how unexpected the world is. Most of the time I have only a rough sketch of where I am going or what I am doing, I just let serendipity drag me along wherever she may. Even when I am going somewhere with a particular purpose, as was the case with this photo, you never know what you will find. I was looking for City Hall and its view of Tower Bridge. I was hoping to scout the location to perhaps come back for sunrise. This didn’t happen, but we did find a field of sunflowers! I am not sure how long they were visiting for, but its not something you generally see. Serendipity!

HDR Photography
Tower Bridge in a Field of Sunflowers by W. Brian Duncan