ENTRY DESCRIPTION
Zara Hadid is one of a rare breed of unique architects in our time. While alive, she created some of the most unique and striking examples of architecture fusing form and function in a unique organic style. The Aquatic Centre in London based in the Queen Elizabeth Park is a highly successful example of her work. It was the site for the UK swimming Olympics and now houses a busy swimming venue. In looking to capture the building and its unique design I chose fine art minimalism to accentuate the organic shape of the building. I aimed in post-processing to separate the building away from its cluttered urban surroundings and infuse the image with a sense of isolation.

This particular shot is of the front elevation of the building. It struck me how it looked similar to a spaceship, and I tried to reinforce this sense in the processing.

TECHNICAL DETAILS: Canon EOS 5D Mark III EF17-40mm f/4L USM ƒ/9.0 17.0 mm 1/50 200

AUTHOR
Photography has entranced me since the age of 13 when given my first SLR film camera. Since that moment, it has been a lifelong passion, hobby and now career. Initially, I focussed almost exclusively on monochrome – fine art landscapes, architecture and cityscapes. For the last few years, I have been working in colour, in particular cinematic street photography.

My creative output is strongly influenced by my work within the design and advertising industry. In a competitive creative industry, you quickly learn to recognise the importance of simplicity to create drama and to elicit an emotional response. My recent landscape work following numerous trips to Iceland was well received with numerous images winning awards. Following my Iceland experiences, I formed a working relationship with the Royal Photographic Society and deliver both online lectures as well as leading a number of their online landscape group workshops.

Although I have tended to focus on landscapes, cityscapes and architecture, I have also recently returned to street photography. Living in a city like London, the interplay of a large multi-cultural urban environment and its inhabitants provides a rich tapestry of subject matter.

I order to broaden my street photography portfolio, I have recently embarked on a number of personal street photography projects. As part of this project, I am exploring the ways in which urban environments impact the shadows, silhouettes and reflections we encounter in our streets and public spaces. Finally, I am looking at how architectural design in our cities imposes an informal geometry on our lives.

I am a strong advocate for the importance of storytelling in photography. Although there is a belief that the image itself should communicate the story, I believe that more often than not, an understanding of the context of the photograph and the reasons behind its capture.

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