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Photo details
Location: US Embassy, Nine Elms, London
Camera: Nikon D810
Lens: Nikkor 70-300 f/4.5-5.6
The story behind the American Embassy
I have very mixed feelings about Nine Elms at the moment. On one hand, there are some interesting buildings going up as the area is regenerated. On the other, it’s one of the most soulless places imaginable. Maybe it will perk up when people move into all those empty apartments.
I took this shot on my second trip to Nine Elms in a week. The first time, I had mainly used my 24-70 and come away unsatisfied with what I captured. This time, I deliberately restricted myself to using the 70-300, which is a great lens for capturing details of buildings. This forced me to look at the area in a very different way and is a good trick if you’re struggling creatively.
The American Embassy is interestingly ugly – there’s nothing else quite like it in London – and I really like the shapes and pattern in this shot.