Sometimes, it’s just light that hits our sensors. Turns into lines, shapes, colors, and textures. Makes us smile, wonder, enjoy. Sometimes leaves us puzzled – but most often with a smile…
Gear notes: would it really matter?
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Getting immersed into the spectacular architecture of the Liège-Guillemins railway station, I could not – of course! – resist the urge to slap my fish-eye lens on the camera and go for the wild views. Things rapidly start moving into a different ‘perspective’, and spaces and shapes take on new dimension.
A fish-eye lens also invites you to try out unusual camera positions that introduce all kinds of visual effects and references:
The previous picture was shot lying flat on the ground, close to one of the glass elevator ‘towers’ on the platforms, aiming straight up towards the station’s glass-and-concrete dome. Transparency and reflection were lining up perfectly resulting in an abstract composition.
To close, an outside shot where the fish-eye’s distortion of the ground echoes the curves of the station’s canopy roof.
Now there’s a kind of lens that I could hardly live without…
Gear notes: D700, 16/2.8D
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Modern railway stations are often multi-level constructions. There is of course the tracks and platforms, but also – specifically near the larger cities – a collection of coffee shops, sandwich bars and other sundries stores. Add to that a (preferably monumental) entrance hall, public transportation and parking areas… That means the public transportation customer will have to find his/her way along stairs and escalators of all kinds and shapes.
It is no different in Liège-Guillemins. There’s mainly two levels: one for the trains, and one to enter and take care of shopping. But with the grand architecture (and as the station is built against a rolling hill) there’s access to surrounding walkways and balconies as well.
At night, colorful lights come complement striking shapes – all that much to the delight of the patient photographer.
Gear notes: D700, 17-35/2.8, 24-120/4.0VR
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