The City of London is a ghost town!

A few weeks ago I went with two other photographers into the City of London to scout for locations. We met at around 5.30pm and as soon as we moved away from Liverpool Street station, where there was a little bit of buzz, it became clear that the changes are fundamental. This would have been peak rush hour up to mid March and now there’s barely anyone on the streets. Had we been wandering around, looking upwards, checking out the best views and generally dithering on the streets early in the year I’m sure we might have been knocked over in the rush to get home or to the pub and we’d have heard lots of ill tempered muttering about being in the way. Now - nothing at all! There’s plenty of room for everyone on the pavements with the few people around easily able to avoid each other.

The only signs of life we saw were in the very few pubs still open where there were little clusters of, presumably, key workers or the ones who just couldn’t stand being at home anymore and for whom even an empty office is a welcome break.

We had hoped for a colourful sunset to set off against the towering buildings but instead, almost in keeping with the sombre mood, the skies were grey and flat. Later we moved down to the river where the lights were man made, on the Shard and on London Bridge.

This is one of the images I liked from within the city. It’s the St Andrew Undershaft Church in front of the Gherkin on St Mary Axe. To add drama and give definition to the buildings I blackened the sky (which eradicated the problem of the dull greys). I love the sense of old existing side by side with new in the city and this sums it up for me.

I hope you’re having a good weekend!