Battersea Power Station – the hip new place for dogs about town

So it was with great excitement that I headed down to Battersea Power Station on a boiling hot summer’s morning, for my latest dog photo shoot with gorgeous Lewie, the 5 year old cockapoo. 

For those who have yet to make the trip – I can’t recommend the area enough.

Battersea Power Station is a decommissioned Grade II listed coal fire station, located on the South Bank and the rebuilt power station did not disappoint in its stature and its sympathetic modernisation. It delivered a sharp industrial contrast to the soft and wild settings of London’s parks where I normally shoot.

I arrived early to get a better sense of the spaces around the power station. I found landscaped walkways reminiscent of the High Line in New York, an immaculately manicured lawn with a great selection of deck chairs, along with lots of local residents walking their dogs before work. With so many dog-friendly apartment buildings, restaurants, and shops, it really is a great location to head to with your four-legged bestie!

I couldn’t refrain from grabbing a quick iced coffee from Black Sheep Coffee (did I mention it was a hot day?!), one of my favourite coffee shops, and once fully fuelled, I was ready to meet Lewie and his lovely owners.  Photographing Lewie against the enormous power station presented some photographic challenges, but we had fun experimenting with different set-ups to produce a great selection of urban inspired shots. 

It was a ‘location’ that just kept on giving, as we then strolled the short walk of 100 metres to Battersea Park for some off-lead fun for Lewie and the chance for him to cool down in the shade.  Battersea Park offers 200 acres of green space and currently provides a host of sporting and recreational facilities and a little known fact - it was once a famous spot to have a duel!

Walking through the park, we stopped at The London Peace Pagoda, which is one of 80 Peace Pagodas around the world, which are used to encourage the search for world peace and mediation. Its positive karma rubbed off on us all, as this was where I shot one of my favourite portraits from the morning, a touching black and white image taken on the steps of the Pagoda.  To see some of the best photos from the morning check out Lewie’s gallery.

As we headed towards Albert Bridge, I honestly thought I was going to melt, and then thankfully we spotted a shaded area covered in wonderful lilac alliums. Lewie patiently posed in the shade, looking more lovely than ever and we then made our way on to Albert Bridge for some final iconic London portraits. It was a wonderful morning, boiling hot and so much fun. As I said goodbye to Lewie and his owner, I couldn’t wait to get started on the editing, but not before I jumped in the shower!