I recently embarked on a photography project in the city centre of Manchester. My home town has a bustling city centre known for its music, vibrant culture, nightlife and lively atmosphere. However I wanted to capture a different side of the city.
Having worked in the city centre for much of my twenties, I would often find myself walking through the city at night to catch the last bus or tram of the day.
And, as I’d make my way across town (if you’re a ‘Manc’ you call it town), I’d be taken with the Manchester that few seem to experience. On a Sunday or Monday night, certainly in winter. it can almost seem like a ghost town. It still bustles with mechanical movement from trams, cars and buses, but normally packed streets and squares would just have a few folks making their way through.
So I set off to photograph this Manchester, the Manchester of quieter nights, where there may be fewer people, but there is still a lot of Manchester life to capture
A tram pulls out of an almost empty Deansgate-Castlefield
I started this mini photography project around Manchesters Deansgate-Castlefield. Starting at the Metrolink (tram) station usually crowded with commuters, it felt earily quiet on this Monday evening. At one point there were four trams in the station with all four mostly empty.
The bars under the tram station that would be packed at the weekend were ominously quiet. The bars and clubs were either closed up or open but hollow. The desolate walkways across the canal seeing no footfall this evening.
I set up my Canon 6d mark ii on a tripod. Aiming to capture some of the movement of transport by exposing for longer than hand holding my camera would allow, I also wanted to create ‘stars’ in the night time street lights. A narrow aperture would be necessary to produce this effect. Composing at 24mm meant dialing f/8 into my camera would provide a narrow enough aperture to do this, the 9 blades within Canon’s EF 24-70 L ii lens providing some great diffraction spikes.
All of the images on this page were created at either f/8 or f/11 within a focal range of 24-30mm.
Perhaps on this first night I could have done with a lens cloth though. A smudge on the front of the lens provided a '‘sputnik’ look in a couple of the lights….greasy remnants from a restaurant shoot I had done earlier that day (although I actually quite like them).
Deansgate Locks, normally a hub of people, tonight deserted.
On my second photography venture into Manchester, the following Monday, I ventured towards the world of the night owls. The Printworks and The Village can usually be relied upon to be bursting with people. But on a wet Monday in winter there were far less people than would usually be found at these locations, just a handful of late night revellers and cinema goers.
As with the previous shoot day, I worked on a tripod. I wanted the images I created to capture the motion of swagger. Allowing the cameras shutter to remain open for 0.3 seconds was just the right amount of time to capture the form of the people whilst removing their detail becoming a blur.
The Printworks can always be relied upon to have a bit of life about it, even on a wet Monday evening in winter
The village, on the opposite side of town, was less busy than I’d expected with half of the many bars and clubs along the street closed for the evening, typical for a Monday night. There were still a few places open towards Princess Road though and that’s where the folks in the image below were heading, under the ‘blanket of stars’ that covered Canal Street. I set up my camera and tripod in the middle of the restricted traffic road to photograph their starry night walk.
There is no chance of capturing this Manchester shot during a sunny spell in summer, Canal Street would be jam packed.
As my Manchester night photography project moved onto its third day, I focused on photographing the transport of Manchester - a symphony of light and life intertwining in a mesmerizing dance.
The Manchester metrolink tram system weaves throughout the city centre and is a great focal point for any Manchester photography project. I chose some classic Manchester locations in front of which to capture the movement of the trams, and capture some of the other transportation bringing people in and out of the city.
If you grew up in North Manchester, you’ll know the thrill of the ‘helter skelter’ Manchester Arndale car park ramp
Many of the photographs I created during these three nights were actually captured in black and white. I’ve given a colour treatment to some of the shots presented here.
Central Library in St. Peter’s Square
The lesser spotted ‘double’ tram, flying through the city at night with only a few passengers. Rarely seen during peak travel times when needed.
I’m quite at ease photographing in Manchester but once you throw a tripod in the mix, you tend to stick out a little. I like to keep my wits about me when plodding around with camera and lens but a tripod makes it a little harder to be discreet, or to move on quickly if necessary.
And, of course, I generated a bit of attention, goes with the territory. In the main it was a good experience with most people genuinly interested in what I was up to. Whilst cameras are everywhere and there’s a selfie being took on every street corner. A bloke waiting patiently for the right moment, with a large camera and lens atop a bulky tripod, is still somewhat interesting to people….and you’re asking for attention if you set up a camera and tripod smack bang in the middle of Canal Street, on any day!
The Rochdale Canal at Lock 92. Home to the lockkeeper and many others
My last captures are about the people who call the city their home. Manchester has always been a city of juxtaposition and in these photographs, I wanted to capture that juxtaposition of dwellings. The vast high rise apartments which tower above the tranquil water top homes of others.
Manchester’s transport isn’t restricted to just roads, trains, or tramways. The famous canals in the city centre pay homage to the foundations of the city. They paved the way for what was to follow and to this day narrow boats travel through (and under) Manchester providing a city centre home to many. New ways or old ways, it’s how it’s done in Manchester
As I mentioned above, I was quite nerve wracked at times during this project. Cameras aren’t cheap, and that could make targets out of photographers. If you’d like to capture Manchester during the late evening, or during the day for that matter, and would feel more comfortable doing that alongside others, click here to see the latest dates for group tours or workshops in Manchester
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