Domed building with a large bubble floating in front
London,  Pick a Word,  Street art,  Travel galleries

Gallery: pick a word (November 2023)

December 3, 2023 / 23 Comments

Words and pictures are yin and yang. Married, they produce a progeny more interesting than either parent.

Dr. Seuss

That’s an appropriate quote for any blogger, as most of us do try to combine words and pictures in interesting way. While a photo can tell a story without the need for words, and words can do likewise without any illustration, the combination of both can be more powerful than either.

Each month Paula challenges us to find photos to match her chosen words. Some seem easy to ‘illustrate’, others I genuinely find challenging. But it’s an exercise I always enjoy!

Normally I use this challenge as an opportunity to whisk you all around the world, picking shots from my various travels. But this month I decided to make my life difficult by choosing images from my home city, London.

As always I haven’t stuck only to Paula’s five words, as I like to say a bit about each photo. However I do try to be more succinct for this challenge than for most of my posts!

BUOYANT

Domed building with a large bubble floating in front

Giant soap bubble and St Paul’s Cathedral

A favourite sight among children is that of the man who habitually creates these huge soap bubbles from a spot on the south bank of the Thames just across from St Paul’s Cathedral. The kids love to run around bursting them and perhaps having a (usually unsuccessful) go at making their own bubbles.

CHARMING

Mauve padlock on a railing inscribed with names and date

Padlock on the Thames Path near Southwark Bridge

I don’t see nearly as many love padlocks in London as I do in Paris, for instance, but they do crop up from time to time. I photographed this one as much for its colour as for the sweet message it conveys.

ILL-MANNERED

Small figure of a winged demon on a ledge

Street art, Brick Lane, London

I’m not completely certain this little creature / devil / alien is ill-mannered, but he certainly looks as if he could be!

PERPETUAL

Multiple reflections of a woman with a camera looking up

Self-portrait in an art installation at Canary Wharf

This was an exhibit at the Summer Lights festival in 2022, and although the reflections of me don’t quite go on forever they somehow appear to do so.

TUBULAR

Ring of red lights encircling a footbridge

The Clew, Canary Wharf

This is another installation in Canary Wharf. This one is permanent and was created by Ottotto of Portugal. It is made from 100 loops of red light which encircle the Cubitt Steps Bridge.

23 Comments

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