Beauty and the Belfast

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About Beauty and the Belfast

HMS Belfast is part of London’s landscape, moored on the River Thames between London Bridge and Tower Bridge. Seen from the riverbanks - at 18½ double-decker buses long and over 8 high (to the top of the mast) - it’s an impressive sight, but is there more to it than meets the eye?

We’d like you to submit your photographs capturing the beauty of the Belfast to this Flickr group. Our favourites will be shown on the IWM website and the winning photographer (and up to three friends) will receive a private tour of the ship with Chief Yeoman Kevin Price on the sixty-seventh anniversary of D-Day, Monday 6 June 2011, complete with a simulated firing of the ship’s 4-inch guns!

The only requirement to enter is that your photograph(s) must feature some part of the ship, but you can take your photos from the shore, on deck or below deck. Here are our top tips for snapping the ship in all its beauty:

1. Explore. HMS Belfast has nine decks of amazing seafaring history, so see what catches your eye as you discover the ship for yourself.

2. Think about colour. Can you find any flashes of colour on board, and how do these look in their surroundings?

3. Get close-up. Experiment with how different objects, hardware and materials change appearance when you zoom in.

4. Point up, down and around. Don’t forget to look up to the masts, down onto deck and through the portholes.

5. Play with light and shadows. See how the light hits the ship in the morning or at sunset, and what effects this creates.

6. Shoot at night. Get an atmospheric shot when the ship is shimmering with the reflected lights of London after dark.

COMPETITION RULES

To submit a photograph to the competition, simply join this group and add your photograph to the pool anytime until 11.59pm on Monday 16 May 2011. Photographs submitted after this time will not be eligible for judging.

You can add up to five photos to the group.

Submissions to the group are moderated, so it may take up to two working days for your photograph to appear in the group.

The tour on Monday 6 June 2011 can be arranged between 1.00pm and 4.00pm; if you are unable to come on this day, the tour can be rearranged at a convenient time for you and the Museum (Monday to Friday only).

HOW TO ADD YOUR PHOTOGRAPH: STEP BY STEP

1. Join Flickr and upload your photograph

To add your photograph to the HMS Belfast photo competition, you will need to join Flickr. Basic membership of Flickr is free.

Once you are a member of Flickr, you can upload your photographs through your browser, by email or in a number of other ways. To find out more, visit Flickr: Frequently Asked Questions.

2. Join the Beauty and the Belfast group.

To join the Beauty and the Belfast group, sign in to your Flickr account, then go to the Beauty and the Belfast group page and click 'Join This Group’ on the right-hand side underneath the group name.

3. Add your photograph to the Beauty and the Belfast group.

Once you have joined the Beauty and the Belfast group, you can add your photograph to the group pool. Go to the photograph's page in Flickr, click on the ‘Actions’ button above the photo and select ‘Add to a group’ from the drop-down menu.

4. You're done!

ABOUT HMS BELFAST

Visit HMS Belfast to discover what life was like for those who lived and worked on board. Nine decks of amazing seafaring history provide plenty of opportunities to explore for the whole family - plus look out for events and activities throughout the year that bring the ship to life. Venture into the Captain’s domain on the Compass Platform, see the shells lying beneath the ship’s waterline, and hear sailors’ stories in the Life at Sea exhibition.

You can also find out what far-flung places HMS Belfast visited during her years in active service and learn more about her adventures at sea. From convoy duties in the Arctic during the Second World War to patrolling waters in support of retreating troops during the Korean War, delve beneath the surface of HMS Belfast’s life story to see the important part she played in Britain’s history.

Buy tickets online.