What: The main brief of this exercise was to choose five
buildings and produce between two and four images that describe effectively and
attractively the way in which the spaces are used.
Where: Various locations.
When: Differing times of the day
How: Some research had to be undertaken so that I had an
understanding of how and why the building was designed the way it is and have
an opinion on its effectiveness as a usable space.
The first thing that I did was select a number of
buildings that I would be able to access and do some research on them,
including where possible to have a look around the location to examine the
space.
I spent some time watching the videos for
architectural photography so that I was aware of compositions that I could
avoid. The videos are available online
I also spent some time at the website http://photo.net/learn/architectural/exterior
reading
up again on information on compositions that I should avoid.
I was unable to access a few of my chosen locations
as they were closed or unavailable. These included the Scottish flag centre
which is a converted dovecot and the collegiate chapel. I therefore had to
reassess my options and then find and research alternative locations
Atrium
The first building that I chose and photographed was
the main administration building for a power supply company.
This space was an interesting area as it started out
as the outside of the older building and when a new administration building was
put up, the area was converted into an atrium and staircase joining the two
buildings together and adding access. At one point it was the main reception for
the building which has now been removed and it has become and general access
area.
On the day I photographed it was being used for a
charity Christmas sale to the staff.
Atrium_DSC_0014
Nikon D80, Aperture Mode Manual, focal length 16mm (35mm equivalent
24mm), aperture f22, speed 3.6 seconds, ISO 100, Fluorescent white balance,
Spot metering, Tripod mounted camera, 11-16 mm lens,
I wanted to capture the slight claustrophobic
feeling from behind the stairs where there is small amount of unused space; the
stairway comes right into the space making it a dark spot in the building.
Atrium_DSC_0009
Nikon D80, Aperture Mode Manual, focal length 15mm (35mm
equivalent 22mm), aperture f22, speed 2 seconds, ISO 100, Auto white balance, Spot
metering, Tripod Mounted camera, 11-16mm lens,
Here I show the atrium from the angle of entrance to
the building and you can see that it joins the two buildings together. When I
shot this image, it was still very dark in the morning.
Atrium_DSC_0017
Nikon D80, Aperture Mode Manual, focal length 11mm (35mm
equivalent 16mm), aperture f9.5, speed 1/20 second, ISO 640, Auto white
balance, Spot metering, Hand held camera, 11-16mm lens,
I wanted to capture the lower area as it was being
used for that day; I had noticed the shadows and light from the revolving door
and wanted to capture the interplay of the light as it passed through the door.
As a space the atrium is obviously still evolving
and it appeared to be in almost constant use especially in the morning. It
succeeds as a stairway access and as a gathering point. I did find that it
suffered from being either too dark or too bright as it is mainly glass, but
overall it is a good use of space and the organisation is capitalising on the
space by using it for multiple purposes.
Turbine
Hall
I managed to gain access to a Turbine hall of a
local power station. The area is a heavily walled building to protect the
surrounding area from the noise and vibrations of the turbines when they are
running. The turbines are steam driven and generate electricity as they spin;
it is said that the edge of the blades spin faster than the speed of sound. The
equipment around the space is to help the turbines function.
TurbHall_DSC_0052
Nikon D80, Aperture Mode Manual, focal
length 11mm (35mm equivalent 16mm), aperture f9.5, speed 1/10 second, ISO 3200,
Fluorescent white balance, Spot metering, Hand held camera, 11-16mm lens,
On entering the hall I was surprised by how large a
space it was and how the space has been used to maximise the effectiveness and
availability of the equipment. Every space was filled with walkways and pipes.
TurbHall_DSC_0059
Nikon D80, Aperture Mode Manual, focal
length 16mm (35mm equivalent 24mm), aperture f4, speed 1/90 second, ISO 3200,
Flash white balance, Spot metering, Hand held camera, 11-16mm lens,
Again I used high ISO as there was limited daylight
and most of the available light was fluorescent or tungsten lamps. I chose
flash white balance to try and compensate for the differences in light. I again
chose the wide angle lens to emphasise the huge space of the turbine hall.
As a space, the turbine hall was designed for use
and the way that everything has been designed around the turbines to maximise
the space is very effective creating an impressive location and space.
University
– Old Medical Building
This building was originally built as part of the
university to provide access for medical students to the hospital next door.
However the hospital is no longer there and the building has been partially
converted into offices for other departments. This has created new spaces and
has changed others as floors have been built into areas which were larger rooms
or spaces.
Uni_DSC_0002
Nikon D80, Aperture Mode Manual, focal
length 11mm (35mm equivalent 16mm), aperture f22, speed 18 seconds, ISO 100,
Fluorescent white balance, Matrix metering, Tripod Mounted camera, 11-16mm
lens,
This is a prime example of the newly created space,
it can be clearly seen that the new space has been created around the
structural supports of the building. The supports themselves are being used to
display historical busts and statues of interest. It is a very effective use of
the space, rather than creating walls around the supports they have kept the
space open making it look like a larger and airier space than it really is.
Uni_DSC_0004
Nikon D80, Aperture Mode Manual, focal
length 16mm (35mm equivalent 24mm), aperture f22, speed 14 seconds, ISO 100,
Fluorescent white balance, Matrix metering, Tripod Mounted camera, 11-16mm
lens,
Here the space is confusing, what appears to be a
staircase and passageway is also a storage and display for books. I could not
understand why it was fitted for this purpose and it did not feel right to have
an area which is a passage way being used as display “library”.
Uni_DSC_0009
Nikon D80, Aperture Mode Manual, focal
length 16mm (35mm equivalent 24mm), aperture f5.6, speed 1/15 second, ISO 640,
Daylight white balance, Matrix metering, Hand Held camera, 11-16mm lens,
I was impressed to find that the original staircase
was still in use and that it had not been changed. I was surprised to find that
at the bottom of the stairwell a statue being displayed as I would not normally
associate the bottom of a set of stairs as a display area, however it was a
pleasant surprise and a good use of the space as it keeps the departmental
concept together.
Chain
Coffee Shop
This chain coffee shop was originally a bank which
closed and moved premises; the building was taken over and converted into a
coffee shop. From the outside the building had not changed much, it still had
its heavy glass windows and large wooden door. The inside had change little,
the coffee shop had arranged the serving area around the pillars of the bank
which created a blocked space when customers interacted with the staff. The
floor space was filled with a collection of stools, tables, chairs and sofas
creating a comfortable space to sit and drink.
CoffeeShop_DSC_0006
Nikon D80, Aperture Mode Manual, focal
length 18mm (35mm equivalent 27mm), aperture f6.7, speed 1/20 second, ISO 3200,
Shade white balance, Matrix metering, Beanbag supported camera, 18-70mm lens,
I did see more than one customer try and squeeze
themselves into the till space to have their order taken by the staff and I did
not believe that it was an effective use of space.
CoffeeShop_DSC_0010
Nikon D80, Aperture Mode Manual, focal
length 29mm (35mm equivalent 43mm), aperture f6.7, speed 1/350 second, ISO
3200, Shade white balance, Matrix metering, Hand held camera, 18-70mm lens,
]
The main source of light for the space was small
lamps supplemented by the daylight coming in through the windows. I did find
that the display running from below the windows right up to the door did not
leave a lot of space and mainly channelled customers to the serving counter.
CoffeeShop_DSC_0013
Nikon D80, Aperture Mode Manual, focal
length 27mm (35mm equivalent 40mm), aperture f6.7, speed 1/45 second, ISO 3200,
Auto white balance, Matrix metering, Beanbag supported camera, 18-70mm lens,
CoffeeShop_DSC_0016
Nikon D80, Aperture Mode Manual, focal
length 70mm (35mm equivalent 105mm), aperture f4.5, speed 1/20 second, ISO
3200, Daylight white balance, Matrix metering, Hand held camera, 18-70mm lens,
In all, the coffee shop was a nice space and
location, it was comfortable to sit and drink coffee, I did find the location
of the serving counter a bit counter intuitive as removed a lot of central
space from the room making the arrangement a tad squashed and not a great
effective use of the overall space. I believe that it is more of a serve and go
location rather than a stop and sit location.
Museum
Hall
This early Victorian Museum has undergone 3 years of
refurbishment and transformation. The change has meant that the entrance is no
longer directly from the street into the hall but now you enter the building
from below the hall. The large entrance hall now a main area for display and
exhibition, it is also used as the main gathering space and main transit area
between the small exhibition halls and rooms.
Museum_DSC_0027
Nikon D80, Aperture Mode Manual, focal
length 18mm (35mm equivalent 27mm), aperture f22, speed 1/7 second, ISO 100,
Daylight white balance, Spot metering, Hand held camera, 18-70mm lens,
Museum_DSC_0072
Nikon D80, Aperture Mode Manual, focal length
31mm (35mm equivalent 46mm), aperture f4, speed 1/90 second, ISO 3200,Auto
white balance, Spot metering, Hand held camera, 18-70mm lens,
The galleries at the side of the hall have also changed
purpose; previously the galleries were exhibition areas with lots of display
cabinets.
One of the galleries to the side of the main hall
has been turned into a study area, although it is just off the main hall it is
a quiet and comfortable space which allows you to study items and information
on the museum.
Museum_DSC_0062
Nikon D80, Aperture Mode Manual, focal
length 31mm (35mm equivalent 46mm), aperture f13, speed 1/6 second, ISO 1000,
Shade white balance, Matrix metering, Hand held camera, 18-70mm lens,
On the first floor gallery there is now a small cafe
which overlooks the main hall. Previously the cafe was in the main hall itself
and moving it out of the central hall space has freed up the hall floor space
and created its own effective space while not being isolated from the main
area.
Museum_DSC_0058
Nikon D80, Aperture Mode Manual, focal
length 38mm (35mm equivalent 57mm), aperture f13, speed 1/4 second, ISO 1000,
Shade white balance, Matrix metering, Hand held camera, 18-70mm lens,
As a space which has changed quite a bit over my own
lifetime I am happy to see that the hall has been returned to something similar
to its original purpose and design, it is a very effective use of the space as
previously the hall and galleries were cluttered and overfilled. Now they are pleasant
spaces.
Learning
points.
One of the main factors I have learned it my over
reliance on a wide angle lens to capture space, I should experiment more with
telephoto and normal lenses to achieve differing viewpoints.
I also failed in some areas of my research, for
example I had heard the a train station had opened after refurbishment, rather
than looking for images and information I turned up expecting the Victorian
station to have a newer cleaner look, what I found was that the Victorian part
of the station had been closed and boarded off and a new structure had been
build beside it. The new structure was a glass and steel box which looked
particularly unpleasant and unappealing to photograph.
This has been a challenging assignment not only due
to my mobility problems but at times making arrangements for access was time
consuming and on occasions meant false starts and wasted journeys. I also
struggled at times to obtain linear access to building spaces which mean that I
missed out on some good spaces as I was unable to access them.
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