Two More Glasgow Photo Shoots
Exploring Glasgow with My Camera
Following on from my first Glasgow photography blog, I headed back into the city for two more photography trips, this time exploring Glasgow on my own and looking at some very different parts of the city.
Glasgow is a fantastic place for photography because there is always something different to discover. From historic architecture and busy streets to modern developments, parks and dramatic university buildings, the city provides an endless variety of subjects. These two photo shoots also feature in my latest photography video, bringing together some of the images and locations I explored during my visits.
Exploring Glasgow City Centre
For my first trip, I started at Glasgow Central Station and concentrated on the area to the west of the station.
Rather than simply photographing the obvious tourist locations, I wanted to explore the streets and architecture around the city centre and see what caught my eye as I walked.
Glasgow has a wonderful mixture of architectural styles, with historic buildings sitting alongside modern shops, businesses and developments. This creates plenty of opportunities for looking at shapes, lines, reflections, textures and interesting perspectives.
One of the main areas I visited was George Square, which has been undergoing major changes as part of the city's redevelopment.
The square provides an interesting photography challenge because it is constantly changing. Construction, temporary structures and new landscaping all become part of the visual story of the city.
The Duke of Wellington – Glasgow's Most Famous Cone
No photographic trip around central Glasgow would be complete without passing the Duke of Wellington statue outside the Gallery of Modern Art.
And, of course, there is the famous traffic cone!
The cone on the Duke's head has become one of Glasgow's best-known unofficial symbols. It is a brilliant example of how something that started as an act of mischief has become part of the character and identity of the city.
For a photographer, it is also difficult to resist.
I also took the opportunity to have a quick look at GoMA – the Gallery of Modern Art, before continuing towards Princes Square.
Princes Square is another completely different photographic environment. Its ornate architecture, details and enclosed spaces provide plenty of opportunities for looking at composition and perspective in a different way from the open streets outside.
A Second Day – Kelvingrove Park
My second Glasgow photo shoot took me in a completely different direction.
This time I headed towards Kelvingrove Park, one of the city's best-known green spaces.
The park offers a very different photographic experience from the city centre. Instead of concentrating on buildings and streets, I could look at landscape, trees, pathways, light and the relationship between the natural and built environments.
One of the things I particularly enjoy about photography is that you can visit the same city but experience it completely differently depending on where you go, the weather, the light and even your frame of mind on the day.
Kelvingrove Park is a great example of this.
Glasgow University and a Changing Skyline
From the park I continued towards Glasgow University, exploring the area around the university and photographing the architecture.
The University of Glasgow is already famous for its historic buildings, but there are also plenty of newer developments and buildings changing the appearance of the surrounding area.
This gave me another opportunity to contrast old and new Glasgow within the same photographic journey.
The combination of historic architecture, modern buildings, open spaces and strong architectural lines makes this part of the city particularly interesting to photograph.
Photography Is About Looking
One of the biggest reasons I enjoy photography is that it encourages me to really look at places.
You don't necessarily need to travel somewhere exotic to find interesting photographs. Sometimes the best images can be found by simply walking through a familiar city and looking at it differently.
These two Glasgow trips gave me the chance to explore different sides of the city – from the streets around Central Station and George Square, to the Duke of Wellington, GoMA and Princes Square, and then from Kelvingrove Park to the changing architecture around Glasgow University.
They also demonstrate something that is central to the way I approach photography:
The creative decision is yours.
A camera records what is in front of you, but the photographer decides what to include, where to stand, how to frame the image and what story they want to tell.
These Glasgow photo shoots are featured in my latest photography video, where I bring together some of the highlights from both days.
So, if you are exploring Glasgow with a camera, don't just look for the obvious photograph.
Stop. Look. Explore. And tell your own story with an image.
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