Juxtaposition. That’s what Patti wants from us for this week’s Lens-Artists Challenge. The unexpected frame-pairing.
I thought immediately of London, of a shot I took a while ago now showing the Gherkin, begun in 2001. Nearby, in the foreground, is one of London’s oldest still-standing buildings, the Tower of London, begun almost 1000 years before, in 1078. One, a glass and steel landmark in London’s present-day financial district: the other a foresquare stone monument to royal power, to Norman dominance, and to conquest. One is peopled by office workers – financiers. The other, once upon a time, by royals, nobility, and political prisoners. It’s my featured photo.
Let’s continue down the Thames on the waterbus service, the Thames Clipper. It’s easy to spot new development – apartment complexes for more moneyed citizens, with rusting old ships and barges tied up in the shallows.
We’ll leave our Thames Clipper at Greenwich, and walk up towards the Royal Observatory. Let’s join the crowd leaning over a balustrade to look at the city beyond. They echo and complement the skyscrapers they’re looking at.
Nearby, in Woolwich, an unlikely garden. A cracked and battered wall serving as an impromptu flower pot.
My last London shot is a slightly incongruous juxtaposition. Mudchute Farm, a community city farm and charity is on the densely-populated Isle of Dogs, surrounded by city life in all its forms – tower blocks, offices, social housing, businesses old and new. How mis-matched it feels to wander among farm animals browsing in their fields with the nearby back-drop of the high-rise development at Canary Wharf.
Thanks, Patti for an interesting challenge. I thought I couldn’t come up with anything. But I (sort of) got there in the end.
From Pyrenees to Pennines 
Cities are great sources of juxtaposition, Aren’t they? I love that photo with the silhouettes, looking down from Greenwich xx
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Thanks Jo. I was pleased with that one too. I hadn’t expected the people to be so satisfyingly silhouette-y. xx
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Your header is the perfect choice for the theme. I love London on a sunny day, preferably a chilly one.
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Nicely done, Margaret.
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Thanks Tish. It was quite good fun, wasn’t it, this challenge?
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A great selection for the prompt, Magaret! London has certainly come up with the goods!
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London usually does. In the end. Thanks Sue.
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Well London is a great place to find photos for this topic. You did good.
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You got there very well in the end. I love the last shot. It is so unexpected.
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It really is! It’s in such a densely populated area.. A real green lung.
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You not only got there at the end, but you also showed brilliant surprises along the way!
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London is always full of surprises! Thanks, Nes.
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Perfect, Margaret! Love London old and nee!
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Ah, thanks Ann-Christine.
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For someone who thought they couldn’t come up with anything, you’ve done a great job! I love the sightseers in Greenwich and even more the wall in Woolwich, while the city farm is especially incongruous 😀
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I was keen on those Greenwich sightseeers. And th wall brightened up a frankly dingy street. You probably haven’t visited any of the city farms? We’re particularly fond of Surrey Docks Farm – right near Canary Wharf! https://www.surreydocksfarm.org.uk/
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London IS a great choice for juxtapositions. The silhouettes against the skyline and your final image are my absolute favorites here. Now, I want to see the Isle of Dogs. I’m so glad you joined us.
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Ah, there’s so much to explore in London apart from the well-beaten tourist trails. And its city farms are a joy! Thanks Patti.
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Margaret, what a wonderful choice for the theme! Your photos are excellent and showcase how vibrant London is, old and new.
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