This stunning photo of the Panama Canal in the 1960s is currently on show in the National Maritime Museum’s Waterline exhibition.

The show looks back at the golden age of cruising from 1925 to 1970, featuring photos of conga lines, shark fishing, Victorian fancy dress and sumptuous banquets.

The 48-mile (77km) Panama Canal connects the Caribbean Sea to the Pacific Ocean. Travelling from one end to the other can take a whole day. This boat’s crewmen seem to be enjoying the view.

Do you know of more Panama culture in London? If so, let us know for our World in London challenge.

Waterline is at the National Maritime Museum until April. Admission is free

Tate Britain’s new exhibition of 19th Century photographs by Eadweard Muybridge left me thinking not just about the power of his images (which laid the foundations for cinema) but also about Muybridge’s strange personality.

Among prints of the American wilderness, stunning panoramas of early San Francisco, and pioneering stop-frame photos of animals and people in motion, there are portraits of Muybridge staring out with a severe expression from behind his wiry facial hair, and slumped moodily against a giant redwood tree.

It must have taken an obsessive personality to venture out into the wilderness and set up darkrooms in caves and mountain tops (he had to process the photos immediately after taking them in those days). Muybridge was also a canny self-promoter, changing his name various times. The spelling “Eadweard” was inspired by a Saxon King.

But halfway through the exhibition a shocking fact about his identity comes to light: he was a murderer. In 1874, on discovering that his son was not in fact his own, he killed his wife’s lover, Harry Larkyns. The following year he was tried but acquitted on the basis that the killing was “justifiable”.

If he had been jailed for the crime, none of his most amazing, groundbreaking works would be sitting in the Tate today, but you can’t help but get a sinister feeling when you look into his eyes.

Eadweard Muybridge at Tate Britain until 16th January 2011. Entry £10, concessions £8.50

This morning I made the short hop across London to attend the National Portrait Gallery’s preview of pioneering photographer Camille Silvy’s work.

Silvy was one of the early founders of 19th century photography across a number of disciplines. The French artist’s work in photo manipulation also helped to set the standard for modern-day artists.

I was immediately impressed by the depth of the exhibition, which is the first ever retrospective exhibition of the photographer’s work.

The display includes Silvy’s stunning work in rural scenes, fashion portraits and snapshots of everyday Victorian life, but also artefacts such as the dress Alice Silvy wore in one of his portraits.

Arguably the most striking example of Silvy’s work is the tranquil river landscape entitled River Scene.  In this picture, Silvy used different negatives to capture the view, one for the sky and one for the landscape.

The Studies on Light series of three photos including Sun, Twilight and Fog, are also noteworthy. In Twilight – the most alluring – a man is buying his newspaper from a young boy in a deserted street, while a blurred object lurks in the dimming light, creating a mystical aura.

Blurring, the use of multiple negatives, and the burning-in method used in River Scene are just a few examples of Silvy’s pioneering techniques.

Make sure you don’t miss Silvy’s Daybooks, already part of the National Portrait Gallery’s collection. These include fantastic examples of early fashion photography beginning in 1867 with Miss Valpy.

Camille Silvy at the National Portrait Gallery opens tomorrow until 24 October.

Wolfgang Tillmans, the 2000 Turner Prize winner, has been a leading light in abstract photography and photo manipulation and this show is a stunning sample of his work.

The Lighter Series, in which Tillmans challenges the idea of photography as simply a two-dimensional medium, is a stunning collection of bold coloured prints with creases and crinkles transforming them into sculptural items.

Some of Tillmans’ other celebrated work is on display here, such as the simple Paper Drop, a photo of a curled image forming a tear-drop.

Among his new work is Space, Food, Religion, busy montages of images, pamphlets and journalism.

One focuses on consumerism with a photograph of graffiti stating “OBEY CONSUME DIE / THAT’S RIGHT FOLKS”. Another challenges the issues of paedophilia in the Catholic Church, the repression of homosexuality and genital mutilation.

It’s clear that Tillmans’ work continues to push boundaries in new and innovative ways.

It’s his first major exhibition in London since 2003, so don’t miss out!

Wolfgang Tillmans at the Serpentine Gallery 26 Jun-19 Sep

This happy hippo is just one of the photos on display in the British Library‘s new exhibition, Points of View: Capturing the 19th Century in Photographs.

The show documents the development of photography, from the camera obscura, to work by photography pioneer William Henry Fox Talbot, and the rise of holiday photos and celebrity snaps.

If you thought the paparazzi were a modern phenomenon, think again! Even Charles Dickens complained about being followed by photographers. You can see pictures of Dickens, Oscar Wilde, Queen Victoria and many other well-known figures.

Other highlights include fascinating portraits of everyday life in Victorian Britain, some of the first photos of overseas countries and their inhabitants, and examples of the Victorian trend for spirit photography.

I took a tour with the exhibition’s curator, John Falconer, who brought the show to life perfectly. He’ll be conducting several free gallery talks - try and catch one if you can.

Points of View is at the British Library from 30 October to 7 March. Entry is free.