When I was invited last year to go and conduct a recorder group in Manchester I immediately decided to use the trip as an opportunity to do some long overdue architectural photography around Salford Quays while I was there. When I arrived there was still a couple of hours left before sunset so I set off to look around and get my bearings, as well as figuring out some possible locations for the following morning.
On the Friday morning a heavy autumn mist had descended on Salford Quays, but that just made things even more atmospheric…
I’d gone to Salford with an open mind about what I might photograph, but I found myself creating several small bodies of work around various parts of the Quays. One of the things that caught my eye was the way the modern architecture on the waterfront was reflected in the shimmering water of the Quays creating colourful abstracts.
While most of my images focus on single buildings, with a vista this dramatic I felt a panorama was also needed to capture the scene, from the Lowry Centre on the left to the Imperial War Museum on the right.
My attempt to create some abstract shapes from the exterior of The Lowry was foiled by this pigeon!
The interior of The Lowry is a riot of colour - a mix of complementary shades of orange and purple. The stark lines of the modern architecture just called out for some minimalist abstracts
Elsewhere in the building the tones are more muted, but no less photogenic.
Another panorama of the Quays - these are the buildings you see in the background on the BBC’s breakfast television show each day!
My circuit of Salford Quays eventually brought me to the Media City Bridge, a cable stay swing bridge which crosses the Manchester Ship Canal, which seemed to call for a monochrome look to highlight its string lines.
Finally I ended my day at the Imperial War Museum. The interior didn’t particularly inspire me, but the curving lines of the exterior have lots of possibilities. I can’t help but wonder what these swooping lines might look like with some low, raking sunshine - a sight I’ll have to hope for on my next visit.
Photos taken 15 November 2024