To date, my most popular photo was taken on my second trip to the UK in May of 2005.  I have always had a fondness for the traditional British Red Telephone Boxes and was determined to get a good picture of one. There’s something about these old phone booths that immediately says Britain, certainly that must be why you often find them in British styled pubs the world over.  I simply cannot tell you how many photos I’ve taken of them in previous and subsequent trips. In most ways, they have very much become dinosaurs in this age of mobile phones, but from Scottish Islands to city streets in London, you’ll still find these grand red boxes dotting the landscape.

The first Red Telephone Box was the result of a competition in 1924 and was designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott.  There were a few iterations culminating in the current design in 1935 to celebrate the silver jubilee of King George V.  This is the familiar design that has found its way throughout the United Kingdom and lands beyond today.

London Calling - Print

This particular phone booth was photographed near the Embankment Tube Station near the Thames.  It was taken with my simple point and shoot Olympus camera.  As should be apparent, I then utilized photoshop for the final product, converting the image to black and white and then with a virtual brush, removing the black and white layer just from the phone box in the picture to allow the red of that booth to really shine.  While I’ve seen this type of selective color treatment done frequently, it’s definitely a style that requires just the right image.  I believe I found it in this case.

Although so far I have mainly created art and photography that was destined to be printed for wall art, this is one work that I have also converted into a popular t-shirt which is also available.

London Calling T-shirt

Whenever I wear this, I tend to get nice reactions and people asking me where I purchased it. I have to say there’s a certain amount of pride saying that it’s based on my own work!