hmartinphotos

hmartinphotos - Journal

London, UNITED KINGDOM

Viaduct - the story behind the image

Posted 4 months ago

A number of years ago, I was photographing on the Isle of Dogs in East London, and came across a disused section of train track. I have not idea what trains used to travel on it, and to where. However, it presented me with some very nice train viaducts to photograph.

The train viaducts seem rather random now that they are disused. They sit on a stretch of the Isle of Dogs, and seem to be a forgot…

continue reading...


Mother & Child - the story behind the image

Posted 11 months ago

Some photos appear rather unexpected. I was taking photos of graffiti in Shoreditch, East London recently. It was getting late in the day, and the winter light was fading quickly.

I happened upon some graffiti of a mother holding a child in a doorway near Hoxton Square. The image of a mother and child can be very powerful and can also hold a lot of – sometimes conflicting – emotions. It was…

continue reading...


Equus - the story behind the image

Posted 11 months ago

While waiting for a friend at the Museum of London, in the City of London, I had a few spare minutes to indulge my creative side. I hadn’t been to the Museum for a number of years, and had initially thought I would take some photos of the surrounding modern architecture of the City.

However, sometimes something unexpected catches your eye and captures your imagination. What really caught my eye w…

continue reading...


Angel on Ladder - the story behind the image

Posted 11 months ago

Bath is one of those historical and architectural gems that I enjoy visiting and revisiting. Steeped in history and Georgian architecture, which is one of my favourite styles, the gothic Bath Abbey has also caught my eye.

Although the symmetry and geometry of the Georgian architecture is something that my photographic eye loves to capture, I find the Abbey, particularly intricate carvings on the …

continue reading...


Light & Shadows - the story behind the image

Posted about 1 year ago

As a photographer, one of the things I take for granted is seeing things.

I don’t just mean the extraordinary or the unusual. I mean really looking and seeing things or people, often in different lights and angles. Sometimes the photos just appear without me really looking for them.

One such photo was a sieve that hung in the kitchen window of a Pimlico flat I lived in a number of years ago. The …

continue reading...


Half Circle - the story behind the image

Posted about 1 year ago

Civic space and architecture is constantly evolving and changing. This is very evident in London’s East End.

Traditionally an area for the working classes, the last 30 years have seen great change with the area being regenerated and gentrified. Many new buildings celebrating the maritime past sit beside old warehouses that have been converted to flats, retail space or public buildings.

Public art…

continue reading...


Parliament Hill - the story behind the images

Posted about 1 year ago

Living in a couple of capital cities, I have become accustomed to living in close proximity to political power and the buildings they inhabit. I have always found it interesting how nations express their political power and outlook through its buildings they live in.

I have lived much of my life in Ottawa, and had many visits to Parliament Hill. The Gothic buildings show the influence from Europe…

continue reading...


Window Reflections - the story behind the images

Posted about 1 year ago

A friend of mine, who used to work for the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM), had encouraged me to visit the Museum to see The Crystal, the new front they were building. She knew I am interested in photographing architecture, and knew that I would like taking pictures of it. .

Founded in 1912, the ROM is the largest museum in Canada for world culture and natural history. It has maintained close relation…

continue reading...


The Stairs - the story behind the image

Posted over 1 year ago

Greenwich is one of my favourite parts of London. With its naval and royal history, along with the Georgian architecture, it has an old world charm that, not only draws many tourists, but lends itself quite well to photography.

I find myself drawn back to Greenwich more times than I can count, and see new angles and pictures each time I go. Even familiar haunts, like the University or the market,…

continue reading...


Liverpool Docks - the story behind the image

Posted over 1 year ago

While researching my trip to Liverpool a few years ago, I found it rather interesting that I could find an architectural guide of the city much more easily than a tourist book on the city.

Being interested in architecture, I really was looking forward to the trip, and, to be honest, wasn’t disappointed. As a photographer, I was spoiled for choice.

Although the Liverpool was going through huge reg…

continue reading...