Sunrise At The Tower

There is something unique for me as a photographer waking up before dawn and arriving at my destination to watch the sunrise. The light at sunrise is incredible and soon after, as the sun rises higher up in the sky during the golden hour the light is softer and redder offering a different dimension to the image.

At the end of August, whilst most of London was asleep, I made my way from Blackfriars station through the eerie cobbled streets of Bankside past the Clink prison which would have once been a no-go area many moons ago. The city seemed unusually still and calm, but I had a feeling of fear and a sense of being watched despite the distinct absence of people.

As I arrived shortly before sunrise, I began pacing up and down London Bridge to find the best composition. I was privileged to take up my position on London Bridge sharing it with only a few homeless people and of course the night workers. I had a sense they were strangely observing me wondering what on earth I was doing so early in the morning.

After I found my composition which I thought would give me the best vantage point of Tower Bridge, HMS Belfast with the contrasting tall architecture of Canary Wharf I set up my camera. Whilst most of London was still dreaming about the day ahead, I was mesmerised by the magical sunrise that appeared before me. I hope you will agree that the early morning adventure was worth getting up for to enable me to capture this magical image. I captured it using long exposure in addition to a 10-stop filter to capture the smoothness of the Thames whilst the early morning sunrise created a magical scene to behold.

Sunrise At Tower Bridge