4 Years TE - Where Time Begins Photo

Photographer’s Note

Today, October 19, I find I have completed 4 years on TE. It seems much shorter than that, but we all know that time passes more quickly the more of it you have behind you. I like Woody Allen's definition of Time, I don't think there is a better one:

'Time is what stops everything from happening at once'

So, today, a photo of where Time begins and ends.

From the north side of the River Thames in London, standing on what is called the Isle of Dogs, one can view the impressive architectural glory of Greenwich Royal Naval College. The Italian master, Canaletto visited London and painted it in 1732, although his viewing position seems, from this digital image of his famous painting, to have been a little higher and completely unobstructed by foliage. Not only that, it shows the Thames teeming with various boats and ships, from great to small. I think he was incorporating here some of the same types of details that filled his paintings of Venice.

This link provides the following very brief description of these buildings:

'The Old Royal Naval College is the architectural centrepiece of Maritime Greenwich, a World Heritage Site in Greenwich London, described by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) as being of “outstanding universal value” and reckoned to be the “finest and most dramatically sited architectural and landscape ensemble in the British Isles”. The site is managed by the Greenwich Foundation for the Old Royal Naval College (Foundation), set up in July 1998 as a Registered Charity to “look after these magnificent buildings and their grounds for the benefit of the nation”. The grounds and some of its buildings are open to visitors. The buildings were originally constructed to serve as the Greenwich Hospital, designed by Christopher Wren, and built between 1696 and 1712. The hospital closed in 1869. Between 1873 and 1998 it was the Royal Naval College, Greenwich.'

The buildings consist of four separate blocks. Facing the riverside are the King Charles Court (left) and Queen Anne Court, and behind them to the south are the King William Court and Queen Mary Court - the two domed buildings. Between the domes is a squat white building in front of the observatory hill behind - this is the Queen's House. Some of the Royal Observatory structures can be seen on the hill.

In July, 1967, Sir Francis Chichester, was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in Greenwich right on the Meridian Line, shortly after the completion of his epic journey - the first solo circumnavigation of the globe.

To get to the point where I took the photo I crossed below the Thames by means of the Greenwich Foot Tunnel, which was opened in 1902.

Longroute, Buin, phwall, dta, ChrisJ, mikolaj_kawa, asajernigan, trekks, Kielia, TravelerNL, Charo, snunney, daddo, jlbrthnn, JCG, vasilpro, chawax, ellelloo, skippy007, Cricri, gunbud, pasternak, Royaldevon, jhm, lgir, cherryripe, Clementi, patdeph, gervaso, MLINES, ktanska has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

Buin (37326) 2009-10-19 4:41

Hallo Andrew!
My congratulations to your birthday" here - and your "staying power! Your contributions always again are welcomed and interesting - as this one is. Thank you very much for the excellent note, really in therms of TE! The photo with this impressive big part of sky gives an impressive sight of this college, nearly a palace. The tiny seagull is a lovely detail here. ;-)
Greetings from autumnal cool Germany!
Frank

Longroute (9133) 2009-10-19 4:42

A great image for your anniversary Andrew!

I like the wide space you gave to the fine sky and the extreem clarity and neatness of the whole composition. The tree branches and the special light gives a unique flavour to this famous place: a classical composition for a classical building.
Having been in London several times I think you got a real glorious day: the best to celebrate with us your fourth year in TE.
My best congratulations both for the endurance (:-) and this remarkable photo.

Donato

phwall (5530) 2009-10-19 5:01

Hello Andrew,
A superb capture, the CPL contributes to make your image jump off the screen.
I'm impressed by your composition and the creative way you have used the overhanging branches to give depth to the image. The rays of sunshine on camera right appear to be beaming directly onto the buildings.
A wonderful quality image, I doffs me lid to you.
Regards
Peter

mortijo (12084) 2009-10-19 5:03

Happy anniversary! You celebrate with an outstanding picture. The Royal Naval College appears dwarfed under thatsteel blue sky. Excellent framing with the foliage in the foreground.
Congratulations
John

dta (4786) 2009-10-19 5:11

Hello Andrew ,
Congratulations for your 4 years on TE . With a superb picture . The clarity is outstanding , and the composition really interesting , with a large part of sky , the big branche in the fore ground , and the beautiful white building in the low part of the picture .
The little rays of sun are a bonus .
Regards

ChrisJ (69941) 2009-10-19 5:21

Hi Andrew

A superb 'big sky' shot with a rich saturated blue & good use of the low horizon line to add interest. Exceleltn sharpness & framing. The foliage at top adds depth, graphism & frames the scene well. Tfs!

pauloog (6354) 2009-10-19 5:39

Hello Andrew,
A majestuous view of the buildiung, well presented in its glorious symmetry and with an original low horizon that makes place for a fabulous sky and the sunrays.
Keep on posting!
Regards,
Paul

mikolaj_kawa (29738) 2009-10-19 8:55

Hello Andrew! Wonderful architecture and amazing sky. Nice low horizon. Good composition. Perfect focus. Nice frame. Well done!

asajernigan (14054) 2009-10-19 9:54

Andrew,
This is a nice shot to celebrate your forth year on TE!
The overhanging trees add depth to the scene. The lighting and colors are great and the photo has nice sharpness.
TFS,
Asa

yaya13baut (2273) 2009-10-19 10:20

hi Andrew and congratulations for your 4 years here.
a fine view on Greenwich and the Royal naval college of wich we can appreciate the perfect symmetry.
good light.
nice composition with the large place given to the sky here.
Yannis

Kielia (8367) 2009-10-19 11:28

Hi Andrew,
congratulation on the occasion of this remarkable jubilee and thanks for enhancing this site with your excellent inputs!
Posting this image was a great idea! Outstanding photo work and a very beautiful composition with a fantastic atmosphere. The sky is wonderful! My compliments!
Warm regards
Harriet

delkoo (34120) 2009-10-19 11:40

hi andrew,

always a pleasure to hear from you and I do enjoy your gallery.A simple shot of a simple subject,but so effective.It`s an excellent exposure with fantastic colors and contrast.

A great image forthis milestone.

didier

BennyV (4598) 2009-10-19 12:17

A good idea to use this one to mark an anniversary, Andrew. Classic composition, with playful clouds. Do I detect a mythological bird in the clouds there?

Here's to many more!

Benny

TravelerNL (2951) 2009-10-19 13:17

Hi Andrew,
A very good choice to celebrate 4 years at TE.
A beautiful old building with a low horizon and without any disturbing newer buildings behind.
I like your compo with the large part of sky above the college buildings and the twiggs rounding of the photo on top. Well done!
Have a nice week,
Harko

Charo (31665) 2009-10-19 17:09

Hello Andrew,
Incredible this wonderful day in Greenwich, the light is fantastic and very beautiful composition to celebrate your long stay in TE, Congratulations!
Best wishes,
Charo

AROBN54 (10721) 2009-10-19 18:26

Congratulations, Andrew, on such a milestone.
You've chosen an excellent shot to commemorate it. Wonderful clarity and color, outstanding sharpness, great light. I love the overhanging branches and the way the angle of light catches them. What a beautiful sunny day, too. That's beautiful. Many thanks and warm wishes,
Shelly

snunney (34538) 2009-10-20 0:43

Hello Andrew,
A very apt title in more ways than one. You had the perfect blue sky to showcase these lovely and famous buildings, though the overhanging foliage is well included. The composition puts it in context on the river front. Detail is excellent.

delpeoples (5764) 2009-10-20 1:03

Hi Andrew, happy TE birthday. Four years is an amazing achievement and you have marked it well with an excellent photo. The "big sky" POV is always a favourite for me especially when it's combined with such depth and colour. I'd like to personally thank you for your warm welcome to me on TE (I think you were among the first to critique my photos) and for all the wonderful advice and help you have given me since. It is a pleasure to view your photos and learn from them - aswell as now to have met you personally and count you as a friend. Here's to many more years on TE and meeting up again soon, Lisa.

burraburra (831) 2009-10-20 4:42

Hi Andrew,
IV years - congratulations.
This photograph is simply 'Mint Slice - Very Nice'.
Love the low level landscape POV. Blue sky is superb and the sunlight grabbing at the right side of the leave of the tree is great. I agree with phwall - tree provides sense of depth.
Cheers,
Graham.

ifege (1691) 2009-10-20 15:06

Good one Andrew,
If it wasn't for the branches I would have said too much sky - but the branches add to the photo to allow you to show off the unusually blue English sky!
cheers
Ian

daddo (11277) 2009-10-21 3:28

Hi Andrew. How Time has slipped past when we were not looking. Is it that long since Carwash and our lunches at the Ziggurat? Right, back to the present! Bravo for your staying power and for selecting this image to mark the occasion. there is something mystical about it where the sky and its strange hieroglyphs dwarf the man made structures and our daily concerns. Brilliant light and colours. Regards amigo. Klaudio.

jlbrthnn (37505) 2009-10-21 4:43

Hello Andrew,
Congratulations for these four years of publication on TE, and inter alia for your images of France, which I like particularly. The image of the day, shows with the same success a splendid monument of English architecture. The composition is very pleasant, with an exceptional light and a sky. I like the division of the image between the close foliage and the low buildings on water, making a broad place with the luminous sky. A very beautiful image to celebrate this day. congratulations.

Have a nice day
Cordially
Joël

JCG (25089) 2009-10-21 5:04

Bonjour Andrew,

I saw closely this splendid architecture there is more than 20 years now, but I do not have the memory that it was with such a pretty good weather !!! Beautiful and luminous photograph to celebrate your 4th birthday on TE. An original and effective framing to emphasize this part so famous of London for its meridian line quite as famous. I like much this sky and these rays of light in top on the right which illuminates architecture. The vegetable part balances the image nicely. A beautiful photograph and a very interesting note on this historical geographical place. Thank you Andrew and cheer for your album.

With all my friendships and a very good day,

Jean-Charles
PS : And thank you for your nice words on my last publication which please to me…

cagla (2090) 2009-10-21 6:09

Hi Andrew, I congratulate your 4th anniversary in TE. I love this scenery from Greenwich, and the architecture of the naval college is really wonderful. The light beams coming from the upper right corner makes it great, your compo and POV is charming and ofcourse I love the blue of the sky. TFS.
Regards,
Cagla.

vasilpro (8374) 2009-10-21 10:29

Hello Andrew,
Congratulations for 4th anniversary on TE, wonderful composition, very good POV and DOF, lovely blue sky, very good contrast and light management, a spectacular city view.
Kind regards, Vasilis.

chawax (5861) 2009-10-21 11:02

Hi Andrew,
Congratulations for your 4 years on TE ! Very nice view. You used very well the tree to create a framing for your composition. The colours and the light are excellent.
Regards,
Olivier

mafegan (4093) 2009-10-21 21:47

Hello Andrew
The huge blue sky, which I am sure is not often seen at this location, actually enhances this spectacular view of Greenwich. The details are all there even from a distance across the Thames. Congratulations and tfs, Marlene

ellelloo (4729) 2009-10-22 1:47

Hello Andrew,
My congratulations for your 4 years on TE! A really wonderful shot to celebrate the milestone. Beautiful light and atmosphere and an excellent composition. The beautifully lit leaves on the foreground both balance the composition and give a sense of depth. Thanks for the excellent note too!
Greetings from grey and wet Espoo,
Lasse

gildasjan (23621) 2009-10-22 7:03

Bonjour Andrew
Un cdarage très bas réussi sous ce ciel densifié par le polarisant.Une très bonne netteté sur l'architecture.
Bonne journée
Amicalement
gildas

foozi (4687) 2009-10-22 7:19

Hi Andrew,
this magnificent view is really wonderful. The scenery along the river is so lovely and you have captured it very well. The little framing by the leaves is so well thought that it create somesort like an inside frame.
Well done in great dramatic colours, especially the blue sky.

Regards,
Foozi

skippy007 (6949) 2009-10-22 17:49

Congratulation Andrew, Four years & still having fun.
For me it's the rays of sunlight coming in from the right that makes it, in particular the effect it has on the leaves of the overhanging branch, beautiful blue sky, it's when I see shots like this that I know I should be using my CP filter, the problem is once I put in on it stays on. A lovely shot with excellent colour & depth even it lacks that Venetian influence but it's the Thames not the Grand Canal after all.;-)
Cheers, take care
Santo
I like your entertaining note, interesting & very informative.
Thanks

Cricri (43030) 2009-10-23 13:13

Hi Andrew, Happy new year
Très belle qualité d'image, belle utilisation des feuilles et l'effet de lumière bien ressortit par le fond bleu, belle vue sur ce bâtiment longeant le fleuve
Have a nice week end
cricri

gunbud (27741) 2009-10-23 17:05

Hi Andrew,
Congratulations on your 4th year on TE and what a beautiful and appropirate image you have chosen for the occassion.
Love the vivid blye sky and wispy clouds looming over the lovely maritime architecture.
Very informative note as well.
Regards, Tom

pasternak (13180) 2009-10-24 2:03

Congratulations with this milestone, I think if you survived 4 years of continuous participation at TE, then no perturbations can ever make you leave... I for one cannot make myself stay here for long periods, I always become distracted by other things (work, for example... lol)

Nice and very luminous shot, although the light was not 100% favorable. Great framing with the leaves from only one corner of the frame.

Cheers
A

Royaldevon (5888) 2009-10-24 4:00

Hello Andrew,

Congratulations on your 4th anniversary!
I like your link between time and Greenwich!
The association with a time line shows just how long we have moved along it!

The composition is impeccable!
The light is beautiful (not something you can always guarantee in London), giving an amazing clarity to the shot.

The framing leaves are unexpected but do add a little softness to the highly organised and precise shot. They also anchor the viewer firmly on the opposite bank rather than being tossed around on a boat!

Have a good w/e, my friend,
Bev :-)

jhm (82155) 2009-10-24 8:10

Hallo Andrew,

The clarity and sharpness are extraordinarily.
The tree branches and the special light gives a unique flavour to this famous place, this as panorama view.
I love this image absolutely with these colour and presentation.
Composed and captured are superb.
Nice photograph job. TFS.

Have a nice weekend,
John.

lgir (2843) 2009-10-24 8:39

Hello Andrew ,

Congratulations for your 4 years on TE.
Thank you for all these divisions successful with images coloured and luminous for your various voyages.
this last very luminous photograph and offering a beautiful depth does not derogate from the rule.
Tanks for sharing
Regards
Laurent

emka (21177) 2009-10-24 16:39

Hi Andrew, My congratulations, happy "birthday"!

Fantastic panorama of Greenwich. Stunning sharpness, wonderful colour, great depth. Nice symmetry of the buildings. But I think that the times (I mean the day) begins somewhere on Pacific.

Regards

Malgorzata

cherryripe (18869) 2009-10-25 9:35

Hi Andrew
Quite appropriate me seeing this the day time forom 2 to 3am repeated itself. I still remember being an 11 year old have one leg either side of the line. I like the low horizon, how you filled in the corner with the branches and the presence of the guy. Excellent sharpness too.
Congrats on your 4 years here - hmmmm, I'm coming up for my 4th birthday soon.
Regards
Nikki

Clementi (43543) 2009-10-25 23:47

Ciao Andrew,
compliments for the four years on TE, thanks for the marvelous photos that you have made us see, also this is very beautiful
good job
Giorgio

Waylim (10717) 2009-10-26 15:20

Hi Andrew,
I rather like the wide open view of the over all area than the closeup of it. It gives a much better impression of the area and surrounding. love how you use the tree branches to frame the top. the ray of light from the top right is really a nice effect. Brilliant blue sky. Well balance composition and placement of all ellements. Thanks.
Way

patdeph (17638) 2009-10-27 2:35

hello Andrew
congratulations for your 4 years on TE,and you have chosen a splendid picture for this milestone!I like how the monument appears far away,emphasized by a splendid light,and so well framed by the foliage of the foreground!Magnificent!
Regards
Pascale

jimkil (528) 2009-10-27 15:28

Hello Andrew
Congrats on the milestone, and thanks for this top capture of Greenwich. I like the wind angle and also the cool blues and sunlit greens. The Greenwich Royal Naval College shows excellent depth and detail and the wispy clouds are beautiful.
Well done
Jim

gervaso (5106) 2009-10-29 10:59

Hello, Andrew!

Wonderful view of those wonderful buildings! Even from the distance we can see the beauty of the architecture, shown with excellent sharpness! The polarized sky is also great! Congratulations for the 4 years in TE!

Juntas (3131) 2009-10-30 9:51

Hi Andrew and congratulations on your 4th anniversary. It's a very nice composition with the branches on the foreground. Nice clouds seeming like strokes of paint and a very nice architecture. Great job. BEst regards. Paulo

kevinos (6927) 2009-11-01 22:50

Hi Andrew. i think this is one of the most attractive pictures of a part of London that i know and love.The whole classical sweep of the architecture shows itself from this side of the river. You have a magnificent sky too and a great arch of a tree to frame the view well. regards kevin

alftrek (2767) 2009-11-02 5:07

Hello Andrew,
I shouldn't have missed this magnificent architectural shot, despite being a little busy over the last week or so.

You have created a wonderful composition for this cluster of architectural masterpiece which keeps drawing our attention, eventhough they appears a bit small on the baseline from the distant. The harsh light is well controlled by your CPL, and I like the way it highlights the facades and the FG foliage.
Well done.

Regards
Alfred

Yves-triga (3340) 2009-11-02 6:46

hello andrew,
very nice view from london,
i like very much this pov,nicec sharpness,thank for all explication and redirecting.
very well see
yves

MLINES (10852) 2009-11-02 22:55

Hi Andrew, A pleasing image with good frame at the top using the leafy branch and the very low horizon which throws emphasis onto the buildings more than if too much water was there in the foreground. Good blue skies with posible jet trails breaking up in the breeze. TFS. Murray.

ktanska (16486) 2009-11-03 2:50

Hi Andrew,
Congratulations on these 4 years!
Empty space gives framing originality, and it works well. Would work even better if larger size was permitted. Important historic place which I haven't seen from this angle before. The observatory itself is hardly visible, but it's well placed between those domes.
Kari

emilbo (9267) 2009-11-03 9:48

Salut Andrew,
Félicitations pour tes quatre ans sur TE et merci d'avoir visité ma galerie ce qui m'a permis de visiter la tienne. Bel éclairage et merveilleuse lumière sur le feuillage qui à première vue a attiré mon attention. La qualité d'image est là et le ciel est de toute beauté. Beau travail et superbes couleurs.
tous mes compliments,
Emilius

pajaran (2836) 2009-11-03 12:06

Zdravo.
Arhitektura za gledanje i divljenje, odlicna fotografija.
Pozdrav, Paja.

Ninello52 (3266) 2009-11-05 14:10

Ciao Andrew!
Complimenti per i tuoi 4 anni in Te! Non potevi festeggiare con foto migliore! Bellissima la composizione con l'orizzonte molto basso e tanto cielo! Molto belli quei colpi di luce sulle foglie dell'albero in primo piano.
Saluti e auguroni! nino.

giorgimer (20964) 2009-11-11 13:34

Hi Andrew,

very nice architecture, I like your wide shot with so much sky

Well done!

G

Silvio1953 (41340) 2009-11-23 12:40

Ciao Andrew, I'm late but great wishes for your 4th anniversary on TE, thanks for all your wonderful photo, this one is a lovely composition with splendid architecture, good natural colors, beautiful natural frame by leaves, very well done, ciao Silvio

claudeD (11240) 2009-11-24 10:50

Hello Andrew,

first of all my congratulations for 4 years of TE and for this excellent shot very well composed.I like the scene very much.Very well done.TFS.

With regards from Luxembourg

Jean-Claude

Photo Information

Copyright: Andrew McRae (macondo) (13063)
Genre: Places
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2009-06-01
Categories: Architecture
Camera: Pentax K200D, Tamron 18-250mm f/3.5-6.3 DiII, Cokin 62mm Circular Polarizer
Exposure: f/10.0, 1/160 seconds
More Photo Info: view
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2009-10-19 4:30