City Buildings, Manchester

I used to pass this building every day on the way to work in the mid 80’s. At the time it was fully occupied with shops however some looked as if they were struggling a little with the changes to our society. On the right hand side of the building was a second hand typewriter shop that looked as if it never opened and there would be a large black and white cat stretched out asleep in the window each morning. Now the building has been purchased for restoration and I just had to preserve how it looked in 2007 before the builders moved in.

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Castlefield, Manchester

This is Merchants bridge in Castlefield. Its and impressive modern structure and up until I shot this picture I had only seen it captured from the side. I much prefer this angle as it allows you to appreciate the sweeping curves of the bridge.

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Castlefield 2, Manchester

There are many railway bridges that cross each other in the Castlefield area and they may wonderful photographic subjects. I love photographing this area and I find the use of HDR techniques very rewarding here. This is actually a combination of 7 images all shot at different exposures and then combined into the final image. This is why you can see details outside the bridge on the right of the image whilst still seeing what is below the bridge.

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Castlefield 3, Manchester

Another shot from below the railway bridges. I love these huge steel pillars which support the bridge. It’s the way they have rusted and been painted and then the way the rust has bubbled up from below the paint again. This is another HDR image and the detail in the paint and rust is amazing. When printed on gloss paper it just comes to live and feels like it’s 3 dimensional.

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The Futurist, Liverpool

This is the old Futurist cinema in Liverpool and also one of my most popular prints. It was shot using HDR so that I could bring out the detail in the brickwork and also the rusting old neon sign. If you are thinking of visiting yourself you will find the builders have moved in and the old neon sign has been removed and replaces with a white board with the words Futurist painted in red. It’s not quite as nice now.

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Salford Quays 1, Manchester

This is the Lowry Theatre in Salford Quays. Shot in the height of summer there had been a glorious sunset which had left a faint afterglow in the sky. I used HDR to bring out the detail in the side of the theatre which had been obscured by shadows. A nice reflection was the finishing touch to this very popular image.

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Salford Quays 2, Manchester

This is the Millennium Bridge at Salford Quays and was taken on the same evening as the Lowry Theatre image above.  More recently Media City has opened in the Quays and the BBC has moved in. With it the area has become more heavily patrolled by overly enthusiastic security guards who like photographers to move on. I’m really not sure where people will be free to photograph anywhere soon and we will stop sharing these wonderful structures.

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Salford Quays 3, Manchester

Another image of the Millennium Bridge but from a slightly different viewpoint and taken some 4 years later. The lighting and location remain wonderful and one of my favourite locations.

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London

I have decided to title this image just London as it’s pretty iconic and instantly recognisable across the world. Shot on a bright spring morning in brilliant sunlight. I found I didn’t like the nice blue sky and fluffy white clouds so I created the first image in what I call my Dark Sky Series.

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Urbis, Manchester

Another image in the dark sky series. This is the Urbis building in Manchester which was formally a pretty cutting edge gallery and exhibition centre. It’s now home to the National Football Museum but the exterior remains unchanged. It’s a very impressive structure and looks simply amazing in bright light.

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Duomo, Milan, Italy

This is the impressive stone Cathedral in the centre of Milan. I find the dark sky treatment helps to remove the clutter and hordes of tourists which are a huge distraction in the original image. I find this image much more tranquil and peaceful.

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