City of London

Nicholas Brewer

An information service has been provided in St Paul’s Churchyard since 1956. The circular kiosk provided for the Festival of Britain had seen service for over 50 years. Although it enjoyed an extremely advantageous location and possessed a distinguished heritage, this structure was badly in need of refurbishment and was no longer capable of supporting the technology required to offer a state-of-the-art information service to the millions of tourists, residents and workers who pass through the area each year.

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Abstract

Nicholas Brewer

Taken last year as an interest in architecture started to reveal itself. The great thing about having an  interest in the built environment and living in London is there are always new buildings to photograph.  Photography of any description reveals much about the photographer. The taste that I have architecturally leans towards the modernist aesthetic. Straight lines, uniformity and repetition stimulate a sense of ease and comfort within me. While this is not especially modernist it does have the other qualities that I enjoy.

Instagram

Nicholas Brewer

The photographic equivalent to Facebook has over 400 million active monthly users which seems like a huge number. The current use of photographic images has never been more prolific making digital photography a truly universal medium.

Vertical

Nicholas Brewer

Following in the theme of previous posts and the use of straight lines in photography I wanted to share this image with you. Taken with a Nikon D200 on a tripod this image shows London’s National Theater in the background. It was the sketch like quality of the image that attracted me and I visualized it in monochrome.  I have used the Tilt-shift blur in post-production to add increased depth and space. This type of cubist aesthetic is a quality that I loved from childhood days looking at sketches and art work. Repetition is a universally appealing visual quality for a myriad of reasons. It is easy on the eye, adds perspective and on a physiological level, repetition makes up a big part of everyday life.

Geometry

Nick Brewer

A picture from last year that I have reworked. The soft natural light and graphic shapes are soothing to the eye. It would have been good to move the towel up or retouch it. The tiles have their own rhythm and story.

Monochrome Awards 2015

Southbank Centre London/Nick Brewer

Always with a sense of hope and optimism do I press the send button for an entry to a competition. This year I was fortunate enough to receive to an  ‘Honorable Mention’ for two images both from the Brutalist project.  This is a novel experience for me and the boost to my morale and productivity seriously out weigh the ‘disappointment factor’ of never hearing from them again. I teach photography part-time and one thing that I consistently tell my students  is that hard work and determination are more important than natural ability. It is true not just in photography but a general lesson in life.

Small is beautiful….

Unless you are a Russian Oligarch houses in London are a touch on the small side.  When greeted by a ‘compact and bijou’ bathroom I had to think quickly and creatively. Small rooms often dictate where they will be photographed from and in case you are wondering this pictures was taken while standing in the bath. Many houses utilize the space they have in the lofts but the eaves of the house limit head height and ultimately the shape of the room. One  bonus are the skylights add a sense of theatrical lighting and a touch of drama.

The Battleship Building

Nicholas Brewer

The Battleship Building was built as a maintenance depot for British Rail in 1969 and occupies a very visible site near an elevated section of the Westway in London. Dilapidated for many years, the building was converted into offices in 2000 by Allford Hall Monaghan Morris Architects. A more recent fit-out of the ground floor makes the most of the double-height space and striking, Art Deco staircase.I felt it looked like part of a set for the ‘Minions’ and despite the tight crop the outline of the ship is quite clear. On closer inspection I wonder who placed the pink flamingo in the window and what was the purpose?  The open window indicates the barmy winter we are enjoying in London Town…..

Perfection…..

Nicholas Brewer

Often painting by hand artists known as ‘Wall Dogs’ would have created the advert that I photographed this morning. This dangerous work was most prevalent between the war years. Without the modern Health & Safety that we take for granted this was hazardous work using lead paint. Street lighting as we know it would not have existed so during the winter the working day would have been very short. It is easy to imagine the ‘Wall Dogs’ using lead paint with a fag in their mouth dangling precariously from ropes many feet above the ground. As the brick is porous it would have taken numerous coats of paint to ensure that the advert could been seen from the road. 134 Kingsland Road is now  Sông Quê Café.

If you would like to see more ‘Ghost Signs’  either have a look at my website or book.

 

Chartered Institute of Building

Barbican/Nick Brewer

As promised this one of my entries for the ‘Art of Building’ competition run by the Chartered Institute of Building.

The key dates are:

19 October 2015: Competition is open for entry
29 November 2015: Closed for entry
11 December 2015: Judging
18 December 2015: Public vote begins
23 January 2016: Public vote closes
8 February 2016: Winner announced