Let's face it modern cameras can make most people look good, but it's often what you don't see that makes the difference.
Very often I'll wait for hours in the same spot just waiting for the light to be right or for a bus to move ionto the field of view, or out of it, or a crane to move. Here's a good example.
I waited for an hour on Waterloo Bridge for the light to change to take my first shot, 2 minutes later the light had gone and so had the shot. Whilst I was waiting several people walked past and were snapping away. They all missed their opportunity.
It makes a great deal of difference to plan the shot properly and if you're wondering how I manage to take such good images, well now you know, patience and planning and whilst you can get lucky by beng in the right place at the right time, the more often you put yourself there and the more patience you have, the luckier you get.
 |
| View from Waterloo Bridge |
 |
| 2 minutes later |
For this shot of Battersea power station I waited 8 weeks! To get the reflection I had to wait for a high tide on the Thames and this had to coincide with a clear weather window with little or no wind to avoid ripples in the water. In addition I'd calculated at which time of year the sun would be at the correct angle in order to create the reflection and not to place the building in shadow or silhoette.
 | | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Battersea Power Station |
|
|
So next time you wander past a man with a camera in London who's still there an hour later staring at the same view, waiting for the light to change.. say hello it could be me!
