Otto Berkeley
Infinity's Edge
It's been three years since Adams Plaza Bridge opened and connected Canary Wharf to Crossrail Place, but only very recently that the first Crossrail train made its maiden voyage late at night through tunnels across southeast London. With one of Europe's largest-ever infrastructure projects now nearing completion, and with the central section scheduled to open at the end of this year, it felt like a perfect opportunity to revisit one of the most futuristic-looking locations in London.
I last photographed the bridge shortly after it opened to the public, but where my previous take aimed to convey the pristine elegance of the bridge's clean lines and metallic surfaces, I wanted this take to capture a wider perspective from the Crossrail entrance, and for the scene to be shot during blue hour when faint light was illuminating the nearby buildings and casting a soft glow through the bridge's windows. This seemed to add to the more atmospheric finish I had in mind, as well as allowing me to emphasise the contrast between the muted tones in the foreground and the vibrant light inside the tunnel as it extends into the distance.
The final image is a blend of nine bracketed exposures, combined in Photoshop using luminosity masks to balance the shadows along the edges of the tunnel with the bright highlights through the centre, as well as allowing me to gently apply the brightest exposures to the vanishing point while avoiding blown-out highlights. The main challenge -- as before -- was ensuring the perspective was right in-camera. Thankfully Canary Wharf's security never seem to have any issues with photographers visiting this spot at unsocial hours, and on a quiet morning I was able to take my time and make sure the tripod and camera were precisely centred.
When colour-grading the image, I removed some of the warmer tones from the central overhead light, and opted for a colder tone to emphasise the scene's futuristic vibe. At the same time, I used the Pen Tool to isolate the handrails inside the tunnel, which have a beautiful wooden finish with traces of red and magenta that I tried to subtly bring out using Colour Balance and Selective Colour adjustments. Inside Nik's Silver Efex Pro, I lowered the midtone and shadow structure for a softer overall texture that I felt would compliment the simplicity of the architecture, as well as selectively applying the High and Low Key filters in Colour Efex Pro in order to emphasise the contrast towards the vanishing point and to produce a darker and moodier finish in the immediate foreground where the tunnel begins.
I'm looking forward to seeing the magnificent architecture inside London's Elizabeth Line stations when they open in December, but it was a joy to come back to this scene -- one that still seems as flawless in its design and execution as it did the day it opened.
You can also connect with me on Instagram, Facebook, 500px and Google+.
Infinity's Edge
It's been three years since Adams Plaza Bridge opened and connected Canary Wharf to Crossrail Place, but only very recently that the first Crossrail train made its maiden voyage late at night through tunnels across southeast London. With one of Europe's largest-ever infrastructure projects now nearing completion, and with the central section scheduled to open at the end of this year, it felt like a perfect opportunity to revisit one of the most futuristic-looking locations in London.
I last photographed the bridge shortly after it opened to the public, but where my previous take aimed to convey the pristine elegance of the bridge's clean lines and metallic surfaces, I wanted this take to capture a wider perspective from the Crossrail entrance, and for the scene to be shot during blue hour when faint light was illuminating the nearby buildings and casting a soft glow through the bridge's windows. This seemed to add to the more atmospheric finish I had in mind, as well as allowing me to emphasise the contrast between the muted tones in the foreground and the vibrant light inside the tunnel as it extends into the distance.
The final image is a blend of nine bracketed exposures, combined in Photoshop using luminosity masks to balance the shadows along the edges of the tunnel with the bright highlights through the centre, as well as allowing me to gently apply the brightest exposures to the vanishing point while avoiding blown-out highlights. The main challenge -- as before -- was ensuring the perspective was right in-camera. Thankfully Canary Wharf's security never seem to have any issues with photographers visiting this spot at unsocial hours, and on a quiet morning I was able to take my time and make sure the tripod and camera were precisely centred.
When colour-grading the image, I removed some of the warmer tones from the central overhead light, and opted for a colder tone to emphasise the scene's futuristic vibe. At the same time, I used the Pen Tool to isolate the handrails inside the tunnel, which have a beautiful wooden finish with traces of red and magenta that I tried to subtly bring out using Colour Balance and Selective Colour adjustments. Inside Nik's Silver Efex Pro, I lowered the midtone and shadow structure for a softer overall texture that I felt would compliment the simplicity of the architecture, as well as selectively applying the High and Low Key filters in Colour Efex Pro in order to emphasise the contrast towards the vanishing point and to produce a darker and moodier finish in the immediate foreground where the tunnel begins.
I'm looking forward to seeing the magnificent architecture inside London's Elizabeth Line stations when they open in December, but it was a joy to come back to this scene -- one that still seems as flawless in its design and execution as it did the day it opened.
You can also connect with me on Instagram, Facebook, 500px and Google+.