It started badly, but it could only get better

At last I got to see London Nights at the Museum of London today.

But not before tripping on yet another uneven pavement slab and sliding across the pavement. Until our roads and walkways are resurfaced there will be no more running for the bus.

Ironically, had I not stopped to photograph this little beauty I would not have splattered the number 18 bus with blood and would still have a working 50mm lens. 

That's life I guess.

Back to the show. Like a lot of these major exhibitions, there is a tendency to be all things to all people. About a third of it comprised of pictures of buildings that were taken in the early days of photography, but could have been taken yesterday.

Then there was what I would consider 'fine art photography', for which technical knowledge never stands in the way of a tenuous concept.

There was plenty of notable work. Work with narrative. Here are some of my favourites:

Paul Marti, 1896, London by Gaslight. He shot lantern slides and tinted them with blue dye. The results were ethereal and other worldly. He experimented at a time when photography was in it's infancy.

Jim Friedman, 1988 used a panoramic camera to photograph Londoners in the rain. The result is almost impressionistic. I have never seen anything like this before.

Niall McDiarmid, Southwestern 2017-10 Big strong, coloured, well composed and exposed time exposures. Restricted colour palette, very pleasing.

Then of course Bruce Davidson's social contrasts and Bert Hardy's famous Picture Post work.

I love Chris Shaw's 'Life as a night porter' 1993-2004, that's the sort of project I'd like to do.

Barry Lewis photographed commuters on the underground as far back as 1977. They are worth seeing.

Then at last two women. Tish Martha's 'London by night' 1983, follows sex workers. The women (and their clients) obviously trusted her a lot. Her work is accompanied by quotes from both.

Finally, the most shocking (and amusing) is Sophie Rickett's 'pissing women' 1995. The woman stands in a London City street, dressed in business wear, using (I presume) a Shewee to do her business.

Do see the show, it's worth falling over for.