From the Balcony...

London Day 5

British Museum

About ten years ago, I used my Sigma 14mm superwide from this very balcony, on my film Nikon F100. The resulting print swept the board at Salisbury Camera Club and went on to be exhibited widely. That lens did wonders for my trophy cabinet, considering that everyone else (almost) at the Club was digital and full-frame DSLRs were neither available or exceedingly expensive. Therefore, my superwide scenes were so much wider than all the other member's entries.

This view and scene has since been done to death, it seems. And so, with my fisheyes on the old FX Nikon D700 up in London with me at the moment, it was a return to the Museum for the first time since that so successful mission back when.

And to make it stand out I just had to go wider again, wider than anyone else! The Sigma 8mm circular fisheye takes in all of the frame of the balcony - so much so I had to hold the camera at both arm's length out, so I'm glad I didn't drop it - it could have killed someone below! This also made it an absolute sod to centre correctly and hold still - the D700 is a heavy camera....

This was the only one I got where the dappled sunlight has reached out onto the central structure and as I said, was reasonably centred, as this last bit could not be corrected by cropping, after all! I even had to clone out a pen, some tickets and other bits that had been dropped onto the ledge, just below... it just looked messy and amateurish to leave them in.

Look in LARGE

The success of that original print was partly down to the neat and pleasing arrangement of the people below - like a Lowry, perhaps. Whether this fits the bill as well is another matter but I am so glad to have got this shot, after so long a wait.

I have to thank each and everybody for their understanding and comments on aspects of my life in yesterday's Blip. It was difficult to express but now it's photos and Blips portraying the positive sides to life!

My Blip of one year ago has been hugely successful and may I say, supremely beautiful. It is also my most 'liked' image so far uploaded on the Italian site I referred to a few days ago.