Whats The Context?
Exploring museums in London is one of my favorite things to do. And the notoriously bad weather in London can make museums one of the best places to people watch. While a bit dated in my opinion, the Natural History Museum is a great place to see and capture families exploring the various exhibits. It’s part of the “Museum Trifecta”. The three major museums on Exhibition Road which includes the Science Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum. All combining for an interesting day of historical exploration.It’s an interesting place to photograph as Hintze Hall, where the whale is on display, has stunning natural light pouring in. This is one of the challenges of shooting in a museum. Either you have to expose for the windows or the subject. And since tripods aren’t allowed, it’s almost impossible to take a bracket shot. Making it an interesting scene of timing and luck.
What Was I Trying to Capture?
SCALE SCALE SCALE. This was the main thing on my mind while trying to properly frame her. I wanted her to be centred with people on multiple levels to show just how massive shes and the room are. I was lucky that the light from the windows started to hit at just the right time. If you look in the background you’ll notice several people on the stairs giving her the perfect scale.I went purposely during the midday. I knew that the sun would be high and if the clouds broke I would get some nice glow from the windows around the museum. You might recognize this space as home to Dippy. A Diplodocus skeleton that was removed and put on tour in 2017, replaced by Hope. This has always been one of the museums most popular rooms. Given the two iconic residents and it’s stunning architecture.
My Settings:
Hand Held or Stabilized: Hand Held and propped on a railingExposure: 1/60thFocal Length: 28MMISO: 3200Lighting: Natural light from ceiling windowsBody: Sony A7SLens: Kit 28-70
London Museum Travel Tips and Guide
If you’re a museum buff like me then you’ll love London. London has over 250 registered museums. Many of which are free and home to some of the worlds greatest treasures. I recommend staying in one of two districts. South Kensington which is home to the Natural History Museum, Science Museum, and Victoria & Albert Museum. Or Holborn where you’ll find the British Museum, Transportation Museum, Sir John Soane’s Museum, and Somerset House.Backpacker should look to stay at Meininger Hostel Hype Park or SoHostel. For the mid-range, I recommend the London House Hotel or St.Giles London (excellent facilities). For the Luxury traveller, your options are DEEP as London has probably the worlds best hotels on that end of the spectrum. I recommend The Nadler Soho and The Grosvenor Hotel.Images like this a relatively easy to learn how to shoot. The key is timing and understanding the flow of crowds through museums. If you’re shooting something like this for your portfolio I recommend you head there mid-day and mid-week.
