Journey to the center of the Earth
This is the Earth Hall inside the Natural History Museum in London. Hoping to capture images of some of the spaces before they filled with people, I arrived early and was one of the first people through the doors. After spending my first moments photographing the great Hintze Hall (published earlier in the Looking Down on Darwin post), I quickly made my way to this great space.
I thought the room would fill up quickly, but I ended up having the place to myself for about 10 minutes. Being alone, I had the benefit of getting some compositions that otherwise would have been difficult. Standing here at the bottom of the escalator is one example, and it turned out to be my favorite. With no one in front or behind me, I could take my time. This proved essential as it took several hand-held attempts to try to align myself and the camera in the right spot (tripods are not allowed).
I recently rediscovered this image going through some old files on my computer. I have always liked this image, but for whatever reason, I hadn't published it until now. With the museum closed indefinitely due to the global health situation, it seems like the right time to finally share it with you. It is best to experience this chamber in person, so let's hope the museum is able to open its doors again soon.
Looking Down On Darwin
This amazing place is the Natural History Museum in London. It is easily one of the most interesting buildings I have had the opportunity to visit and photograph. This is the massive main corridor filled with arches upon arches upon arches.
I arrived when the museum was opening and was one of the first in the door. I thought it would fill up with people quickly, but I had time to walk around for 10-15 minutes as one of the only people inside. I took several photographs from various spots and kept climbing the flights of stairs until I reached the top platform. From here you have a great perspective of the entire hall, looking down and seeing all three levels. If you look closely, you will see a white statue at the far end of the hall…that is a statue honoring Charles Darwin.
I did not have a tripod, so I had to take this handheld…which presented a bit of a challenge. Aligning a camera properly to avoid distortion in lines, shapes and arches takes a steady hand and careful positioning. It has taken me a lot of practice, but I have become better at this technique was able to get the symmetry that I wanted for this image.
I could hear several people entering the hall as I finished shooting. Moments later, a group of about 30 elementary kids came charging up the stairs. All of them were wearing the same bright yellow “field trip” t-shirts and shouting Harry Potter phrases. Looking back, I probably should have taken a picture of that scene as well. :)
