SHOOT THE CITY
Struggling to find time for photography? Your fix may be closer than you think
Thanks to a combination of advanced building materials and imaginative architects, the modern built-up environment is every bit as beautiful as the hills, valleys and woodland we associate with a traditional landscape.
The basics for photographing them both are also very similar. The natural light is the same and should be treated so. The rules of composition work just as well here as they do in any given beauty spot or national park, and even better, we don’t need to splash out on any additional equipment.
Having worked in an industry associated with construction for over 25 years, it’s hardly surprising that I was drawn to shooting in the city. With over 80 per cent of the UK population living in or near a town or city, it’s also unsurprising that its popularity is rising.
The urban landscape on our doorstep is not only more accessible to most of us, but it also presents opportunities that are not normally available. Suddenly we’re not governed by the constraints that available ambient light dictates. We no longer need to pack up after the sunsets, and bad weather shouldn’t stop play. Scenes personal to us that we pass on our daily commute, or more popular locations sourced from a travel guide, can all be used as subjects. It’s not unusual for me to spend an hour or two wandering the streets virtually at
home, using Google Street View for instance, in order to try and find something new in an unfamiliar place.
While our creative limits are almost always self-imposed, I am personally more inclined to experiment when in the city. By my own admission my country scenes are conventional in style and execution, but when surrounded by the bright neon lights and reflective surfaces of the city, something triggers my imagination and the creative juices begin to flow. Whether it be a simple light trail or a vivid abstract reflection in a puddle, everything’s fair game downtown.
I ended up being drawn to shooting in the city