Just before, I had spent some time shooting from a park on the side of the river Thames next to this most famous of bridges and the ancient and historic Tower complex on the other side. As I was on foot, as I usually was, when I was done, I was about to cross back towards a local pub for an evening meal and a pint when the gates came down and the bridge was closed for some shipping activity on the river below. Looking to take advantage of this opportunity, as I waited, I hopped the fence, walking out in to the center of the empty street over the bridge... for a unique view as this was not something normally available as the traffic always is very heavy. When the bridge opened before me, the setting sunlight was just amazing and strikingly lit up the metal structure underneath to my delight. It was immaculately maintained and painted in a beautiful golden yellow, further accented by the sun. The engineering laid out here was amazing and I marveled at the craftsmanship.
I immediately started to shoot the details pulled out of the scene, rather than the obvious shots that are normally seen from this bridge. It became a graphic element rather than a 'thing' to me and is probably my favorite from that day.
Often, when out shooting, the obvious might capture my attention at the start and cause me to stop and look further, but I have found that there is usually something also hidden there that is the real draw, whether I realize it or not. Sometimes, I can catch up with it and find it in the lens, other times not, and in those times I leave unsatisfied. This was a day in which I was surprised by something not looked for, not expected, but that captured and changed me anyway.
It reminds me to always keep my eyes, and more importantly, my heart open to things not seen with the casual eye, but that are there non the less, for sometimes those hidden things are the little parts of life, in which your real interest lies and where your heart truly can be found.
