Wednesday 20 June 2007

The Salisbury - finding the light


After a portrait session with one very colourful Datuk Yunus at Covent Garden today, I stumbled into The Salisbury for a quick bite with a friend. This Victorian pub in the West End oozes charm and a bygone atmosphere not unlike something from My Fair Lady or a Dickens story. The interior is totally mahogany panelled, covered with stained mirrors with ornate floral embellishments, velvet covered stools and warm flamed light fittings. Its wonderful for moody portraits and I remembered I shot Oliver Coates here in December 2005.



Oliver is a brilliant cellist and he needed a promo portrait. The soft light from the large windows at the front of the pub was ideal for the mood we discussed beforehand and hoped to achieve. By the way, the food is pretty good too...




4 comments:

zorro said...

Steven...ale and bitters always have a special flovor when the ambience complements them. Must drop in to Salisbury next trip.

svllee said...

Hi Zorro...give me a call anytime you are in town..! Its beer heaven here as you know. By the way, I live very close to Youngs Brewery, a traditional ale company going back a long time. They still have old work horses pulling beercarts to deliver their product to local pubs! I will try to get a photo of one when I see it.

J.T. said...

The Salisbury sounds like a lovely place. Beautiful atmosphere, food and drink - what's not to love? :)

That is a lovely portrait of Oliver Coates. You captured him well.

svllee said...

Hey j.t. glad you like the portrait. I find that pubs nearly always have the 'perfect' light for natural light photography. This is largely due to their dark interior and the large windows they have.