The Can of Ham and the Heron Tower

Black and white photo of 70 St Mary Axe (the Can of Ham) with the Heron Tower in the background

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Photo details

Location: 70 St Mary Axe, London

Camera: Nikon D810

Lens: Nikkor 70-300 f/4.5-5.6

The story behind the Can of Ham and the Heron Tower

As I noted with my other shot of the Can of Ham, the building doesn’t really stand out on the London skyline because of the tall buildings around it. In this case, that was an advantage as it enabled me to frame the shot in a way that contrasted the curve of the building against the rigid lines of the Heron Tower behind it.

I took this looking down Dukes Place and Bevis Marks, using a zoom lens at 300mm. This was challenging to do handheld on a very windy day, while keeping everything where I wanted it in the frame.