NHM: Stairs and Shadows

More lively in large ("L").

It was sweltering in the museum today: moving around was a strange experience as each different area seemed to have quite different climatic conditions... Leaving the herbarium was unpleasant because its dark entrance was cool and comfortable-feeling, whilst the central hall was stifling and muggy... By the end of the day the herbarium had followed suit and become similarly hot and stuffy. Meh. On leaving the museum I walked out through the exhibition road entrance only to discover that the geological museum end of the NHM ("the red zone") was still very cool! Had I known, I might have taken myself there in search of my blip...

As it was, I braved the central hall and stood on the balcony of the second floor to take pictures of the people (well, their shadows really) on the stairs. It is quite an interesting place for people watching as people don't just walk up and down, but stop to look or take photographs, or pose for portraits, or play on the stairs (children seem to like especially busy and hazardous places when it comes to playing, and these stairs have an amazing drop over the sides which must notch it up quite a few rungs on the appealing-play-area ladder...). I think I've got examples of each here: people climbing up to see the Sequoia at the bottom, a photographer capturing a friend on the right, and a child who was racing up and down the top flight at the left.

I love it when the light hits the stairs like this...
I've blipped similar lighting on two other occasions: without people & Darwin's stairs.