Dr. No's Lair

[Darren Bradley]

OK, I know I'm late but it's been a crazy week at work (as usual)

Here's a shot I took of the place while out with Chris the other day


That would be your intrepid West Coast Correspondent down below.

And here's another shot I took a couple of years ago, at sunset

 

[Jim Kuo]

Both look great, but I love the sunset one particularly, golden hour really makes this type of scene special.

 

[Fidel Marcus]

Fantastic photos, I'm going to make a guess here & say the older one was with no tilt-shift & the new one is tilt-shift lens, correct?

 

[Brian Moore]

I'm going to make a guess here & say the older one was with no tilt-shift

I would agree Fidel because I do not believe Chris even owns a tilt-shift lens.

Great shots, Darren. Love the first one most.

 

[Pete Askew]

Now that was worth scrambling up the cliff for. I like both but I actually prefer the first I think (shame about Oddjob on the beach though ). I'm almost certain I have seen this building in a magazine or similar - maybe Ideal Home from the 70s when I was thinking about a career in interior design. I followed the links etc on your Flickr site for more information - interesting stuff. Thanks.

 

[Paul Lange]

And there I was getting all excited, expecting to see a bikini clad beauty scampering from a fire breathing dragon but NOOO!

 

[Brian Moore]

Now that was worth scrambling up the cliff for. I like both but I actually prefer the first I think (shame about Oddjob on the beach though ). I'm almost certain I have seen this building in a magazine or similar - maybe Ideal Home from the 70s when I was thinking about a career in interior design. I followed the links etc on your Flickr site for more information - interesting stuff. Thanks.

Oddjob was in Goldfinger, Pete. What you're seeing down there on the beach is the official Legoland photographer. He's been popping up in our posts from time-to-time ever since Chris met him.

 

[Chris Dodkin]

Nicely done Darren - well worth the climb!

Loving that sky in #2 - you went wider angle then 2nd time around.

 

[Chris Dodkin]

I would agree Fidel because I do not believe Chris even owns a tilt-shift lens.

You are in soooo much trouble Brian!

 

[Chris Dodkin]

(shame about Oddjob on the beach though ).

You wait till I catch you with my bowler hat Pete!

 

[Darren Bradley]

Thanks, everyone!

Actually, both were shot with a tilt-shift lens. The most recent one that I took with Chris was taken with a 24mm TS-E. It's actually a stitch of three different photos. By doing that, I was able to maintain the proper perspective of the circular structure. The other shot, taken at sunset from essentially the same position, was taken with a single shot from the 17mm TS-E. Because I didn't have the lens directly centered on the building, it distorted the circle a bit.

The bikini-clad babe was just off frame, to my left. But she was with her boyfriend, alas. But

 

[Fidel Marcus]

that's brilliant Darren, thanks

 

[Pete Askew]

You wait till I catch you with my bowler hat Pete!

I have actually met the actor who played Oddjob (and very little else in his career). For some reason (I forget why now) he used to hand around the bar in the club at Bush House (BBC World Service in London) and bore anyone stupid enough to offer him a drink with tales of his days in a Bond film. My friend used to be a tape deck and broadcast engineer there back in the 80s and it was a cheap place to drink!

 

[Brian Moore]

I have actually met the actor who played Oddjob (and very little else in his career). For some reason (I forget why now) he used to hand around the bar in the club at Bush House (BBC World Service in London) and bore anyone stupid enough to offer him a drink with tales of his days in a Bond film. My friend used to be a tape deck and broadcast engineer there back in the 80s and it was a cheap place to drink!

Did he wear a bowler hat, Pete?

 

[Pete Askew]

No. It might have been marginally more interesting if he had!!